RASPBERRY FUZZIES™
(Acalypha monostachya)

Best traits—A member of
the Euphorbia family, this heat-loving mounding shrub can be grown as a ground cover. From April through November, it produces copper-color foliage and fuzzy pinkish-red blossoms, which seem to glow when backlit by the sun. It is cold-tolerant to 10 degrees and regrows quickly after it drops its leaves.

Growing tips—This moderate grower can be situated in full sun and needs soil with good drainage. To reinvigorate, cut back to the ground after the first frost and after its foliage drops.




YELLOW ORCHID VINE
(Mascagnia macroptera)

Best traits—During the hottest time of year, this heat-loving evergreen perennial puts on a show with its bright-yellow flower clusters. Large seedpods that look like butterflies follow the blooms, giving the plant its other common name: butterfly vine. A fast-grower, it attracts bees, butterflies and birds.

Growing tips—Place in full sun to part shade and water regularly during the warmest months. If growing up a wall or fence, it will need some form of support. In spring, cut back to 2 feet high to rejuvenate.




APACHE PLUME
(Fallugia paradoxa)

Best traits—In late summer and fall, this fast-growing, heat-hardy shrub puts out showy pinkish plumes that resemble an Apache headdress. A native of the Southwest, the plant’s flowers draw bees and butterflies, and the seeds attract birds. Extremely drought-tolerant, this low-maintenance plant is hardy to 0 degrees and tolerates alkaline soils.

Growing tips—Best grown from a transplant in full to part sun, Apache plume can be put in the ground in fall or spring, in well-drained, coarse soil. Prune in spring to remove dead wood.




BLUE FLAX
(Linum lewisii)

Best traits—Easy to grow from seed, this noninvasive perennial wildflower is a profuse bloomer. It produces sky-blue cup-shaped flowers at the tips of its grasslike foliage. Although the blossoms last only a day and close by dusk, they are replaced with new ones the following morning.

Growing tips—Blue flax should be planted in fall, and it does best in loose, sandy soil, and in full sun. Water regularly, but do not over-water. The first year’s growth may be slow, but subsequent years provide a more profuse bloom.




Other favorites:
Bird of paradise (Mexican, red and yellow), gaillardia, Mexican hat, plumbago, potato vine, queen’s wreath, ruellia, trumpet vine

Apache Plume photograph by Richard Maack; others courtesy of Mountain States Wholesale Nursery