Bright Edge yucca & columbines
Remember that Yucca flaccida ‘Bright Edge’ I bought while shopping for pond plants (how does this happen?) at Hill Country Water Gardens? I’d stuck it in a glazed pot until I could decide where to plant it. Here is its new, permanent home—I hope.
I hope it gets enough sun here. I hope its feet stay dry enough here, along the dry (i.e., wet-weather) stream. I hope, I hope. Isn’t that what gardeners always do? The sunny front garden doesn’t need another spiky plant, so I’m giving it a try in the sunniest part of the back garden. And if it doesn’t like it, I’ll dig it up and move it. Did you know that I like to dig?
This Hinckley’s columbine (Aquilegia hinckleyana ) would look dazzling beside the ‘Bright Edge’ yucca. If only they preferred the same conditions.
The Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora ) is peaking. Its gorgeous, purple flower clusters have a very sweet, almost cloying, grapey fragrance.
When I walk by, I inhale deeply in order to store up the memory until next spring.
A passalong purple iris from my friend Nadene is blooming for the first time. It’s a muddier purple than the ‘Amethyst Flame,’ and I’m not sure it works with the cobalt bottle tree. But I do like those hot-yellow beards. Rather than beards, they remind me of tongues in an open mouth.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam,
Did the Texas Mountain Laurel replace your Vitex tree? It is beautiful.
Gail
No, Gail, the mountain laurel was growing under the vitex’s canopy, which is why it’s kind of lopsided now that the vitex is gone. I’m hoping it will fill out now that it gets sun from all sides. —Pam
What a gorgeous color on your Texas mountain laurel. Yummy.
Yummy is right, in fragrance if not in flavor. Grape Kool-Aid! —Pam
I know just how you feel when you say you are ‘hoping’. I am full of hope for my garden. I think all gardeners like to dig and plant things. I am a great one for rearranging plants, furniture. Most anything that is moveable gets moved here.
I love that TX Mountain Laurel. Just gorgeous. I wish we had smellavision on our computers.
Wouldn’t smellavision be perfect for garden bloggers? And you’d think all gardeners like to dig, but I just ran across one recently who said that was her least favorite garden chore. She preferred weeding. —Pam
It isn’t as pretty here in Tyler yet. It looks beautiful there already. I saw that container of water with the plant in it in your yard above. Sometimes I see this in a magazine. Containers with water and plants but no pump aerating the water. I’ve thought of doing this, but worried about the mosquitoes. Your thoughts?
Brenda
If you look at the left edge of the container pond in the photo above, you’ll see a pump cord coming out of the water. I have a bubbler pump ; it just wasn’t on when I shot the photo. But what I rely on to keep out mosquito larvae are fish. I keep two Comet goldfish in this 100-gallon pond. I never feed them, so they’re excellent larvae eaters. They also eat algae, and they add color. I never see any wriggly mosquito larvae, so I know the fish are doing their job.
And, if you’re interested, there are four plants in this pond: the horsetail reed you see here, a star grass sedge which is coming back from winter dormancy, a water lily doing the same, and the underwater oxygenator plant anacharis. —Pam
HA Lisa, smellavision, that’s a good one. Pam, to my eyes your iris, muddy or clean, looks wonderful with the bottle tree, but that is just a guess since I am not seeing the bottle tree in the photo, only in the mind’s eye ;-> but like you the beards are what always get me in those flowers. I have some white with dark orange beards that are outstanding. I can’t wait to see your garden, can you give us a hint as to what will be the starts? I hope the columbine is still going, it looks beautiful.
Frances at Faire Garden
Frances, I hope that the roses and salvias will be in full bloom for the Spring Fling. Maybe also the damianita, Gulf Coast penstemon, heartleaf skullcap, and Anacacho orchid tree. —Pam
Ugh! The sun is trying to kill us! Will anything actually be blooming for GBBD tomorrow? I just saw my violas (which looked so perky this morning) and they have completely shriveled. My Jerusalem sage is lying on the ground. All the seed-grown annuals I transplanted this week are dead. And the larkspur, which was just about to open, is limp.
That’s not good news. I’m sad about your larkspur, especially. I’ll be eager to see what you and everyone else has tomorrow. I won’t be able to post until Sunday or Monday. —Pam
I agree with Frances that the Iris matches the bottle tree. There is blue on the falls just below the beard. To my eye, all blues go together. If you really wanted to put that Yucca together with the Columbine, you should put one (or both) in a container to put them next to each other.
That’s a good idea. Actually, there is a columbine on the other side of that container pond, in the shade. Perhaps it will grow tall enough to peek over the rim, and then I can see them both at the same time. —Pam
Pam/digging,
You like to dig? Me, too, plus I like to hoe. I never worry about flowers clashing, usually. I think that iris is pretty and so if it clashes with the bottle tree for the few days it is in bloom, cover the bottle tree!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
I hadn’t thought of that solution, Carol. I’ll probably just let it be, as you suggest. Until I need a digging fix. —Pam
Ya gotta love to dig in this world! lol!
Great pictures. I love the Texas Mt Laurel. Guess we don’t have those up here in Mass. Our Mt Laurel is white or a very light pink. Nothing compared to this amazing color!
Carol
Carol, our native mountain laurel is not really a laurel at all. Rather, it’s in the pea family. It’s a bit of a misnomer, but they are certainly very pretty. —Pam
Pam, your beautiful blooms are a feast for the eyes.
Thanks, Robin! —Pam
I know Texas Mountain Laurel is not supposed to like Houston. It does grow here though. Any suggestions for good placement, care and feeding for a place like Houston? I would LOVE to have one. (my neighbors ML both seem to have burnt to a crisp last summer or maybe drowned-not sure which)
I went to the Houston Rodeo yesterday, Chris, and saw them growing by Reliant Stadium—and they looked great. Based on what they like in Austin, I can only offer this siting advice : full sun and mounded, well-draining soil to help with drainage. They respond well to a little extra water, but they do not like wet feet. They will not burn, no matter how hot, so your neighbor’s probably drowned. —Pam
Well how on earth can you grow a bearded iris? I guess I just don’t understand the Austin climate.
Certain varieties of bearded iris do better here than others. I’m not sure why some are successful and others aren’t, but the ‘Amethyst Flame’ has been very reliable for me. —Pam
Dear Pam: Please, pretty please, save me 3 seeds of Hinckley’s columbine. I’ve been searching for it for years!!
Oh, they’re common as dirt around here, Karen, and can be found in several nurseries around town. I’m not the best seed collector in the world, but I’ll certainly try to save seed for you. —Pam
Interesting–“we” grow a shrub/tree here called Psoralea pinnata that looks a lot like your Sophora and makes the same grape juice smell.
I just took a look online, Chuck. Your Psoralea reminds me more of the desert willow, Chilopsis linearis. No fragrance on the desert willow though. —Pam
Thanks, well when I can make a bed that drains really well that Texas Mountain Laurel will have to have a try. I can’t imagine a more hostile environment than all the car fumes and concrete around Reliant!
My landscaper friends all tell me that giant Allium will not grow in Houston either. I look at those northern seed catalogs and just pine for one.
Any reason why they don’t do well? My friends all say “no” but can’t explain why.
I don’t know about the Allium, Chris. It’s hard to see those beautiful, cool-climate plants in catalogs when we can’t have them, isn’t it? But take comfort in knowing that gardeners up there are pining for the tropicals that you can grow. —Pam
My galvanized tub is on the way from Michigan. I could not find a local purveyor. Meanwhile my water lily is reclining in a saucer. I need an above water plant for the tub when it comes.
Have fun with your new container pond when it arrives. If you’re like me, you’ll soon be wondering why you didn’t begin sooner. —Pam
The mountain laurel and the iris are really pretty.
I love the colors. The iris will be lovely no matter where it ends up.
Enjoy.
Thanks, Chigiy. —Pam
I was out nursery browsing on Saturday, and came very close to purchasing two 24″ box Texas Mountain Laurel trees. At the last minute I changed my mind, not because I didn’t want them, but because they are so slow growing. If I was younger, I wouldn’t hesitate, but at this age, I sometimes wonder if it pays to buy green bananas! LOL.
Aiyana
Ha! Well, I think you’d love the Texas mountain laurel even if it is slow growing. It blooms well and has a nice shape even when small. And it does grow faster with extra water, though it can get too floppy for its own root structure if it receives too much water. —Pam
The Texas mountain laurel is a spectacular tree. It looks rather like our golden chaintree but with different colored flowers and a better form. I wanted to plant the Japanese Pagodatree or Scholar-tree a hardy relative to your tree with whitish yellow flowers but was unsuccessful in growing one 🙁 Maybe I should give it another try.
I thought the columbines could tolerate dry conditions since they are an alpine plant and grow in gritty well draining soil?
You’re right that columbines prefer well-draining soil, Ki. Here in Austin, they also prefer partial shade, while the yucca wants full sun. Of course, this yucca’s not going to get full sun where I’ve planted it, only part sun, so time will tell whether its siting is going to work. —Pam
The Texas Mtn. Laurel is so beautiful. I wish I could grow that! That is also a very pretty columbine.
It’s our consolation for not being able to grow lilacs. Do you have a consolation plant in Alabama, Phillip? —Pam
Pam, all your Texas blooms are a cheery sight. The iris are a pretty shade and I love that yellow columbine. That Texas Mountain Laurel is a real beauty…such a pretty color! I was sad to read in MSS’s comment about the hot sun killing some of her plants. I can’t even begin to imagine 90+º temps!
Thanks for visiting my GBBD post. We’re enjoying the few precious blooms from the bulbs that the squirrel left us 🙂
While we were “enjoying” 95 degrees last weekend, a friend remarked, “It feels like summer.” I replied, “If only summer were this hot.” If 90+ is hard to imagine, Kerri, try 100+. That’s when it gets miserable. Enough griping, though. The heat is gone for now, and I’m enjoying a beautiful Austin spring. Thanks for dropping by. —Pam
Good Morning (here)
I am new at Blotanical and I had just a little peek at your blog. The Photos are really beautiful. I love The yellow Aquilegia (Granny’s Bonnet) The Sophora Is a sight to behold. I think in New Zealand is a native Sophora with Yellow pea flowers. Looking forward to follow your blog.Trudi
Hi, Trudi. Thanks for your kind comments and for saying hello. I’d like to see the New Zealand Sophora. Do you grow it in Australia? —Pam
Pam,
I join almost everyone else in saying that Texas Mountain Laurel is magnificent! What huge, gorgeous blooms it has!
Mary Beth
Have you ever tried one in San Antonio, Mary Beth? I’m sure they’re all over town, as they are here. —Pam
That tour was just what I needed to keep me on track for my new gardens. I needed to see that hard work pays off. Sounds like you had a fun trip and I enjoyed those photos too. I love the bluish-grey pot on the patio and all the other blues that marry the whole atmosphere. Thank you.
Thanks, Anna. I’m sure my sister will enjoy all the compliments. —Pam