Salvia GreggiSalvia greggii is a popular, usually evergreen sub-shrub growing natively in rocky soils in Central, West and South Texas, and Mexico. It has small, dull pale green, glandular, aromatic leaves. The normally red-flowered species also has white and pink forms and many named cultivars with slightly larger or smaller, rounder or more elongate leaves, varying growth habits from very upright to sprawling, and a wide range of colors in addition to those mentioned above. Pale yellow, orange, salmon, fuchsia, purple, red-violet, burgundy, some with white variegation of leaves or flowers are commonly available. There are also numerous named hybrids with Salvia microphylla and other species, which are often referred to as "Salvia greggii types". It is valued for its adaptability to garden soils, its very long blooming season and as a magnet for hummingbirds. Autumn sage is usually not winter hardy in Wichita Falls and the High Plains of Texas. In a garden setting, prune back to 4 inches in late winter and again by one half in August to maintain a tidy shape, or allow to grow and spread or sprawl for a more natural appearance, with occasional pruning of old wood. Blooms Spring, Summer, and Fall. Deer resistant and trought tolerant.
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Morning GloryCaring for morning glory plants is surprisingly easy, and you can have morning glories every year without resowing seed. You will want to get up early to see the beautiful red, blue or purple flowers before they close for the day. The vines will grow to at least six feet tall and can be grown in any zone with warm weather. Morning glories do well relying on occasional rainfall. The plant is hardy and can withstand dry soil. However, if you are not expecting rain for five to six days, or if your temperatures are in the 90s for several days, you should water the soil. Use a spray nozzle to sprinkle the ground and not the vines. Fertilizer can be used, but is not needed. The morning glories do not get attacked by pests, so there is no need to use pesticides. Tear down the vines in the spring. Leave the vines over the winter, and in the spring shake the vines as you are ripping them down and the new seeds from the seed pods will fall to the ground and start germinating without any work from you. Before long, you will have new morning glory vines growing. If you do not want to leave the vines up for the winter, place the vines in a box so you can get the seeds out of the pods during the winter. Use a box because all you have to do is start crunching the vines and the seeds will start falling out. Then you can scatter the seeds on the ground in spring.
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Mexican HatMexican Hat is a plant that many of us take for granted because it is such a common sight virtually everywhere due to it's prolific seeding habit. However, in the home wildflower or perennial garden, it is a delightful plant that blooms freely over a long period, makes a great long-stemmed, interesting cut flower, and does well in that hot, dry, poor-soil area that nothing else seems to grow in. It is yet another perennial member of the huge Aster family, and close relatives include sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, shasta daisies, and purple coneflower, to name a few.
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CosmosRich, fertile soils tend to produce unusually tall, lanky plants. Cosmos requires full sun. The plant height is 2 - 4 feet depending on culture and variety selected. Plants will germinate in 7 - 21 days when the soil temperature is optimum for germination at 70 - 80 degrees F. Plant seed 1/16 inch deep by raking into the soil. C. sulphureus plants bloom from May - November. Plants should be sheared every 30 days or whenever seed pods predominate. Yellow cosmos needs to be replanted each spring for continued success.
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