We’re starting a fun new series, “Growing a Rainbow Garden”, where each week we’ll highlight plants with one color of the rainbow until we’ve covered the entire spectrum. Today it’s all about yellow. The color of sunshine, vibrant lemons, and soft butter, yellow evokes instant cheer. Here are a few bloomers, esperanza, thryallis, and columbine, that boast this happy color.
Gold Star Esperanza
Look around town right now and you’re bound to see Gold Star esperanza still popping out blooms, even after a a brutally hot summer. This native Texas, drought tolerant beauty will continue flowering up to the first frost. Golden-yellow, trumpet shaped flowers are beloved by hummingbirds and also offer nectar to other pollinators.
Average mature growth is 3-5′ T x 2-4′ W. Full sun is best for this heat lover that is perfect in landscapes or containers, as long ait has good drainage. Gold Star esperanza is considered a tender perennial, which means it occasionally comes back if winter temps are mild. Mulching around the base of the plant along with other winter protection may help. A Texas Superstar® plant, Gold Star esperanza is a winner for San Antonio gardeners.
Golden Showers Thryallis
When the golden-yellow, star-shaped flowers bloom on thryallis from early summer to frost, their effect is striking. Butterflies are sure to hone in the nectar this plant offers. Once established, thryallis is a low water usage plant that is not too particular about the soil it is planted in. In our area, thryallis tends freeze to the ground, but come back from the roots in spring. Because of this dieback, it’s average mature growth is 3-6′ T x 3-5′ W.
Fast growing thryallis prefers full sun, and it seems that the hotter the temperatures get, the more blooms it produces! Deer resistance, along with no other known pest or disease issues, makes thryallis hot commodity.
Texas Gold Columbine
You’ll have to wait until spring to see the blooms of these native columbine, but it’s worth the wait; especially if you have a shadier area in your landscape that you need to brighten with color. Bright yellow, long-spurred blooms have a 3-4 week long blooming period in late spring to early summer. Hummingbirds zoom in for nectar from the honeysuckle scented flowers.
Texas Gold columbine have a great heat tolerance which is rare to find in a columbine. Average mature growth of foliage is about 18-24″ T x W. Once the flowers are spent, gorgeous foliage remains year round. Texas Gold columbine is a perennial wildflower, so you’ll get to enjoy these beauties year after year. An area that receives dappled shade is the perfect location. While somewhat drought tolerant once established, they do best with about 1″ of water every 7-10 days.
Tune in next week when we highlight the color orange. Orange you glad we’re doing this?
~The Happy Gardener, Lisa Mulroy
