• To attract butterflies, you can plant coreopsis, coral vine, blue plumbago, butterfly weed, lantana, purple coneflower, yarrow, Lilac flowering Duranta, and Texas Lilac Vitex.
• If you are looking for color for the hot part of the summer, consider planting periwinkles, esparanza, firebush, zinnias, Poinciana, portulaca, purslane, and lantana.
• Proper watering and mulching with organic mulch is the best answer in conserving water during this drought. Shredded cedar and hardwood living mulch tend to do the best for central and south Texas.
• Mulch two to four inches around new trees and plantings, so that they do not compete with grass. Do not cover the crown of any plant with mulch or any type of soil.
• Raise the blade on the mower to three inches or more if you have St. Augustine. Continue to mow the Bermuda at 1-1.5 inch. Always, keep the mower blade sharp. Never remove no more then 1/3 of the grass canopy at any given mowing.
• Yellow grass and plants? Consider applying Texas GreenSand with 17% Iron for a long-term greening and spraying with a liquid chelated iron for quicker results. Composting and mulching with organic enriched products will also prevent much of the yellowing in plants.
  
  
  
  David Rodriguez is County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas Cooperative Extension in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener "Hotline" (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.
  

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