Shades of Green Nursery + Landscape is pleased to announce that we have leased garden box #11 in The Harvest at Frisco Commons, Frisco’s new community garden. According to the city website,
“The Harvest at Frisco Commons is a communal space managed by the City of Frisco that offers raised garden boxes for annual rental, as well as public education space for Frisco residents and volunteers. Gardeners may grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers in their leased space.”
We have planted our 20 x 4 foot box with native and adapted perennials to attract pollinators. Drawing pollinators into the garden will help increase crop yields in the surrounding boxes, and is why flowering plants are a great addition to any vegetable garden. (Scroll to the bottom of this blog for a video about our garden box.)
Here’s a map of our box.
Six of the nine species are native Texas perennials. Five are edible. All are low maintenance, and most are drought tolerant. That means we won’t have to worry about constant upkeep since these plants can handle North Texas weather just fine.
Our Selections:
A
Society Garlic – Tulbaghia violacea
• Clump-forming herbaceous perennial
• Grows 18-20 inches tall x 15-18 inches wide
• Plant in full sun
• Drought tolerant once established
• Garlic scented lavender-purple blooms spring through fall attract pollinators
• Flowers and leaves are edible (mild garlic flavor)
• Hardy in Zone 7-10
B
Walker’s Low Catmint – Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’
• Herbaceous perennial – Zone 3-8
• Grows 18-24 inches tall & wide
• Plant in full sun
• Prefers well-drained soil
• Blooms mid-spring to fall
• Attracts butterflies Click here to see our video about Walker’s Low.
C
Purple Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 18-36 inches tall x 12-18 inches wide
• Plant in full sun to part shade
• Large, rose-purple, daisy-like flowers bloom late spring to mid-summer
• Attracts butterflies & re-seeds freely
• Flower petals and leaves are edible [1]
• Hardy in Zones 3-9
D
Mexican Mint Marigold – Tagetes lucida
• Herbaceous perennial – Zone 8-11
• Grows 1-3 feet tall x 1-2 feet wide
• Plant in full to part sun
• Bright yellow flowers late summer until frost attract bees & butterflies
• Very drought tolerant
• Native to Mexico
• Also called Texas Tarragon or Mexican Tarragon
• Strong-flavored leaves may be used raw in salad and as a tarragon substitute in cooking. Flowers are used fresh to color salads. Click here to see our video about Mexican Mint Marigold.
E
Flame Acanthus – Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 4 feet tall & wide
• Plant in full sun to part shade
• Heat & drought tolerant
• Orange-Red blooms in summer
• Also known as Hummingbird Bush
• Hardy in Zone 7-10
F
Black Eyed Susan – Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldstrum’
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 24-30 inches tall & wide
• Plant in full sun in soil with good drainage
• Blooms summer through fall
• Attracts butterflies and birds
• Hardy in Zone 3-9 Click here to see our video about Black Eyed Susan.
• Yarrow is a native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 2-3 feet tall x 2 feet wide
• Plant in part full sun
• Dark salmon pink flowers lighten to peachy pink as they age
• Prefers well-drained soil
• Attracts bees & butterflies
• Leaves can be consumed raw or cooked. They have a somewhat bitter flavor, yet they make a great addition to mixed salads.[1, 2]
• Hardy in Zone 3-8
• Gaura is a Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 24-30 inches tall x 18-24 inches wide
• Plant in full sun
• Heat & drought tolerant
• Pink & white blooms from early summer to fall
• Delicate flowers resemble hovering butterflies
• Hardy in Zone 5-9
I
Chocolate Daisy – Berlandiera lyrata
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 1-2 feet tall & wide
• Plant in full sun with good drainage
• Heat & drought tolerant
• Edible, yellow daisy-like flowers bloom late spring through fall
• Flowers open in the morning and droop in the heat of the day
• Hardy in Zone 4-10
All of these plants, along with other great native and adapted perennials, may be found at Shades of Green Nursery + Landscape! To learn more about edible native Texas plants, visit Foraging Texas.
