It’s About Thyme
by CHRIS WINSLOW
Here are the top three questions that we are asked at the nursery most often:
What are your most drought-tolerant plants?
Which of all your plants are not popular with white-tailed deer?
And finally, what can I plant in the shade that will add color or will flower through the summer months?
The first two are pretty straightforward. We go straight to the City of Austin’s wonderful publication - The Grow-Green Plant Guide.
This free booklet shows gardeners all the options for plants that can survive with hardly any water – i.e. our current conditions - and plants that deer find unappetizing.
To answer the third question… there is a myriad of plants for the shade gardener to choose from.
Traditionally we have looked to impatiens, begonias, coleus, and caladiums as the top shade performers. Over the years, however, modern breeding has added tons of new choices.
For impatiens, look for the superelfins. Their growth habit is compact and they put out flowers continually.
Planted in April, when the ground begins to warm up, these ‘busy lizzies’ will flower constantly until the first freeze of fall hits.
My favorite begonias are the ‘cocktails.’ These short, bedding begonias come in green and bronze colored leaves, and also flower continually through the summer. There’s gin pink, whiskey white, and vodka red to choose from.
Coleus are planted in the shade to add foliar color. Within this family of plants, there are names like rainbow, red velvet, electric lime, Florida sun, eclipse, and burgundy sun, each with spectacular foliage color.
Caladiums (of the Aroid family) are related to elephant ears. These shade lovers come in pinks, reds, greens and whites. Generally short, they can be used as a border or in front of larger plants.
A new addition to the shady set is torenia. Commonly called wishbone flower, bluewings or summer pansies, torenia is a short, shade-loving plant in the snapdragon family. Tolerant of our heat and humidity, they thrive in moist shade and will flower until the first freeze.
I always encourage gardeners to get creative with the shady patches of their landscapes. There are plenty of textures and colors to choose from – some old-fashioned stand-bys and lots of new exciting hybrids. Check out some of these varieties online and get planting! Shade does not have to be devoid of color.
If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to [email protected]. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748. www.itsaboutthyme.com
