Josephine
Is the pink variety very common? The purple variety grows everywhere around here, but I've never seen a pink one? I do hope it comes back for you, but if it's a recessive gene, it probably won't. I was looking forward to seeing more cream Indian Paintbrush this year. Didn't get a single one.
Gardening with Texas Native Plants and Wildflowers - Part 2
I just learned of Mex. petunias last summer, and planted one. I see that it is coming back. I have another garden friend that just hates them... says they take over. I told her that I don't care... I have lots of room! As long as they bloom... they'll stay! I had one of the dwarf ones last year, and spread lots of seeds, so I hope to see more of them, too. They were only 2-3" tall.
mel
I didn't believe my neighbor when she told me her MP (dwarf) spit seeds everywhere. I had 4 that grew pretty big. Last spring I saw all these seeds coming up all over the flower bed and was really excited. So I waited a while to see what they were, and YEP there were a MILLION of these things everywhere!!! I quickly yanked them up. I like the taller ones much better because you can barely see the blooms on the dwarf ones. I don't mind deadheading something to keep it from reseeding, but I can't see plants SPIT seeds!! lol
No, the pink variety is not very common. The kind I have are the tall ones. I will try to propagate the pink if you girls don't have it, and also the bicolor, if it comes back. Evidently the tall kind doesn't spread like the dwarf, I have to multiply mine by cuttings.
Oh really? If the tall ones don't SPIT then I wouldn't mind them. I see the pink ones at a lot of nurseries. It's usually the purples ones that I see less of. Lowe's usually carries them.
I was just looking thru some library books about plants and all it said about the Ruellia's were that they come in purple, lavender and white. Didn't mention any pinks. Would they consider that lavender? My "blue" Porterweed is purple.
This message was edited Mar 28, 2005 10:55 PM
The tall MP's DO spit seeds. Especially if you water them, they shoot out and hit you and they HURT! Our Grandview friend hates them, cause they spit everywhere. She would be thrilled if she had to propogate them.
YES. I would like pink ones. I have a dozen growing from seeds that I "collected" but I won't know which colors until much later. They are only an inch tall now!
The tall Mexican petunias that I have (both pink and purple bloomers) come up everywhere by self-seeding. Most were in containers in my backyard (which is very small) so that I could remove them if they became too invasive which they did. Plants are coming up in containers, hanging baskets, inbetween patio pavers and all over my backyard. I gave all of them away. The puple ones still in the ground next to my patio will have to go too because my patio looked like a Mexican petunia flowerbed. Once the plant is established in the ground, they are very difficult to remove. I am unable to pull the ones up that are inbetween the patio pavers. They are easy to pull up when small, but I was unable to do so when I needed to. I was going to dig up these tall purple ones today and trash them; but if anyone wants them, I will wait until right before the RU and bring them if anyone wants them. Let me know if you do; otherwise, I am going to throw them away. The small ones coming up everywhere in the other areas may be pink or purple, but I can't wait to see what color the blooms are. I have to pull them up now. I hate to have to remove all of them because they are lovely plants that don't take any care, but I don't want to have to use a machete to cut paths through them to be able to walk in my backyard.
My dwarf Mexican petunias, both purple and pink have produced about 4 plants by self-seeding in the 3 different areas in which I have them planted. They have been in each area for about 6 years. Their blooms are as large as the taller plants and are very showy. I am more happy with these. I will bring several of the pink bloomers to the RU.
I agree. I love the dwarf MP's. They stay so very compact, yet flower right at the base, with the same pretty flowers! Maybe I babied the seeds too much, but I am waiting to see if they will return.
I meant to plant more of these near my front door where we usually put a few annuals, but are trying to find perennials that rebloom.
Isin't it amazing? So many different experiences from the same type of plant. I really don't have a problem with them, may be it is because the plants on my slope are very thick and the seeds don't have a chance to fall on the soil.
The ones I am having a battle with right now are Garlic Chives. A friend gave me a start of these many years ago for kitchen use, and I planted them in my vegetable garden. Well, this year it looks like they think they own the entire place, so I am having a battle with them, I don't want this to be the year of the Garlic Chives, it just wouldn't be very pretty.
Josephine.
In a message from March 20th Paige wrote..........
I am posting it with her permission becuse it could be of interest to others.
I received the latest seeds, Queen Anne's Lace and Penstemon. Thank
you so much! I sure hope I can get these to germinate and grow. I
guess it's too late to get the Queen Anne's Lace blooming this year.
Doesn't it bloom early? Oh, I just read your printout and it says it
blooms much longer than just Spring. I will start them tomorrow.
Do you start your seeds in individual seed cells, outside, or the
baggie method? I am still trying to get this down.
I put a few really small Cedar Sage in pots. They have really long tap
roots even when they are tiny. So far they still look good. My plant
is fixing to bloom! I'll collect some seeds from it too.
Thanks again. I'm looking forward to growing these. The next on my
list is that Ironweed. Have you seen the Ironweed at the Texas
Discovery Gardens? Is yours the same kind? I've never seen it carried
in a nursery!
Hello Paige, I am glad you received the seeds. Go ahead and plant then
now, I think they will still be all right. The Queen Anne you can
plant in the open in prepared soil, it is not fussy. The Penstemon
Tenuis because the seed is so small I recommend that you plant in a
seed tray or little pots. Sprinkle it on the prepared soil and press it
down, and may be add a very fine dusting of soil over that, if you
plant it too deep it can't come up. Keep it moist and it should sprout
in about 2 weeks.
I am taking cuttings of the Ironweed now, for all that want it, It is
unfortunate that last year I didn't save any seed from it because
nobody seemed to want it.
But that is o.k. I will save seed this year. The Ironweed I have just
showed up on my wildflower slope. I guess when you don't mow a certain
area you allow plants to do their thing, which is to spread and
multiply. This one is called Western Ironweed, ( Vernonia baldwinii )
this one has a wide leaf and is a medium green.
The other popular one is Woolly Ironweed, ( vernonia lindheimeri )
and this one has narrow woolly leaves and the flower calyx is a little
longer.
I don't have the woolly one and would like to get it some time.
It is very sad that because of most people's passion for flashy
flowers, we have allowed some of our native plants to almost disappear,
but with the help of all the dedicated gardeners who love the plants
that God put on this part of the world, they shall not be lost.
Well, I know that one month has not elapsed since I posted the last picture of the wildflower slope, but look what happened! My Crossvine went into full bloom practically overnight, so I just had to show it. Wow! what a sight, I wish the wildflowers were blooming too, but let us not get too greedy. Crossvine; Bignonia capreolata. I bleive this one is called Tangerine Beauty.
Photo taken 3-29-05.
A close up of the flowers.
This vine will bloom intermitently through the year although very lightly.
Closer view of the flowers.
I did not know when I bought my second Crossvine that there were different varieties, but look at my other vine. It doesn't bloom as heavily as the other one, the flowers are bigger and shaped different,the color is different, and the leaves are larger. Otherwise it is a Crossvine.
I don't know what the variety is called, I thought it was Madame Gaylen, but I think that is the Trumpet vine. Here is a picture.
And the flowers close up.
Look at the difference in the size of the leaves. Tangerine Beauty on the right.
I did the same thing with the crossvine, Frostweed. I bought it to train to climb up and over my garage against the house. I bought one for each side of the garage and they are to meet in the middle at the top. The first one was a gallon pot that I bought Fall of '03 at Northhaven turned out to be the original plant - non-cultivar and the one that I got last spring was a 3 gallon of Tangerine Beauty. The Tangerine Beauty just had a few blooms open up this morning, but the other one still has at least a few days until blooms open. I really like the original plant better because the leaves are darker and older leaves get a reddish hue. Your second one actually looks like the blooms on my Tangerine Beauty - they have that Yellow Orange on the curved edge.
Can crossvine be a garden bully?
Actually John, they are very well behaved. They can get quite long and big, I have one that has arms at least 40 feet long, but they don't sucker like the Trumpet vine; Campsis radicans, and they have no pests or diseases that I know of, so I highly recommend it. There seems to be some confussion about which one is the original or the cultivar. I have looked on google and have not been able to reach a good conclusion. May be someone can find out for sure.
I have pictures at home of the original and the tangerine beauty, will post them when I get home. Whew! it's going to take a while to get caught up after being "out of the Garden" for a few days.
I will try to post pics of mine tomorrow too.
Sounds like it can serve as a screen as well. That appeals to me.
It surely can, ours is on a chain link fence and with it we have privacy, besides being beautiful.
Butterflies and hummers too?
Sorry John, I have never seen hummers around it. I think because we don't get them until later on in the year when the flowers on the vine are gone. You would think it would be a magnet, but I guess these flowers come too early.
I went to the Wildflower Center and this is what I found, it seems that they call all varieties
just Crossvine, with no distinctions, go figure. Here is the link; if you have trouble after clicking hit your reload button:
http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Gallery/SNSearch.asp?SNsearch=bignonia+capreolata&submit.x=11&submit.y=7
After reading this I bet they are both going to like this plant!
http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F1Column/2004Articles/APR11.htm
Here is the original crossvine:
John, definitely hummers. One books says that "blooming is timed to coincide with the annual hummingbird migration."
Tangerine Beauty crossvine:
Getting ready to open:
It looks terrific and I know where it will go already. Mucho gracious!
John, I don't remember if this has already been said, but this grows in full sun to full shade. My Tangerine Beauty was planted in mostly shade. To be sure it got off to a good start, I made sure to keep tearing down the "junk" vine that's been trying to grow all over my fences. Turns out it was the original crossvine.
Sigh! We live and learn.
I'll try to get some. Sorry, but I'm not very talented that way... or I just haven't learned the tricks. I'll try to bring some of both.
Last few days have been hectic around here and I hadn't kept up with the thread. I learned quite a bit reading this last part of the thread. I had lumped all the creepy crawley vines into one group and mostly left them alone. This conversation got me interested in looking things up. I'm more familiar with the trumpet vine, Campsis speciosa, as it grows wild around here. Madame Gaylen is a hybrid between Campsis speciosa and C. grandiflora creating C. taglianbuana. Something else I discovered is that Campsis climbs by arial roots while the cross vine, Bignonia capreolata, climbs by producing tendrils. According to Floridata, either vine will spread by root suckers. Now, they had a great suggestion: Plant a trumpet vine and a crossvine together and hummingbirds will have nectar from early spring throughout the summer. John, you may be interested in this. I don't know if the group planting will attract butterflies as well, but many plants that attract one will attract the other.
I want to try growing that combo. I have a small scrub oak growing near the house that I had thought of cutting down. Do you think it would be sturdy enough to support two large vines like the trumpet vind and the crossvine?
bettydee, I don't know about the trumpet vine, but the crossvine is not a particularly "heavy", or thick vine. I don't think a small tree would have a problem with it.
Hello Bettydee, good to hear from you. I can tell you one thing ,Trumpet vine ; Campsis radicans, needs a lot more room than Crossvine, the reason is because the flowers on the trumpet vine are borne at the ends of the new branch growth, so if you want flowers from them you have to let them make lateral growth, not just length growth. The Crossvine doesn't need lateral growth to bloom, because the flowers form in the leaf axils all along the old branch.
If you want a neat well behaved look, the Trumpet will not do, unless you prune it down to the main mature branches every year. I have seen that done, and it can be very lovely, but you have to stay with it if you want a controlled situation. I have also seen them growing up trees and telephone poles without restriction, and that works very well.
Here is a picture of the Crossvine on the other side of my yard, as you can see the lateral growth is minimal, the lenght is 50 feet all covered with flowers. I don't have a problem with it suckering either.
Sorry Guys, I just couldn't resist posting this one, I am so excited about all the beautiful flowers popping up, I'm like a kid.
I promise I'll shut up about the Crossvine.
Is this just one plant?
Yes, Isin't it amazing?