True patriotic plants are native plants — ones that have been growing here since the beginning. And there are several that flaunt Fourth of July hues.
Fill your landscape or containers with bursting blooms of red, white and blue.
To show your true American (and Texan) pride, think beyond just the color scheme. Although all can be considered patriotic, true patriotic plants are those that provide us with multiple benefits — like those that have been growing here for eons.
Texas natives generally scoff at heat and drought. They don’t need any more water than what Mother Nature provides. They also generally require less fertilizer than many introduced species.
Finally, native plants have deep and extensive roots that help remove some of the pollutants from runoff before it percolates deep into the ground to reach the aquifer.
If you still prefer to keep with the red, white and blue color scheme, go for it!
- Red plants include devil’s bouquet, red yucca, scarlet clematis, scarlet sage and Turk’s cap.
- White flower options are blackfoot daisy, desert zinnia, lazy daisy and prickly poppy.
- The only blue native July bloomer is mealy cup sage or its many selections ‘Victoria,’ ‘Henry Duelberg’ and ‘Mystic Spires.’
So, when you plant patriotically, ask not what your landscape can do for you, but what you can do for your landscape.
