I have several volunteer yarrow. Some survive in an area where nothing else grows well. Even in a path through that place! They are a very tough plant indeed. Insects seem to love its nector, too. kkb, I think it has a taproot so I don't know if it will transplant. If you do move it, now would be the time! A white yarrow at over 10,000 feet in the High Sierra was the first flower I photographed as a young man back in the 60s.
John
Gardening with Texas Native Plants and Wildflowers - Part 2
A taproot?! Who's responsibility was it to warn me before I planted it? lol It is spreading by runners so I can take some of those and transplant them. I guess I can keep the main plant in control that way but it doesn't give me enough to fill in these other holes I now have.
I must be really talented, because I am able to kill yarrow quite handily, thank you!
; - )
I'm not certain of the taproot! I THINK it does b/c it goes through our dry Texas summer very well.
maggiemoo, I've killed yarrow too! I think I was overwatering it.
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has a taproot. Dried and crushed leaves smell minty and are frequently used as a flavoring for tea as are fresh leaves and the flowers. The Blackfoot and Cree Indians Indians made a tea from the fresh leaves and in the treatment of digestive problems, headaches, and consumption. Also, the stems have been brewed and used to lessen childbirth pain.
Most plants considered by some as "weeds" have been used for medicinal purposes. Here is more information for those that are interested:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/Y/Ya/Yarrow.htm
The yellow blooming yarrow I have is a dwarf cultivated hybrid. I'll examine its roots when I repot it.
This message was edited Mar 24, 2005 5:11 PM
Hello Everyone, I found another very exciting Texas Herbal Site, it has just about everything.
Check it out.
http://www.angelfire.com/tx6/trickcoyote/tpwv.html
htop, take pics of that taproot if you can. Do you keep it in a tall pot?
I think I'm going to pass on trying to divide this plant, unless Josephine tells me it's easy. I just peaked around at it while outside and noticed that the ground it's in is as dry as a desert. It has to have a taproot.
My yard has a slight slope so every bed slopes down some. You'd think it would work well for drainage, but I just notice that my dirt washes away and I'm constantly watering.
Hello Konkreteblond, if you don't feel it is the right time to move your Yarrow, just leave it alone,
and I will give you some of the white kind to put in that spot.
I normally don't have any trouble transplanting Yarrow, usually I pull up a clump, divide it, and set the small pieces in little pots in the shade and keep them well watered, and in about a month, they are ready to set out in their permanent home.
I also propagate my Phlox by cutting the growing tips of the new growth when they are about a foot tall. I take a piece of the growing tip that is about 3 inches long and has 3 sets of leaves,
remove the lower leaves and put then in little pots, and follow the same treatment as the Yarrow and they all root. The secret is to keep them in the shade and keep them moist.
You might have to sprinkle them twice a day if it is hot, but I normally have at least 95% sucess rate. Here is a picture of some of the plants I am rooting for you guys.
I second Frostweed's method and save those nusery trays just for these type of propagation. I put mine under azealea and camelia bushes.
Happy Easter to All, with beautiful Texas Mountain Laurel.
Thanks, Josephine. Happy Easter to you as well.
I have a large collection of all those nursery pots and trays that I am also using for my propagation attempts. I'm doing ever so slightly better than last year, which means I'm not really doing that great. Do you use any special type of rooting medium/soil?
Hello Maggiemoo, I use 2 parts regular potting soil, 2 parts peat moss, and 1 part perlite.
It works really well, because it is light, holds moisture and it is not expensive.
I use a lot of the small styrofoam cups because they are cheap and don't take as much soil as the square plastic pots from the nursery.
Ohhhh I can't wait for spring! Everything is springing green, sprouting, growing, birds are singing! Just seeing everything emerging gives such hope.
Happy Easter!
Mel
Thank you Josephine! It just looked like my Yarrow was sitting in a block of concrete. It's looking so nice that I was kind of leary about messing with it. I realized after seeing the white Yarrow that I really have an attraction to the plants that have white blooms like that: Frostweed, Queen Anne's Lace, and now white Yarrow.
You are really too sweet to root all of that for other people. I don't have much to give back but I do hope that you get many nice things in return for your hard work. I'm glad to see the foam cups work well for you. I had just had that thought the other day because I needed a size in between a small cell pack and a 4" pot.
Today I found bought one 4" pot of False Queen Anne's Lace. The foliage caught my eye quickly. I remember Paul James talking about it recently. I figured I could grow this while getting the real QAL started.
I also found Sea Hollies this week, which are a Texas Wildflower also. I was so surprised to find them. They were on my list to purchase at the LBJ Wilflower center sale, if I go.
Tell me about Sea Holly.
Mine is Eryngium planum. Here's a pic from the plant files. I just love them!! I pick out most of my plants by how I feel right when I see them. I love the shape and the color of them. I'm going to have to read up on them this weekend to make sure I am successful with them, even tho I am the author of another post about "ignoring and threatening" my plants. lol
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/843/
These are the ones that I see around here! I'll take you to see them!
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54682/index.html
This is so exciting! I took a bunch of pictures last fall @ the LBJ Wildflower Center of a plant that had no tag. This is it! Mel's Sea Holly! Yipee!! Thanks!!!
Maggiemoo, glad you are joining in on the excitement. I've been wanting these for so long! I see the difference in the two, so now I am still on the hunt for it! I didn't even think about there being different varieties of this plant until I looked it up earlier in the PlantFiles. I might still have to make that trip to LBJ or order these. The one time I was there was in the fall and I snatched a few seeds from one but never got them to germinate. :(
....Or we can get you some this summer! You won't believe, there are thousands in a 3 mile area along Old Granbury Rd!
I'm just glad to know what they are! I love anything blue and purple................................and red, orange, yellow, pink, white...lol.
mel
Wow! Mel, I dont' have Eringo either and I think they are beautiful, I have seen them along fence rows in the country when we drove by, but we never had an opportunity to gather some seed.
Would you do that for me too? I will be very grateful.
I can't wait for things to start blooming either, Spring is so beautiful.
Josephine.
THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT TEXAS NATIVES!! It overwhelms me at times!
Finally something Frostweed doesn't have! Since I'm still on the mad hunt for these, I'll remember you want some. I might not be able to wait until fall to find these.
Much obliged, kkb!
No problem. We'll be saving them, too.... from themselves. That area is where the new Southwest Tollway will be going in in 2008!
KKB and I will gather up a bag full and report back when they are ready!
mel
SW Tollway? I can't picture where this is... yes, we will have to rescue some of them. This road back behind me, from me to you Mel, has always had the prettiest tall Goldenrod every year. This year they've torn everything down for that housing area, so no more Goldenrod. :( I always said I was going to stop there and get some seeds. I will have to get some of those this fall too. The Goldenrod I ended up with is "Fireworks" which I like but isn't the tall wild kind.
You guys are so cool for doing that!
John
Thank you Konkreteblond, I appreciate your help, but remember, I dont have everything, that is for sure. Another thing I don't have is enough space for all the things I might want, but I am afraid my friends can't help me with that. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to adjust my wants to the size of my lot, and the energy I have.
Here is another Texas native, Mexican Hat, ( Ratibida columnaris ) This guy will take over your space, but with judicious thinning, it can be a great addition to your wildflower garden.
Small plant. 3-5-05
Oh, and I can give you some Tall Goldenrod too. Konkretblond and Mel and anyone who wants it.
Close up of Mexican Hat.
Mexican Hat with Queen Ann's Lace.
Count me in! Is that a cultivar of QAL? Looks much better than my wild ones.
John
Hello John, I got the seed of Queen Anne's lace from an empty field, so I guess it is the wild kind. Was it Goldenrod or Mexican Hat, or both that you wanted.
Josephine.
I am sorry Josephine, but as much as I do love plants and appreciate all you are doing, I can't help you buy more land! lol I am not sure that I have enough space for these things I'm loving!
Both! I am still working on turning my yard into a garden(s). LOL
Subject: definition of native plant Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
What is a native plant, and why should I care?
Answer:
Native plants are those plants that have evolved within a given environment. They were not artificially introduced to that environment, nor were they artificially cultivated. That said, "native" is often a relative term. Plants which are considered to be native to Michigan are most likely not native to Mozambique, and vice versa. The crux of the matter is what happens when a plant from Mozambique is placed in a non-native environment - like Michigan.
You see, native plants have evolved - by trial and error over centuries - to live within the means of their native environment. However, when placed in a non-native environment, these same plants may be able to successfully adapt to the new environment, possibly becoming invasive, non-native plant
What happens to plants placed in non-native environments depends on the circumstances. Let's say you plant a water lily in the desert. While it would surely be non-native, it wouldn't become invasive - it would quickly die. In other cases - such as the infamous case of Kudzu in the American South - plants are introduced to environments that are a little too perfect. Removed from conditions that limit their growth, these species become invasive, growing unchecked and out-of-control, choking out native species in the process (read more).
As humans developed technologically - particularly as our means of transportation grew swifter and safer - we began to exponentially broaden the distribution range of many plant species. Simultaneously, we reduced or denigrated natural habitats and resources at an alarming rate. As a result, the balance of nature has been knocked off kilter, devastating plant and animal habitats worldwide in an awful contagion.
The Wildflower Center believes that the conservation and reintroduction of native plant species will help restore the balance of nature, which can assist in reversing ecological damage. We also believe that native plants possess great economic value, conserving resources more efficiently than non-native species. And, we believe in the natural beauty of native plants - beauty of both form and function, beauty sprung as much from a sense of place and a quality of belonging as from shape, color, or scent.
Hello Everyone, what an Easter weekend we had, incredible, wasn't it? Snow in the morning and beautiful sunshine in the afternoon. We even went for a walk in the park, to wear off dinner, and it was lovely. Many plants are coming along there too.
This plant is called Ruellia Brittoniana, or Mexican Petunia, or Wild Petunia, this is a native of Mexico that has naturalized in the southern u.s. I love this plant because it will do well in sun or shade, and it will bloom till frost. It is also very easy to propagate, when I take cuttings they normally have roots popping out of the bottom of the pots in two weeks.
The emerging plant, 3-5-05.
Here is the purple variety, so lovely.
And the pink variety, very lovely too.
And a varigated variety that developed in my yard by itself, I had never seen a bicolor before.
I hope it will come back this year so I can propagate it.
