Texas Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundiflora. This is a lovely slow growing shrub with beautiful blue-purple flowers. It is very hardy, and the flowers have a wonderful scent. I love this shrub.
A close up of the blossoms. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55062/index.html
A picture of the shrub in my yard. This is a Texas Native.
This message was edited Feb 22, 2006 3:41 PM
Frostweed, they grow into small trees here. They are in flower now and smell like grape koolaid!
Yaupon Holly, Ilex vomitoria. Another lovely slow growing shrub with Winter interest. It stays lovely all year and can tolerate some shade and drought. Texas Native.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54622/index.html
There is also a dwarf form of this shrub.
This message was edited Feb 22, 2006 3:42 PM
Cenizo or Texas Sage, Leucophyllum frutescens or candidum.
Another lovely shrub that can tolerate heat and drought. It likes full sun and not too much water. The flowers are a lavender purple although there are white and pink forms too. There is also a dwarf form of this shrub. Endemic to Texas.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54689/index.html
This message was edited Feb 22, 2006 3:43 PM
Right you are Calalily, I love the scent, and they will perfume the whole yard.
Something to really look forward to in the early Spring.
Indian Hawthorne has been easy to grow; leaves looks nice all year with berries in the winter and spring/early summer flowers. Some may say its generic and too common; but I really like it.
There is nothing wrong with something common, usually the reason a plant is common is because it works with the environment, and that is a good thing.
I can't believe Tx Mtn laurel is bloomin in north texas. Not even a hint on mine. The grape koolaid scent is lovely.
I love all four of the shurbs mentioned.
Calalily is down in the south tip of Tx--I believe it is blooming there--all the trees are here---redbuds and pears in full regala.
Ladies beleive it or not, the flowers on my Texas Mountain Laurel were half way open last Saturday and unfortunately the long lasting freeze we had did them in.
The buds are falling off without opening, although the shrub itself was not damaged.
I was so looking forward to the lovely scent.
The pictures I posted were from last year.
Josephine.
Josephine, I'm sorry your plants got frosted on.
Yep, I'm in the tip o'Texas! about as far south as one can go without leaving the country(or running into the Gulf). I was at a friends house, she had buds on her tree. She didn't even know it flowered, she'd been pruning it before it could bloom. I took her a branch from another ladies tree and she loved the fragrance. That same lady gave me seeds. She showed me how to get them out of the gray pod and said to plant the big red seed. Anything special I need to do to them?
When we get rain, the Cenizo(TX sage) bursts into full bloom. It is a beautiful sight!
Calalily,those Texas Mountain Laurel seeds have a very hard coating shell. I soak them for two or three days, and then very carefully slash the shell at the opposite end from the eye. They can be planted after that and they come up in about two weeks.
Some people plant them outside without doing anything to them, but I think in that case you probably get pot luck, but I guess that if you have a lot of them, and you are not anxious about it, that would be O.K.
They are very slow grwoing, the ones I sprouted last year are naw about 3 inches tall.
We went on a trip in a small plane many years ago, and flew over south Texas.
It was amazing to see the Cenizo from the air, there were great areas of land covered with it and the ground looked lavender pink, it was a beautiful sight endeed.
I think I will soak them and very carefully nick them. I may share them with my neighbor.
He is having a problem with his, some kind of caterpillar is eating the leaves.
I bought me a Texas Moutain Laurel today. I saw them in Fredricksburg last weekend
when my hubby and I went there for a visit and fell in love with them. There were
some that were in bloom and man oh man did the smell like grape koolade!!!
Hadn't smelled that since I was a kid.
Allright Angela, I am so glad for you. I hope that Mountain Laurel will give you lots of pleasure in the years to come.
Josephine.
I love TX mnt laurel! My little baby bloomed last year and I was amazed. I went out everyday to smell them! Neighbors thought I was nuts. LOL
I have several TX mountain laurel pups, if anyone wants some. I am saving a few for Vossner (when do you wanna get together, Nery??), but the rest are up for grabs. I can bring them to the Round Up in College Station if anyone is interested... :-)
We have a Texas Sage, too, and it is also wonderful! :-)
marylyn, it's getting close to starting my nursery rounds, so as soon as I can figure when i'll be gallivating in your area, i'll let you know. maybe we can grab a bite and do a little nursery damage together.
That would be great! :-)
please save my mtn laurels!
They're safe and waiting for you. :-)
Man, I am bummed. My Moutain Laurels got caught in the last freeze too and my blooms were just days away from opening. I can see the purple blossoms on the inside of what is now shriveled and brown blooms. This was going to be the year for my bush I planted four years ago. I guess that means that next year should even be better. My other two mountain laurels were just too small to put out any blooms.
It happened to mine too. Patience, patience my dear.
Josephine.
Yes, I know, gardening is a process....So for now I am looking towards my daffodils and then irises. My Mtn Laurels will have to wait until next year.
I was just looking at some blooming mountain laurels today. Bees and wasps were already buzzing around the blooms. And then a beautiful butterfly--I think it was a Pipevine Swallowtail--was sampling the nectar. Beautiful day!
