Garden Galleries

Mistflowers could be called butterfly candy. This blue mistflower is covered in queen butterflies. Plant in sunny areas, sit back, and watch the butterfly show.

Fall asters are a quiet element in the garden most of the year, but come fall they strut their stuff in purple brilliance. Pair them with plants that look their best during other seasons for year-round interest.

The architectural nature of this Nelson’s nolina makes a great pairing with the informal growth habit of the tall blue velvet sage and firebush.

The foxtail asparagus fern is at its best in the fall when the temperatures are cool. Less hardy than its more unruly looking cousin, plant the foxtail in protected shade for best results.

Golden barrel cactus, artichoke agave, purple-tinged prickly pear with golden-hued damianita perfect choices for thin soils. Visit the San Antonio Botanical Garden and see for yourself.

We think this old-fashioned fall showstopper is underused these days. Golden rod needs full sun and some room to grow 6 feet tall but are like fireworks in the fall garden.

Ornamental grasses come in a wide variety, and like this Lindheimer’s muhly, are generally drought tolerant, grow in poor soils, and add color, texture and interest to any fall garden.

The Mitchel Lake Audubon Center shows off its wildscape along this casual pathway. In this garden, butterfly watching is as popular as bird watching. In the fall this garden hosts many rare butterflies. Plants include: almond verbena, mistflower, lantanas, cow pen daisy, cenizo, retama, esperanza, skullcap, salvias and more.

Here, fall favorites such as blue and red sages, zinnias, mistflowers, and golden rod are ready to spill out along this flagstone walkway. They are nicely contained with a permanent edging made with the same flagstone as the walkway.

Here muhly grass is paired with black Dahlia; both are good selections for Central Texas. The muhly is a showstopper in the fall, and the black Dahlia is loved by butterflies. It also has a nice compact form making it a good choice for a more formal garden style.

Prickly pear lends a structural element to a wild and wooly wildscape garden. Once winter come to the garden and the perennials are cut back awaiting spring, the prickly pear remains as an element of interest and good cover for wildlife

Specimen cactus, yucca and agave in a golden carpet of damianita, four-nerve and Dahlberg daisies presents the much maligned “rock and cactus” in a whole different light. Consider as an option for yards on thin soils in the Texas Hill Country or the sandy soils of the Texas coastal plain.

Blue and gold are the colors of fall in Central Texas. Blue velvet sage, and Mexican mint marigold are paired here.