Texas Gardening: Drought Resistant Annuals

If your flower beds look anything like mine then it's full of more brown and yellow than greens and flowers. Everywhere in the United States is desperate for rain and so are our gardens. If you're looking to keep your annuals alive and you live in Texas here are some suggestions that will live through drought like conditions.

A beautiful violet to try is the sweet violet. These bloom in either a deep purple or white. They will start blooming in February and last until April. The flowers smell wonderful growing in your yard. You'll need to water these frequently when first planting but after that they do well on their own. They will spread and grow so give them plenty of room to do so. You'll need to look in a well stocked garden center to find this flower as it isn't too common.

If you like daisy's a good one to try is the four-nerve daisy. These ones have bright yellow flowers that will start blooming in spring and continue through the winter. Butterflies and hummingbirds are very attracted to these flowers. This daisy needs full sun to grow and shouldn't get above six inches tall.

Blue flax is a beautiful light blue flower to try in your garden. These will bloom all through the summer. It was actually discovered by Lewis and Clark during their expeditions. It will need full sun and can get up to three feet in height. You will want to trim this one in the winter to keep it from growing wild.

I also suggest the desert marigold. This one will attract sparrows who like to eat the seeds. It will need full sun and not too much water. Anything below 32 degrees will kill the marigold. It will actually rot if you water it too much. The flowers are beautiful and yellow and grow off of tall light green stems. It can grow up to two feet tall.

One of my favorite flowers that loves drought conditions is the Indian blanket. The flowers are a stunning red with yellow outlining the tips. This one is pretty easy to grow as a seed but, of course, is easier if you use an already established plant. This one can grow up to two feet tall with plenty of sunlight.

The last annual I suggest is the garden canna. It's a great tropical flower to try out. The foliage and flowers of this plant come in just about every color you can think of. It can grow up to six feet tall so make sure you're prepared for a tall plant. It does great both in the ground or in a pot it just needs plenty of sunlight. It will attract hummingbirds with its beautiful colors.