Flowers in a hot, dry, West Texas climate?

I'm not much of a gardener, but I'd like to add some color to my front yard, which is on the sunny, south side of the house. Does anyone know of colorful plants or flowers that grow in a dry, sunny environment? Or a link that can list some for me? I can't seem to find anything online. Thanks.

Flowers in a hot, dry, West Texas climate?
West Texan here too.





My favorite for color are the bred for hot weather 'Bright Lights' cosmos, click this link (don't plant until the night temps are 70 degrees). You can buy the seeds at any store, gardening center, nursery:





http://www.humeseeds.com/csms_bl.htm





Another flower that I like because we don't have to deadhead it is vinca:





http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/store...





Send for free gardening catalogs and get to know the flowers that grow in zone 7 and 7b:





http://parkseed.com


http://burpee.com





We can grow just about any flower that the rest of the country grows except tropicals. Here are just a few for area:





1. Flowering Annuals:





Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus)





California Poppy ( Eschscholzia californica)





Globe Amaranth ( Gomphrena globosa)





'Lady in Red' Salvia (Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red')





'Indigo Spires' salvia (Salvia x 'Indigo Spires')





Dahlberg Daisy ( Thymophylla tenuiloba)





Narrow Leaf Zinnia ( Zinnia angustifolia)





Larkspur ( Consolida ambigua)





Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)





Alyssum ( Lobularia maritima)





2. Flowering Perennials (3' Tall) :





Texas Gold Columbine


Aquilegia hinckleyana





Gaillardia


Gaillardia pulchella





Lantana


Lantana 'New Gold'





Four Nerve Daisy


Hymenoxys scaposa





Yarrow


Achillea spp





Mexican Petunia


Ruellia sp - Ruellia nudiflora





'May Night' Salvia


Salvia x superba





Mealycup Blue Sage


Salvia farinacea





Gaura


Gaura lindheimeri





Coreopsis


Coreopsis lanceolata grandiflora





Zexmenia


Wedelia hispida





3. Flowering Perennials (%26gt;3' Tall):





Common Name


Botanical Name


Type


Exp.


Color


Photo





Turk's Cap


Malvaviscus arboreus





Russian Sage


Perovskia atriplicifolia





Mexican Sage


Salvia leucantha





Hardy Hibiscus


Hibiscus mosheutos





Yellow Bells


Tecoma stans





Texas Star Hibiscus


Hibiscus coccineus





Flame Acanthus


Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii





Fall Aster


Symphyotrichum oblongifolium





Butterfly Bush


Buddleia davidii





4. Groundcovers





Wintercreeper Euonymus


Euonymus fortunei





Green Santolina


Santolina virens





Grey Santolina


Santolina chamaecyparissus





Creeping Juniper


Juniperus horizontalis





Texas Frogfruit


Phyla nodiflora





And so many more. Check with your nursery and gardening centers.
Reply:Roses can do well in West Texas, Vincas will also do well.





Check with your county agricultural agent they should have more information.
Reply:Google xeriscaping. You can create a beautiful landscape that requires almost no water or care using native plants.





If you want some annuals for quick color, this is a pretty good list:





http://www.ksl.com/?nid=194%26amp;sid=39291
Reply:Try www.wildseedfarms.com. The business is located in the Texas hill country and they sell wildflower seed. You can buy individual types of flower seeds or regional mixes. Many of the wildflowers are perennial or self-seeding so they will come back year after year if you care for them properly. Wild flowers also tend to be hardier and not require so much care once they are established.





Another company is High Country Gardens (www.highcountrygardens.com). They sell several pre-planned gardens that might work for you (like the Inferno Strip, the Big Easy Water Wise and the Xeric Aroma garden). They also sell native grasses that thrive in hot dry areas.





Specific flowers that you might want to look at are cosmos, hollyhocks, evening primrose, Mexican primrose, Russian Sage, penstemon, coreopsis, sunflowers, gaillardias and coneflowers.





Good luck.

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