Thinking of what to plant in your garden this summer?
Plant Pride of Barbados! Pride of Barbados is a showy, tough, heat loving plant that has bright orange and red blooms.
Right now, in Austin, Texas you can see this plant in just about every neighborhood in the city as well as the areas outside of town. This plant does not require a high-grade soil which makes it popular with many as well as it is boasts bright spectacular blooms.
The Pride of Barbados, once established, does not need a lot of care other than the initial watering in to establish it. It will die down in the winter generally comes back in the spring once it heats up. They will start to bloom in our hot Texas summer and will do so nonstop until the fall.
The Pride of Barbados is often paired with other drought tolerant summer blooming plants such as Plumbago, Tecoma stans aka Yellow Bells or another popular variety ‘Bells of Fire’. Copper Canyon Daisy, which has a wonderful lemon fragrance is another tough perennial that pairs nicely with it. They bloom summer through fall and look nice planted alongside the Pride of Barbados. Texas Sage is a nice blooming evergreen option to plant with it or the semi-evergreen Salvia greggii which comes in a variety of colors. I always think it is nice to have an evergreen is in the winter months when the perennials die down.
Texas Sage
The Pride of Barbados, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, is often mistaken for a Texas native, however, it is not.
Perhaps the confusion is due to the fact that it performs so well here in Austin, Texas. The habit of this perennial is a full bushy almost shrub like. It boasts tall upright blooms that seem to soak up the Texas summer days. If you do not have a full sunspot, plant where it would receive a little shade. It will still perform, though make sure to give it at least 6 hours of full sun. This will help to ensure you enjoy the bloom-fest this plant is sure to deliver.
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