Hardy Aster

Bushy Perennial Best in: Fall blooms Full sun / afternoon shade 2 feet tall Well-drained soils Drought-tolerant Disease/pest resistant Cut back hard in late spring to have it come back bushier for fall blooms. Cut back to the ground after blooms have finished.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Bulbine

Evergreen perennial Best in: Spring-frost blooms Full sun / afternoon shade 6 - 24 inches tall Well-drained soils Low water usage Disease/pest resistant Occasional supplemental water in summer only. Needs no other care. If tips are burned by frost/freeze, cut back to ground in early spring. Great for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Orange Orange Yellow

Copper Canyon Daisy

Root hardy perennial Best in: Spring-frost blooms Full sun / afternoon shade 2-3 feet tall Well-drained soils Low water usage Disease/pest resistant Strongly scented feathery foliage. Can be hedged to contain its sprawling form. Cut back as needed after a hard freeze. Blooms better with a little supplemental water.

Great for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators!

centraltexasgardener.org

‘Celena Red’ Hibiscus (aka ‘Brilliant Red’)

Tender perennial Best in: 3 feet tall/wide Full sun 6-7-inch red blooms Moist, well-drained soil ‘Celina Red’ is a tropical hibiscus that will add a tropical look to your landscape or patio. Keep the soil evenly moist to prevent leaves and buds from yellowing and dropping. Bring in before the first frost and set back out when threat of frost has diminished.

Use in large containers for a tropical look!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Lisianthus aka Texas Blue bell - assorted colors

Annual Best in: Blooms: late summer Full sun / afternoon shade Moist, well-drained soils Single or doubled petals form rose-shaped blooms on erect stems. Dead-head to prolong blooming.

Excellent cut flower!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Lucky StarÒ Pentas

Tropical annual Best in: 12-16 inches tall Full sun / afternoon shade Blooms: Spring-frost Moist, organic, well-drained soils Variety of colors with little star-shaped blooms on a compact plant. Highly heat and pest tolerant, this very low maintenance tropical annual provides a profusion of blooms from spring through late fall. Excellent for mass plantings and containers. Great for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators!

KongTM series Coleus

Annual Best in: Heat tolerant Shade / afternoon shade Moist, organic, well-drained soils Kong series coleus is an annual with very attractive foliage that grows well under shade to partial sun. Comes in different colors. The extremely large foliage sets it apart from the other coleus. Prune flowers spikes appearing at the end of summer to have a longer show of the foliage.

Great for mass planting or in containers!

aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu

FantasiaÒ Geranium

Tender Perennial Best in: 12-14 inches tall Full sun/part shade

Moist, well-drained soil Bright colored blooms set against dark green foliage. Excellent choice for San Antonio as they can handle our sun and heat. Allow soil to dry out some between winter watering to lessen chance of root rot. Plants grown in containers like to be root bound. Over-fertilization may result in excessive foliage and few flowers.

Use in beds, containers, or hanging baskets!

bexar-tx.tamu.edu

‘Crawford’ Lettuce

TheCrawfordlettuceisanheirloom,black-seededromaine,cos-typelettucethatsports10-inchheadsofslightlysavorygreenleaveswithblotchesofreddishbrowntowardthemargins.Ithasawonderfulnon-bitterflavor,lovesthewintergardenclimate,standsuptoheatwellandwillself-seed(formybrown-thumbfriends,youmustletthelettuceflowerandformseedinthespringbeforere-seedingwilloccurthefollowingyear!)andsproutthefollowingfallwhentemperaturesareideal.Obviously,gardenerswhowantthelettucetoreseedcannotcovertheareainmulch.Ifyouuselotsofmulch,youshouldcollecttheseedandsowtheminthefallonexposedsoil.Crawfordlettucecanbegrowninpotsandflowerbedsaswell.Whenthelettucefinallybolts(flowers)andgoestoseedinthespring,itisveryattractivewiththeyellowflowersonatallspike.

Lettuceneedsrichsoilandplentyofmoisture.Nothingmuchbotherslettuceinthewayofbugsanddiseaseaslongasyouremembertospacetheplantsfarenoughapartandkeepitgrowingrapidlybyprovidingplentyofwaterandplantnutrients.

Youshouldmakethreeorfoursuccessiveplantingstoensurealongerharvestingseason.SowyourfirstseedsinearlyOctobertobereadyforThanksgiving.TimethesecondplantinginearlyNovembertobereadyforChristmas.Makethethirdplantinginmid-JanuaryandthefourthplantinginearlyFebruary.Thefinaltwoplantingsmayproduceboltingplantsfromwhichseedcanbesaved.Howsoonitturnshotinspringdetermineswhenthelettucewillflower.Temperaturesabove80degreesF.willinducebolting,seedproductionandatasteofbitterness.

Lettucebedpreparationissimilartothatforanyvegetable.Use2-3poundsof19-5-9slow-releasefertilizerper10feetofrow.Compostandmanurescanalsobeincorporatedintotheplantingbed.

ThisisSouthTexas.Youaregoingtoneedamethodthatgivesyouadecentseedgerminationwithsoiltemperaturesapproaching90degreesF.Hereishowtoaccomplishthat:

1. Levelouttherowwitharake.Rowsshouldbeaminimumof12,preferably18inchesapart.

2. Digathree-inchtrenchdownthemiddleoftherowwithahoe.

3. Takeafive-gallonbucketofwater,orahose,andfillthetrenchwithwater.

4. Repeatstep#3.Thisensuresacompletesoakingoftheplantingbedandpre-irrigatesthebedsotheseedwillnothavetobe“wateredin.”

5. Rakeenoughsoilbackintothetrenchsothesoilislevel.Youwillneedtodothiswhilethetrenchisstillsoupywet.Wait5-10minutesuntilthewaterhassoakedinbeforeyouplantyourlettuceseed.

6. Plantthreeorfourseed(inclumps)every6inchesdownthelengthoftherowontopofthewetsoil.Justasyoudroptheseed,flickyourwristalittlesotheseedspreadsouttoaboutthecircumferenceofasilverdollar.

7. Donotcovertheseedexcepttousesomedrysoilwithalittlecompostmixedtogetherandapplyaverylightlayer.Coveringisactuallynotnecessary.DONOTWATER!

8. Pressthelightlycoveredseedwithsomethingflat-bottomedlikeamasonjar,tomakesurecapillaryactionbetweentheseedandthewetsoilbelowtheseedisestablished.(Allthatwateryoupouredintherowactsasareservoirfortheseedssittingontopofit.)Youdonotwanttowaterontopoftheseedbecausecrustingofthesoilmightprohibitmaximumgerminationofseed.

Crawfordlettuceseedwillsproutin3-7days.Onthefourthorfifthday,ifithasn’trained,givetherowagoodwatering.Oncetheplantsareup,youwillneedtothinthemtooneplantevery6inches.Well-wateredandwell-spacedlettucegrowinginwellpreparedbedsshouldhavefewifanyproblems.Aroundthe50thday,youcanstarteatingeveryotherplant,sotheremainingplantsareatleast12inchesapart.Youwillwanttochooseacoupleofthebestplantseachyearandsavethemforyourseedplants.Seedplantsaregoingtoneedatleast18-inchspacing.Alwaystastealeafofeachlettuceplantyouarethinkingofsavingforseedandsaveonlythebesttasting,strongest,bestlookingplantsforyourseedcollection.

(fromDavidRodriguez)

‘Grant’s Garnet’ Poppy

This seedling selection was made and isolated by Greg Grant in his garden from a batch of double red poppies originally collected from a garden near Johnson City. Poppies are cool season annuals that are planted in full sun on bare prepared soil from seed in the fall or transplants in winter and bloom in the spring before setting seed and dying with the heat. Single flowered and red flowered plants should be removed leaving only the double maroons for seed parents. (from plantAnswers.com) “Give each plant a minimum of one square foot to grow. Fertilize once in the spring depending on how the plants look before they bolt and bloom. Don't over fertilize however or they'll will collapse and fall over. And PULL UP any singles, reds, or anything not fully double and maroon. Don't want any strangers sleeping with my babies...” – Greg Grant

plantAnswers.com

Snapdragons

Perennial Best in: Blooms: cool season Full sun Moist, well-drained soil One of the easiest flowers to grow. In mild climates like ours, plant them from September through late winter. Snapdragons are sometimes classified as annuals yet can be grown as perennials in our mild climate. Blooming stops when temperatures reach 80o. Planting snapdragons can provide color in your garden or containers during the cool season.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Stock

Annual Best in: Blooms: cool season Full sun 12-18 inches tall Moist, well-drained soil Plant in fall to late winter Often grown for their fragrance. They give an heirloom or cottage look to the garden. Keep them well mulched and deadheaded to extend the blooming season.

Burpee.com

‘Harris Moran – 8849’ Tomato

(2019 Rodeo Tomato)

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Type: Determinate, early-season hybrid Fruit: Extra-large, deep-red color, smooth Plant: Heat tolerant, disease resistant, compact vine, adequate foliage cover (helps prevents sunscald)

‘Valley Girl’ Tomato

Determinate tomato Garden-type, hybrid, early-season tomato 3 feet tall Red skin and flesh 7 oz. fruit

Disease Resistance: Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt Race 2

johnnyseeds.com