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Pavonia grows as a perennial in my Zone 7b. The blooms are quite prolific in partial sun with flowers starting in early spring and continuing until November. I see lots of butterflies visiting, but especially Skippers, as well as the hummingbirds.

What a great tasting tomato. Meaty and sweet, with a nice acid balance, yummy flavor and good texture. Very nice large slicer heirloom beefsteak. The plant is huge with long sprawling stems, probably reaching eight feet tall. So far it's produced just a few fruits but each fruit is large, very nice looking, and delicious tasting. I think the color is closer to red than pink, but I'm no pro. Very worthy of seed saving, I will be growing this one again.

According to what I've read, this brandywine tomato seed was brought to the US in around 1999 by a woman from Croatia.

This is the first year I've grown shallots and I am very pleased with the flavor. I cannot compare this variety to any other cultivars out there BUT it is the best tasting shallot I've ever eaten! Store-bought shallots don't even come close in flavor. Looks like I will be growing shallots from now on. I planted them along with my garlic last fall and they were ready to harvest at the same time as the garlic.

According to Tx. Aggie Extension, Ayers was developed by Brooks D. Drain of Tennessee Agriculture Experiment Station as a Garber x Anjou hybrid in 1937 and introduced in 1954. It ripens early in the season. The fruit flesh is juicy, sweet, and good for fresh consumption or canning. The fruit is small and yellow and has an attractive red blush. The fruit flesh is low in grit cells. Ayers has been reported to be self-sterile, requiring a pollinator.

This pepper plant is at the top of my all time favorites for attractive pepper plants. It grows well in a pot, mine flowed in its pot which I think really added to its beauty. The entire plant is quite stunning with gorgeous green foliage, purple stems and veins, and small hot peppers that start out purple then greenish, yellow, orange and finally a bright red when fully mature. The peppers have a fruity smell and they are hot.

Native to US. Found in full to partial sun; moist to dry; open woods, meadows and fields. The fruit capsule holds three seeds, probably giving the plant its common name. I first noticed the plant last year when I began to have signs of allergies and looked around for the culprit. Turns out, it is known to have mild allergens when pollination occurs during summer to fall, depending on location.

You will know by smelling the plant that it is epazote, which has a pungent odor that smells similar to turpentine with hints of camphor or eucalyptus. It is useful as a culinary herb, especially in Mexican and South American recipes. I like the flavor it adds to a pot of beans. Just a little sprig of about 3 or 4 leaves is all you need to add some nice authentic flavor.

C. ambrosioides also has a history of medicinal uses.

The Dwarf sundew is a small insectivorous plant and the smallest sundew species native in the U.S. The leaves are paddle shaped and form a rosette at the base showing the densely covered hairs that secrete a clear, sticky "dew" to attract and trap insects. This sticky liquid at the tips of the hairs contains digestive enzymes that will break down insect parts. Each rosette will form several flower buds at the end of a single stem.

The name is perfect for these early spring flowers. The flowers are white with red/pink stripes and no two are exactly alike. Claytonia virginica has a single pair of opposite, narrow leaves that come out about half way up the stem and a flower cluster at the top. The flowers will stay closed on cloudy days and they close each night; the buds will droop and nod down when closed. In the morning when the buds open up after the sun comes out, the flowers stand up erect.

There is another, Carolina Spring Beauty (C. caroliniana) that is very similar, except the leaves are wider.

Although the plant was stated to grow to 2 feet tall, mine grew over three feet tall and wide its first year... I guess things really do grow bigger in Tx.

I'm always finding ladybugs on the leaves of this plant, which I love having in the garden. The first year I grew the plant, I tried using it in cooking, instead of French tarragon... it's just not as good & has a slightly resinous aftertaste but it wasn't bad either. It blooms after summer, when much of the garden plants are finished flowering. I enjoy seeing the the bright, sunny looking flowers in autumn, when not much else is in bloom. Tagets lucida was and still is used by many Tribes for medicine and purifying rituals.

Aside from the annoying sticky seed pods that end up on your pets and your clothes, this plant is quite useful.
Food for wildlife including Bobwhites and wild turkeys; browsed by deer, rabbits and other herbivores, even horses and cattle.

Desmodiums are in the bean family and, like other legumes, they actually put nitrogen into the soil, which is beneficial to other plants.

Phoradendron serotinum occurs from eastern Texas to New Jersey, south to Florida. The plant is an evergreen dioecious parasite of woody angiosperms that draws minerals and water, and some of its energy needs, from the host tree using a haustorium which grows into the stems of the host.. More precisely, it is classified as a hemi-parasite because it actually manufactures most of its own food, but steals all other essential resources from the tree.

Bitter sneezeweed is an erect, upper-branching yellow daisy-like annual, 10 to 20 inches tall with narrow leaves, alternating on the stem. Blooms in summer thru fall; very drought tolerant, likes full sun. The entire plant is said to have a strong odor, although I have never noticed this- It gets its name from its bitter taste, and is known to be responsible for bitter, undrinkable cows milk and is suspected to be the cause of unpalatable meat from cattle. The toxin is stable in plants contaminating hay.

Pretty climbing edible vine. This is not actually a spinach but has similar flavor. The texture is more meaty. Leaves and stems can be eaten raw or cooked. Use to thicken soups and stir fry's. The plant has medicinal use and the leaves are used to treat Stomatitis-inflamation of the mucous membrane of the mouth. It's also known to inhibit microbial activity, reduce inflammation, and a long list of other health benefits. The fruits mature to a deep purple, it doesn't have any flavor really and makes a good dye in frostings, etc. The seeds can be collected from the ripe fruit, but will turn your hands purple so I just wash them in a bowl of water, then set out to dry, or sometimes I just let the whole fruit dry out with the seeds - either way is fine. They can also be left on the plant to reseed themselves and you will have plants sprouting next year when the weather warms up.

This native wildflower is the state flower of Texas. I love seeing it along the roadsides in March, April and May when it blooms.
Bluebonnet will reseed itself --- the seed pods are ready when they turn from yellow to brown.

Hardy, aromatic perennial grows to 18” tall. This vigorous growing, bushy plant does best alone in rich, moist soil; but can get along with chives and parsley. Many will only grow it in a pot, away from the soil, lest it get away and take over the garden. It repels white cabbage moths, aphids and flea beetles. It is the menthol content in mints that acts as an insect repellant. Bees and other beneficial insects love it. Harvest young or mature leaves. Medicinal-Aromatic, carminative, anxiety, antispasmodic, antiseptic, aids digestion, flatulence, colds, influenza, migraines.

Grows to 24” high. Perennial herb, comes back from roots in spring here in 7b. Vigorous grower with crinkles, dull green leaves with white blossoms.
Prefers full sun. Harvest mature leaves for teas, soups, meats, fish, summer drinks. Lemon balm has citronella compounds that make this a good bug deterrent. Crush leaves on your skin to keep mosquitoes away and sprinkle throughout the garden in an herbal powder mixture to deter many bugs. Plant to ward off squash bugs.

Lemon Balm is anti-viral, so the tea is great to drink if you’re feeling under the weather. The hot tea brings on a sweat-good for relieving colds, flus and fevers. An anti-viral agent has been found that combats mumps, cold sores and other viruses and might also help with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and shingles, due to the anti-viral action. It has medicinal qualities as a tranquilizer and, calms a nervous stomach, colic, or heart spasms. The leaves are reputed to also lower blood pressure. It is very gentle, although effective, so is often suggested for children and babies.

Direct seed or set out starts of sweet alyssum near plants that have been attacked by aphids in the past. Alyssum flowers attract hoverflies whose larva devour aphids. Another plus is that their blooms draw bees to pollinate early blooming fruit trees. They will reseed freely and make a beautiful groundcover every year.
A hardy annual, native to Southern Europe, but has naturalized throughout the United States.

Native to much of US, this wildflower is an annual, biennial blooms early spring thru mid summer. The flowers are very insignificant but I like the plant anyway and think I prefer it over grass growing ,but that’s just me. It has a history of medicinal uses. The whole plant, but especially the roots, is astringent, salve and styptic. It can be used as a gargle for sore throats. The plant is high in tannins, making it bitter. A medicinal tea can be prepared by boiling 1–2 teaspoons of the root for ten to fifteen minutes in 2 cups of water. A tincture (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) can also be take three times a day.