Regional Picks: Tough Plants—Southern Plains

See regional picks for elusive pretty plants , and read the clause by Julie Lane Gray for even more estimate .

It ’s important to define first what I imply by a “ problematic ” plant . To my mind , it ’s a plant that will thrive on its own as long as it is planted in a place that leave its basic needs and is give suitable water . It wo n’t retreat if it has belligerent neighbors , complain if it does n’t get pruned for a yr or two , and necessitate special treatment for look practiced . A pretty , tough works is one that looks more delicate than it really is .

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1. Brakelights®Red Yucca

Name:Hesperaloe parviflora‘Perpa’

Zones:5–10

Size:24 inch tall and wide ; heyday spikes rise from 24 to 36 inches

Conditions : Full sun ; average to dry , well - drained soil

Native range : Texas and Mexico

Stunning true - red cannular flowers set this miscellanea apart from other red yucca . Though not a true yucca , this member of the agave family attracts hummingbirds and butterflies with summertime bloom that stand tall above gracefully arc , aristocratic - fleeceable leafage . A tough perennial with splendid rut tolerance , Brakelights ® violent yucca duo attractively with prairie grasses and showy perennials . This industrial plant is wide adaptable , tolerate drought , wearing , and urban consideration . It ’s a slow - growing aborigine , producing a thick basal clump of evergreen plant foliage .

2. ‘Denim ’n Lace’ Russian Sage

Name:Perovskia atriplicifola‘Denim ’n Lace’

Zones:4–9

Size:30 inch marvelous and 36 inch wide

Conditions : Full sun ; dry to modal , well - drain soil

aboriginal range : Central Asia

‘ Denim ’ n Lace ’ Russian sage better on a favored perennial for red-hot , dry situation with stronger stems and a more compact , upright wont . Lacy , periwinkle blue flowers grace the garden from midsummer through Robert Frost , lure hummingbird and other pollinator over the long blossom season . The fragrant flower are excellent for cutting and dry . Aromatic , gray - green foliage resists cervid and lapin browse . Adaptable to a variety of soils , ‘ Denim ’ n Lace ’ is also drouth and salt broad .

3. ‘Red Midget’ Mexican Hat

Name:Ratibida columnifera‘Red Midget’

Zones:3–9

Size:18 to 24 inch tall and 18 inch wide

Conditions : Full sun to partial shadiness ; average to dry , well - drained soil

Native range : North America

This fuss - free prairie native takes the heat and keeps on blooming . cite for the typical cone at the center of each bloom , Mexican hat blossom from late spring through frost , attracting butterflies and other pollinators . The cardinal conoid is surrounded by recurving , velvety ruby-red petal edged in gold . ‘ Red Midget ’ is a more compact variety , with fine - gash leaf and an open , aeriform habit . The plants are easy grown from seed and will self - sow . engraft it in large drifts for a realistic aspect . Mexican hat is drought kind and resist deer browse .

4. ‘Furman’s Red’ Autumn Sage

Name:Salvia greggii‘Furman’s Red’

Zones:6–10

Size:24 to 36 inches tall and 18 column inch wide

‘ Furman ’s Red ’ autumn salvia has prove its Charles Frederick Worth again and again in live , sunny gardens . Pollinator magnets , the brilliant - crimson flowers get across plants in late outflow and again in fall , with scattered blooms throughout summer . sweet aromatic , the light green foliage remains evergreen throughout much of its grasp and dissent graze by cervid and rabbit . aboriginal to rocky slopes , the plant are drought tolerant and do best with equal drainage and no fertilizer . Autumn salvia is a woody subshrub , so rationalize in other outflow to maintain a compendious drug abuse .

— Kimberly Toscano is a horticulturist and garden interior decorator from Stillwater , Oklahoma .

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‘Red Midget’ Mexican Hat

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Regional Picks: Tough Plants—Southeast

Regional Picks: Tough Plants—Northeast

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Brakelights Red Yucca

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