Low-Growing, Native Perennials for the Southern Plains

These short plants will fill the gaps in the front of your borders and beds

Do you ever have a spotlight in your garden , usually at the very front of a bottom , that call for a short flora ? perchance you even need it to grow up under some taller plants behind it , create a backdrop for them . Or maybe you just involve a little something that will bulge in the front of your border , catching the eye of passers - by . Here are a few native Southern Plains works that fit that bill .

Roemer’s mimosa

Mimosa roemerianasyn . Mimosa quadrivalvisvar.platycarpa , zone 7–10

Roemer ’s silver wattle , or sore briar , is the type of plant that Dr. Seuss might have invent for one of his children ’s books . It ’s bright , weird , and over - the - top ! Many folks remember this mintage from puerility because the leaflet fold closed upon being tint . Native to north Texas and maybe Oklahoma , this low - acquire beauty sends up endearing bright pink puffball flowers that are tipped in yellow - gold . Roemer ’s mimosa bloom from spring through summer and likes full Sunday and drier stain . It ’s hard not to get down on your stomach in the garden just to take a closer look at this one , and because it grow at a summit of 2 to 6 in , that ’s about what it takes to make its snug acquaintance .

Frog fruit

Phyla nodiflora , zone 6–10

I really believe that frog fruit is an underutilized beaut in garden plantings . Its ramble dark green foliage makes for a just ground cover that remains evergreen in mild wintertime . In cold wintertime , it may die back to the roots , which resprout in spring . The tiny white flowers are clustered around a brown centre . They appear to form one larger ( but still very small ) flower . Frog fruit is memorable for its sport name and is democratic with the butterfly stroke . At only 3 to 6 inches in meridian , it is in truth a poor ( and sweet ) perennial . This drought- and overflow - resistant mintage is reliable anywhere you need a tough , stalwart , noninvasive ground covert . It will produce in sun to partial shade , and it blooms from May to October .

Silver ponyfoot

Dichondra argentea , Zones 8–9

While not as hardy or inhuman - liberal as toad frog fruit , silver ponyfoot really shines when it ’s in its element . Its silver-tongued - gray leaf looks vivid and shiny in sunlight , and it provides a beautiful background for more colorful bloomers planted among it . Grown as a ground cover , it wo n’t get taller than 2 to 4 inches . This plant life need an open , sunny spot that is well drained . It ’s more cold - sensitive than the other specie I mention here , behave as a perennial in zone 8 and above , but it is well used as an annual in Zones 7 and below . The blooms are not noticeable , but the foliage is what makes this works special .

Purple poppy mallow

Callirhoe involucrata , Zones 4–9

Purple poppy mallow , or winecup , produces 2 - inch - all-inclusive bright purple flowers shaped like a cup . This plant is a scurvy sprawler with dark green , deeply incised foliage that is somewhat variable in shape . This species is a small taller than the others mentioned here , from time to time achieve 12 inches in altitude with its efflorescence fully extended . It is more typically found rise at about half that tallness . violet poppy mallow blooms throughout the leaping and summer and is quite easy to develop . It can farm in sunshine or fond subtlety , teetotal or dampish soil , rocky or sandy soil , and alkaline or acid soil . Rabbits like to nibble down this perennial ’s leaf , but I have successfully deter them with nontoxic pulverisation repellents such as Enviro Pro ’s Rabbit Scram , and this plant is worth the trouble .

Consider one of these low - spring up looker the next clock time you take something short and mellifluous in your garden . And keep in mind that all four of these picks are quite drouth large-minded .

— Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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