How can you not immediately fall in love with a plant called “American beautyberry”? It just makes the heart swell. Here, take a Kleenex.The emotive lexicon is well deserved.This large, deciduous shru
06.06.2023 - 16:56 / gardenerspath.com / Gretchen Heber
9 Best Full-Sun Flowering Perennials for Southern GardensIt takes a very special plant to withstand the brutality of the South. Oppressive, sustained heat, punishing sun, lack of rain – it’s a wonder anything can stand up to these conditions.
But fear not, for Mother Nature provides. She has given the Southern gardener a plethora of spectacular landscape choices that withstand brutal conditions in sparkling fashion.
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Here are our Top 9 picks for full sun plants for Southern gardens:
1. Bulbine (Zones 8-11)Be still my heart. How I love you, bulbine – your tall, slender, onion-like leaves, your succulent-ish self with your long, elegant, and intricate yellow or orange flower spikes!
Bulbine frutescens is a perennial, but it has trouble withstanding anything more than a light frost. While my love is endearing, I am occasionally heartbroken when the odd deep freeze in my Zone 8b Austin steals my dear bulbine away.
Bulbine Live Plants, available on Amazon
But so lovely is it that, come springtime, I happily the trek to the nursery for new loves to replace the old.
Like the other plants on our list, bulbine is heat and drought tolerant, basking in the sun for hours with nary a complaint. Its clumping form gets about 18 inches tall and can spread to about three feet.
Whether you get rain only every few weeks or enjoy a daily afternoon sprinkle, bulbine will still perform beautifully. It will even tolerate a little shade, though bloom production may be reduced.
2. Coneflower (Zones 3-9)This is another one we’ve delved into thoroughly, in this coneflower growing guide.
But let’s have another quick look at coneflower (Echinacea)
How can you not immediately fall in love with a plant called “American beautyberry”? It just makes the heart swell. Here, take a Kleenex.The emotive lexicon is well deserved.This large, deciduous shru
For an impressive dose of prehistoric drama, consider sago palm.The Cycad genus in the Cycadaceae family inclu
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As the Mediterranean is the source of so much goodness on our dinner tables, it’s hardly a surprise that the region is also home to rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), the pungent member of the mint family that adds the perfect flavor to many dishes.While US gardeners who live in clima
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If your shady spots are looking a little dull and uninspired, you may want to consider Torenia fourneiri, which blooms generously and brightly in shade.Another mark in the “wow” column for this lovely annual comes from
I’m going to be straight with you. You cannot run over to your local garden center or hop online and purchase a plant (or thirty) that will make your summer backyard gatherings mosquito-free.It’s just not going to happen.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from on