FIRST PLACE: LEAST AFFECTED BY a WIDE RANGE OF CONDITIONS goes to:
the AGAVE family~ Agave americana
Very beautiful with other plants and this cultivar has a nice curve to the leaves, not bayonet style like some.
Agave desmettiana 'Joe Hoak'
SECOND PLACE: MOST BEAUTIFUL LEAVES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR goes to:
The Neoregelia genus of Bromeliads
Pictured: Neoregelia 'Raphael'
THIRD PLACE: BEST GROUND COVER goes to:
Licorice plant Helichrysum petiolare (from South Africa)
FOURTH PLACE: BEST NATIVE TREE goes to:
Redbud~ Cercis canadensis
Bloomed, grew, and set seed despite half the normal rainfall!
FIFTH PLACE: BEST TROPICAL LOOKING TREE goes to:
Eriobotrya japonica~ Loquat tree
SIXTH PLACE: MOST ABUNDANT BLOOMER goes to:
Lantana montevidensis ~ Trailing lantana (see below)
Lantana montevidensis was never out of bloom from June to December!
SEVENTH PLACE: BEST HERB goes to:
Rosemary (many cultivars). It is VERY drought tolerant!
EIGHTH PLACE: MOST ENDURING BUTTERFLY HOST goes to:
Aesclepius curassavica~ bloomed for months, got eaten to death, attacked by yellow aphids, and still looks good!
NINTH PLACE: PLANT MOST WORTH KEEPING ALIVE goes to:
Odontonema strictum ~ Mexican firespike
I had to water it, but the blooms and leaves respond quickly after wilting.
TENTH PLACE: PALM MOST TOLERANT OF SEVERE FREEZES, HEAT WAVES, DROUGHT, AND FLOODING goes to:
Livistona chinensis ~ Chinese fan palm
Happy Gardening and thanks so much for stopping by Tropical Texana
David and family
along with the chickens: Hoot, Gwen, Phoebe & Zeebee
(P.S. Marco the Rooster had to get a new home)
Thanks for dropping in on my blog and leaving a very informed comment. We are from vastly differing climates, but may share some very unusual weather in the coming years. You are planting for drought, which I have done since experiencing many consecutive dry summers, but our weather seems to be very schizophrenic as of late, giving excessive wet followed by bone dry periods. At least we weather through these conditions more easily than Texas did last year with the extreme heat and rainless summer. Your top ten are in our greenhouses! Our top ten would not even make a month in your weather probably.
ReplyDeleteI love the Helichrysum petiolare - so nice as a ground cover and seems to survive everything :) I love the shape and overall look of the Agave desmettiana 'Joe Hoak'. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteI have a few of these and can attest that they are great plants. Some I don't have, I'll have to check to make sure they're hardy here. I may be adding some to my garden! Love plants that can take whatever Mother Nature throws at them!
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for the winners! And a Happy New Year to you...
ReplyDeleteHi David. I wish I could grow some of those in my garden up here in the frozen north. Maybe an Agave would do well but it would have drowned this year. Yours are so lovely. I love Lantana and keep them here by dragging them in and out of the basement every year but they are so worth it. The butterflies swarm to them here.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you.
If nothing else, this summer has taught us what does well in extreme heat and drought. I say take note and plant more of those plants :-) Can't chance the situation, so we might as well learn something from it.
ReplyDeleteI do believe I need to add that lantana to my gardens. The only reason I haven't before now is that they're so darned vigorous ... I'll have to keep it in check!
ReplyDelete