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Thursday - March 26, 2009

From: Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Flowering annuals for Dallas TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

1. What Non-wildflower flowers (flowers that WILL bloom first year/within first 2-3 months after plant seeds)are recommended for Dallas, TX area that could tolerate part-shade, part-sun area? 2. What flowers in #1 are more aphid-resistant, easier to deal with/grow? I will put them near vegetables and I don't want them to attract aphids or other bugs that could infest my vegetable plants as I don't use insecticides.

ANSWER:

We're not quite sure what you mean by non-wildflower flowers, especially since we originate from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. We are dedicated to the care and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. In your case, this would mean blooming annuals native to North Central Texas, some of which you can purchase from nurseries as bedding plants, but even more of which are seen in the fields around Texas blooming wild and reseeding themselves from year to year. Same flowers, different location. We will be happy to provide you with a list of these annuals, for sun to part shade, and when you follow the plant link to the page on each individual plant, you can find out how they are propagated (usually by seed), get propagation instructions, bloom time, etc. If the seed pods are left on them to dry, they will reseed themselves, or you can gather and dry seeds and replant them at the same time they would drop their seeds naturally, usually fall in Texas. If you have difficulty in locating these seeds or plants, go to our Native Plant Suppliers section, enter your town and state, and you will get a list of native plant nurseries, seed companies, and landscape and environment consultants in your general area. They all have contact information, including maps, websites and/or phone numbers so you can check on availability of the plants you are interested in.

Referring to your second question, if studies have been made of which Texas annual blooming plants attracted or repelled aphids, we are not aware of it. In fact, we couldn't find much of anything on any plants, native or not, having that quality. However, you are already taking an important step in keeping the aphid population down by avoiding insecticides, which will kill the predator insects, like certain wasps and ladybugs, while the fast-proliferating aphids continue to flourish. This website from the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program on Aphids has a number of non-chemical controls to suggest for aphids.

BLOOMING ANNUALS FOR NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

Amblyolepis setigera (huisache daisy)

Centaurea americana (American star-thistle)

Coreopsis tinctoria (golden tickseed)

Eryngium leavenworthii (Leavenworth's eryngo)

Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum (showy prairie gentian)

Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel)

Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet)

Machaeranthera tanacetifolia (tanseyleaf tansyaster)

Monarda citriodora (lemon beebalm)

Phlox drummondii (annual phlox)

Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)