Remarks

A Plant Select Plant for 2004, Pink Texas Skullcap has often been listed as a Zone 7 plant, but it is reliably cold hardy in Zone 6 and in protected Zone 5b sights. I’ve grown it in my xeristrip since 2000. Long blooming with no maintenance ever performed. These low growing, mounding skullcaps are excellent for Panhandle xeristrips and rock gardens. Native varieties are S. drummondii, and S. resinosa. The hybrid cultivar, S. x ‘Violet Cloud’, introduced by High Country Gardens, is an excellent violet skullcap as well as the natives.

Suffrutescens means having a base that is somewhat woody and does not die down each year. This describes S. suffrutescens exactly.

A chocolate flower bloom clamors for attention in the lower right corner.

Use in Garden

At the front of a sunny low water-use bed or border. Xeric bed, xeristrip, native plant garden, habitat garden. Rock garden.

Maintenance

Trim off any spent flowers in late winter.