Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 11.

Thank you Linda, I appreciate your understanding.
I have never grown or rooted Clematis, but I suppose they can be rooted like most things, although some are a lot harder than others.
I have had good luck with a rooting medium mix of
2 parts plain cheap potting soil,
2 parts peat moss,
1 part Perlite.
Keep things well watered and in the shade, and most plants will do fine.
I say this because I have been trying to root Yaupon Holly, and that is just about the hardest thing to root. I have some of those in a soda pop greenhouse now for 3 months and they are not rooted yet, but they are not dead, so I guess there is hope.
If you now of a better way please let me know.
Josephine.

Hello Guys, I thought this combination of Salvia Guaranitica and Ironweed were very pretty. What do you think?

stunning - so many wonderful things growing at your place it always looks sooo good!

Yes, very pretty together Josephine. My Ironweed from you is bloom also, and I am very excited. I also still have my Turk's Cap, though it hasn't grown much. I may have to move it to a different area with better soil. My Frostweed and Tx Hibiscus are doing great.

That is great Sheila, very pretty picture.

frostweed, that Salvia Guaranitica is absolutely gorgeous! I've got beds of different salvias...and that one has always been my favorite. Quite a stunner...You can always find that blue in the rock garden....That combination is beautiful with the Ironweed.

We also have some of the Salvia Guaranitica. I think the combination with the iron weed is very nice.

Thank you very much Everyone, I guess I have to give Mother nature credit for the arrangement, it really wan't planned, at least by me.
Josephine.

I just love the Salvia Guaranitica that I got from you! It is huge this year. My one little hummer just loves it!

I'm curious tho, is this the same plant as "Black and Blue"? A friend recently said something that confused me about it so I looked it up in a book and it read like they were.

I have a B&B in full sun that is always light yellow/green. My SG in the shade is dark green. I need to just go out and compare leaves and flowers. I'll do that today.

I think the Blue/Black is a different type...konkrete.., frostweed would know more then likely. I see both of them at my favorite nursery..and when put together...you can see the difference.

Yes, I beleive it is a different variety, I have seen it called;
Salvia guaranitica, Black and Blue indicating variety.
Here is the link; http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54031/index.html

I think they are lovely, mine was given to me by the lady who introduced to native plant gardening, and even though it is not a native, it is a very well adapted introduced plant.
Josephine.

This message was edited Jul 9, 2006 3:44 PM

Here is a photo of my favorite SG. Not the best photo...but ya get the idea... :)...I love it near the batface and white salvia.

Thank you for the picture TxTurqoize, that is very nice, what is the tall plant with coral flowers towards the back?

frostweed, that is actually a light pink crown of thorns that has gotten pretty large...(I actually have one that is now a tree in a huge pot on the backporch) The one in front is also potted; I just have it setting on a limestone rock to add some height in that area. :)

Thank you for that link Josephine. Now I need to find out is what kind of salvia my "Black and Blue" one is so I'll know the difference. SG is my favorite of the two.

Seems to be a dead time with the preps for the Arlington RU soooo...

I believe this is a native but if not ya'll can whip me with a wet noodle. MIL gave this to me a year and a half ago and for the first year nothing happened, nada !!

Said to myself, DUH! Kip....check the Database!!! One person said,"First year - acclamate, Second year - bloom a little, Third year - WATCH OUT !!

Well, being in my 2nd year it's starting to take off.

Clematis, I believe it's called.

There is a native form but I do not think that is it... still a stunning plant - love the way it grows. I had never thought about wire like that for vines can you show us some more pics of how it looks and how you did it? Please?

Absolutely gorgeous...kipper! A nice substitute for a passion vine, I do believe... :)

Hey Mitch, That wire is just good 'ol chicken wire that I salvaged from someones trash (dumpster diver here). It's a lot cheaper than lattace and it becomes invisible over time.

This is how I got the passion and jasmine to climb up the tree that was supposed to be dead year before last. I trimed the limbs back to what I thought looked good to make a "Vine Tree", used those to build the bed border and one year later guess what......the tree started to come back a little (heart borers).

I since have just let it go.

Very pretty! I'm glad to know that they'll take off better in the next few years. (duh, database..lol)

I use the chicken wire for vines too. My problem this year was my passionvine grew higher and got thicker on the top of the fence.

TxTurqoize, you want passion vine??????? I got your passion vine ri'cher. Used to be my daughters swing set till I converted it to a bench swing. Now I have shade to sit under.

WOW! You aren't kidding! Does it die back in the "winter"?

wow - love it... makes my little vine look sad.

Kb, it has died back !once!. The last few winters here have'nt gotten cold enough to do the job. I just try to ?control? it by trimming off the leaders as I can. If I don't do that, I can't sit in the swing without it whack'n me in the head and face ;o).

Mercy, kippers that looks as rampant as my coral vine. Except I can't get close enough to hack it back because of all the bees.
Debbie

Goodness gracious!!!! I turn around and what happens? Everybody starts having fun without me!
Wow Kip those are wonderful vines, the clematis is lovely, and the passion vine is amzing! You sure did a grat job with all those plants. It must be a lot od fun to sit on that swing, and the scent of the passion flowers is so nice.
Congratulations on a job well done!!!
Josephine.

Does it travel all over your yard?

konkrete, you wouldn't believe the amount of sprouts that come up 10 to 12 feet away. And that is not from seed. Those runners must be at least 3 to 5 inches deep!!!

The interesting thing is that the sprouts are only from the "Native White" not the cultivated, larger leaf, Light Purple".

First image is the white with skinny leaves

Next is the large leaf, none invasive, Light Purple.

lol....wow kipper! Now thats a vine! I can't believe the caterpillers haven't take over....It looks as tho its taking over and engulfing the whole swing...lol...I bet its beautiful tho....Is it the Incense variety?

TxT, Have no idea if it is the Incense variety. The flowers don't have that much of a smell. As for the Frit Cats, this is the first summer in three that there have not been any. Had quite a few in Feb and April tho.

Me thinks that the dreaded red wasps have been taking them for "baby food". I kill each one that I can by claping my hands together real hard and fast (with them inbetween) while they're poking their little beady heads in amongst the leaves then STOMP their little tails deep into the grass or beds.

It's not that I really don't like them at all.......BWAH..HA..HA................. :o)~

lolol kipper.....I love those frit cats myself...but DANG...they're a little too comfy at my incense vine kitchen table!

It is the red wasp that you are clapping and stomping right Kip?

Sheila_FW,..."Me thinks that the dreaded red wasps have been taking them for "baby food". I kill each one".....You bet your cute, little, Frit that I'm commiting waspocide.

You are just too funny Kipper, and so nice to have around!

lol kipper...as I was waterin' my incense vine this evening...lo and behold, THERE was a weird lookin' red wasp hunting along my vine. I never noticed the little critter before....but I reckon he needs to be there to keep things in balance...or I won't have a vine left...and I have LOTS of cats....lol

I don't have lots of cats and I SHOULD. I have GF's every year and they are always fluttering around my vine. I started collecting eggs last week because someone or something keeps eating my babies. Last year I watched the ants carry the eggs off so I'm assuming they are doing it this year too.

I've got red wasps too so I'll have to watch and see where they are hanging out. I know they are up to no good when they around my milkweed. Yesterday I ran one off from my Zexmania because I had seen a Bordered Patch cat on it. I hope it didn't get it. I've never tried commiting waspocide! Yikes!

I don't know what kind mine is.

Paige, I'm not certain but I think it is from the
G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S variety! LOL! Can I ask you to root a cutting for me to bring to the Dallas RU??? Please...please.

Paige, it is called Passiflora incarnata, here is a link;
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PAIN6

Josephine.

Very pretty.....I have an Incense Passion Vine...and the blooms look real similar...