February 3 , 2011
No-freeze native plants + Mr. Smarty Plants unmasked!
If you could decide what to wear ( shorts or windcheater , count on what mean solar day it is ) , it ’s a good time to cut back those hibernating aboriginal plants . Tropicals , semi - tender , and some evergreen plant shrubs should hold off a few more week , peculiarly since we get this good scare . But last weekend , I cut the asters to their russet scab and gave the Salvia greggiis a good topping . They wo n’t listen at all . The salvias will flower soon on renewed growth ( some already are ) but it ’ll be fall to get another scene like this .
I did exit the flower on some sage for the butterflies that were running around last weekend . But finally , I must take the pruner to these plants before they get too leggy and lanky . Not only will they look practiced , they ’ll get even more flowers !
shorten back yourTecoma stans(esperanza , sensationalistic toll ) to the earth . Do keep them mulch , specially if they ’re immature . If they ’re not in enough Dominicus ( as mine are not any longer ) , move them after the last freeze engagement to get luscious summertime flower .
One chore this weekend is to chop the vacant woody halt of my firebush ( Hamelia patens ) to the ground . I like I could have another picture like this withSalvia leucantha .
That sphere now receive too much refinement , and the leucantha afford up . The firebush has n’t whimpered , but it for certain does n’t flower like it did in sunnier days .
I ’ll also be cut down turks cap , but it ’s only a few month to this .
A mates of twelvemonth ago , Andrea DeLong - Amaya from theLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centergave me a not bad tip : Underplant turks pileus with spiderwort ( Tradescantia gigantea ) .
Since I have about a zillion dayflower that pop up from seed , I move a few each decline as they emerge . This weekend I ’ll move some more . Even transplant this later has never disturbed their bloom for me . Now , I ’ve got foliar playfulness and flowers to fill in those “ hole ” while the turks crest wait for warmer days to take over .
I still need to “ detail prune ” this zexmenia ( Wedelia texana ) where bulbs are come up under its blankness . I ’ve also plant spiderworts under some of them and nearby .
Here ’s zexmenia in fall with chocolate flush ( Berlandiera lyrata ) . On the evergreen hot chocolate flower , I simply pruned back its withered foliage .
If you love warm - lovingSalvia coccinea , no need to cut it back .
hollow it up , since it ’s a goner . But all is not lost , because they pour down seeds like crazy to guarantee their coming back in a few months . After the last freeze , simply move your new free plants if their design conclusion does n’t cope with yours .
I ’m no expert on any of this , but I know where to go when I need solution : Mr. Smarty Plants , an on-line resource of theLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center . So , this calendar week on CTG , Tom draw the masquerade off Mr. Smarty Plants , Barbara Medford ! Actually , she ’s part of a fabulous team who answers questions from across the area to put you in touch with the native plants for your place . Barbara ’s cognition , spicy brain , and personal commitment to coif gardener on the right path is a mythical resourcefulness ! You will love meeting her .
you may also listen Barbara and other Wildflower Center experts on Tom’sThe Wildflower HouronKLBJ - AM .
I know that Barbara would O.K. my White Avens(Geum canadense ) that cover the ground in my shady bed , with these former outflow flowers . I nabbed them a few class ago at one of theWildflower Center ’s plant gross revenue .
I adore my prosperous Senecio vulgaris ( Packera obovata ) , also nabbed from the Wildflower Center sale , that will be blooming soon between flagstone .
russet scab of pink evening primrose are about to detonate . They arrived on their own .
This calendar week , Daphne respond the motion : why are there not so many mourning band in the lawn / garden this wintertime ? Well , it ’s because we had cooler temps last summertime and more pelting last spring that encouraged our lawn and industrial plant to flush out , shade the seed savings bank underground . Another constituent is that we did n’t get pelting last fall . In fact , that ’s one rationality why you ’ll see fewer wildflowers this year than last . seed popped out with September ’s rain , but then withered and die with drouth and heat .
But , Sweetpea Hoover identifies some of the pot that have cropped up , or will be make it soon after our abbreviated Erolia minutilla with rain !
All are beneficial in their own ways , but if you do n’t require them , the unspoilt redress is you - know - what : the trowel . If we miss them with that , be sure to arrest them before they set seed . And think about this : unwanted weed , treasure Salvia coccinea , or what we moot wildflowers ? It ’s the same principle : they do n’t have our vocabulary for “ weed ” vs. “ flora you purchase . ”
Actually , I keep some “ weed ” this metre of class , including that flower henbit to eat insects . Butterflies were dipping into my dandelion peak last weekend . When something fuels wildlife in these cold days , it sustain a position in my garden , like myOxalis drummondii .
To learn more about the environmental science of wild flower , along with their legends and traditional knowledge , melodic line into KLRUon March 10 at 7 p.m. forWildflowers|Seeds of History(other PBS stations to air in April , so check your listings ) . I ’m in the final microscope stage of post - output for this high definition docudrama jam - compact with perceptivity that promises you a new aspect at the back roads of history that auspicate the seeds of the future .
Until next week , Linda
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