Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 18

I hope your project goes well Sheryl, but you might have to fence the area to keep the dog from digging in there.

That is a neat flower LindaTX and you are right about there not being much info out there. i found this info for Crag lily aka Lily of the Lomas, Echeandia chandleri........
You might like to check it out because it lists many native wildflowers that are used for butterflies.

www.thedauphins.net/rgv_native_wildflowers.html

That is a wonderful link, thanks for sharing it.

While driving down to Houston yesterday I listened to a gardening show on the radio out of Austin. They had a guest from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center talking about things offered at their fall plant sale this weekend(wish I could have gone!!!) Anyway they mentioned what an awesome plant Heart-leaf Hibiscus was for dry shade...
Went to Arbor Gate nursery this weekend and they had some, but they said Full Sun!!!. So does anyone have expereince with what conditions this will do best in? Or is it too good to true and will do well in both?

I have it in pots, and I have them on my patio in semishade, I haven't planted it in the ground because i don't think it will make it through the winter here, but I love it, the flowers are adorable, a very bright red, and look like a simple rose, except for the hibiscus stamen.
Bigbubbles sent me seeds and I was able to get them doing after soaking. It is a slow grower but very much worth it.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/205011/
It is also endemic to Texas
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HIMA6
Josephine.

Yes, down here the Heartleaf Hibiscus can winter over outdoors and comes back in spring. I have it on the east side of the house, so it gets morning and early afternoon sun. Haven't tried any in shade, but Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region lists it as "dappled shade, part shade, full sun", does okay with "sand, loam, caliche, well-drained" and also states it can be more winter hardy if well-mulched. I don't have a dog, but the wild animals have been such a big problem this year, especially the armadillo that was intent on digging where it would do the most damage possible. And last month I took a photo of a snake I saw one night...turned out it was a copperhead. Not a problem for the plants, but I don't usually see poisonous snakes in my yard...scary!
That site is nice! It is from South Texas and some of the species are a bit different than I'm familiar with, but many are the same. Of course, I wouldn't mind trying that E. chandleri, either! So many beautiful native plants that people don't usually know about that grow wild in this state and it is so hard to find sources for some of them. They are unique treasures in this state and each species deserves a place of honor!

Absolutely Linda, native plants are treasures ans a heritage for the people of Texas.

Thanks for the info. I will put it in a semi-shade location at my house and one with a tiny bit more sun at my mother-in-law's. I love finding new plants to try!

Coincidentally,....I bought 2 Heart-Leaf Hibiscus at the Walker Co. MG fall plant sale this past Sat.....as well as some Pineland Hibiscus seeds....and some Pink Skullcap.....I believe each are natives...or at least, found in Texas.

Hey Lee, did ou stop at the Country Store at the sale?

No,...I started to...but didn't get around to it. Did you go to the sale?

Hi all,

I just managed to get my hands on some Mexican Buckeye seeds. I'd appreciate any guidance you may have on growing them - e.g. when to start them etc. I started about six 2 years ago but only have 2 left and they aren't looking so great right now.

Thanks,

Kate

All I know is that last year a seedling came up in a pot that had been underneath the tree...one seed must have fallen and I didn't even notice it until it came up. And recently one came up out by the corner of the house. I must have dropped a seed when taking seeds inside, because that's not anywhere close to the tree. So it seems like it shouldn't be hard to me!

Yes, I was at the sale, working in the country store. The weather sure cut down on the amount of traffic we usually see. There will be a tree sale in January. Maybe we will meet then. DH is taking the class when it starts, so he will have to be there, too!

Hello Kate, Mexican Buckeye seeds can be planted outdoors in the fall or spring about half inch deep. Usually a deep pot is better so you can find them, they germinate quite well.
The plant is a slow grower so it takes a few years to make a good size shrub, but they are worth the wait.
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=UNSP
Josephine.

Annette - Oh! I'm sorry I didn't come over and get to meet you! I bought some Pineland Hibiscus seeds and talked to the two ladies working that area,,,,,told them about DG and encouraged them to check us out. lookin' forward to the Tree Sale in January....I came this year and picked up some Black Gum, Yellow Poplar and an assortment of others - Great Sale!

Have you & yr DH ever attended any of the RU's?

Hi Lee,
No, never been to a RU. Maybe after DH completes his course, he will be more encouraged to go! Personally, I wish there were some closer to home! I have a lot of extra plants, but my circle of friends have already been "blessed" with most of them. I have a lot of things that need to be dug, and a lot that needs to be severely cut back. My flower beds are so far behind, that sometimes I feel like having DH take the tractor to them, and starting over. The back surgery has really slowed me down.

Wow Sheila, that must have been quite a scare, I hope Herman is o.k.

Herman might be okay if she didn't kill him! I once had nice edges, but had to put up a barrier to keep mine from encroaching on the edges. He just didn't want to weed eat! Many arguments have been avoided, since!

Thank you for sharing your dh-lawnmower stories! I'm glad I'm not alone.

Mine also got himself a new riding mower this year and he was mowing everything under ten feet tall like it was a weed (I guess because he could)!! I'll have to say I was impressed that his machine chopped everything up like it was never there. Then he'd deny cutting stuff down.

I told him I would get some caution tape and put it around everything he's not supposed to mow this next year! It was like watching a child really. Funny.

It is in the genes of many males of the homo sapiens species to try to level everything within sight! We don't even have a weed-eater anymore. So I only have to worry if we have some guys working on something we want done around here. Then it's pretty much inevitable that plants will die!

LOL! No Herman wasn't hurt and I didn't kill him. I was out front weedeating after he mowed ther and he came up and told me he rearranged a flower bed for me. We have only had the mower about three weeks. What happened was, he wasn't looking where he was going and got too close to the bed down by the lower deck at the entrance to the pond. After the wheel got over inside he couldn't get it out and paniced forgetting to let up the blade. It pushed one of the large windsor stones about 5 foot and took out a wind chime and chopped up one of the landscape lights. As for plants I told him I was going to trim that area, but not quite that close. LOL!

Heyall! I bought myself a Texas Native Plant Week eve present of a paid subscription, so now I get to talk to the texas gardeners.


Our neighborhood has been working on restoring a little patch of prairie with a couple of oak motts. Now that the drought is over, it's really kind of fun! Pretty much the only plants that survived are the ones that belong here.

The new find in my strolling today was frostweed in bloom. I know that's not a big deal in general, but this area had been so choked with ligustrum that the frostweed could never get enough sun to make it to flowers. Also indian mallow blooming in that same area.

How Neat!!! It is amazing how many plants will show up if we let them.
Have fun with your project.
Josephine.

Our NPSOT chapter members have been going to area nurseries on Saturdays this month to give people info on natives. But I just can't believe how many invasive plants are still sold in Texas! realbirdlady, I appreciate what you and your neighbors have been doing. It really makes a difference when people get together to clean out the plants that shouldn't be there in the first place!

A few years back I took out a bunch of ligustrum that was clogging the edge of the woods behind my house, and found a whole bunch of fun native treasures that I had been unable to see behind them, like beautyberry, Mexican plum, and mulberry. :)

I know what you mean about invasive plants still on sale. Every big box around here has privet and Japanese honeysuckle, which seem to be the some of the worst of the invaders in my local woods.

Dennis

I am trying to learn about and plan for changing a 97' x 118' section of our yard to native plants. The 40 acres across the road from us has lots of natives that we could dig up small ones. The Sumac is especially pretty right now. I guess what we've called "sandhill plums" are probably Mexican plums ?? And a beautiful big mimosa tree with lots of little ones. Many other things I want to take photos of and ask about but I can't spend much time in the brush because the ragweed is overwhelming right now.

I much prefer planting trees/shrubs in the fall but our planting area won't be ready until spring. I'm wondering if I should dig up little trees and pot them now, or if it would be better to just leave them alone until spring. Sure hate the thought of having to wait another full year.

Thanks,
Glenna

Hello Glenna, I think that potting them up now or through the winter when they are dormant is the best option for your situation.
Good to have you on this thread.
Josephine.

Thanks, Josephine.

Had to make a rush round trip to Stephenville last week and the fall wildflowers were beautiful on Hwy 67. Wish I'd had my camera and more time. There was one interesting plant in the pastures that I'd like to know what it is. They weren't thick or numerous. Just occasional. Have looked through quite a few pictures but can't find anything like it. It was like dark bare sticks 2 to 3 feet tall, no leaves. About 3 or 4 stalks to a plant. And it had round white blooms or seed pods (really don't know what) about the size of marbles, not many per stalk but very white against the dark stalk. I know that's not a very good description.

I really can't think of what it might be, maybe Linda can.

That sounds so cool! Maybe take a picture of it sometime, I don't know what it is.
I'm just loving the seedlings this fall! This is Nerve-Ray, Tetragonotheca texana. I feared they would go away after the drought got so bad and all on the front of the property died. But there's quite a few come up out front, after all. And one that survived in the yard is still blooming, as if trying to make up for quitting last summer.

This message was edited Nov 29, 2009 8:37 PM

The one in the yard, still going!

I think maybe this came up this year from the Golden-Eye seeds I gathered last year. It seems happy!

Linda, you have the neatest plants, and the appreciation to match.
I have never seen the Nerve-Ray in person, it would be neat to see it, maybe some day.

Wow!! I am so frustrated!! This cold weather has me cooped up inside, while my poor plants suffer outside, this is too much winter already, don't you agree?

Double post...see below.

This message was edited Dec 9, 2009 12:34 PM

Here's a Guiyacum angustifolium image of seeds I found. Imagine a whole plant with those all over!
http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/final/guan_fr.jpg

Wow! Linda, I have seen that plant in pictures but not in person, I sure would love to have one.
As a matter of fact i want one of everything if that was possible, I am sooo greedy when it comes to native plants!

"Conservancy greed".....(which is how I'd consider it, Josephine)...may not necessarily be a bad thing! (smile)...in fact,....the argument could be made that it is prudent....at this stage of our lives! I appreciate both Linda & yourself.....making us aware of so many beautiful native
plants...and teaching us too! I tip my hat!