Regional Picks: Grass Companions – Southern Plains

1.‘Red Midget’ Mexican Hat

Name:Ratibida columnifera‘Red Midget’

USDA Hardiness Zones:3 to 8

Size:18 to 36 inches magniloquent and full

Conditions : Full Lord’s Day ; wry to intermediate , well - drain soil

This succinct selection of the prairie aborigine is a playful , sunlight - loving stopper for even the toughest condition . Deep - red petal edged in gold surround a central cone that protrudes 1 to 2 inches above the petal , giving the plant its common name . Flowers seem in other summer through icing and seed promptly . Many of the seeds will become feast for songbirds , while others sow themselves into the filth for outgrowth the following spring . The showy heyday host an teemingness of pollinators . plant have an open , airy habit and finely cut foliage that is arrant for mixed boundary line .

2.‘Iron Butterfly’ Ironweed

Name:Vernonia lettermannii‘Iron Butterfly’

Zones:4 to 9

Size:3 feet marvelous and spacious

shape : Full sunshine topartialshade ; average to dry soil

‘ Iron Butterfly ’ vernonia is a previous - summer to descend flub whose masses of burnished purple blossom will revitalize the garden . The flower also provide a nectar generator for migrating monarchs , several species of checkered lily and skippers , as well as eastern , tiger , and spicebush morning coat . The mulct , feathery foliation of ‘ Iron Butterfly ’ adds rich grain to the garden . The minute leave and airy , well - branched stems may look delicate , but this prairie indigene is a hardy plant indeed . ‘ Iron Butterfly ’ is warmth and drought tolerant and also capable to withstand brief periods of standing water , making it ideal for rain garden .

3.Fringed Poppy Mallow

Name:Callirhoe digitata

Zones:4 to 8

Size:2 to 4 substructure improbable and 1 to2 feet wide

Conditions : Full sun ; tolerates a wide compass of grime

Showy , long - bloom , and modest - upkeep : Fringed poppy mallow offers the trifecta of garden paragon . The works produce a profusion of lustrous magenta flowers atop long still hunt from midspring to late summertime . lithesome , tumid stems have a bluish speck and bear fine , digitate foliage . Fringed poppy mallow , commonly found in the tall-grass prairies of the south - fundamental champaign , is a aboriginal alternative to marvellous verbena ( Verbena bonariensis , Zones 7 - 10 ) , and its airy fragrancy graciously complement high grasses . The plant develop well from seed and establishes a long taproot , giving it splendid drought margin . Fringed poppy mallow is a favorite of bumblebees , making it a striking addition to a pollinator garden .

4.‘Orange Peel’ Cestrum

Name:Cestrum‘Orange Peel’

Zones:7 to 10

Size:3 to 6 feet tall and spacious

condition : Full Lord’s Day ; medium to dry out , well - run out soil

Calling all hummingbirds : luxurious cestrum blossom for your sipping pleasance ! With its abundance of cheery , yellow - orange heyday from spring until freeze , this heat - have intercourse , depleted - upkeep dish is beloved by nurseryman and birds likewise . Soaring to acme of up to 6 feet , ‘ Orange Peel ’ cestrum leave structure to a design and acts as a willowy backdrop to midsize green goddess . Flowers emit a sweet redolence after the sun move down . ‘ Orange Peel ’ , among the most cold - brave cestrums , is a deciduous shrub in Zones 8 to 10 and acts as a die - back perennial in Zone 7 .

Kimberly Toscano is a plantsman from Stillwater , Oklahoma .

Fine Gardening recommend Products

Black and Decker 22 - inch Cordless Hedge Trimmer

Pruning Simplified : A footmark - by - tone Guide to 50 Popular Trees and shrub

Planting in a Post - gaga World : Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Get our latest hint , how - to article , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

sign on you up …

Regional Picks: Grass Companions - Northwest

Regional Picks: Grass Companions - Southwest

Regional Picks: Grass Companions - Southeast

Regional Picks: Grass Companions - Midwest

Join Fine Gardening for a free pursue live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a famed plant diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals expert director …

When I spot a particular backbone buck cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I knew I was in problem . With a delightful color pattern …

When we only prioritize plants we need over plant our landscape needs , each season is filled with a never - end tilt of job : pruning , abstract , watering , treating , remedy , and fertilizing , with …

Orange Peel Cestrum

Photo: Richard Bloom

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you move into the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to spark on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …