Gladiolus – This summertime bulb is a great cut flower. When I got this picture from a reader, I immediately thought a gladiolus, but I was somewhat surprised by the size of the individual blooms, the thinness of the foliage and the fact that it was a volunteer. A seedling could not have had that large of a bloom—or at least I don’t think so.
Glads come in a wide range of colors and in the garden often benefit from stakes to keep them upright.
The weight of the flowers can cause them to lean. The flowers last a long time in a vase, which makes them ideal for a cut flower. This summer bulb actually grows from a corm. They do best in full sun and well-drained soils.
Veronica or speedwell.
- Veronica has about 250 species that range from low growing to erect with spikey flowers.
The mystery variety is being grown by a cut flower producer, so is taller, with long stems. Most varieties for the perennial garden are more compact.
Veronica prefers regular even moisture in well-drained soils and full sun to partial shade. Flowers can range from shades of pinks to purples, blues, and whites.
Texas sage- Leucophyllum frutescens
is an evergreen shrub. It is native to Texas and Mexico and has silvery foliage and attractive lavender-purple flowers
which bloom off and on from spring through fall.
The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. It typically grows about 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide as a landscape shrub where it's hardy. It is extremely drought and heat tolerant and maintenance-free once established. It is considered hardy through central Arkansas. In colder winters it will lose most of its leaves. Full sun is best, and in really acidic soils, adding some lime to the soil will help.
Vitex rotundifolia – creeping vitex or beach vitex,
was a new plant for me. Unlike it’s sister Vitex agnus-castus
or chaste tree which forms a tree, and is a substitute for crape myrtles, this variety has rounded leaves
and clusters of purple blooms in May and June. In Florida and coastal areas, it was planted for erosion control on sand dunes after some hurricanes, but has quickly taken over and is considered an invasive plant in coastal areas. It is used as a groundcover in Texas growing no taller than 2 feet.
Native to Asia, it is hardy through zone 7 where it does best in full sun to partial shade.