Esperanza	Esperanza
Esperanza	Purslane
Vitex	Vitex
Vitex
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Tecoma stans 'Gold Star' (Esperanza, Yellow Bells, Yellow Alder) is a heat and sun-loving tropical with golden-yellow bell shaped flowers from late spring till frost. Zone 9.

Exposure: Full sun
Size: Three to four feet as an annual.
Blooms: Lightly fragrant, golden yellow, spring till frost.
Uses: Container, specimen, bedding, xeriscape, etc.
Notes: Remove seed pods to promote faster rebloom. Texas native. 1999 Texas A&M CEMAP (SuperStar) promotion.

'Gold Star' Esperanza is a selection Greg Grant made from a private garden in San Antonio. It was introduced by Lone Star Growers. 'Gold Star' was selected because it was the earliest blooming Tecoma stans that had been trialed. Previously, Esperanza was difficult to sell as it didn't produce blooms in the container until late in the season. 'Gold Star' actually produced them as a liner (small plant). Tecoma stans requires bright light and warm temperatures. It is propagated by softwood cuttings under mist. Bottom heat during the rooting procedure is recommended. This particular selection is intermediate between the West Texas Tecoma stans angustata and the tropical Tecoma stans stans. Flower and leaf size is intermediate between the two. Although grown as a shrub and a perennial in San Antonio, South Texas, and Mexico, Esperanza works best in the nursery trade as a tropical container plant, similar to Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, and Mandevilla. It is generally sold in one gallon or three gallon containers. Esperanza has relatively few pests. In the greenhouse, it can be attacked by spider mites and aphids. Outdoors it is generally pest free. Too keep the plants tidy and continuously blooming in the landscape, it is recommended that the clusters of seed pods ("green beans") be cut off. All selections of Tecoma stans are uniquely adapted to hot sunny Texas summers. 'Gold Star' provides a more marketable plant however.

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Big Blooming Purslane -- Big, Beautiful and Edible -- Dolly Parton's Pride
Purslane is the heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant flower which is sometimes referred to as the Dolly Parton flower because it blooms from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new, larger-flowered Eubi-type purslanes are just as spectacular and show- stopping as Miss Dolly's personal attributes. The smaller blooming "weedy" cousin of the cultivated Dolly Parton flower as well as Dolly herself have suddenly become the belles of the garden among creative chefs and nutritionists. Although purslane has proliferated as a wild edible around the world for centuries, in its renaissance purslane is acclaimed for not one, but two starring attractions: the rediscovery of its cooking possibilities--its tinker-toy eye appeal, crisp texture and lightly tangy taste--and the scientific discovery of its potentially healthful omega-3 fatty acids.If this weren't enough, it has above average values of Vitamins A and C and provides all of these goodies with only 15 calories in a 100-gram portion (as compared with 76 in a boiled potato).
Purslane is eaten extensively in soups and salads throughout the Mediterranean area, where the incidence of heart disease is low. The Russians dry and can it for the winter. In Mexico it is called VERDOLAGA and is a favorite comfort food, eaten in an omelet or as a side dish, rolled in tortillas, or dropped by handfuls into soups and stews.
The exciting new health discovery is purslane's high content of alpha linolenic acid, a type of the omega-3 fatty acids. It may affect human health directly, but the most intriguing possibility is that the human body might be able to convert into other, related kinds of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) found in fish oils. Researchers see evidence that these substances lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as make the blood less likely to form clots. But ages before this scientific finding, purslane was eaten as treatment for arthritis, inflammation and heart disease and to promote general good health.
PURSLANE
Portulaca oleracea
Purslane Family
Purslane is a succulent low-growing plant which is very tasty and crunchy. The entire plant can be used, the stems being most succulent. Purslane grows all over the world, often in disturbed soil. Purslane can be used as the main salad ingredient, lightly seasoned with diced onion, vinegar, and oil. The plant is good cooked with soups, steamed, sauteed, or pickled. Add it to omelets.
Thoreau used and enjoyed purslane, and he wrote of the plant, "I have made a satisfactory dinner off a dish of purslane which I gathered and boiled. Yet men have come to such a pass that they frequently starve, not from want of necessaries, but for want of luxuries."
IDENTIFYING PURSLANE
Purslane sprawls along the ground with its fleshy, succulent, highly branched stems. The stems are round and tinted red. The flavor of the raw stems is mild, slightly sour, and the texture is crunchy. The leaves are paddle-shaped (obovate), flat, and alternately arranged. The small flowers are yellow,sessile, and contain five two-lobbed petals. The small seed capsules produce abundant black seeds.

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Vitex is also called chaste tree or Mexican lilac. The lavender blooms resemble lilacs from a distance, but where lilacs would survive only a few weeks in a South Texas summer, vitex thrives in the heat. Plant it in full sun with plenty of room and it will reach 25 feet tall with a crown at least as wide. Vitex does not provide dense shade with its airy foliage but it blooms most of the summer without irrigation. In September after a droughty summer, it provides color and nectar for the hummingbirds and butterflies. Deer do not seem to eat vitex.

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The Mexican Oregano is also a drought-tolerant, June blooming herb which can also beautify a landscape at this time of the year.