Native plants blooming now, even through this heat, are the ever-blooming, sun-loving, perennial, reseeding, drought tolerant coneflower Rudbeckias – R. hirta is the familiar Black-eyed Susan. The Gloriosa Daisy is a ‘nativar’ (cultivated native species) of the R. hirta and has a larger flower with pretty brown crown in the yellow petals. The R. triloba is a smaller flower and sturdier stalk, commonly known as brown-eyed Susan, which holds upright even in rains and wind, blooms later in summer when others have succumbed to the heat, makes great cut flowers and creates a great late summer glow-up for your garden.

 

Deer are showing interest in young Rudbeckia plants but will pass on the more mature ones. Birds enjoy eating the seed heads, so leave a couple behind once they’ve played out. Deadheading will clean up the plant AND give you more blooms this season.

Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, has been blooming all summer. The lavender blooms are supposed to smell like anise, but to me they smell like root beer. They’re a favorite of hummingbirds and all sorts of pollinators. The upright bright blooms add a pop to your summer garden.

Another native that’s blooming is spite of this heat and drought is the Eryngium yuccifolium and E. aquaticum, aka Rattlesnake Master (named by American Indians). These grey to lavender-grey interesting-looking plants take on a yucca appearance (spiky light grey leaves) and an acorn shaped, spikey bloom. Blooms turn into seed heads that birds love and deer avoid.

Native mountain mints are another garden pleaser, deer and drought resistant. It’s blooming in the Pollinator garden at the park and was seen on Camden Shores and Bridgewater. 

 

Native mallows, Hibiscus coccineus (red Tx Star) and H. laevis (white or pink crimson eye hibiscus) are blooming full ‘seed’ ahead. Cut their stalks down to 3 ft. in October for non-stinging, non-hive producing native bees to nest in winter.