Berlandier's sundrops

Year-round

Berlandier's sundrops is a low, spreading wildflower native to North Texas that blooms bright yellow from spring through fall and needs very little water once it settles in.

• Plant in full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day, for the fullest bloom.
• Give it well drained soil. In heavy black clay, plant high on a slight mound or amend the hole with coarse sand or expanded shale for drainage; in the sandier soils west of the metro it drains on its own but will need water more often through the first summer.
• Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart since it spreads to a low, sprawling mat.
• Its caterpillar host is the white lined sphinx moth, so leave some foliage in place through the growing season for larvae rather than treating leaf damage as a problem.
• Skip fertilizer. Rich soil produces floppy growth and fewer flowers on this plant.

Summer

This plant is built for North Texas summer heat and keeps blooming through the worst of it, but a plant installed this year still needs regular water while its roots establish.

• Once established (planted a full year or more), water only during extended dry stretches, roughly every 2 to 3 weeks in July and August.
• A plant installed this spring still needs a deep soak once a week through July and August since its roots are not yet deep enough to find water on its own.
• Deadhead spent flower stems if you want a tidier look, but it is not required for continued blooming.
• Expect flowering to continue through the heat into September; this is one of the few plants that does not stall out in 100 degree afternoons.

Continuous summer bloom when many neighboring beds go dormant or brown reads as active upkeep, not neglect.

Fall

Bloom continues into fall in North Texas, and autumn is a good second window for planting or dividing this low grower.

• Flowering typically tapers off by late September to October as days shorten.
• Fall (September through early November) is a fine time to plant or transplant since cooler air and the mid November first frost give roots time to settle before winter.
• Cut back any leggy or sprawling stems by about a third in October to keep the mat compact heading into winter.
• Hold off on fertilizer; feed it in fall and you will get soft growth right before the first freeze.

Winter

This plant is winter hardy in North Texas (USDA zone 8a to 8b) and goes semi-dormant, dying back to a low mat until spring growth resumes.

• Leave the dormant foliage in place over winter rather than cutting it to the ground; it protects the crown during hard freezes and Arctic outbreaks.
• Skip winter watering except during unusually long dry spells; this plant does not want wet feet in cold soil.
• If a hard freeze browns the foliage, wait until late February to assess and trim, since new growth often emerges from the base.
• No winter mulch is needed beyond what you already have from fall; heavy mulch piled against the crown in wet clay soil can cause rot.

A dormant but intact mat can look sparse to a neighbor; a short row of edging stones or a small placard nearby signals it is a planned bed, not an abandoned one.

Spring

Spring is the best time to get this plant in the ground in North Texas, and by April it should be covered in yellow flowers.

• Plant new nursery starts anytime after the last frost in mid March.
• Water a new planting two to three times a week for the first month, then taper off as roots establish.
• Watch for the first flowers in April; they open yellow and often fade to a soft orange-red as they age, which is normal.
• Do not add mulch thicker than an inch right at the crown of the plant. It prefers to stay a bit dry at the base.

A fresh planting reads as a deliberate, tended flower bed rather than a bare patch, especially once the spring bloom fills in.

Year-round

Berlandier's sundrops is a low, spreading wildflower native to North Texas that blooms bright yellow from spring through fall and needs very little water once it settles in.

• Plant in full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day, for the fullest bloom.
• Give it well drained soil. In heavy black clay, plant high on a slight mound or amend the hole with coarse sand or expanded shale for drainage; in the sandier soils west of the metro it drains on its own but will need water more often through the first summer.
• Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart since it spreads to a low, sprawling mat.
• Its caterpillar host is the white lined sphinx moth, so leave some foliage in place through the growing season for larvae rather than treating leaf damage as a problem.
• Skip fertilizer. Rich soil produces floppy growth and fewer flowers on this plant.

Summer

This plant is built for North Texas summer heat and keeps blooming through the worst of it, but a plant installed this year still needs regular water while its roots establish.

• Once established (planted a full year or more), water only during extended dry stretches, roughly every 2 to 3 weeks in July and August.
• A plant installed this spring still needs a deep soak once a week through July and August since its roots are not yet deep enough to find water on its own.
• Deadhead spent flower stems if you want a tidier look, but it is not required for continued blooming.
• Expect flowering to continue through the heat into September; this is one of the few plants that does not stall out in 100 degree afternoons.

Continuous summer bloom when many neighboring beds go dormant or brown reads as active upkeep, not neglect.

Fall

Bloom continues into fall in North Texas, and autumn is a good second window for planting or dividing this low grower.

• Flowering typically tapers off by late September to October as days shorten.
• Fall (September through early November) is a fine time to plant or transplant since cooler air and the mid November first frost give roots time to settle before winter.
• Cut back any leggy or sprawling stems by about a third in October to keep the mat compact heading into winter.
• Hold off on fertilizer; feed it in fall and you will get soft growth right before the first freeze.

Winter

This plant is winter hardy in North Texas (USDA zone 8a to 8b) and goes semi-dormant, dying back to a low mat until spring growth resumes.

• Leave the dormant foliage in place over winter rather than cutting it to the ground; it protects the crown during hard freezes and Arctic outbreaks.
• Skip winter watering except during unusually long dry spells; this plant does not want wet feet in cold soil.
• If a hard freeze browns the foliage, wait until late February to assess and trim, since new growth often emerges from the base.
• No winter mulch is needed beyond what you already have from fall; heavy mulch piled against the crown in wet clay soil can cause rot.

A dormant but intact mat can look sparse to a neighbor; a short row of edging stones or a small placard nearby signals it is a planned bed, not an abandoned one.

Spring

Spring is the best time to get this plant in the ground in North Texas, and by April it should be covered in yellow flowers.

• Plant new nursery starts anytime after the last frost in mid March.
• Water a new planting two to three times a week for the first month, then taper off as roots establish.
• Watch for the first flowers in April; they open yellow and often fade to a soft orange-red as they age, which is normal.
• Do not add mulch thicker than an inch right at the crown of the plant. It prefers to stay a bit dry at the base.

A fresh planting reads as a deliberate, tended flower bed rather than a bare patch, especially once the spring bloom fills in.