Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_22.gif)
Tuesday - June 22, 2010
From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Wildflowers
Title: Annual flowers for fall planting in San Antonio
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
What are some recommended annual flowers for fall planting in a small garden in San Antonio? Also any help on planting and cultivating would be appreciated.ANSWER:
To save us a whole lot of typing, we recommend you read our How-To Article A Guide to Native Plant Gardening. When we talk about annual flowers in Texas, we usually refer to them as "wildflowers," since they grow in our soil and our ordinary rainfall and without much benefit from fertilizer; therefore, they are about the best thing you can plant in your garden. They will self-seed, with the ones most suited to the home they have found prospering the most. Another How-To Article you should find interesting is Meadow Gardening. This refers to a much larger installation than you are planning but the basic principles are the same.
So, having answered the part about planting and cultivating with one fell swoop, we will go to our Recommended Species for Central Texas, Narrow our Search by selecting on "herbs" (herbaceous blooming plants) under General Appearance, "annual" under General Appearance, and list some of our favorites for this part of the state. These will all be native in and around Bexar County, and should do well in your garden. You did not indicate if you would have sun or shade, so if you wish, you can repeat the search, adding Light Requirements to your search. Follow each of our plant links to the page on that plant in our Native Plant Database to learn projected size, amount of sunlight needed, bloom time and color, and get propagation instructions. This is just a sampling, there are other annuals and, of course, you can expand the scope even more by selecting "perennials" under Duration.
Herbaceous Blooming Annuals for San Antonio:
Amblyolepis setigera (huisache daisy)
Centaurea americana (American star-thistle)
Chamaecrista fasciculata var. fasciculata (partridge pea)
Coreopsis tinctoria var. tinctoria (golden tickseed)
Eryngium leavenworthii (Leavenworth's eryngo)
Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel)
Machaeranthera tanacetifolia (tanseyleaf tansyaster)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Phlox drummondii (annual phlox)
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)
Thelesperma filifolium var. filifolium (stiff greenthread)
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Planting Questions
Non-blooming Tecoma stans in Fredericksburg, TX
June 30, 2008 - We have an esperanza plant purchased last year from Walmart and planted outside before winter. It flowered excellently last year. Just before winter we cut it back to about a foot. So far this summer ...
view the full question and answer
Looking for a specimen shade tree in San Rafael, CA
June 04, 2013 - I'm looking for a specimen shade tree that can get 30'x30', that doesn't drop a bunch of crud (seeds, etc) on the patio (leaves are ok), medium to low water requirement, roots are behaved, zone 9,...
view the full question and answer
Sun loving plants for flower bed by the pool in Weatherford Texas
October 03, 2011 - We have a 40' long x 2 1/2' wide flowerbed along our pool. It is in full sun with the pool deck across the front and a 6' privacy fence across back. Also, the level of the bed is 18" below the l...
view the full question and answer
Fall Flower Planting in Abilene, TX
October 14, 2014 - Are there any flowers that can be planted in the fall in Abilene Texas?
view the full question and answer
Steep slope from Charlotte NC
May 03, 2012 - I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |