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: Schizachyrium scoparium

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As I sit here on Labor Day of 2021, I realize that this is the last big holiday of the summer and fall will soon be upon us.

All of the flowers we have nurtured through the spring and into summer will soon be ending their life cycle. And although it remains warm here in South Texas well into early November, there is still an opportunity to have color into the winter months. How?  Using ornamental grasses.

No matter whether your garden style is formal or informal, grasses  can not only add structure (in the absence of shrubs), but can also soften the edges of hardscaping and add another level of dimensional depth and texture to your beds…so I’ve done a bit of research.

Without further ado:

 

Plant Profile: Schizachyrium scoparim

Common Names: Little Bluestem; Beard Grass

Family: Poaceae

This grass is a native prairie species to most all of North America and is found everywhere except for California, Nevada and Oregon. It even grows across the US – Canadian border and down into northern Mexico.

Category: Perennial bunchgrass

Growth Habit: Upright, roundish mound

Height/Spread: 2 – 3Ft H/clumping

Foliage Characteristics: soft blue-ish green or gray-ish green foliage in Summer (May – June).

Bloom Time: In July, Little Bluestem  initiates flowering stalks, which reach four to five feet in height. In fall, it displays a coppery or mostly orange color with tints of red or purple that last all winter. It becomes a more orange-ish-bronze in winter until early spring, when it becomes more tan.

Hardiness Zones: 3 – 10

Soil/Light Requirements: The plant grows best in full sun and on well-drained soils. It is drought tolerant.

Propagation: By division

Insects/Pests: larval host to the following:

cobweb skipper, common wood nymph, crossline skipper, Dakota skipper, dusted skipper, Indian skipper, Leonard’s skipper, Ottoe skipper, and swarthy skipper.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Plant of the Week – Rhodophiala advena

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image courtesy of wikimedia commons

This week’s plant is for you bulb lovers! This  is Rhodophiala Advena.

A native to Chile, Uruguay and Argentina and it grows in the wild., but can be grown in your garden or in a container.

Plant Profile:

Name: Rhodophiala advena

Family: Amaryllidaceae

synonym: Hippeastrum advenum.

Category: bulbous plant; perennial

Height: Up to 16in; spread 6 – 8 inches

Colors: reds, pinks, whites, yellows and some variegated.

Growing habit: clump forming

Foliage and flower characteristics: medium, basal, gray-green leaves. Leafless stem which carries a head of 2 – 8 narrowly funnel-shaped leaves, approximately 2″ in length.

Care requirements:

Bloom time Range: Late Summer – to early Fall
USDA Hardiness Zone: 9 to 10
Light Range: Full Sun
pH Range: 5.5 to 6.5
Soil Range: almost any type of soil, including heavy clay. Plant requires good drainage.
Water Range: Normal to Moist
Fertilization – every 2-3 weeks with a half-strength balance liquid feed.
Pests and diseases: infrequent but can suffer from root rot if not in well draining soil.

Propagation: Can be propagated by seed or division.

To grow from seed, material must be sown as fresh as possible. Sow seeds at 61°F (16°C).. Seeds can be floated in water with good germination.  Good seeds will germinate in 2-3 days. However, they can be sown directly under 1/8-1/4 inch of potting mix with good results. Sowing of seeds must coincide with the growing season. Check periodically for germination. When the radicle appears, pot up the germinated seeds. Seedlings will grow well with a little dilute fertilizer and may remain in growth for the first 2 years. These plants are known for their preference of deep pots and will usually put their bulbs at the bottom of even very deep pots. Adult bulbs should be grown in a low organic mix (1:3 organic:inorganic).  Keep dry when dormant.

If growing in container: Grow these in a very well draining mix (1:9 organic:inorganic) in a terracotta pot. These bulbs like to be planted deep. They dislike root disturbance, but can be re-potted every 3 years.

If growing outdoors in a warm climate, they can remain in the ground. Make sure to plant bulbs 6 – 8 inches deep. Outdoors, the plants can be transplanted or propagated, but do so when in dormancy by removing offsets in either autumn or winter. If dividing or transplanting, do not expect the plant to bloom for that year. You will get foliage, but may not get flowers.