Perennial Color for Sun and Shade
| Common Name | Botanical | Bloom | Foliage | Size | Lighting | Comments | Wildlife |
| For the sun: | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Coral Bean | Erythrina herbacea | Spectacular red spikes summer – fall | Spade shaped; bright green | 6X6 | Full sun | Awesome herbaceous perennial; great specimen plant | Deer Resisitant; Hummingbird |
| Thryallis; Golden Showers | Galphimia glauca | Delicate yellow spikes summer – fall. | Deciduous;1-2″ dark green oval | 4-6X4-6 | Full sun to part shade | Very hardy deciduous perennial; native to tropics where it is evergreen; makes a great back drop for lower plants. | Deer Resisitant |
| Jerusalem Sage | Phlomis fruticosa | Soft yellow bloom spikes spring -early summer | Evergreen; Silver green; fuzzy (similar to lamb’s ear) | 2-3’X3 | Full sun to part shade | Not a true salvia, but very hardy & tolerant of neglect; looks good year long. | Deer Resisitant |
| Indigo Spires ‘Mystic Spire’ | Salvia ‘Indigo spire/mystic spire | Deep indigo spires; Summer-Fall | Large oval; Herbaceous | 2 X 2 | Full sun | Blooms attract hummingbird and butterflies – monarchs love them. New cultivar is much smaller than original. | Deer Resisitant; Butterflies |
| Homestead Verbena – Red | Verbena sp | Bright red blooms spring – fall. | Low growing perennial – can be used as a groundcover. | 1′ X 3’+ | Full sun to part shade | Great perennial that sometimes blooms year long. It does require good drainage to perform well. Will often bloom in Jan/Feb w/ false springs! | Deer resistant; Butterflies |
| May Night Salvia | Salvia nemerosa | Deep purple bloom spikes spring – fall. | Rosette basal leaves evergreen | 1×1 | Full sun | Wonderful evergreen salvia. Great in the border since it is low growing. Will often be blooming in Jan/Feb. | Deer resistant; Butterflies |
| For the Shade: | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Forsythia Sage | Salvia madrensis | Yellow bloom spikes summer-fall | Large gray green leaves; running root stock. Herbaceous | 4-5X4 | Partial shade – shade | Unusual yellow blooms for a salvia. Performs best w/ filtered sun. It will “colonize an area and bloom summer-fall. | Deer resistant |
| Leather Leaf Mahonia | Mahonia bealei | Small yellow clusters in very early spring. Turning to blue berries later spring & summer | Evergreen, leathery foliage; almost holly like w/ barbed tips. Quite uncomfortable to brush into. | 4-6X4-6 | Partial shade – shade | Wonderful evergreen shrub. Attractive blue berries prized by birds. | Deer resistant; Birds |
| Indigofera | Indigo kirilowii | Pink racemes early-mid summer; sometimes repeats in the fall. | Pinnate foliage is very graceful. Generally deciduous, but may freeze to the ground in a severe winter. | 2-3X2-3 | Part sun – part shade. | This is one of those plants that likes full sun, but can’t take the Texas summer. It performs perfectly w/ am sun, or filtered all day. Looks nice in heavier shade, but does not bloom as much. | unknown deer resistance; no known wildlife. |
| Pigeonberry | Rivina humilis | Pink blooms & red berries. | Bright green leaves; herbaceous | 1-2X1-2 | Partial shade – shade | Blooms & berries season long; birds love the berries. A good tall groundcover. | Deer resistant; Birds |
| Columbine | Aquilegia spp. | Native varieties bloom yellow and orangish red in late spring/early summer. | Graceful foliage is usually evergreen. | 1-2X1-2 | Partial shade – shade | Great native perennial. Some non native varieties will perform well in the early spring. Native var. will often self sow – a bonus! | Deer resistant |
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