THRIVING IN CROSSROADS: It’s all about natives in 2022
by Suzanne LaBrecque/Victoria County Master Gardener and Gardeners’ Dirt editor
Jan 14, 2022
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE
Mexican Plum tree in bloom
This photo shows the unique characteristics of the Mexican Plum tree’s trunk and bark.
For 2022 Victoria Master Gardeners decided to write about native plants that thrive in the Crossroads area.
At least once a month you can read about native trees, shrubs, grasses, vines or flowering plants in Gardeners’ Dirt. The goal is to help gardeners make good choices of plants that will grow in variable conditions.
Native plants can withstand deep freezes, scorching heat and even droughts. Plants that are indigenous to an area can respond to changes in their environment and continue growing.
In the winter, native plants hold their winter dormancy until it is safe to leaf out. In the oppressing heat of summer, native plants’ roots are deep and their leaves can be coated with wax or other substances that slow evaporation. Some natives drop their leaves only to re-leaf when environmental conditions improve.
Most native plants support wildlife.
They provide food for insects, birds and some mammals. And plants depend on wildlife to pollinate their flowers and distribute their seeds.
A garden of native plants once started, does not need to be planted, sowed, weeded or watered. Nature takes care of itself.
The first native plant for this series is the Mexican Plum tree (Prunus Mexicana). This tree has many outstanding attributes and was described by Sally and Andy Wasowski as “the star of Texas native plums.”
This beautiful, wide-spreading tree is a perfect choice for small yards. It usually grows to 15 to 25 feet tall but can reach 35 feet. It grows well in full-sun or as an understory tree shaded by larger trees. In the wild it can be found in thickets rather than alone.
Plant this tree in full sun, dappled shade or part shade. It will grow in many soils from clay to limestone to sandy loam, as long as the soil drains well.
When selecting the tree, Doug Welsh, in his Texas Garden Almanac, recommends a 15-gallon tree that is about 8 to 10 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 1 to 1-1/2 inches.
Be sure to find a Mexican plum with a single, central trunk that is free of wounds and has a healthy root system.
The branches should be balanced with dense healthy foliage free of brown leaf tips.
Properly watering a newly planted tree will minimize transplant shock but be careful not to overwater. Welsh warns that more trees are killed by over-watering than under-watering.
Be aware that lawn sprinklers or spray irrigation systems do not water trees.
The Mexican plum trees are one of first ornamental trees to bloom in the spring. Blooms appear seven to 10 days before its leaves appear. The small 1-inch white blooms are very sweet and fragrant. When this tree is in full bloom it attracts bees, making them an excellent choice for pollinator gardens. As the blossoms fade, they become pale pink.
The deciduous Mexican plum tree’s leaves turn yellow in the fall. As the tree ages, its attractive bark develops more character with satiny, blue-gray horizontal stripes that have darker striations. The trunk has handsome peeling bark like birch trees have.
In late summer the quarter-sized plums change color from yellow to mauve to purple as they ripen. Songbirds feast on them. Its edible fruit is good for making jellies or preserves.
Mexican plum trees have a life expectancy ranging from 25 to 50 years. These trees are also a good fire-wise choice. In addition, this tree resists oak wilt.
What is not to like about this native tree? The fruits, while delicious, can be messy.
The branches have some thorns and borers can attack its trunk.
Nevertheless, its overall characteristics make the Mexican Plum an excellent landscape investment.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County and published in The Victoria Advocate
REFERENCES
The Southern Living Garden Book, edited by Steve Bender, Oxmoor House, 1998, page 344.
Sperry, N., Lone Star Gardening, 2016, page 81.
Wasowski, S. and Wasowski, A. Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region, Lone Star Books, 2000.
Welsh, D. Texas Garden Almanac, Texas A&M University Press, 2007.