|
IN THIS SECTION:
Main
Seasonal Stars
Fall Care Checklist
Five Rules for a Healthy, Long-Lived Tree
Three Reasons Not to Rake & Bag Leaves
Planting the Seeds for a Beautiful Spring
Conservation Plant List
|
|
Fall's Seasonal Stars
|
Aromatic Aster
Aster oblongifolius
|
|
|
|
Aromatic Aster is also called “Fall Aster”
because it blooms best during fall months
although it may also bloom in the spring.
During summer months, the plant puts
on growth and can be cut back
mid-summer to keep it compact. It will
need no special care and very little water
to provide traffic-stopping purple flowers
in the fall.
|
|
Feather Grass
Nasella tenuissima
|
|
|
|
|
Mexican Feather Grass is a fairly recent addition
to ornamental grass choices that include
the Muhly, Fountain, and Maiden varieties.
Ornamental Grasses add texture and draw the
eye as they sway with the breeze. Seed heads
at the tips of the grasses seem to glisten in
afternoon sunlight. Varieties mentioned here
are not bothered by disease and thrive in dry,
neglected places.
|
|
|
Shrimp Plant
Justicia brandegeana
|
|
|
|
Shrimp plant is most known for its rust-red
blooms, but it also is available in
salmon, yellow and several shades of red.
The plant blooms in sun or shade during
most of the summer and into the fall.
During early spring and through mild
winters, shrimp plant thickets are
excellent places to find migrating
hummingbirds.
|
|
Mexican Bush Sage
Salvia leucantha
|
|
|
|
|
Mexican Bush Sage is one of many hardy
salvias recommended in San Antonio, but it
is unique in having peak blooms in
September. The most common varieties have
purple and white spikes of blooms. It also
has a soft, fuzzy appearance that softens
Xeriscape gardens. Grow it next to yellow fall
blooming plants such as Mexican Mint
Marigold or Copper Canyon Daisy. |
|
|
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
|
|
|
|
Salvia greggii is popular for its long-bloom,
compact size, toughness and wide range of
colors. It has a very long blooming period
that starts in the spring and peaks in the
fall. During most winters Salvia greggii will
stay evergreen. Cutting back the plants
several times a year keeps them lush and
less woody. |
|
|
2-3 ft
2-3 ft
