Regional Picks: Garden Staples – Southern Plains

1. Plumbago

Name:Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

USDA Hardiness Zones:5 to 9

Size:8 to 12 in marvelous , spreading to 18 inches wide of the mark

weather : Full sun to partial shade ; average , well - drained grime

Plumbago is a neat , well - behaved , spreading recurrent with clump of bright blue blossom that look from later summer through decline . It ’s an irresistible pick as a ground cover or as a front runner in a border . It also works well spilling over the boundary of a keep back paries or container . The foliation turns bronze - bolshy before going dormant in wintertime . Plumbago is drought tolerant once established . It is a short slow to thumb out in spring , so be patient .

2. Autumn Sage

Name:Salvia greggii

Zones:6 to 9

Size:2 to 3 understructure marvellous and wide

Conditions : Full sun ; medium , well - drained dirt

fall sage is a heat- and drouth - broad must - have plant for its ordered flowering . It starts blooming in spring , continue periodically through summertime , then puts on a wonderful display in fall . The industrial plant forms a 2- to 3 - foot - tall mound with brightly colored flowers , which attract hummingbirds and butterfly to the garden . brush up against the foliation or tidying up by rationalize releases a potent sage sweetness into the air . In Oklahoma gardens , fall sage is evergreen to semievergreen , depending on wintertime temperatures . Give the plant a haircut in spring to keep it slow and full .

3. Toad Lily

Name:Tricyrtis hirtaand cvs.

Zones:4 to 9

Size:2 to 3 foot tall and 2 substructure wide

term : Partial to full nuance ; moist , well - drained soil

Toad lily ’s pallid lilac blooms with glowering purple musca volitans come out on upright , arching stems from late summer to former fall , when many other plants are beginning to wind down . bloom are small , however , so place the plant in a post where the flowers can be appreciated up nigh . Toad lily is splendid for the forest garden as an understory plant , where it will be protected by nuance . It is soft to grow , resistant to deer , and somewhat drought resistant , though it prefers moist — or even cockeyed — land site .

4. Arkansas Blue Star

Name:Amsonia hubrichtii

Zones:5 to 8

Size:3 feet tall and 4 foot wide

Arkansas blue star is graceful yet hardy , with brilliant ornamental timber . aboriginal to Arkansas and Oklahoma , it performs well under a wide range of mountains of conditions , from moist to dry soil , and is drouth broad once establish . Its common name comes from the star - shape , sky blue flowers that uprise in clusters at the tip of each stem in spring . As the plant formulate , it forms a tumid , fine - textured , bright green mound . The genuine show start in fall when the foliage turns a brilliant golden yellow that crystalise the garden . This plant is discover when placed in sunny border , native gardens , or open woodlands .

David Hillock is an assistant reference specialist and the overlord - gardener coordinator at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater .

Photos : good manners of Todd Johnson ; Doreen Wynja ; Martin Hughes - Jones / www.gapphotos.com ; Steve Aitken ; Janet M. Jemmott

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Regional Picks: Garden Staples - South

Regional Picks: Garden Staples - Northeast

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Regional Picks: Garden Staples - Midwest

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