Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Your gift keeps resources like this database thriving!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Wednesday - July 24, 2013

From: Aransas Pass , TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Seeds and Seeding, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Flowers to bloom in next 4 months from Aransas Pass, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Looking for seeds to put down that will bloom over the next 4 months or so in the southern gulf coast area

ANSWER:

We will be glad to do that, assuming that these are to be planted in late July and bloom in September, October, November and December. We don't know if there is a specific occasion you are planning for, but we are frequently asked similar questions for the purpose of making a background for weddings, so we would like for you to read some previous Mr. Smarty Plants answers on that subject for background information (we are a little lazy, and this avoids retyping).

September wedding - please follow all of the links in this answer for more of the same.

Now, if you have read all that, we assume that you realize that you can't get there from here. In Texas and other warm climates, seeds for annual flowers are planted in the Fall to come up and bloom the next Spring. Seeds for biennial or perennial plants will be planted in the Fall, come up in the Spring of the next year, and bloom the year after.

What we can do is make you a list of flowers native to South Texas, using our Recommended Species for South Texas List. Using the sidebar on the right hand side of that page, we will select "herb" (herbaceous blooming plants) that will bloom in those four months.

Flowers for Fall and early Winter in South Texas:

Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge pea)- June through October

Conoclinium coelestinum (Blue mistflower) - July through November

Cooperia drummondii (Evening rain lily) - May to September

Coreopsis tinctoria var. tinctoria (Golden tickseed) - February to November

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Prairie verbena) - March to December

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. ciliata (Dakota mock vervain) - April to September

Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian sunflower) - August to November

Hibiscus martianus (Heartleaf rosemallow) - January to December

Monarda fistulosa (Wild bergamot) - June to September

Ratibida columnifera (Mexican hat) - May to October

Salvia coccinea (Scarlet sage) - March to October

Salvia farinacea (Mealy blue sage) - April to October

Vernonia baldwinii (Baldwin's ironweed) - July to November

Wedelia texana (Zexmenia) - May to October

 

From the Image Gallery


Partridge pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata

Blue mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum

Hill country rain lily
Cooperia pedunculata

Golden tickseed
Coreopsis tinctoria var. tinctoria

Prairie verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida

Davis mountains mock vervain
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. ciliata

Maximilian sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani

Heartleaf rosemallow
Hibiscus martianus

Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa

Mexican hat
Ratibida columnifera

Scarlet sage
Salvia coccinea

Mealy blue sage
Salvia farinacea

More Herbs/Forbs Questions

Native Texas Plants for a Terrarium
October 08, 2014 - I have a 55-gallon aquarium that I would like to make into a terrarium. Are there any Texas native plants that would do well in the limited artificial light of the tank? The plants should be of varyin...
view the full question and answer

Flowering ofPluchea odorata in Houston, TX
August 13, 2014 - I sprouted Pluchea odorata seeds this spring, but the plants seem too small to bloom this year. Although your website characterizes this plant as an annual, do you think it will survive the Houston wi...
view the full question and answer

Pruning for Spring
January 21, 2007 - When should I cut back (and how far should I cut back) the following plants in order to promote growth in the spring: Salvia gregii, Salvia leucantha, Ruellia (Mexican petunia), Plumbago, Sku...
view the full question and answer

Plants for steep slope in California
February 21, 2010 - I have steep slope, southwestern facing, minimal shade in Southern California. The soil is rocky. Because of fire danger, I would rather not plant grasses. Do you have a suggestion?
view the full question and answer

Stress on Goldenball leadtrees from Austin
June 07, 2014 - I know of two separate instances where young Goldenball Lead Trees (leucena retusa) have shown symptoms of defoliation and a bleeding of white sap from sores that have developed on the bark. The first...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.