My goodness, Mitch, you really have been busy!! Josephine will be keeping all of us busy for a good while, too!:-)
Josephine, I was amazed by the Everlasting Pea, It looks so much like a regular sweet pea. I grew some sweet peas this past winter/spring for the first time, and loved them! They were so fragrant! Do you recall if the Everlasting is fragrant? If it's native to the "midwest", does that include us?
Gardening with Texas Native plants & Wildflowers. Part 5
I was out getting the mail yesterday when I spotted a Silver-Leafed Nightshade with these flowers. The entire plant had flowers with either 6 or 7 pointed flowers instead of the usual 5. I picked them. It was too hot to have to go back again with a camera. By the time I got back inside, they were slightly wilted.
Six points on the left and seven on the right.
BettyDee
#6 is a vine of some sort - I thought grape because it uses the same vine things to grap on to the grass to get higher.
#9 the grass like thing in the very frnt.
#8 does not have any spine looking things yet, it is really short still though. Daves lists that under both herbs and trees - strange combo to me... I guess I need to move it - I put it out near the house if I am going to get spines like those I need to move it far far away - LOL
This is the trunk of one of our largest Hercules' Club. They are a pain, literally, but they are recommended as a source of food for wildlife. It's a native, but not endemic.
Frostweed do ya want this one? It not I am going to have to move this one outside our fence before Malachi get hit with it...
Here's a photo of the whole tree. We get a lot of dry hot winds from the south so the tree is not as full on the left side.
Magiemoo, I didn't get to smell the Everlasting Pea, it was too far behind a fence. I beleive the Midwest does not include Texas, so I guess we can only say it is a U.S. native, We can,t win them all, but that's o.k.
Mel, I forgot to mention how beautiful your Texas Sage is, I beleive I have never seen any blooming so heavily.
Mine just looks a pretty silver grey, but it will not bloom because of being in the shade. Oh Welll!
Mitch, as much as I love native plants, I am afraid that i don't have room for another tree, I wish I could have one of everything, but as we all know,except for Veronica, space is a concern. If you don't need it, set it free in the field and wish it a long happy life.
Josephine.
LOL - that is my second plan - if anyone wants it - only 6 in tall! Let me know before Sunday and I will get it to you... Mitch
Here is a lovely native shrub or small tree, that is not being used as much as it deserves.
Mexican Buckeye, ( Ungnadia speciosa ) It is hardy, deciduous, and will tolerate some shade.
When it is in bloom it looks a lot like a Redbud, but that is the only similarity.
The lovely tree, the leaves look like Pecan. It can get to 15 feet tall.
And a picture of the very interesting seed capsules, which hang on after the leaves fall.
My Texas Brown Turkey fig is getting ready for harvest, usually ready in July.
I can't wait, I hope the squirrels leave us some.
drooling over here
Hello Sugarfoot and Mel, this should be a good one for you, sice you love blue.
Here is a lovely row of Mealy Sage, ( Salvia farinacea ) This is a Texas native that is supposed to do great here, but I haven't had any luck with it. It is a perennial,
I took this picture at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.
How long does it take for that fig to produce fruit?
Not very long, usually the plant will start setting fruit on the socond year, although it won't be much. The fruit forms in the leaf axils so in theory there will be as many fruits as leaves. However, the what we call the fruit is actually the flower which is turned inside out, the fruit are the little seeds inside the fig. Interesting, isin't it?
I love figs and will have to take a serious look at this tree!!
Josephine, i have that mealy cup (victoria blue) sage. LOTS of it. I can give you DOZENS if you would like some! Mine are anywhere from 2' to 4' tall depending on how much bunny poop they got! =D
mel
John, I can pot up a cutting for you, and when you come for the swap, you can take it home.
Mel, it looks like your bunny does more than go around tasting plants, he fertilizes them too. He is so cute! If you don't mind, I wiil take 2 or three of the little plants when we have a chance to see each other.
Josephine
That would be appreciated, Josephine!
John
Josephine, I thought this was really funny...I went to my brother's pool the other day and when his wife got home I was walking around with her while she watered plants. We got to one in the back that I remembered seeing a couple of years ago. It's just a big green stalk and at the time she had said she thought it was a sunflower and was going to just leave it. I asked if it was the same plant, and she said yes. I asked if it was a sunflower, and she said no, later it gets this really big, pretty white bloom on top of it. After a few seconds, I quickly grabbed the stalk and sure enough, it has a "square" trunk (with the little "lips" on the side of the stalk)!! I'm sure it's Frostweed!!! I can't believe all these years I've looked for it and she had it! LOL She was telling me how my brother does not like weeds or "weedy" looking things, he likes it manicured, so I am sure if it was reseeding they are mowing them down or pulling them up. I can't wait until it blooms this year to go see it. Small world...
Paige, thank you for telling me that story, it is a small world, you are so right.
Evidently they like it, so I am very glad you noticed it. I hope yours will bloom too.
Josephine.
Mitch,
#1 might be Ragweed Parthenium, White Top, False Ragweed (Parthenium hysterophorus) ...
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/31927/index.html
This message was edited Jun 18, 2005 11:31 PM
htop - might be, I will have to find some more infor to be sure
Josephine,
Are the flowers on that Mexican Buckeye held inside the canopy of leaves? Do the seeds germinate easily and how fast does the tree grow? Would you save me some seed?
here it is! Parthenium hysterophorus L. Santa Maria feverfew a little confusing seeing that some sites listed Native and we introdused it to Europe and Asia and others claim this was brought into the US. Figured it out - Annual from Northern Mexico and Very South Texas... this is from a Mexican site I found at long last.... is this right? not fo sure but a vey nice looking plant.... it does have some trad. uses to help cure this and that... I have not found the pollen to be a issue last year, but these are in the middle of the bed so they might not be brushing against me....
Veronica, Yes I will save some seed for you. The flowers open before the leaves, and the seeds mature in the fall, it is very pretty.
Mitch I am so glad your plant turned out( not to be ) Ragweed. I was getting attached to the idea of having one, it looks so pretty. So you think it is Feverfew, great , I hope it transplants well, if not, the seed will do.
Josephine.
They look really good to me - there are some small ones I think will come up great...
Well Mitch, it looks like both you and Hazel were right, there seems to be conflicting information about this plant coming from different sources.
I still want to plant it, because it looks so pretty, but I will keep a close eye on it.
I am sensitive to some types of pollen so we shall see what happens when it blooms. Josephine.
You know they both say annual - so if you dont like it just dead head and no more! LOL But I love it no water and blooms all summer in the dead heat... and now the name... just have to love a Santa Maria! To perfect for our little prayer garden!
Wow Mitch, do you really have a prayer garden? That is so sweet, come to think of it, gardens are excellent places for prayer, in fact , gardening is basically a prayer, for helping God's beatiful creation to grow and bloom, teaches you about the mysteries of many things that otherwise would go unnoticed and brings you closer to God. Pray on, my freind.
We do - well a start of one... in the back part of the garden. Trying to grow bushes and small trees back there right now before I start on the flowers... we want a quite little place to get away with lots of shade so you could be out there any time of day! We have a Maria Hosta out there under a umbrella and the frostweeds are all over there on the edge where we are leaving sun..
I managed to restrain myself from buying too many plants at the Rainbow Gardens nursery on Saturday. I did buy 2 fig trees: Celeste, the hardiest of the Texas varieties. It doesn't have a Breba crop, but makes up for it by it excellent dessert quality, and Alma, a late season variety with excellent rich flavor.
Josephine, thanks for saving the seed for me.
I was so excited when I discovered this American Elm. It is one of three that I've found on the ranch so far. It's in the creekbed.
We have been delighted to find at least 50, probably more, American Elms on our place.
I am posting a couple of nasty plant pictures, Rattan Vine, that for sure you don't want. One of these the size of your finger can stop a tractor. They kill some trees, and smother others with dense leaves.
Winding around a tree.
This message was edited Jun 20, 2005 6:52 PM
This message was edited Jun 20, 2005 8:07 PM
The dense Rattan leaves cover more desirable plants.
This message was edited Jun 20, 2005 8:07 PM
A nice, attractive vine, the Pepper Vine. We are blessed with hundreds of these.
That is a mean looking vine! It seems to be girdling that tree.
It is meaner than it looks. They tie the entire canopy together. Last fall I cut a fair sized tree, and as the last cut was made, the tree was yanked violently up. It is still up. Our version of a strangler fig.
This message was edited Jun 20, 2005 8:06 PM
Trois,
What is the scientific name for Rataan. I couldn't find anything googling for 'rataan' The strangler fig, Ficus aruea, does the same thing. You're right, I wouldn't want another smothering vine. We have hundreds of mustang grapevines. They not be as strong as Rataan, but can smother a tree just the same. The Pepper Vine looks like a trumpet vine. What do the flowers look like? Is it a native? and lastly, may I have some seed? Accoring to the Plant Files, Pepper Vine is well behaved.