Wow! very lovely, I bet the hummers love it.
Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 18
Josephine,
Not so much. Must not be a good nectar producer.
Love the Russelia rotundifolia 'San Carlos' -- stunning! I also love the little leaf texas purple sage, very pretty.
Kristi
Oops, I posted this on the old thread, but here is what looks like a Calliandra that came up on the front of my property. C. conferta, hopefully.
These plant were always around the yard...at least as far back as I remember. Kind of overlooked most of the time because it isn't showy at all. But it used to bother me that I couldn't identify them. Then a lady living in an area of far south Texas sent me a few little Nodding Green Violets (Hybanthus verticillatus) in exchange for something I sent her. They grow down in the valley and the Variegated Fritillary use them as host plants in that area. Later on, I realized my unidentified plants looked pretty much like those. The Variegated Fritillary here prefer Rock Flax and Maypop, but they will eat the Nodding Green Violet also on occasion. How my original plants got here, I don't know. I've never seen them anywhere else in the area. One of the advantages of buying property from people who didn't bother to plant things....not as much vegetation was cleared. Much more interesting that way.
Not the best pic, but the Golden Dalea is blooming. I prefer to have it on the front of the property, where it doesn't spread all over like it did in the yard.
You have such neat plants Linda, I love all those lovely plants.
Are those seed capsules/pods on the Nodding Green Violets? The Golden Dalea is a pretty thing! Striking pattern of the petals
Hmmmm.....think I'll be huntin' some of that one for sure.....I like it! (smile)
a close up of some Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) growin' around here. I like this little plant.
I like it also, Lee! I rooted cuttings and shared it with Sheila this year. Yes, those are seed capsules on that plant. It makes little black seeds. I like those daleas too. For a dalea, it has pretty large blooms. Could send you seed later for them if you want it. Just don't expect them not to spread much if in fertile soil.
This message was edited Jun 10, 2009 12:48 PM
That would be great....I'm not concerned about it spreading too much! Thanks, Linda!
I found that the N.Green Violet is also called Babyslippers....but haven't found a pic of the flower...is it green?
Lee, I found a picture of the flower of Nodding Green Violet;
http://www.kswildflower.org/details.php?flowerID=268
Josephine.
Thank you Josephine!! I'll go take a look! :~)
Hardly any pics available on that species and I don't think that one really is close to what I have. There is one pic in the book Field Guide to the Broad-leaved Herbaceous Plants of South Texas, which does look a lot more like it, although it's not the best pic...doesn't show details very well. The TAMU image site has one that is closer to what it is like while blooming, although I don't remember that much color on mine while blooming.
http://botany.cs.tamu.edu/FLORA/dcs420/c/hdw280399ps.jpg
Linda...the seed pods in your photo do look different - I don't remember the NGV having seed pods that are three-sided. Perhaps it is another species of hybanthus?
This is a photo of the Nodding Green Violet that I have growing at the ranch. It is from the same batch that I sent to you.
I will have to check the plants next weekend - to see if they have seed pods forming - they had blooms about a month ago.
~ Cat
This message was edited Jun 10, 2009 10:33 PM
My unidentified clematis vine finally bloomed! Some insect had eaten on the bloom, so one petal is partly missing. It could be a Purple Leatherflower, but the bloom is smaller and hasn't opened up much.
Glad you saw this, Cat. I looked at the opening seed capsules I found on my own Hybanthus plants today and different ones split into either two or three parts when they open up. Only one other species of Hybanthus listed on the wildflower site and it's not in Texas. Who knows? As very little is known about the species H. verticillata, it may turn out later on that it has different varieties.
This message was edited Jun 11, 2009 10:46 PM
And also this Texas Bluebells opened its first bloom! I'm really in awe of those plants with their gorgeous flower!
Yes, they are really gorgeous, the ones around here bloom in the fall, must be a different species.
That is Eustoma grandiflorum. If there's something else similar, it must be pretty! I'd love it if E. grandiflorum would naturalize here, but I know it won't...so I bought a plant last time I was at the native plant place in the town of Medina. If I was rich, I would've bought a dozen plants! So worth it.
Another pic of the Flor de San Juan (Macrosiphonia macrosiphon) like I posted on the other thread. Josephine, I believe it does have a fragrance, but nothing strong...you'd probably have to lean down close to get a whiff of it. I've been meaning to try digging up a plant to see if it will survive that. It probably needs a rocky, well-drained place.
This message was edited Jun 12, 2009 3:26 PM
Well I guess they are the same, but up here they bloom in September, at least the ones I have seen in the wild.
I'm certifiable, so I climbed up to where the Thryallis angustifolia grows near my property. They are in a place where you'd expect to see mountain goats if this area weren't a subdivision. I really need to get some and grow it where I can safely enjoy it. Such cute, delicate flowers and vivid colors!
Amazing, the difference in bloom times! But I looked it up and it did say they bloom as late as September. I saw them growing in the wild in the Bulverde area (north of San Antonio) and that was in June also.
Girl, you are making me jealous with all these beautiful and interesting flowers.
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GAAN3
Well! I didn't know it is not widespread...maybe endemic, since USDA only lists Texas. This is the county map, although obviously even though Medina Co. isn't show as having it, it does! Okay, this only makes me even more determined to get some! It is amazing to see these blooming away, reflecting the light of the sun so that even though they are small, you don't even have to get close...your eyes are naturally drawn to these pretty little things and they are adorable!
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=GAAN3
There were four little Missouri Primrose on the back of the property...they just came up this year. They were doing okay, not growing since the heat got real bad, but...now there are only two! One left that is munched on and one was probably overlooked because it was so small. I can't find anything at all left of the other two! I looked them up...deer resistant, one site says moderate deer resistance. I'm afraid they'll finish off the rest next time. And earlier in the summer they ate some of the Littleleaf Mulberry leaves somehow through its cage....quite a feat!
I am sorry Linda, animals can be a lot of trouble, the squirrels and birds ate all my figs too, I didn't get a single one, patience, patience.
Josephine.
I didn't get many of my figs. At first they were leaving them alone, so the early ones were fine. Then they started getting them all. I caught a squirrel on the peach tree this year. I didn't get even one of those peaches. But Missouri Primrose isn't exactly deer candy. They are desperate!
It was last summer wasn't it; that Cat (TPP), had the deer eat everything except zinnias? Hopefully this drought will end soon and you guys can get some frequent rain.
Oh, yes! Remember the pics she posted of the critters at night out at the ranch? After the deer got some of the mulberry leaves, I was wishing I had something like that. It'd be interesting to see how they got to those leaves!
how long is the tongue of a deer? quite a few animals use their tongues to draw a slender limb within reach of its lips...and then teeth
Also, how large is the mesh of the cages? the "muzzle" or snout of the deer is a little narrow at the end....if only to insert it an inch or so inside the cage...that is,...if the mesh is large enough ............pesky venison
My white Tex Star Hibisicus' are bloomin'...the red bloomed earlier this past week....and we've been blessed with a couple inches of rain
during this past week.....everything is growin' like crazy right now....hope some reached those of you in the south - south central - central
regions of Tx
I can't believe it, it rained again here yesterday, 6 inches of rain in one week, amazing!!!
I wish it was widespread, especially to the Hill country where it is needed so much.
It feels funny, not feeling pressured to water everything, but it is hot again today and it will dry out fast enough.
Maybe now that it is wet nice and deep we will be able to maintain the soil moisture, we shall see.
Josephine.
We had almost 6" in the last week as well.
It's 2 X 4 welded wire fencing, Lee. They must like purslane, too. There were a couple of purslane plants out near the shed and I can't even see anything left where they used to be. That's the thing...deer sometimes pull the roots up also so the plant can't even come back. But a bunch of cosmos plants from seeds I tossed out there weren't even touched and have been blooming, they looks so pretty! And an ironweed near the mulberry is blooming...they don't touch that!
Well then put a lot of ironweed around there, at least you will have something nice and hardy.
I wonder if they would eat frostweed? that is a very nice plant too.
That's a good idea! The deer don't eat it that I know about. I don't really blame the deer. They're trying to survive. I miss seeing the two does and their fawns in the morning. They used to leave the fawns here some days knowing they would be fairly safe here. But I THINK they are staying elsewhere most of the time, maybe near someone who puts out food for them. They come around, but only some nights now. BTW, the Frostweed that isn't inside my yard doesn't look very good now. This is down by the street...there is much worse I've seen. I wonder if the migrating butterflies this fall will avoid us because there won't be much to nectar on.
Oh dear, that looks terrible, I hope the rains come soon.
No rain out here at all!!! Racoons and skunks are healthy. There are still plenty of deer and way too many feral hogs. The coyotes and bobcats look skinny thouhg. Wish they'd snag a few of those baby feral hogs! Plenty of snakes still slithering about - mainly rattlers and indigoes. Each weekend that I've been to the ranch I see the same indigo snake coming out of the brushland and heading straight to the pond(well I think it's the same one). Lots of frogs in the pond - so am sure it's well fed.
I'd found a Unicorn Plant (Devil's Claw) out in the back pasture and had been watering it each weekend I went to the ranch. When I checked on it today something had eaten all the flowers and leaves!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! The green seed pods are still intact though...let's see how long that lasts.
Makes no sense to say we're in the middle of hurricane season if we can't even get one of those dratted disasters to send a wee bit of rain our way...don't want the wind and gale forces just rain :o)
~ Cat
Photo of plant before the foliage got eaten. At least the green devil claw seed pods are still intact.
This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 8:23 PM
This is on my front slope. Native grasses mostly...not looking too good!
Oh my Goodness, I am so sad about the way things are down there.
Cat, that was a nice plant before they ate it.
Josephine.
Today I had to face the truth. The Escarpment Black Cherry Trees on my property are dying! I dragged a really long hose (actually, it's two hoses connected together) out to one side where they're looking pretty bad and watered. But I really don't need to do things like that in this heat. Watering has been quite a chore as it is. But I can't imagine doing without those cherry trees! They are butterfly hosts.