One heroic plant that’s standing tall at the moment, and blossoming

beautifully (despite adverse weather conditions) is ‘yellow bells.’

This beauty has many names. Officially they call it Tecoma stans. 

It's also known as esperanza (Spanish for ‘hope’), yellow trumpet,

and ginger thomas.

 

Yellow bells have glossy-green, lance-like leaves, and very large,

showy trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom continuously throughout

summer and fall. In warmer areas, it can reach a height of 8 to 10

feet. They are native to South and Central America and our south-

western states.

 

This is an herbaceous perennial. It freezes back when the first

winter cold snap arrives… to return triumphantly the following year

as the ground warms in early spring. Not only is this popular with

gardeners. If you put some in your garden, you'lll have butterflies,

hummingbirds and bees aplenty.

 

Some recent introductions have increased the bloom time for this

perennial, and have made the plant more compact. Some new varieties

to look for:

 

Gold star esperanza blooms earlier than the rest of the species

and grows in a more compact form. While the standards grow to

8 feet or more, gold-star is a little shorter, at 4 to 5 feet.

Orange jubilee is an orange form of yellow bells with smaller,

more toothed leaves. Hummingbirds are more attracted to the orange

 color of this cultivar.

Sunrise is another beautiful variety.  Like gold star, this yellow-flowering

variety is a little shorter, and has a copper-bronze color on the throat of

each flower.

 

Whatever Tecoma stans you choose, you will find them dependable

perennials that put on a great show throughout spring, summer, and fall.

They are tops on my list of drought tolerant performers at the moment,

and everyone should have at least one!

                                      Happy Gardening Everyone.