Count on these flowers to produce multitudes of blooms in your North Texas landscape

Plants that can gear up to bloom and then have flowers that last but one day have always amazed me. So much effort to put into each blossom. Queen of that bunch is the Titan Arum, simply known as the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium) because of the terrible smell of its blossoms. It’s a rarity, however, saved mainly for botanic garden conservatories where its 7-foot flowers may only appear every three or four years. And, even with all that, they close within 36 hours.

I’ve never stood in the long lines to experience a corpse flower in bloom so I can’t share a personal photo or olfactory memory with you. However, I’ve brought some other one-day wonders in my garden cart to share with you today. Because they keep producing multitudes of blooms over long periods of time, these are some of my favorite plants for North Texas landscapes.

Daylilies. No plant name so typifies the topic. Daylilies produce their blooms atop stems called “scapes,” and each scape can have as many as 15 to 40 flower buds that will open over a three- or four-week period. Some of the newer, highly improved varieties have been selected because they rebloom one or two successive times through the season. Daylily flowers come in all colors except blue, and flower sizes range from 2 to 12 inches. Plant heights vary from 12 to 48 inches. Some flowers have multiple rows of petals (double flowering), although single flowers are the norm. The American Daylily Society website celebrates the naming of the 100,000th cultivar and has great photos and information. There truly is a daylily for every taste. Local society shows are one of the best ways to learn more and pick up exciting varieties from members.

Morning glories. Their name also gives evidence of the brevity of their blooms. They’re open when you awaken, but they’ll be closed by mid-afternoon. So, their “15 minutes of fame” really comes pretty close to just that — perhaps only 8 or 9 hours.

These are great annual vines that can be used to give quick cover to something unsightly, but many of us grow them because we just like their cheering colors of sky blue, white or rosy-pink. For the record, morning glories tend to bloom a lot more in the second half of the growing season, as days start to grow shorter.

Moonvine. Just flip “morning glories” into reverse and you have these plants that open their blossoms as the days reach an end. They’re white, and they close as the sun rises in the morning sky. They’re handsome, and the night pollinators love them.

Daturas and brugmansias. These closely related sisters produce stunning trumpet-shaped blossoms. Daturas (a plant also known as moonflower, jimsonweed and angel’s trumpet) display their blooms mostly upward. Ranchers aren’t fond of these Texas natives because they’re toxic to livestock, but flower lovers fancy them for their fragrant night blooms.

Brugmansia flowers, for the most part, hang straight down. Properly grown these plants are the stars of the garden. Grow these once, and you’ll always want them back. From Central Texas and southward they’ll frequently come back after the winter.

Purslane and moss rose. These are close cousins, and they come from a family filled with weeds that bloom quickly and persistently. These are the hero kids from that barnyard family. They’re bright and cheerful annual flowers that stand up to every degree of a southern summer, grateful for the chance to be growing in the hot Texas sun. Their sherbet-like colors may not put a chill up your spine at 109, but they’ll take your mind off the inferno at least for the moment. They grow to 8 inches tall and 15 to 18 inches wide, and they’re also great in hanging baskets and pots.

Tropical hibiscus and mallows. Here are showstoppers that may look somewhat similar when they’re in bloom (most types having huge 6- to 10-inch single flowers), but they’re vastly different in terms of winter-hardiness.

As their name implies, tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rose-sinensis) grow where it never freezes. So, in North Texas gardens, you’ll either need to grow them in pots that can be brought into protection over the winter, or you’ll have to replace them each spring.

Hardy hibiscus (H. moscheutos), also known collectively as “mallows,” are cold-hardy north clear into Canada. They’ll die to the ground with the first freeze, but they’ll regrow anew the following spring to do it all over again. Their flower colors include red, pink, and white. Most types are single flowering, although Confederate rose mallow produces double pink blooms late each season.

Four O’Clocks. Old homesites have these perennials that also reseed in the garden, or you can plant your own from seeds or transplants. Their cheerful blooms start to open as the sun is lowering, and they remain open into the next day. Then the story repeats. Flower colors include red, pink, white, lavender, purple, yellow, and curious bicolors. They do best in a moist, shady location.