Another Great Weather Season
Mary Claire Rowe
Gardeners love this time of year. Cool mornings have finally arrived, and the daytime temperatures, while still hot, don't stay hot as long. It is the beginning of our second, great-weather-season in the garden, as I see it.
Using native Texas plants has become more fashionable the last 15 years, because gardeners realize the hardy nature of these plants and their ability to withstand our heat and our droughts, as well as our excessive rains, when they rarely come. Many native Texas plant-volunteers (plants which have grown from seeds dropped by birds or planted by squirrels, or which have blown in on the wind) are generally welcome in my garden, and as I write, I can look out to see a beautiful combination of color and texture, achieved, in this instance, by having native, as well as imported plants.
Some years ago, I had planted a Chinese Fringe Tree (Loropetalum ), which I had grown from a cutting, and is now 8-feet tall. The purple-green color combination of the leaves is outstanding. In the cool months of the year, late winter and early spring, the magenta flowers are fantastic. But it is the color of the leaves, which endear it to me and many other gardeners.
Using native Texas plants has become more fashionable the last 15 years, because gardeners realize the hardy nature of these plants and their ability to withstand our heat and our droughts, as well as our excessive rains, when they rarely come. Many native Texas plant-volunteers (plants which have grown from seeds dropped by birds or planted by squirrels, or which have blown in on the wind) are generally welcome in my garden, and as I write, I can look out to see a beautiful combination of color and texture, achieved, in this instance, by having native, as well as imported plants.
Some years ago, I had planted a Chinese Fringe Tree (Loropetalum ), which I had grown from a cutting, and is now 8-feet tall. The purple-green color combination of the leaves is outstanding. In the cool months of the year, late winter and early spring, the magenta flowers are fantastic. But it is the color of the leaves, which endear it to me and many other gardeners.
Spider Lilly
An American Beauty Berry bush (Callicarpa americana), which came up last year, has grown into a great garden feature by itself, but by growing next to the Fringe Plant, accentuates the amazing colors of both plants. Beauty Berry gets its name because the hundreds of perfect purple berries on each clump are luscious, glowing, and truly beautiful. The Greek word "kallos" means beauty and "karpos" means fruit. At least 10 species of birds feed upon the fruit.
The almost chartreuse green of the leaves contrasts with the berries, making them stand out even more. It is also called Spanish-mulberry, French-mulberry, Bermuda-mulberry, Sour-bush, and Sow-berry.
The third addition to this scene is Pokeweed (Rivina humilis.) Named in honor of A.Q. Rivinus, a professor of botany at Leipzig, in the mid 17th century, the species name, humilis, refers to the low, humble habit of growing. Other names are Baby-pepper, Pokeberry, and Pigeon-berry. It is used as a summer annual for borders or backgrounds. It tolerates considerable shade. A red die or ink used to be made from the fruit, and the leaves were once used for treating wounds.
I wish all "weeds" were as pretty and useful as these two wild plants, but the reality is that most are not "in favor" yet, if ever. Can we imagine a lovely "nut grass" bed? Probably, not.
So, we will now use this wonderful weather to get out and pull weeds, mulch, and hope again for a lovely, fall and winter garden.
Suddenly, last week, in an area I have designated for a new patio, and from which all plants have been removed, seemingly overnight, a tall stalk appeared out of the ground with 5 to 7 little buds in a circle at the top. Within a few days the flowers begin to open. I was surprised to learn that there was a bulb there. Appropriately, some call it a Surprise lily.
It is also called a Hurricane lily (Lycoris radiata), because at the height of the hurricane season each October throughout the southeastern part of the U. S., beautiful clusters of brilliant red flowers appear. Each cluster has extremely long anthers, which gives it a spider-like appearance. Therefore, it is also called spider lily. After the flowers die back, narrow, strap-like leaves appear at ground level, and by the next summer have withered away, leaving no trace of the plant. They are native to China and Japan, but have naturalized throughout the southern U. S. They like partial shade to full sun, and will tolerate dry periods. They are USDA hardy in zones 7-10. The bulbs can be divided in early summer, while the plant is still dormant.
Left on their own, Lycoris will become large masses of bulbs, hiding underground. Just drive around the older residential sections of Tyler to see what they can do. It is pretty amazing. These are great plants for gardeners, like me, who like to plant something and just "for-get-about-it."
"What's Blooming In Our Garden'' is a regular feature of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Garden Page. It is written by Mary Claire Rowe, a Master Gardener with the Texas Cooperative Extension, and focuses on flowers and plant life around East Texas. To share your comments on gardening, write her in care of the Morning Telegraph.
The almost chartreuse green of the leaves contrasts with the berries, making them stand out even more. It is also called Spanish-mulberry, French-mulberry, Bermuda-mulberry, Sour-bush, and Sow-berry.
The third addition to this scene is Pokeweed (Rivina humilis.) Named in honor of A.Q. Rivinus, a professor of botany at Leipzig, in the mid 17th century, the species name, humilis, refers to the low, humble habit of growing. Other names are Baby-pepper, Pokeberry, and Pigeon-berry. It is used as a summer annual for borders or backgrounds. It tolerates considerable shade. A red die or ink used to be made from the fruit, and the leaves were once used for treating wounds.
I wish all "weeds" were as pretty and useful as these two wild plants, but the reality is that most are not "in favor" yet, if ever. Can we imagine a lovely "nut grass" bed? Probably, not.
So, we will now use this wonderful weather to get out and pull weeds, mulch, and hope again for a lovely, fall and winter garden.
Suddenly, last week, in an area I have designated for a new patio, and from which all plants have been removed, seemingly overnight, a tall stalk appeared out of the ground with 5 to 7 little buds in a circle at the top. Within a few days the flowers begin to open. I was surprised to learn that there was a bulb there. Appropriately, some call it a Surprise lily.
It is also called a Hurricane lily (Lycoris radiata), because at the height of the hurricane season each October throughout the southeastern part of the U. S., beautiful clusters of brilliant red flowers appear. Each cluster has extremely long anthers, which gives it a spider-like appearance. Therefore, it is also called spider lily. After the flowers die back, narrow, strap-like leaves appear at ground level, and by the next summer have withered away, leaving no trace of the plant. They are native to China and Japan, but have naturalized throughout the southern U. S. They like partial shade to full sun, and will tolerate dry periods. They are USDA hardy in zones 7-10. The bulbs can be divided in early summer, while the plant is still dormant.
Left on their own, Lycoris will become large masses of bulbs, hiding underground. Just drive around the older residential sections of Tyler to see what they can do. It is pretty amazing. These are great plants for gardeners, like me, who like to plant something and just "for-get-about-it."
"What's Blooming In Our Garden'' is a regular feature of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Garden Page. It is written by Mary Claire Rowe, a Master Gardener with the Texas Cooperative Extension, and focuses on flowers and plant life around East Texas. To share your comments on gardening, write her in care of the Morning Telegraph.
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