Bring on the Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbirds with these Plants for Pollinators
The Garden’s Pollinator Pathway is a-buzz this month with bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators busy collecting nectar from blooming plants. To enjoy this whirl of activity in your own garden–and help support the overall health of our ecosystem–look to summer-blooming native plants.
For Reliable Summer Color, Look to Red Yucca
Many plants flower in May and into June, but as the temperatures rise, the blooms fade away and then stop altogether. Not red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora.) This Texas native combines easy care and drought tolerance with reliable color all summer long. “It’s one of the most carefree plants you can find,” says Sr. Horticulturist Steve Huddleston.
Managing Your Garden Through Heat and Drought
Gardeners across North Texas can only look at their landscape and sigh as the heat wave refuses to break and rain refuses to fall. Plants that thrive most summers are withering and dying under the stress of week after week of 100-degree-plus temperatures. Gardeners struggle to balance watering enough to keep their plants alive with responsible behavior during a drought–and the prospect of budget-busting water bills. What to do? “The first step is to not give up,” says Sr. Horticulturist Steve Huddleston. “You do have options.”