Covenant's Color Garden: Lesser Known Stars
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Dwarf Fairy DusterThe branches of this 2’ – 3’ tall shrub grow outward in layers, with buds and flowers along each branch. The dark green leaves are cloven. It flowers off and on all year, and the little berry-like buds are just as charming as the powderpuff flowers. Dwarf fairy duster takes sun or light shade.
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Red Rocket RusseliaThis plant’s name is almost as fun to say as Mellow Yellow Mallow. Try it. Former Chronicle garden writer Brenda Beust Smith (“The Lazy Gardener”) describes this russelia as having “a hardy-salvia-type growing habit with upright branches topped by showy stalks covered with fire-engine red flowers. It’s a major hummingbird/butterfly attractor in my yard. It’s not invasive. It just makes a lush plant four- to five-feet tall.” The leaves form a low clump while the flower spikes can reach eight feet, according to Joshua of Joshua’s Native Plants in The Heights.
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Turk’s CapThis is a must-have for hummingbird gardens. The overlapping, twirling red flower petals never fully open and give the plant its common name. Usually recommended for part shade to shady moist locations, it adapts to sunnier, drier areas by growing smaller leaves. It can grow 5’ X 5’ or more, but can be cut back in early spring to maintain a smaller, bushier shape. Besides being a nectar source, Turk’s cap produces fruit that’s eaten by birds and mammals. Native
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