Texas Gardening: march blooms, 3 by hrp50

hrp50 wrote:
Pickings are still slim in my butterfly garden as not much is blooming. However, all perennials are starting to put on new growth. I installed the butterfly garden only a year ago and it was my first attempt at growing flowers, so I’m amazed at how the plants are coming back to life after dying back to the ground over the winter. It’s almost time to consider which annuals to buy to fill in the spaces. My favorite is pentas with gomphrena and Zahara or Profusion zinnias (longer blooming period, shorter height and more heat tolerant) close behind. I’m also going to replace my “Dallas Red’ lantana with ‘Miss Huff’ which the butterflies prefer according to Dale Clark, a knowledgeable local lepidopterist. I need to replant milkweed (not coming back as last fall I removed all of the seed pods and forgot to save any seeds) before the monarch butterfly migration across this part of the country begins.
Picture 1: scabiosa
Picture 2: 'Homestead Purple' verbena in front of 'Lipstick' salvia
Picture 3: 'May Night' salvia
Picture from 2012: the sign my DW got for me to hang on the gazebo