Alright! This is the juice. The good stuff. Everyone wants to pay a couple more dollars for a plant that could potentially be grown for the life-span of their yard.
I interviewed another Shades of Green staff, Tim, who informed me of his favorite top 5 perennial plants and why. Let's start from Number 5 and work our way to the top!
Number 5: Texas Skullcap— the red variety. It is "almost indestructible" and very hardy, more tolerant to dry conditions than blue or purple variety.
Number 4: Pincushion Flower. A bee and butterfly haven! The bloom is extremely unique, and is very low maintenance. Heat and drought tolerant.
Number 3: Tim's personal favorite. Daylilies! They come in as many varieties as you can think of and seldom needs tending to. Their blooms are very attractive: the most common color is the bright rich yellow, 'Stella D'Oro' Daylily. The only downside is the flower in late spring or early summer for about a month and then they're done.
Number 2: Purple Coneflower. All of the new hybrids will not survive the Texas summers except Echinacea purpurea. This reseeds easily, produces beautiful blooms which come and go all summer long.
Number 1: Top choice. Texas Lantana. It has "incredible color, prolific bloomer, unbelievably heat and drought tolerant." It's a nectar source for bees and butterflies, and the flowers will turn into black berries in the fall which the birds find tasty.
