Cilantro named newest Texas Superstar plant - AgriLife Today

The designation matters for anyone digging in a Tech Terrace flower bed or a Raintree backyard garden this fall. Cilantro is a cool-season herb, which means it actually likes the kind of weather Lubbock throws at gardeners between now and spring. Greg Grant, a horticulture agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Smith County, said the herb checks every box gardeners want. It's quick to grow, easy to harvest, and often willing to reseed itself for next season.

That last part is the real selling point. Cilantro, also called coriander or Chinese parsley, shows up in Tex-Mex salsa and countless other dishes people in Lubbock cook every week. For home gardeners tired of fighting West Texas wind and unpredictable freezes, a Superstar-rated herb that self-seeds and tolerates cool snaps is about as low-maintenance as it gets.

The Texas Superstar label doesn't come from a marketing team. It comes from research trials across the state testing which plants actually perform for Texas growers, not just look good in a catalog photo.

A plant that reseeds itself for free is still the best deal in gardening, salsa included.