Mexican Hat, Ratibida columnifera;
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RACO3
This lovely perennial is easy to grow and blooms for a long time, it cut back in midsummer it will bloom again in the fall. Native to Texas and many other states.
A group of flowers, so pretty.
Another color combination.
And another, this is one of my favorites.
A solid yellow one, so neat.
The last one, so adorable!
Adorable! I have never run into these in the wild & can't wait until I do. Fantastic photos Josephine!
Thank you, I love them, have some of them growing on my wildflower slope.
That photo of the group of them is a sight to behold! Lovely!
You are welcome Kin, I love native plants and wildflowers and it gives me great pleasure to share their beauty with others.
Please show us some of yours.
Josephine.
Excellent, I an looking forward to it, it is neat to learn about the many native plants we all have in common.
frostweed,
I think Ratibida is one of my favorite wildflowers. It does really well here in Indiana, even though it's not native to our wooded hills. I have been slowly collecting seed from a handful of plants that come back every year (well, for the past 3 years), and spreading it around some of the slopes and bare places left from our house construction. Do you grow it around your home? Have you noticed a tendency for some plants to be annual and some perennial? I have seen seed for sale that says Ratibida columnifera listed as an annual from one place, perennial from another. Isn't there another species called R. columnaris? Or is that just an outdated name for R. columnifera? And, if you have any seed from that first picture in this thread, I'd love some. Thanks for the link, too.
b
Hello Brambledad, Ratibida clumnaris is a synonym for Ratibida columnifera;
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RACO3
If you scroll down you will see all the synonyms, it gets confusing sometimes.
I love those Mexican hats, and i have them on what i call the wildflower slope, this is the space between the fence and the curb, on the side of our lot, I live on a corner lot.
The space is 10 by 80 feet and it is planted in wildflowers.
It serves as a native plant demonstration garden for the neighborhood, it is amazing how many people have never seen the beautiful native plants of Texas.
They come by and stop and admire the plants that they have never seen, or even knew they existed, and they are amazed that such beautiful flowers could grow wild.
Here is a little picture story that I put on DG
http://landscaping.com/ls/view/65/
Right now the only seed I have is of the solid yellow, let me gather some different colors this summer and I will be glad to send you some.
Also it could be that the ones that seemed like annuals for you may have died from too low temperatures, but I am not sure about that.
Josephine.
Wow love those pictures josephine!! I loved your article too. I will add this to my fall list of seeds.
Josephine, in your last picture at the article you have Asters with a Goldenrod. I am extremely partial to yellow & purple together. A few Asters are already growing on my slope & I was wondering what that gorgeous Goldenrod you have is. It looks really feathery. So pretty!!!!
The Goldenrod is Solidago canadensis, very common around here, but I love it;
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SOCA6
and the Aster is Aromatic fall Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOB
a wonderful flower with amazing displays of color.
Thanks!!!
