Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 14.

My DW and I went to Wimberly this last weekend. There is a place just south of town on Ranch Road 12, Jade Gardens. If you haven't ever stooped, do so next time. They have the most beautiful bonsai and many native Texas ones too. I finally broke down after thinking about it for the past two years and bought a Fukien Tea tree. It's about 14" tall and about 5 years old. Sorry, no pics since it stays at the store but will bring one to the RU.

I did get a picture of his Thornless Mesquite tree. It's around 20" tall. All of his natives have the red Texas thing in them.

Wow! Bonsai with Texas natives, I had never seen that before, but they look very interesting, thank you for showing them to us Kip.
Josephine.

Sorry, had to throw this in.

Was enjoying the weather this afternoon, cutting back all that needed to be cut and found this strange looking thing that I don't remember being there. ?????????????

Umm...that thing by the fence on the left is a cat. Are you talking about on the right? Did you have a cenizo?

Kip, is that cat O.K.? it looks like it might be all bloated. Or are you talking about the ball on the right?

After a little, way little, research, I located the Latin name for what I found.

Yawnicus felinus

The Golden Groundsels are in full bloom. They spread just a bit to make a colony, but not invasive. Those that I don't have room for are just put in a pot to brighten someone else's day. And they tolerate some shade well.

Linda, my Golden groundsel is blooming too, and so pretty, thank you very much, I will have to post a picture.
Josephine.

My Fendler's Bladderpods are blooming also! Most of them are up on a slope on the upper part of the property. And those get no watering, they're just on their own. Then I have a couple of them in the yard.

Wow! those sure a cute!, I lost the one you gave me last year with the freeze, can you gather me up another one?
I sure would appreciate it.

No problem, Josephine! I'll bring you that milkweed also. And check my list on the trade thread, might be something you could use.

I noticed a few days ago that my Fairy Duster is coming back. But today I was surprised to see 2 blooms...on a little stem about as long as my little finger down near the base of the main stems. Other than that foliage, there's only buds where foliage is going to come back.

Really cute Linda, I will check your list and also see what I can gather up for you.

Oh wow, Linda...I can't believe that such a little bitty twig would hold such blooms...lol My Fairy Duster is finally coming out as well...thank goodness...I've got about 3 or 4 new babies under the mother plant that are coming up due in part from a huge amount of seeds produced after the rains finally came last Fall. Seeds were popping out all over and one actually hit me in the face...lol. I just love this little bush tho...Its one of my favorites in the flowerbeds... :)

Melanie

I've got something that came back this year that spread out, coming up across an area of about a foot or less. Can't remember what this is. Does anyone have Snake Herb? I think I put some of that in last year but don't remember where...does it colonize?

The question is always, "Do we want all the pretty wildflowers with the rattlesnakes"? Mowing is the question every spring.

Linda, Snake herb does colonize, but I wasn't the one who gave it to you, I now because we have it at the wildscape.

Bettygail, I guess I am lucky I don't have to worry as to whether to have flowers because of snakes.
I love the primroses, so lovely and easy to grow.

Aha! I bet it's the Snake Herb, then. I do wonder about names like that sometimes, how they came to be. I'm trying to grow Rattlesnake Pole Beans this year also. Maybe it'll be a snakey kind of year. I don't mow, just weed. Fortunately, I haven't seen any poisonous snakes around here, only the nonpoisonous kind.

I was mowing, edging, raking, pruning, transplanting and repotting today...and spied a lovely but shy coral snake alongside my house! Luckily, they aren't aggressive snakes but tend to quickly hide if you find one. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see the little guy while doing all of my yardwork.. :)
Speaking of which....hurray, my Orange Mallow is showing off right now! Such a pretty color.. :)

Melanie

For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this beautiful plant with its lemon yellow flowers. Only 3 blooms are open right now...but it is covered in buds! It has grown quite large and is really happy underneath my Texas Bird of Paradise. A Texas native, I believe....any ideas, Linda or Josephine? :)

Melanie

Lovely, both of them! The one with the yellow flowers looks like the Squarebud Primrose. I have some with buds also, can't wait! Their first blooms of the year are often especially lovely. I've also seen the Stemless Evening Primrose blooming in places along the road. You have to be there late in the day for that one.

Very lovely Melanie, it looks like you guys in San Antonio are far ahead of us here in DFW as far as early blooming is concerned.
My crossvine is beginning to open I will have to post a picture when it is in full bloom.

Melanie, you need to post that picture of the Drummond's Sundrop in PF it is a nice close up.

Thanks guys......I'm off to Rainbow this morning; my first trip since last Fall. I can't wait to see what they have....! :)

Melanie

I lost all my Baby Blue-Eyes, Nemophila phacelioides, the last two hot, dry years. So I took home one plant I got at a NPSOT-S.A. meeting and now it's blooming!

Here's my Mexican Buckeye, blooming away. They really are so nice this time of year.

Lacey Oak Tree...I like the way it looks this time of year.

Oh Linda, do you have a full pic of your Buckeye? The blooms are beautiful! I've got 2 little seedlings in pots that seem to be hanging on although they haven't put on any new growth. Do they like to be more on the dry side?

I have this one that I took today also...shows more of the tree. The tree probably needs to be pruned just a little later on. A large heavy ice-encased cedar limb fell on it in January, so it's doing pretty good considering. Well, probably too much water might not be a good thing. But mine got through the flood of 2002 okay as an almost grown tree.

Mine is starting to bloom now too. And the Red Buckeye is leafing out.
Beautiful pictures Linda.

very very pretty, Linda.. :) I picked up an Emu tree today at Rainbow...and got another butterfly bush, which unknown to me, I already had one..lol. Sad when you can't remember what you have! lol... I saw some lovely fragrant mimosas....and carried one around for a bit, but changed my mind and got the Emu tree instead. Saw some Buckeyes...and thought about those as well....too many choices!

Melanie

Thanks! It appears to be multi-branched? shaped more like a shrub? I guess I've never looked it up in the PlantFiles...I see now that it can be trained as a tree too, like my new Vitex.

I really have no idea where I'm going to put all these trees/shrubs that I'm collecting! LOL!

Oh, I bet you will find them a good home Paige.

Pots are it for now until they are larger and I can come up with some sort of plan! ;) I'm sure that by time one is big enough to plant that there will be some plant in my bed that I'm tired of and the Buckeye will take it's place. That, or just take up more grass and make another obstacle for the lawnmower.

Josephine, I saw that you had pics in the files. You'll have to point it out to me when I come visit this year.

I surely will Paige, aren't native plants fun?

Melanie, I never heard of an Emu tree, do you know the scientific name? Or is there a link to the plant files?
I am curious as to what it looks like.

Sorry for the late response, Josephine...I've been working late for the last 3 nights. :) It appears to be Eremophila laanii "Pink Beauty" or an Emu Bush. It was in the native section at Rainbow Gardens here in SA.....I'm not sure if it is tho....I'll have to try to find out some more info. I'm not sure why I was calling it a tree, lol...but it is indeed an evergreen bush. :)

Melanie

Hello Melanie, I looked it up and it is native to Australia, but it seems to be very drought tolerant and very pretty.
It resembles the Dessert willow.
Here is some information http://www.mswn.com/Eremophilla.htm
Those nurseries sure don't keep up with what is what, but anyway it is lovely.
Josephine.

Thanks for the info, Josephine! Hmm....wish it had been a native, but thats ok....it will still be a low-water, pretty and non-invasive little bush... :) Speaking of low-water, my Texas Bird of Paradise has about 20 bloom buds on it right now. I guess the recent rains have pushed it to really produce a show here soon. I can't wait for them to open... :) I may go back out to the nursery and get that fragrant mimosa afterall...lol (shhh*) :)

Melanie