And speaking of spring, my Agarita is blooming!
Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 16.
very nice Linda, my plum would make fruit but it would drop before ripening, but the last two years it had made fruit although the birds got it, bit they gave me lots of seedlings which I am trying to nurse to good size.
I have dozens of Mexican Plums growing like weeds(at least that what I think they are, there use to be more but alot of them died during a drought a few years back). I mow the heck out of them in spots. I have never seen a ripe plum. They put on little hard plums and stay hard until they disappear or at least until I get tired of looking. The blossoms are about to open on the ones I don't mow. They do get huge eventally. Larry
Yes I have two that are quite large and are about to open, I will put up a picture when they do, they are very beautiful.
Josephine.
Hello everyone, it has been a long time since I have posted. I had a wildflower meadow project in the works but I think it is too late to follow through with it because I was going to use some "wildflower mix" of various seeds.
Nevertheless, I was planning on growing sunflowers as well (along the my fences) and I think there is plenty of time for that. The instructions say to sow in early spring after the danger of frost has passed but I do not know when that is and I am getting anxious. Of course, I want to do this the right way so I will restrain myself. Any advice? I'll have some pics of what I am doing later. In the meantime, here is a pic of the seeds I will be trying to grow. Actually, I bought 2 other varieties as well but maybe I can sow them in accordance with the advice I receive?
Anyway, hope everyone is doing well.
Hello John, I have never gardened in zone 9, but I know that sunflowers are tender to frost.
I would say you should be safe by the end of March, I have some volunteers coming up, but I am pretty sure our next cold spell will get them, but that is o.k. more will come up later.
If you have plenty of seed and are anxious to get started you could plant half now and half later, or you could get them started in little pots and bring them in if frost threatens.
I no longer plant mine, they come up on their own, and if they are in a place I don't like I move them. I usually have to thin them out, but sunflowers are a lot of fun, and give a lot of pleasure for such small effort.
I hope you will have a great year, please send pictures of your progress.
Josephine.
I also have some creek plum, the little thicket-forming one, but it hasn't bloomed yet. Not much known for fruit, anyway! And a Flatwoods Plum, which I'll probably plant near that shed and hope it can tolerate the soil. Here's a link for the Mexican Plum, which can get taller than the Flatwoods one.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME
Hmmm, maybe the little hard plums weren't getting enough water or something!
This message was edited Feb 27, 2009 6:39 PM
My plums will only get water when it rains. They are growing in the thicket hundreds of feet from a faucet. Most of my 20 acre place grows whatever it grows and is loaded with native plants, grasses, shrubs and trees I can't name. As the year progresses I will have quite a few questions about what they are. I have owned this place going on 20 years and never took an interest in what was growing here until I retired. DG and the wonderful people here has created an interest in plants, hummers, wildflowers and I thank everyone on DG for making it a pleasure. Larry
I will heed your advice and wait till the end of March. No sense in risking a strong cold front blowing thru last-minute. Thanks, frostweed.
I need to dig-up my old wildflower thread here and update it, but for now...this is my backyard last summer.
My plums may not be MP cause do sucker a lot. The come up by the bunches.
Here's my yard today, after much work (plus, Ike knocked part of my fence down.) I also had to cut down 3 small trees along that back fence. I had never felled a tree before and 1 of the trees took some planning and strategy. My dad lent a hand so that helped (in terms of manual labor, he doesn't know anything about cutting down trees either.) In the end, we prevailed. I will be growing the autumn beauty mix between the 2 crapes on the left, and mammoth grey stripes and mayas all along the fence!! I'll let ya'll know how it turns out...
Very nice and green John.
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Larry, they are probably Creek plum
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRRI
or Flatwoods plums they are both very nice for a hedge.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRUM
It might freeze tonight, but it'll be spring soon, regardless. The Two-Flower Anemone is blooming!
Well done there Linda!
=)
My Anemonies are not blooming yet, I hope the flowers on the redbud and the Mexican plum don't freeze tonight, they are just beginning to open.
Josephine.
My redbuds were opening 3 days ago when I was thinking about taking cuttings. I haven't looked at them since then. It is already down to 27 here, by 6am it will really be cold.
spring is not a victory march
it's a cold and broken Hallelujah
(only a slight modification on Leonard Cohen's fine version of Hallelujah there)
Manfreda maculosa sending up bloom spike next to Stachys coccinea
Does it get much better on a gorgeous Texas afternoon?
Very lovely Debbie, can't wait to get my hands on that Manfreda, is the bloom scented?
not really sure Josephine--that's something I'll check for
Yes, the blooms of Manfreda maculosa are scented.
It is the host plant for the rare and endangered Manfreda Giant-Skipper. Not sure it would do any good for the skipper to grow it here. It's pretty much a tropical butterfly...although it is listed as being reported in my county at some time.
Wow, that is exciting, I love the scent of tuberose, and a host plant to boot, that would be great!!!
Josephine.
The two days of 20 degrees didn't hurt this tree. What is it?
Flowers. Not my best close up.
More.
It looks like Mexican Plum, Prunus mexicana
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME
They are beautiful, mine is in full bloom too.
Josephine.
Lovely! I love all the spring blooms now! And having obtained some Polyphemous Moth eggs from a mother moth, I'm hoping I don't need to use my Mexican Plum foliage later. Hopefully, the cats will like live oak leaves or something.
More flowers from my morning walk about. Red bud. I assume this is a Texas Redbud not an Eastern Redbud? How do I know?
The only way I know how to tell is by the leaves, they are smaller, thicker and shinier and a little wavey on the Texas Redbud.
http://wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=8613
Eastern Redbud larger leaves not shiny.
http://wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=21876
When it leafs out you will be able to tell.
Josephine.
Thanks Josephine. There are dozens of little trees growing in that area. I need to dig some next fall and put a couple closer to the house.
I have two full grown Redbuds and 2 Mexican plums and I love them.
My first Baby Blue-Eyes of 2009, kind of late, but worth it!
And a Blackfoot Daisy....in my yard, where it gets watered. None are blooming out on the property, where virtual desert conditions prevail...except for a few things I water occasionally just to keep something I planted alive.
That Baby Blue Eyes is so pretty! Any kind of daisy, IMO, is so cheerful and such a fun plant to have.
I got a couple of 4-Nerve Daisies in pots to put in my yard, haven't planted them yet. I've got some growing wild on my property also, but the only one blooming right now out there, is next to a tree I sometimes water.
I love 4 Nerve Daisies! Mine bloomed throughout the winter with no extra watering. I need to figure out how to propagate them.
I propagate the 4 nerve daisies by cuttings, it is pretty easy.
Nice picture Linda. We are suppose to get rain on Monday, I hope so we sure need it.
Josephine.
Josephine, I tried finding the seeds on them, but they're soooo tiny. That endeavor didn't last long. LOL How do you do the cuttings? Which part do you take?
I use the growing tip, about two or three inches long, strip the lower leaves and pot in a good moisture retaining mix, keep moist in the shade, they are not fast rooters, but almost all of them take.
Thank you! Will give it a go once the weather warms up for good and they get going again.