tel: 512 280-1192 Thursday, August 18, 2016
Nursery notes: our summer sales continue: $2 off desert roses:
4" pots now $5.99, 6" pots $12.99. Pottery: 20% off, includes Tal-
avera . Bougainvilleas: $14.99. 2 gal. perennials $12.99: plumbago
(blue), esperanza, prides of Barbados. Horticultural molasses on
sale: Buy one get one free. Please come by for a visit! 🌷
Vegetable deadlines: Fall planting's full steam ahead, and the nur-
sery is well-stocked with peppers, brocolli, cauliflower and tomatoes.
(Kale and more greens available next week.) David posted this use-
ful planting timetable on our Facebook page; the yellow line shows
where are. For full details, follow this link: Texas A&M 🌷
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'Longest journey in a pumpkin boat': to raise the profile of his
charity, Todd Sandstrum is going to paddle 8 miles down the Taun-
ton River in Massachusetts next month. . . in a hollowed out 800 lb
pumpkin, and hopes to set a world record. Todd's noble mission
in life: 'To get kids in the dirt, and learning how and where good
food is made.' Modern Farmer 🌷
Forecasting weather with cenizo: last week you probably not-
iced the pretty lavender of cenizo (aka purple sage, Texas sage)
suddenly blooming out across the city . . and come the weekend,
rain. Leucophyllum frutescens is known by some old timers as
'the barometer bush,' writes Linda Leinen at The Task🌷
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Central Texas Gardener: Discover the best practices for gravel
in the garden. Gardener Christina Pasco protects her organic peaches
with a simple trick. John Dromgoole's easy remedy for chiggers.
Saturday: 4 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. or on-line. KLRU. 🌷
Top Blooms for Summer
by Amanda Moon
What a pleasure to have last Sunday and Mondays rains breaking
up another long, hot central Texas summer. But I am certain that
there's more heat to on its way – and this seems like a good time
to ask which plants can take the heat and brighten up our land-
scapes at this time of year. There are plenty actually!
Driving around town this month it’s hard to miss the bright yellow
blooms of the Esperanza (aka Yellow Bells, also in orange) and the
en masse red and orange colors of the Pride of Barbados (which
Chris wrote about in a recent newsletter). These large growing
perennials are always the first go-to for summer color, and they
rarely disappoint.
But they’re not the only options out there. From trees to ground
covers, many of our drought-tolerant stars are still blooming late
into the summer, and some are just getting going for the season.
Crape Myrtles are wonderful additions to any landscape that needs
a little summer pick-me-up. They’re fast growers, good for creating
privacy in a garden, and are quite drought-tolerant once established.
Crapes come in a wide selection of colors and sizes, from the white
blooming larger tree Natchez, to the smaller Red Rocket and Dyna-
mite. Let them grow naturally and they won’t let you down.
Cenizo Sage (aka Purple or Texas Sage) will burst into bloom any
time it rains, covering itself in purple flowers. That means any
summer rain, will send these shrubs into their full display no matter
the temperatures. I like to have these large beauties as specimens,
letting them grow into their natural form. (Some call them 'baro-
meter bush,' because of their ability to predict rain. See link above.)
Some of my top color choices for smaller beds and lower plantings
include Plumbago, Calylophus, Bat-faced Cuphea, 4-Nerve Daisy
and Lantana.
Blue Plumbago can’t be beat for its sky blue flowers. It’s not a tall
perennial, topping out at about 2 ½ feet, but can spread twice as
wide if allowed. They bloom from spring to frost.
Bat-faced Cuphea will also grow to roughly the same dimensions
as Plumbago, but instead of bright blue flowers this unique plant
offers deep red and purple flowers shaped like little bats. This little
beauty also blooms all season long. (1 gal. $7.99)
Calylophus and 4-Nerve Daisy are perfect for tight sunny spots.
Their yellow blooming wildflowers are evergreen, low-growing
and bloom most of the growing season. They can handle the heat
and drought, and deer won’t touch them. (Daisies: 1 gal $7.99)
Lantana is another fabulous summer blooming perennial. There are
several cultivars out now that don’t get quite as large as the tradit-
ional varieties (New Gold, Dallas Red, Irene etc.), and new intro-
ductions come out every spring. When planted in full sun, most l
antanas will bloom spring to frost with little outside intervention.
Just getting started for the season, Mexican Mint Marigold and its
relative Copper Canyon Daisy are great additions to any landscape.
Their golden daisy flowers can be seen from a distance and both
are quite deer-resistant. The Mint Marigold (or Texas Tarragon)
works well in medium beds and herb gardens and is a nice substi-
tution for French Tarragon, which struggles in our heat and humidity.
Copper Canyon is only about 3’ high, but can spread out wide so
give it lots of leg room. (Mexican mint marigold and Copper
Canyon Daisy $3.59 and $7.99.)
The mistflowers are also just getting started as the hottest part of
the summer hits. My two favorites are Gregg’s and White Mist-
flowers. Both are an integral part of any butterfly garden and will
grow in full to morning sun. Gregg’s is a shorter, traveling plant
with purple flowers atop spikes of foliage. It can be invasive but
the butterflies love it, so plant accordingly. ($7.99 for 1 gal.)
White Mistflower, on the other hand, is a large full shrub 4’ tall and
6’-8’ wide. It will cover itself in white flowers from late summer
into fall and attract every butterfly from miles around.
Though our heat can be oppressive this time of year, there are still
some wonderful landscape plants that can bring summer joy even
on the hottest, driest days. Even if you only have room for one or
two, those small changes can brighten up an otherwise bloomless
summer landscape. Happy Gardening everyone!
Contact newsletter editor Darrel Mayers 🌷🌲 🌿 🌵 ☀️ 
🌻
🌻 with any ideas for articles or interesting links:
internationalrain@yahoo.com (hitting 'reply' to this email won't work)
Visit the website: It's About Thyme or facebook
internationalrain@yahoo.com (hitting 'reply' to this email won't work)
Visit the website: It's About Thyme or facebook
