5 unusual perennials to try this year in the Houston garden
While annuals give us all they’ve got, they come and go. Perennials come back year after year — it’s nice to welcome old friends in the garden.
Perennials, simply put, are plants that live three or more years. Hinckley columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, obedient plant, phlox and asters have shown their reliability in Houston.
Here are five more unusual perennials that are also worthy of a spot in the garden:
Gaura
Delicate, willowy but showy, especially if more than one is planted, this many-branched native perennial will reach 5 feet, making it perfect for any area where you want height. The fragrant flowers open and close each day, summer through fall, changing from white to pink as they age. The fourpetaled flowers open from the bottom upward on spikes and are sometimes called bee blossoms because they attract bees.
Also is known as wild honeysuckle, gaura is easy to grow because it tolerates any soil. While it prefers moisture, it will accept drier conditions and blooms best with sun.
Hymenoxys
This small plant has such charm. Each bright yellow daisylike flower sits on top of a bare stem well above the rosette of narrow foliage. Mature height of hymenoxys is about a foot.
Hymenoxys is tolerant of various soils but insists on good drainage. Given this and sun, they will bloom for months, even in winter.
Hymenoxys has two common names: four-nerve daisy, which comes from the four veins seen in the petals, and bitterweed, because the leaves have a bitter odor when crushed.
It may be something of a challenge to find this native perennial, but it’s a plant to keep in mind as a star player in your garden. So far, it’s proven to be evergreen, so this isn’t one of those perennials that disappears during winter.
Pigeonberry
If you’re looking for a perennial ground cover that takes to partial shade, consider our native pigeonberry, an evergreen sporting pink and white flowers and red berries, often all at once. The doves love the berries.
Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis) prefers moisture but needs a well-draining soil.
It reaches a height of 18 inches or more and will colonize by seed.
Tunera
You may know this evergreen as yellow alder or yellow buttercup. It’s hard to beat the combination of dark green, serrated foliage and bright yellow flowers this perennial offers.
Tunera appears in various local nurseries in the spring. The yellow blooms open with the sun and close at sunset. The plants are about 3 feet at maturity.
Plant in relatively fertile, well-draining soil in sun to partial sun. These perennials also are suitable container plants. They respond well to monthly applications of fertilizer.
Winecup
This native perennial is enjoyed each spring by those who take wildflower tours, but picture it among your Louisiana phlox and columbines. You can seed winecup with bluebonnets in the fall or look for bedding plants now.
A low-growing member of the mallow family, winecup (Callirhoe) is an evergreen carpet about a foot tall with sprawling stems stretching to 3 to 4 feet. The beautiful, cupped flowers appear on long, hairy stems February to June. Winecup needs good drainage, so let it cascade over a raised bed in a sunny or partially sunny spot.
Ask your nurseryman about the availability of these perennials; they may be easier to find at nurseries that specialize in native plants.