New favorite plants

So, in the past month, the milkweed has had an Osiris-esque cycle of death and rebirth.  The coleus ... coleuses ... colei? ... have doubled or tripled in size.  The Wandering Jew has reseeded itself in among the gladiolus.

And I've got a couple of new favorite plants (all images are courtesy the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at wildflower.org):


Tall Meadow Rue
Thalictrum dayscarpum
So this native beauty was unfortunately beheaded when our window box fell on it, but it seems to be doing okay as an abrupt low grower.  I love it not for the flowers, which haven't turned up yet on ours, but for the leaves, delicate little cress-shaped rounds that array themselves very gracefully around the tall stems.


Calico Aster
Symphyotricum lateriflorum
Another tall slender native wildflower with a graceful all-over leafing habit and interestingly hued herbal parts, and it seems to enjoy the hot weather.


Purslane spp.
I cannot recommend this plant enough for anyone in a high heat index climate.  It's not a native plant, but it's a well-behaved, low-maintenance ground grower.  Even in its pot, it seems to require no care at all beyond a splash of water now and then to produce gorgeous flowers and healthy, interesting foliage.  And it seems to absolutely love hot, dryish weather (dry being relative, of course; this is the South).  While everything else droops and has histrionics, our purslane -- we got a lacy double-blooming hybrid -- is shooting up by inches and throwing out romantic nickel-sized, canteloupe-hued, layered-petaled blooms.  Perfect for gardeners who like plants in the summer but also like to be inside where it's air-conditioned.