This thread is a continuation of Gardening with Native plants and Wild flowers of Texas - Part 1 and Part 2.
If you would like to visit Part 1 thread click on the following link http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/486105/
If you would like to visit Part 2 thread click on the following link http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/491824/
Hello Everyone,
The people on this thread are interested in discussion, seed and plant trading, and learning in general about native plants and wildflowers.
We are dedicated to plant conservation and love to demomstrate what ca be done with the native plants that have been ignored by the nurseries in favor of the exotics. Many of the plants in our yards are native and we are always looking to improve. We are sure there are others out there doing the same thing and loving it as much as we do. Please let us talk about what you are doing and what you have accomplished.
We hope to hear from all you dedicated gardeners. Let us have some fun.
Sincerely, Josephine.
Gardening with Texas Native plants @ Wildflowers. Part 3.
These are some of my favorite links, they are very informative and fun too.
I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Docs/Link.html
Native Plant Society of Texas
http://www.npsot.org/
Texas Parks and Wildlife Information Database
http://tpid.tpwd.state.tx.us/
Texas Wildscapes, for information about Urban Backyard Habitat Certification
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wildscapes/
Wild Wealth, about the value and uses of native plants
http://www.nps.gov/plants/wildwealth.htm
Wildflowers in Bloom, Photo Gallery Index by Popular and Scientific Names,
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/wildflowers.html
Texas Native Shrubs.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/indexcommon.htm
Texas Junior Naturalists, Medicinal Plants.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/expltx/jrnat/medplants.htm
Index of Texas Wildflowers by color.
http://www.texaswildflowerpictures.com/wf_index.htm
Texas Native Herbs, A texas Herbal and Medicinal Plants
http://www.angelfire.com/tx6/trickcoyote/tpwv.html
This message was edited Apr 8, 2005 9:28 PM
We have several wild plum trees growing near each other. They bloom every year, but don't produce any fruit. The trees are 8-12 feet. Plums are supposed to have complete flowers. Any ideas?
I have one Mexican Plum that has never produced any fruit either, yet there is one on the street medium that gets so much fruit it bends over. It is by itself also, so it is not the cross pollination. I really can't say what the matter is, I wish I could.
This is another lovely we saw in Tyler, Texas. The Flowering Dogwood, ( Cornus florida )
They are native from East Texas to Florida and north to Canada. What lovely trees these are!
You get a feeling of lightness and calm just looking at them. I wasn't able to get a very good picture because there were a lot of people walking around.
White Dogwood 4-3-05.
And a close up of the flower, so lovely.
This flower is on my little Dogwood, when I bought this tree the tag said it was white, it is actually almost red, but very pretty. I still want a white one though.
This message was edited Apr 9, 2005 11:59 AM
One more from along the road, Spiderwort, (Trandescantia occidentalis ) also a native from Texas to Arizona and north to Montana. Perennial likes partial shade to full shade, but this one was in full sun. What I thought was so neat was the ladybug larva on the leaf.
I have never had any luck with this flower either, but my friend in Granbury has them everywhere without trying. Ah, the mysteries of nature.
Hi Frostweed,
Been really busy cleaning up from the hail storm a few weeks ago so haven't had much time to enjoy the wildflowers. Finally got to take a nice walk today and found a few that I would like to identify. Think I have seen the yellow one here before but can't remember.
and this one
this one looks a bit like moss verbenia, but the foliage is much finer and looks like it might be tiny white flowers.
Well I best be getting to bed. Never seems to be enough hours in the day---only time I seem to get around to go on DG is late at night.
A friend sent me some wildflower seeds with this message I thought I would share
"Here are some seeds for your garden and maybe of your liking,
And may you not find you wanting them to take a hiking"
She knows I will try to grow almost anything. LOL
:-) Sunshine
Sunshine,
The yellow flower is call Fringed Puccoon, Lithospermum incisum. The second photo is called Baby Blue-Eyes, Nemophila phacelioides. The third photo looks like Marsh Parsley, aka Wild Celery or Fir-leafed Celery, Cyclospermum leptophyllum. It's definitely a member of the Dill (Carrot) family. I found this photo at a tamu website. It's very similar.
I am happy to report that I saw lots of wonderful plants on our trip to Shreveport, but sad to report NO pictures. The trip was on a schedule with kids, and no time to stop and "shoot" the posies. I fell in love with all of the Crimson Clover. I saw dozens of the white Dogwoods that you showed, and some beautiful little lavendar flowers on a straight stem. I haven't looked them up yet, but they had a very delicate look to them. I MUST get me some of those Crimson Clovers going, though!
mel
Can you imagine a pasture with Crimson Clover in it?
In the city of Shreveport, the Crimson Clover was growing in mass, like our bluebonnets do here! It was gorgeous seeing that mass of red along side the highways blowing in the wind.
I've been looking for legumes to plant as part of our forage. I saw this. Thought you might be interested in the information. Crimson clover is not a nice neighbor.
Explain?
Sorry John, I forgot to include the link.
http://www.texasbluebonnetseeds.com/clover.htm
Josephine, I found Celestials. The scientific name is Nemastylis geminiflora. My photo is slightly blurry. Too windy.
I would say that they were doing a nice job of filling in space and covering well! not another weed in sight!
Thanks Bettydee for all the info. Now I just need to find time to organize and record all the helpful hints and names.
You all are so wonderful. ;-)
Sunshine
Hello Everyone, it is so nice to see people participating and asking questions.
Mel, if you love the Crimson Clover I see no reason why you shouldn't have it in your yard, even if it tends to spread you can control it when you have it in small quantities, I think Bettydee was talking about having it in large areas where you might not be able to control it, as in a large pasture.
Sunshine365, I am sorry I didn't realize you are in Austin, we were there last Sunday, and I could have brought you some plants, I will try to remember next time.
You had a lot of questions and Bettydee answered them all, way to go Bettydee!
Thank you Veronica, for identifying the Celestial Lilly, or Prairie Pleatleaf,
(nemastylis geminifolia ) for me, I found out that it is a native and isin't it lovely? I will have to see if I can find some around here, may be at Redenta's.
We were at the Wildflower Center last Sunday and met Veronica and her husband there.
They were having a plant sale and there was a big crowd, barely found a parking space, but we had a great time, looking at plants and getting to know each other a little. Found out among other things that we both own the same kind of camera, a Nikon Cool Pix.
Here is a picture of Bettydee and me.
How fun! Another garden friend of mine was at the Wildflower Center last weekend also! I wonder if ya'll ran across each other. She is from Arlington also! I hope to get there one of these years, too!
mel
Josephine,
The link to the Texas Bluebonnet Seed Company that I provided warns not to plant crimson clover with other wildflowers as it will out crowd them out. Maybe in a spot by themselves. A spot in the lawn? They also sell the seed. It's planted in the fall.
Right you are Veronica, it should be planted in a separate place all by itself.
How do you like our picture, don't we look cool?
Too bad we didn't run into the other lady, but with that crowd it wouln't have been likely.
I love the photo. We would have needed weird and wild hats.
Drat! I was in Austin this past weekend, almost went to the Wildflower Center, but didn't want to go alone. Would have loved to run with you ladies!
Oh Maggiemoo! I am so sorry, we would have loved to meet you too. I guess I should have let everyone know. I promise next time I will, but I would rather not go during one of their plant sales, it is too crowded.
Josephine.
Yeah, it's crowded enough on weekends during the prime wildflower season, I can only imagine how it is during a plant sale. I'll bet you can help me identify this wildflower. It was all along the roadsides from Conroe to Austin. My Austin sister has several wildflower books, but they are all quite old, I couldn't find it. This plant is quite airy, well branched at the top. The picture shows the entire plant, then as close up as I could get of the flowers, then the foliage at the bottom.
Here is a beautiful plant photographed at the Center. It is amazing the number of blooms on this plant, Damianita, ( Chrysactinia mexicana ) a native to central Texas. It is perennial and evergreen, and blooms all year, what more could you ask?
I don't have this plant, so if any of you has some to share, I would appreceate seeds or a cutting.
Yes, this plant is of the Mustard family, most likely India Mustard, ( Brassica juncea )
It is an annual native to Europe, that has naturalized in North Amarica. It can be very beautiful when you see a whole field of yellow. Even though I hate to give a plant a bad reputation, many people say that it is invasive, so if you want to cultivate it, be very careful.
Another lovely plant good for shady areas with blue flowers. Lyre-leaf Sage, ( Salvia lyrata )
A native to central and east Texas, perennial with very interesting leaves, that were used at
times by the Cherokee to make a tea used for coughs and nervousness. They also made a sirup mixed with honey, to help with asthma. Picture taken at the center last Sunday.
Maggie,
Blame the Spanish priests for introducing mustard. I love it. The hillsides up and down the California coast are covered in yellow. It's easy to control and it's edible.
So, you're saying that the plant in the pictures is mustard?
Yes Maggiemoo, It is mustard and it is beautiful and yes there is a lot of it in Spain too, but who cares, if you love it, go for it.
Josephine.
Here is a Downy Paintbrush ( Castilleja sesiliflora ) that we saw on the way to Tyler, it was the only one in sight and we thought it was very pretty, shades of pink and cream.These are rather rare.
Ans this is a Lemon Paintbrush ( Castilleja citrina) at the Wildflower Center, rather small flower,
the first one I have seen in person. Very pretty I wish they were more common.
One more from the Wildflower Center, Skullcap, ( Scutellaria drumondii) This ia an adorable annual, or short lived prennial 8 to 12 inches tall and native to Texas. The name comes from the small cap that covers the seed pod, and remains on the plant after the seed is gone.
I think it is adorable.
Josephine, that is a great picture of the Drummond Skullcap and you should make sure and add it to the Plantfiles. I have this, but it does not like where it's at. I have it in part sun in almost pure black clay -I have very little full sun at my house. Hopefully I can transplant it to a full sun area when I move.