Old Faithfuls
Posted: April 15, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Black and Blue Salvia, Black Eyed Susan, Butterflly Weed, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Gulf Coast Penstemon, Passalong Plant, Salvia coccinea, Salvia guaranitica, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 16 Comments
Black and Blue Salvia guaranitica.
Salvia coccinea
Black Eyed Susan
Butterfly Weed
Gulf Coast Penstemon
These plants are the backbone of my garden. I can count on them every year. Many have been transplanted from my former house nearly 20 years ago and others are passalongs. They have faithfully grown and multiplied for years and should continue to do so.
What do you do to suppress the weed population?
I pull as many as I can, but I learned to plant thick enough that you can’t see the weeds.
So bright and spring like winds at 36 mph here in central PA USA.
I’m getting better at recognizing these, but that black and blue salvia really surprised me. I had no idea there was such a thing — I had a dress in those colors decades ago. I can’t remember finding native penstemon, but I did find spring obedient plant last weekend — and quite a few other delights. It’s hard to keep up with it all!
I think the black & blue is more of an old fashion type and grows helter skelter.
Your salvias are beautiful. Up north they bloom only at the end of the summer, then the frost knocks them down.
Mine will take a rest in the heat of the summer. If the winter is mild enough there will be a few blooms.
Nice set of pretties you have! My Gulf Coast penstemon is also blooming–I wish it had a longer bloom time, but I like it when the seeds are forming, too. Your purple/blue salvias are lovely.
I found the penstemon really reproduces well.
Lovely delicate looking flowers, butterfly weed is a favorite here.
I have Monarch caterpillars already.
Beautiful. Black and Blue salvia is so cool–mine is not ready yet here in NC. Love the penstemon. I’ve tried many and only Huskers Red survives for very long.
Some of my favorites as well. Though I keep killing the Black Eyed Susans, which I thought was impossible..
Butterfly weed is a new one for me. I got the first one last year. It tossed a lot of seed, which has me concerned.
I dig them up and move the seedlings to where I want them.
Great to have such pretty plants that you can count on each year. I do too.