For VZ

Vali's got a lot of landscape to deal with. A lot has been landscaped over the years, and a lot needs to be updated. Between the weather, the deer and the growth, it's just time for some new ideas. Here are some plants that will work well in the landscape.

-Powis Castle Artemisia is evergreen and will stay about 15" tall and 2' wide.

-Pink Skullcap blooms now and then during the summer. You can trim it back just before spring and it will look just like these.

-Green Santolina also stays short and after a year or two it will bloom. There is also a gray variety too.

-It seems like every year they come out with a new variety of Esperanza. But still one of my favorites is this one-Sparklette. The flowers all have red throats, and it blooms non-stop.

-Mexican Bush Sage will get big and the bees love the flowers. But don't worry- you don't bother the bees and they won't bother you.

-And it's hard to beat old reliable Gold Star Esperanza.

-If you drive through the Texas Hill Country in the spring you'll be amazed at the flowers blooming, and most are probably Black Foot Daisy. It will keep blooming as long as the ground is moist. If it gets dry it might stop blooming but as soon as it rains it will start blooming again. And next year...same thing.

-This is one of our native lantanas. Many call it Texas Lantana. It starts blooming about June when it's about 3' tall and do it for 3 or 4 months.

-Goldsturm Daisy is a variety of Black-eyed Susan. it gets bigger and better every year.

-Society Garlic blooms non-stop.

-Pink Muhly blooms in the fall and goes dormant in the winter then returns in the spring.

If you are looking for color in pots around the pool, these will fit the bill

Bougainvillea are one of the best bloomers in our hot summers.

-Royal Purple is a variety known to out bloom most

-Juanita Hatten was a grower in Louisiana and this one is named for her.

-Ixora will do well in full sun and bloom most of the summer. you can find varieties that bloom red, pink, yellow and orange.

-There are different varieties of Crotons that have different colored leaves and some with different sized leaves. But not all will take the summer heat.

-Splitleaf Philodendron will take full sun in the yard, but sometimes in a pot on the patio the temperatures get too hot for it.

-Xanadu Philodendron has smaller leaves but many more. It needs pretty much the same conditions as other philodendrons. I like it a lot!!

-Most succulents can take the summer heat and they look right at home in a container, but they don't wilt so don't forget to water them.

-Variegated Japanese Sedge does great in the shade and will get about 12" tall. There are a new selection that gets 24" tall too, so you will have a choice.

-Turk's Cap is a native perennial that gets 3' tall and blooms all summer. It is a Texas native and food source of hummingbirds. It freezes to the ground in the winter and comes back in the spring. There are several varieties available including a pink bloomer and a giant one that gets over 6' tall.

-Orange Shrimp Plant is root hardy and deer resistant. They usually get about 2'-3' tall.

-Viburnum suspensum is one of the best shrubs for shade and landscapes where deer are a problem.

-Variegated Flax Lily has sword shaped leaves that get about 15"-18" long.

-Holly Fern is my favorite evergreen fern for Texas .

-Autumn Sage is a Salvia that blooms best in full sun but also blooms in partial shade. You can find it with quite a few different flower colors.

-Prostrate Rosemary stays about 15"-18" tall and 2' wide.

-Stonecrop Sedum is one of the most deer resistant and it adds color to your landscape.

-Agapanthus blooms in the spring. You can find those with blue flowers or white. Some varieties get 5' tall, others only 3' tall.

-Blackfoot Daisy is a Hill Country native that blooms most of the summer.

-Purple Heart Wandering Jew is an old favorite becaus it's easy and dependable.

-Rock Rose is another Teas native that blooms most of the summer.

-Chocolate Chip Ajuga is only about 3'" tall and very tight growing. It does have short blue flower spikes in the spring.

-White Datura is a sprawling plant that blooms on and off in the summer.

-Zexmenia is a Texas native that blooms in the summer.

-Mystic Spires Salvia is a great bloomer. When the blooms spike finish in the summer, cut them back and they usually bloom again.

-Texas Lantana is a native that starts blooms from June through the end of September. It gets about 3' tall.

-Goldsturm Daisy is a great summer bloomer

-Pink Muhly blooms in the fall lights up an area.

-Red Star Cordyline almost looks like a pineapple but the leaves are very soft. And it very seldom freezes.

-Wooly Stemodia is a drought tolerant, gray ground cover.

-Silver Ponyfoot is a root hardy ground cover.

-Purple Heart Wandering Jew is also an annual that is root hardy. It is also drought resistant.

-Chocolate Chip Ajuga- here's a cool little ground cover. This variety of ajuga doesn't have any disease issue like it's relatives and spreads slowly and stays tight. it likes a little bit of shade.

Roses- it's hard to talk about Roses and only mention 2 of them. But that's what I'm going to do.

-Red Drift Rose- If you want a shrub rose that will bloom spring through fall, here it is. No disease problems either. Actually, there are about 6 or 8 different varieties. They are the Drift Roses. I personally like the Red Drift because of its growth habit and because I like red.

-Butterfly Rose- This is another shrub rose that is mostly disease and carefree. Some call it Mutabalis Rose. I like Butterfly because the way the flowers fade as they age it looks like butterflies on the bush.

-Whirling Butterflies because the flowers are about 2 feet above the rest of the plant. You can find them with pink or white flowers.

-Mystic Spires blooms from spring through fall. It gets about 3' tall.

-Rock Rose or Pink Pavonia is a Hill Country native. it blooms all summer too.

That's all for now. Let me know if you have questions.

Here's an Update and a few more plants

-If you need a screen you might use an Arizona Cypress. They get big!

-Or Clumping Bamboo. There are some really cool varieties.

-Or a Mexican Olive. They are borderl line as for hardiness, but I've seen them north of Austin, so you might try them.

A few more perennials that aren't that common but work well in a landscape like this one

-Mexican Honeysuckle. Orange flowers in the summer.

-Country Girl mum- a true crysanthemum that gets bigger every year.

-Firecracker Bush- a favorite food source of hummingbirds. Blooms most of the summer.

And if you are looking for an evergreen ground cover that can take the cold weather this is it.

Ground Cover Juinipers- there are about 6 or 8 of the to chose from Here are three of the most common.

-Blue Rug Juniper only gets about 4" tall and spreads about 3' wide. It's foliage is pretty blue.

-Blue Pacific gets about 8"-10" tall and spreads about 15" wide. It's not as blue.

-Bar Harbor Juniper is also very flat. It hugs the ground and will spread about 3' and get about 3"-5" tall. It's just like Blue Rug.

So, that's the update for now.