Texas Tough Turk: Tale of a Resurrection

I have witnessed a resurrection! The resurrection of a plant that is. I have one spot in my garden where nothing grows well. I suspect the builders spilled something there while building the house. For years I've planted things there only to watch them die. Morbid isn't it? Well, one plant has come back from the dead! About six years ago, I planted a turk's cap in that spot, watched it struggle for a couple of years & then meet the fate of so many other plants that had gone before it. It had been about 3 years since I'd seen the last sign of life from this plant, but miraculously, it popped back up in late fall of last year. To top it off, it has really bloomed away all summer with no water during this extreme drought.

I guess this is a true testimonial about buying native plants. Turk's cap is a Texas native, which attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. It's heat & drought tolerant & even likes our gumbo soil in Houston. It's a small shrub that makes the neatest little whirlly flower. The flowers are an orangy red, but there is a variety that comes in white & has variegated leaves.

So remember to buy natives whenever you can for stress free gardening. I've reminded myself of this every time I've gone to turn on the water hose this summer & looked over to see my little resurrected turk's cap blooming away, no water required!

Here's a picture of my turk's cap. It's the one with the orangy red flowers & leaves that look hibiscus leaves.