What’s your favorite summer plant?

Recently, we asked viewers to send us their summer favorite plants. They were so many that we’ve split it up. Here’s Part 1 of Summer Faves.

Helen Sørensen O’Dowd Quinn, from Navasota, loves native Texas star hibiscus, which is normally red, and Marianne Yelvington Hutto loves the same plant, but she lucked into a white one!

Heidi Schaub likes Salvia greggii, one of my favorites.

Jeff Ferris adds Texas sage, also commonly known as cenizo, to his list.

Another show stopper is Lisa LaPaso’s choice of Fireman’s Cap coral bean.

Duranta is tops with Laura Sammons, and esperanza rates high with Sharon Nixon Nettle. Duranta and esperanza (Tecoma stans) make a lovely combination!

And Jenny Stocker’s pick, is native rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetela) which would make a lovely smaller shrub near those two.

Vines also made the list, including passion vine from Kirti Kode, Jana Kaura and Vicki Blachman, who also likes cestrum.

Annual warm-weather moonflower is Karen Curry’s pick, good even in a container, placed near an entryway, of course, to sniff and view at night. It’s pollinated by night moths.

Kathy Kloba values her Butterfly Blue Clerodendrum, and Martha Merriell Chang loves her passalong purple-leaved canna.

Kirk Walden likes groundcover ice plant.

And in the vegetable garden, Randy Jewart and Joe Summy go for okra, David Brooks for Sungold tomato, and Katie Pudhorodsky for black eyed peas.

In part shade, firecracker fern is tops for Stephanie Collins and Martha Cray. Donna and Mike Fowler also favor that one, along with pride of Barbados, rock rose and red yucca.

Another great suggestion for part shade/to sun is Turk’s cap, from April Thomas Rose and Sharon Black-Greene.

Viewer picture also goes to Helen Sørensen O’Dowd Quinn from Navasota for her fall-blooming bulb, Lycoris aurea. Most of us are familiar with the red Lycoris radiata, which Helen grows as well.  L. aurea is the most reliable of the zinger yellows for us.