Plant of the Month
The plants listed on this page were selected by the members of the Allen Garden Club at their monthly meetings. Look for these plants at your local nurseries to grow in your own home gardens.
February 2026: Carolina Jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens
Native from Virginia and Florida west to Arkansas and east Texas and south to Guatemala, Carolina Jessamine is a twining, evergreen vine, 10-20 ft. long, that will climb trees, scramble over fences and structures, or develop a mound of tangled stems if left to its own devices. Lustrous, dark-green foliage develops a slight yellow or purple cast in winter. Axillary clusters of very fragrant, yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. The fruit is a 1 1/2 in. long capsule.
This high-climbing vine is very common in parts of the South, frequently found in abandoned fields and climbing high into the canopies of pine forests. It is quite adaptable and tenacious, with no serious disease or insect problems. These qualities, along with its glossy, evergreen leaves and waxy, trumpet-shaped flowers, have made it a mainstay of the suburban landscape in the Southeast. The flowers, leaves, and roots are poisonous and may be lethal to humans and livestock. The species' nectar may also be toxic to honeybees if too much is consumed and honey made from Carolina Jessamine nectar may be toxic to humans.
March 2026: Texas Bluebonnet Lupinis texensis
Texas bluebonnet has larger, more sharply pointed leaves and more numerous flower heads than similar lupines. Light-green, velvety, palmately compound leaves (usually five leaflets) are borne from branching, 6-18 in. stems. These stems are topped by clusters of up to 50 fragrant, blue, pea-like flowers. The tip of the cluster is conspicuously white. Bluebonnets start blooming in early May and continue producing flowers through April and sometimes into May. Seeds can be collected and scattered where you want them to grow next year or sprinkle them in local wildflower meadows. If you are planting a new flowerbed with seed, spread it in August or September and make sure the seed is pressed into the soil for better germination. Bluebonnet seeds need cold stratification over the winter to germinate the following spring.
This is the species often planted by highway departments and garden clubs and is one of the six Lupinus species which are collectively designated the State Flower of Texas.
April 2026:
May 2026:
June 2026:
August 2026:
September 2026:
October 2026:
November 2026:
December 2026:
Previous Years Plants of the Month
2025 Plants of the Month:
February:
March: Grape Hyacinth Muscari neglectum
April: Iris Iris
May: Rose 'Peggy Martin' Rosa 'Peggy Martin'
June: Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella
August: Turk's Cap Malvaviscus arboreus
September: Rock Rose Pavonia lasiopetala
October: Autumn Sage Salvia greggii
November: Autumn Sage Salvia greggii
December: Yaupon Holly Ilex vomitoria
2024 Plants of the Month:
February: Pansy Viola
March: Daffodil Narcissus
April: Iris Iris
May: Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia
June: Zinnia Zinnia angustifolia
August: Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
September: Spider Lily Lycoris Radiata
October: Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum
November: Turk's Cap Malvaviscus arboreus Dill. ex Cav. var. drummondii
2023 Plants of the Month:
February: Lenten Rose Hellebores orientalis
March: Redbud Cersis canadensis
April: Bluebonnet Lupinis texensis
May: Salvia "Henry Duelberg" Salvia farinacea
June: Daylily Hemerocallis
August: Lantana Lantana urticoides (L. horrida)
September: Butterfly Weed Asclepsias tuberosa
October: American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana L.
November: Fall Aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium
December: Tillandsia Tillandsia
2022 Plant of the Month:
February: Lenten Rose Hellebores orientalis
March: Daffodil Narcissus
April: Texas Gold Columbine Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Hinckleyana’
May: Iris Iris
June: Plumeria Plumeria
August: Turk's Cap Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
September: Plant of Barbados Caesalpinia pulcherrima
October: Autumn Sage Salvia greggii
November: Fall Aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium
December: Kalanchoe Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
2021 Plants of the Month:
February: Ornamental Kale/Cabbage
March: Daffodil Narcissus
April: Texas Gold Columbine Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Hinckleyana’
May & June: Lance-leaf Tickseed Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
August: Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum × superbum
September: Turk's Cap Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
October: Autumn Sage Salvia greggii
November: Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum