Nueces Master Gardeners, Inc.Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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Plant of the Week: Tecoma Stans

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Known as “Yellow Bells” or “Esperanza”, this little shrub/tree is a workhorse in the South Texas garden. It is a native of Texas, but there are also cultivars out there such as the Gold Star Esperanza which is a Texas Superstar® plant.  One would be hard pressed to find another beautiful blooming plant for the extreme variable south Texas weather.

Plant Profile

Name: Tecoma Stans

Common name: Yellow Bells; Esperanza; Yellow Elder

Family: Bignonicaea

Category:  evergreen/shrub/tree

Hardiness Zone: 11 – 15

Light Requirements: Does best in full sun, but will tolerate light shade.

Height/Spread: 30ft H/30ft W; Can be pruned back to a more manageable size.

Growing Habit: Upright; bushy; rounded shape.

Flower and foliage characteristics:  Leaves are typically mid-green, but can have a lighter tint usually with 5 – 13 leaflets. Flowers are funnel shaped and normally yellow, but some can have a red-orange color near the center of the flower. Bean-like seed pods appear after flowering is finished.

Bloom Time: Spring to Autumn

Water/Soil Requirements: This is a low water plant and can withstand periods of drought. Do water more in times of prolonged heat and dry conditions. Can be grown in almost any type of soil and will even do well as a container plant.

Propagation: Propagate by seed in the Spring and by semi-ripe cuttings  in the summer.

Pests: Spider mites could be troublesome.

 

 

 

 

Plant of the Week: Ceropegia linearis

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This week’s plant hails from Zimbabwe and the Eastern Cape of South Africa: Ceropegial linearis.

While this plant may resemble a coleus or caladium, it is in fact a succulent!

Plant Profile:

Name: Ceropegia linearis subsp. C woodii

Common name: Rosary Vine, Heart Vine or String of Hearts.

Family: Asclepiadaceae

Category: Succulent

Height/Spread: 3ft high; indefinite spread.

Growing Habit: vine/climber

Foliage and flower characteristics: Pendant evergreen with twining stems with heart-shaped, fleshy, mid-green leaves. The leaves are usually 1/2″ in long, purple underneath with gray-green or purple marking above. Leaves redden in sun. Will frequently produce bulbils from the leaf axis. Flowers  are lantern-like, purplish-brown, 1/2″ – 3/4″ long with pinkish-green tubes margined with fine dark purple hairs.  It has tuberous roots.  Flowers are fragrant with a cinnamon-like scent.

In warm dry climates, they can be grown outdoors in hanging baskets or trained to climb pergolas and or trellises.

Care Requirements:

Bloom time: Spring to Autumn

Hardiness Zone: 12 – 15

Light Requirements: Partial Shade/Partial Sun

Soil Requirements: If growing indoors or in greenhouse,  use 1 part loam, peat and leaf mold to 2 parts sharp sand and keep in bright filtered light.  Grown outdoors, grow in sharply drained, poor, humus-rich soil or loam soil. Shelter from full sun.

Water & Fertilization Requirements: Low water needs. During growing season, water moderately and fertilize 2- 3 times. Keep dry at other times, as overwatering and low temperatures  leads to basal rot of the caudices.

Propagation: Propagate from stem bulbils by taking stem cuttings 4 – 6″ long in early summer; root in a sand and peat mix at 72 -77°F (22-25°C) and keep moist.

Pests and Diseases: Prone to aphids, scale insects and sometimes mealybugs. No known real disease issues.