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Asteraceae
(Compositae)
Aster Family
Achillea spp. - Yarrow -
Perennial
Aphanostephus - Lazy Daisy
- Short-Lived Perennial -
Artemisia ludoviciana - Estafiate,
Mugwort - Perennial Herb
Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie
Finnis' - 'Valerie Finnis' Mugwort - Perennial Herb
| Aster
oblongifolium - Fall Aster, Mexican Aster - Perennial
Fall flowers, especially
if displayed by members of the Sunflower Family, tend to be too gaudy for
my tastes. The so-called mums are anything but mum when in bloom. This
plant, a mainstay of old-fashioned gardens in south-central Texas, requires
no glacier goggles for viewing. Also, its presence in the landscape does
not call for a repeal of the time-honored Laws of Color Harmony.
Unlike the New England Asters
sold locally by the big box stores, this one will actually thrive in our
area. It needs full to half-day sun and is very drought-tolerant once established.
However, it does look best if given a deep watering every week during a
dry summer. |
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Baileya multiradiata -Desert
Marigold -
Berlandiera - Green-Eyes
-
Calendula - Annual
Calyptocarpus vialis - Horse
Herb - Groundcover - Does best in shade and is very drought-tolerant once
established.
Chromolaena odorata - Also
sold as Eupatorium odoratum - Blue Boneset, Fragrant Boneset - Perennial
- Grows to 6' to 8' and bears lilac-blue flowers in fall for the Monarch
butterflies as they migrate to the highlands west of Mexico City for the
winter. Does best with afternoon shade.
Chrysactinia mexicana - Damianita
- Perennial - Deerproof evergreen mounds of aromatic foliage to 12" with
small golden-yellow "daisies" throughout the growing season. Needs full
sun and is very drought-tolerant once established.
Chrysanthemum sp. - Ox-Eye
Daisy - Wildflower
Cichorium - Chicory - Edible
Cirsium - Thistle - Pernicious
Weed
Coreopsis - Tickseed - Wildflower
Cosmos sulphureus - Golden
Cosmos - Self-Sowing Annual -
Cynara - Artichoke - Short-Lived
edible Perennial
Dahlia spp. and hybrids -
Dahlia - Short-Lived Perennial
Dendranthema spp. and hybrids
- Mum - Short-Lived Perennial
Dimorphotheca - African Daisy
- Annual
Dyssodia - Dahlberg Daisy
- Wildflower
Echinacea - Cone-Flower -
Short-Lived Perennial
Engelmannia - Engelmann Daisy
- Wildflower
Erigeron - Fleabane -
Eupatorium havanense - Butterfly
Boneset - Perennial - A shrublet for sites receiving at least one-half
day sun. Very drought-tolerant once established. Produces white to
pale pink flowers around the equinoxes.
Eupatorium odoratum - See
Chromolaena odorata
Eupatorium viburnoides -
Shrub
Euryops - Shrub Daisy - Short-Lived
Perennial
Flourensia laurifolia - Shrub
Gaillardia - Indian Blanket
- Wildflower
Gazania -
Gerbera jamesonii - Gerber
Daisy -
Gynura - Velvet Plant - Perennial
Helianthus giganteus - Giant
Sunflower - Perennial - The fall flower spikes reach 10' high on this imposing
perennial. Requires full sun and deep soakings every 2 weeks in the absence
of rainfall.
Lactuca - Lettuce - Edible
Annual
Liatris mucronata - Gayfeather
- Perennial
Machaeranthera tanacetifolia-
Tahoka Daisy - Wildflower
Melampodium - Blackfoot Daisy
- Very short-lived in cultivation. NOT RECOMMENDED
Pseudogynoxis chenopodioides
- Flame Vine - Tender Perennial -
Ratibida - Mexican Hat -
Wildflower
Rudbeckia - Black-Eyed Susan
- Wildflower
Santolina - NOT RECOMMENDED
Senecio - Groundsel -
Silphium albiflorum - - Perennial
Silphium laciniatum - Compass
Plant - Perennial
Silphium perfoliatum - -
Perennial
Solidago odora - Licorice
Goldenrod - Perennial -
Stevia rebaudiana - Sweet
Herb - Tender Perennial Herb -
Tagetes campanulata - Canyon
Marigold - Perennial
Tagetes lemmonii - Lemmon's
Marigold - View
Specimen - Perennial - This Arizona native is sometimes confused with
T.
palmeri. However, it is more cold-hardy, its flowering heads are smaller
and it is a smaller plant overall.
Tagetes lucida - Mint Marigold,
Yerbaniz - Perennial
Tagetes lucida subsp. schiedeana
- Mayan Mint Marigold, Yerbaniz - Perennial
Tagetes mulleri - Mountain
Marigold - Perennial - A surprisingly shade-tolerant species from the high
elevations of the Sierra Madre Oriental, south of Monterrrey, Nuevo
León. It tends to bloom around the equinoxes, spring and fall, producing
2" diameter yellow-orange heads.
Tagetes nelsonii - 'Tequila
Daisy'™ - Perennial - A giant cousin of the Copper
Canyon Daisy. It too has small, golden blooms, but it grows up to 6' high
by 8' wide and the foliage of this clonal selection is evergreen to 25°
F. Grow it in full sun and do not fertilize to maintain it more compact.
Tagetes palmeri - 'Copper
Canyon Daisy' - View
Specimen - Perennial - A 2' to 4' fall-bloomer for full sun if
grown with benign neglect; much larger if grown in partial shade, fertilized
and irrigated. An infusion of the leaves is used medicinally by the Tarahumara
Indians of Copper Canyon for upset stomachs. It makes a more spectacular
flowering specimen than T. lemmonii. Very drought-tolerant once
established.
Tagetes parryi - Parry's
Marigold - View
Specimen - Perennial
Tanacetum - Tansy - Herb
Taraxacum - Dandelion - Edible
Annual, but weedy.
Tithonia spp. - Mexican Sunflower
- Wildflower
Verbesina - Crown-Beard,
Frost Weed - Perennial -
| Vernonia
baldwinii - Baldwin's Ironweed, Baldwin's Vernonia - Perennial
The garden, in early summer,
will never be the same once you discover this Texas native perennial with
its large clusters of purple flowered heads. Its leafy flowering stalks
can grow up to 4' to 6' and eventually form wide clumps. The specimen illustrated
here was propagated from plants found growing along the Cibolo Creek in
Boerne. Grows in full sun to half-day sun. Looks best if given a deep watering
every week during a dry summer.
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Vernonia lindheimeri - Lindheimer's
Ironweed - Perennial
Viguiera stenoloba - Golden-Eye
- Perennial
Wedelia - Groundcover
Zexmenia - Perennial
Zinnia - Annual
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