I am trying to create a red, white and yellow flower bed for in front of my house. I live in West Texas which is zone 7b. We have very dry and very hot summers! This flower bed will get full west texas sunshine for most of the day. I would like to avoid annuals when I can and focus on perennials and naturalizing bulbs! Anyone have any ideas for me? Thanks!
Red, White Yellow Blooms for West Texas Garden
You could try a red hardy hibiscus, some Black-Eyed Susans (rudbeckia hirta) and many of the Coreopsis for yellows. Not sure about the white.
Try asking over in the Texas Gardening forum, too!
daylilies do well but don't bloom all summer. I love annuals to keep constant color. One thing that does so well, is perennial for me and comes in all the colors you mention is lantana. I have a low growing white one, several of the other shades and the new gold does extremely well. You could plant some of the groundcover red roses to add the reds. Or try verbena they are often perennials for me but even as an annual you don't have to deadhead and they blooms like crazy all summer.
This message was edited Oct 3, 2008 8:21 AM
This is the white lantana
The New Gold is not as old but you can tell much larger. I guess it is the variety and that it is in full sun, the white one is in mostly shade. Wall is about 4 feet tall behind the agave.
This is the red rose, very easy care. Doesn't need deadheading. I don't recall the name of the rose, sorry. I got it at Holland Gardens over in Lubbock though! You might enjoy seeing more of my garden. I have my photos on flickr, you can click on my user name and then scroll down to the link for them. Our climates are very much alike. Joyce ; )
This message was edited Oct 3, 2008 8:41 AM
cactuspatch - Thanks for sharing the pictures. I enjoyed looking at them on flicker! There were so many! I can't wait until I have more time to look at the pictures and follow-up with research on your plants! Your right, our climates are very similiar!
I am afraid of lantana (besides the "new gold") because I think at times it can look 'weedy' and I have heard that it is extremely invasive. I am afraid of it 'taking over' especially in my front flower-bed!
Your pictures really motivate me to keep up the quest for the perfect plants! I have only been gardening for about a year, I love the time I spend in the garden and I love seeing the results! I am trying to 'plan' my front, raised, flower-beds (the red, yellow, and white garden) right now but I am also looking for the perfect plants in a little garden by the driveway, in the back-yard (where I enjoy more of a tropical look), and by the horse-barn! Your garden gives me hope... Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed the photos. As you can tell I love gardening and photography. flickr is a great place to save your photos. I have enjoyed perusing the garden photos there.
I have never had lantana be invasive. I did dig out a New Gold that was just too large inside my courtyard and it still came back. Guess I didn't get all the root. But it is no problem for me, never had them reseed all over the place like a morning glory etc.
Cactuspatch - I just looked at all your beautiful rose pictures and they inspired me to plant roses around our barn. Do you have any favorites to suggest? I love the iceburg roses in your pictures but the vendors that offer iceburgs throught this website all seem to have a shorter variety. I am not sure how I can landscape it yet but I want several different kinds of roses - sticking to the kinds that do well here to up my odds of success!
Glad you enjoyed the photos. I love the iceberg roses. Go ahead and buy them--mine probably stated that they grow to 3-4 feet and you can tell they grow taller with our long season. So many plants are labeled for NE gardens that have no idea of our wonderful sun and long season. All roses do well here so just buy what you want and be sure to water. I have drippers on mine and water them deeply at least once a week with the hose. That is really all it takes to have lovely roses here.
Red hot poker plants have the white and yellow, though the red is orangeish. Copper Canyon daisies bloom profusely for me starting next month, but will take over if allowed. I've already cut mine back once this summer and will have to do so again as soon as the bloomings stops at end of Dec or beginning of Jan.
Anne
What about a hot pink/red hummingbird sage? Mine have done wonderfully for me against the house and getting the hot afternoon sun.
This one shows the red mixed in with the pinks. I have some seeds of both if you're interested in growing from seed.
