Hill Country Beauty, Beard And All

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Tina

Hill Country Penstemon (Penstemon triflorus) is one of my favorite spring bloomers and every spring I eagerly anticipate the bloom cycle of this striking plant. This penstemon is one of the larger species and is a showy one indeed.

The blooms are fuchsia red and bloom in pairs and the leaves are lance-shaped and are opposite along the stem. A slender and elegant plant at bloom time, the flowers of the Hill Country Penstemon are borne on spikes 2-3 feet tall. Blooming “normally” in April and May, this year, my group of four began their bloom cycle in early March, about a month earlier than the normative time period.

Endemic to the Texas Hill Country, its native distribution is throughout the Edwards Plateau.

The penstemon genus is a large group of plants native to North America. The term penstemon means “five stamen” because of the five stamens in each flower, one of which is long and often fuzzy or hairy. The hairy stamen looks as if it’s a hairy tongue sticking out of an open mouth, giving rise to a common and old-fashioned name for many penstemon plants,”beardtongue.”

Another common name for Hill Country Penstemon is Heller’s Beardtongue. Most penstemon plants have tubular shaped flowers with lip-like petals, two at the “top” and three on the “bottom” of the flower.

A neighbor gave me my first Hill Country Penstemon years ago and it was a reliable bloomer. I’d forgotten about it because a larger shrub, Cenizo (Leucophyllum candidum), grew tall and shaded it to the point that it hadn’t bloomed in a couple of years. When I began a re-landscape of my back garden in 2010, I moved the two I had and added two more–one from Barton Springs Nursery and one from the fall Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s plant sale.

Interestingly, I noticed that the Penstemon from the Wildflower Center (left in the photo above) was generally larger and taller than the others I had. The stem was thicker and the leaves were definitely larger. Once it bloomed, the flower was also different: larger, lighter in color and with more variegation.

Surprise!! But a nice surprise! I thought that it looked a little like the Wild Foxglove or Prairie Penstemon (P. cobaea). After reading a bit, I discovered that these two penstemons commonly hybridze with one another. I assume that is what this different looking penstemon is.

So I seem to have two similar plants: a true P. triflorus and and a hybrid thereof.

I’ve planted this group of Hill Country Penstemon at the edge of a large mixed perennial garden beside a pathway, so that I could enjoy their beauty, up close, without traipsing into the garden itself. I love to see pollinators at work,

and observe the penstemon blooms sticking their hairy tongues out at me as I amble by, coffee cup in hand.

While I like where I have my Hill Country Penstemons planted, this is a plant more appropriately placed in the center or back of a large perennial bed. In spring, the Penstemon bloom spikes grow taller than surrounding shrubs and perennials that have been pruned during winter.

Once the bloom cycle is finished, the plant develops seeds for the next generation. Because my Penstemons are planted at the edge of the garden and the bloom stalks fade in attractiveness as the plant is developing its seeds, I prune them back well before the seeds are ready to disperse. If I had them planted in the center or back of the garden, I could let them develop seeds because the other perennials and shrubs would partially camouflage the unattractiveness of the spent bloom spikes. That way, I could allow the seeds to develop and disperse, thus ensuring the propagation of more Hill Country Penstemon without sacrificing attractiveness in the garden. It was a calculated decision on my part to have them at the edge of the bed, but I haven’t had any seedlings from this plant because I prune it down for neatness sake. Once the spent bloom stalks are pruned to the ground, there is a rosette which stays green throughout the remainder of summer and into the fall and winter.

That said, the Hill Country Penstemon can be separated at the roots, so it’s propagated that way as well.

In a mixed perennial garden like this one,

it’s good to arrange a mix of sizes, shapes and bloom times so that there is layering effect of blooms, foliage and form interest.

I planted the four Hill Country Penstemons along with Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) and Lyre-leaf Sage ( Salvia lyrata), which bloom in concert with the Penstemon. I’ve also planted some Iris (Shoshana’s Iris, I believe) next to the Penstemon to echo the spiky form. Unfortunately, the Iris didn’t bloom this year, but they are lovely with the Penstemon, blooms or not. I also have Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) planted in the same area, which will start blooming toward the end of the Penstemons’ bloom cycle and throughout the summer. Further behind and along either side of the Penstemon group, I’ve planted perennials with more shrub-like growth habits and (in general), longer bloom times. For example, just behind the Hill Country Penstemon are planted two Henri Duelberg Sage (Salvia farinacea ‘Henri Duelberg’), which will get 2 to 3 feet in height and width, several Rock Rose ( Pavonia lasiopetala), two white Autumn Sage (S. greggii) , two roses (Old Gay Hill and Martha Gonzales) and a Lindheimer’s (or Big) Muhly (Muhlenbergia lindeimeri).

The Hill Country Penstemon requires full sun and can tolerate rocky to heavy clay soils. It’s drought tolerant and a nectar source for bees and butterflies. In Austin, I’ve seen them for sale at Barton Springs Nursery and at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s spring/fall plant sale.

Hill Country Penstemon is tough and so, so pretty. Even with her hairy, bearded tongue.

Garden Fairies

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Tina

My neighbor thinks that Columbines look like fairies in flight.

Me? I’ve always thought that Columbines look like shooting stars.

According to information about Columbines from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower plant database pages, the Aquilegia (genus) name comes from the Latin aquila, which means eagle. Apparently some people think the spurred petals look like eagle talons. Another of the database pages describes the etymology of the word ‘columbine’ as derived from the Latin word columbinus, which means dove. The story is that the columbine resembles a group of doves. The long spurs are the birds’ heads and shoulders, the sepals are the wings, the petals are the birds’ bodies. I must say, I’m not quite sure I see that one.

Whatever whimsical, folksy story that gardeners choose to tell describing the Columbine, this is a must-have plant in the shady, xeric garden.

Columbines are native in many parts of the United States. In general though, Columbines are shade loving, cool season perennials. The common Texas Columbines are the yellow and red flowering plants. These perennials have beautiful, evergreen foliage,

and stunning flowers in the spring.

Columbines provide (for me anyway) great joy and have always represented the beginning of spring here in Austin. When I first started growing Columbines in my garden, they would reliably begin their spring bloom cycle the second week of March–roughly during Spring Break. I usually could dead-head them (until I grew weary of that chore) and they’d bloom until early to mid-June. During this past decade, my Columbines have started to bloom two to three weeks earlier–now usually beginning in late February. It’s now too hot by mid-June for them to bloom.

During the summer months, they tend to shrink in size (even as small as 4-5 inches in diameter) and sometimes, individual plants will go dormant. Then, as soon as the fall rains begin, cooler temperatures arrive and the days grow short, they perk up. Columbines have beautiful winter foliage; the leaves are deeply lobed and bright green.

They look so delicate, but I’ve seen them covered in ice and once the ices melts, they’re perfectly fine and maybe even blooming within a few days.

Columbines in the wild are identified by species characteristics and often are endemic to a specific geographic area. But those bought in nurseries are cultivars and are bred and sold for their showy blooms and hardiness. The common Columbine that many Texas gardeners buy at nurseries is the Yellow or Hinckley Columbine, or more than likely, a hybrid of those two and perhaps others. Columbines (even those in the wild) will hybridize easily between species.

Years ago, I bought several “yellow” Columbines (I have no clue what the tag actually called it), although they were probably A. chrysantha var. hinckleyana, or a variant thereof. Sometime later, I added to my gardens the Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), also native to Texas.

Over the years, they’ve re-seeded and I now have a variety of hybrids–yellow flowers of differing sizes with a pink blush on the spurs, petals or sepals.

I still have a couple of pure yellow Columbines,

and a Red Columbine (A. canadensis). The Red Columbine is the host plant for the Columbine Duskywing butterfly.

Columbines are easy to grow in Central Texas. They are reportedly deer resistant and are most beautiful during the cooler time of year (October-May), reaching the zenith of their beauty in March and April. I’ve seen them grow in a variety of soil conditions, but Columbines prefer a moderately moist, well-draining soil. Columbines are considered a drought tolerant perennial and in my personal gardens, I don’t water these plants more than twice per month in our dry, hot summers. During the summer of 2011, which was record-breaking hot and dry, my Columbines limped along. I don’t believe that any died but they definitely struggled with the heat. Most of mine also suffered leaf burn, too. While that’s not unusual for Columbines in Texas heat, I noticed more damage after last summer.

I simply pruned the damaged leaves and by October, they began to revive and develop new foliage and begin their march toward spring beauty.

Interestingly, in October 2011, I also noticed that there were several blooms on my Columbines. I’ve never seen that before, although I’ve read that Columbines will “rarely” bloom in the fall. I assume the blooms were a response to the rain that began after our exceptional drought and heat of the past year.

The only problem I’ve ever experienced with Columbines is that they sometimes develop leaf mites. The mites appear at the end of spring and end of the bloom cycle. An infestation can be diagnosed when the leaves begin to develop an unhealthy looking yellow, with some leaf mottling. If you turn a leaf over, you can spot the culprits–tiny little spider-like critters. I’ve only had to spritz mine with a blast of water from the hose (under the leaf) and generally, that takes care of the infestation. It’s a good idea though, to prune off the damaged leaves. The plant will generate new ones and soon, the Columbine is back to full health. That said, it’s been a long time since I’ve had that problem with any Columbines that I grow.

Columbines are a short-lived perennial (4 or 5 years, usually), so let them re-seed from parent plants and you’ll always have some around.

If you have shade and you want a hardy and beautiful blooming perennial, try planting Columbine. Here in Texas, stick with the Yellow or Red Columbines and you won’t be disappointed. For a complete tutorial on Columbines, check out the NPIN Database Page on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower website. Just type in “aquilegia” or “columbine” and hit go.The window will appear with a long list of this perennial, you can click on the one(s) you’re interested in and read away!

And then, invite some fairies and shooting stars and doves to your garden.

I’ve Got A Crush On You

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Tina

It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m gushing about my love for a red, red…tubular shaped flower which blooms on a Texas tough vine.

I’m aflutter over Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). A vine to please wildlife and people alike, this lovely and hardy plant is native to Texas, but is found in other parts of the United States.

The vine is generally evergreen in the Austin area, although can become thin in a very cold winter. My experience is that the vine blooms mostly during springtime, but I’ve seen it bloom well into summer with rain and/or irrigation. I’ve also seen occasional blooms in the fall and winter. With our mild winter this year, it’s blooming earlier than usual.

The leaves are rounded or oblong, with a point at the end and are paired and opposite from one another.

I find the new leaves attractive because of their rich bronze color and during the main bloom time, the combination of the bronze leaves and new blooms is especially beautiful.

The flowers are grouped in clusters and are red with yellow interiors. So pretty!

In spring, the well-behaved climbing vine is loaded with these gorgeous clusters of blooms.

If the timing is right and there are hummingbirds around, they’ll be courting these flowers. Coral Honeysuckle is an excellent wildlife plant. It provides nectar (for hummers, bees and butterflies) and a fruit that many birds love. I’ve had fruits develop on my vine, but they never remain long because the birds snatch them up as soon as they ripen. The mature fruit is an iridescent coral color. It’s a little too soon after the beginning of the bloom season for mature fruit, but there are some nascent fruits developing on my vine.

Coral Honeysuckle is also the larval host for the Spring Azure butterfly and the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. (Check out the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center page on Coral Honeysuckle.)

As with many vines which bloom prolifically, Coral Honeysuckle blooms best in full sun, but it will bloom in part shade, but probably not deep shade. I planted this one three years ago this month.

It grows moderately quickly–I stapled a large wire mesh to the fence to assist the vine with its climbing needs and away it went. Coral Honeysuckle is beautiful planted over an arch as an entry to a garden space. I clip off any dead undergrowth (or at least, I should…) and any errant branches. As the new growth reaches skyward, I’ll bend the branches into the existing vine or I’ll prune them, depending upon whether there’s room for the vine to spread.

I don’t have any irrigation on this vine, so this past hot and dry year, I only watered it when I noticed it looking sad and dejected. In fact, according to the The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, it’s a plant that doesn’t particularly like being in heavy or wet soils. I’ve never experienced any disease or insect problems with the vine, but the ones I’ve grown or gardened around have all received full sun.

I’ll enjoy the luscious blooms of Coral Honeysuckle and appreciate its steadfast and reliable presence in my gardens. It’s no wonder I have a crush on this plant.