I heard thunder earlier this afternoon so I grabbed my camera and went to the backyard. We have two Texas Sages (Leucophyllum frutescens) near our gate and I wanted to capture their blooms before the rain started.

Earlier in the day it had been sunny and it wasn’t the best light for outdoor photography, but now the sky was dark and threatening. Perfect for me! I got to photograph two of our backyard’s native plants.

Texas Sage is misnamed however. It is not a true sage and is not a member of the genus Salvia. It is also called cenizo, at least around here, which is Spanish for ashen, and that may refer to its gray-green leaves. That may be better although it’s still not the botanical name. I’m not very good at them, but botanical names are preferred. The common names are not unique and often refer to different plants in different parts.

Texas Sage (I did it again) is definitely a Texas native and it does great in full sun and requires little water. It is a very popular landscape plant because it’s so pretty and so easy to grow. The blooms on these two specimens appeared from one day to the next, so that was an amazing thing to see. Usually, they’ll bloom just before a rainfall, so these may have gotten a bit ahead of themselves.

These are about 5 feet tall, but they grow up to 8 feet. They can be trimmed and maintained as a hedge.

Texas Sage

Here’s a closeup of the flowers. Many of them are still not opened. They start as tight little balls and then take a trumpet shape.

Texas Sage

We also have a neat Hummingbird Bush (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) in one spot of our backyard. It too is a native and grows to about 3 to 5 feet tall. It’s also known as a Flame Acanthus and a Mexican Flame.

Whatever they’re called, hummingbirds just love them. They are also a butterfly favorite and look great in your landscape. You should definitely check them out.

Hummingbird Bush

The nice thing about using native plants in your landscape is that they do so well with so little work. You don’t need to fight constantly to help a non-native survive and they pose no threat to the other plants. They not only look great but they are beneficial to wildlife.