[ Sunset Hibiscus (Abelmoschus manihot) | Posted on March 8, 2022 ] WARNING: this plant is not safe to eat during pregnancy. Though edible, the plant should be avoided by pregnant women. The bark, and likely the leaves, flowers, and other parts of the plant, are dangerous to unborn children. |
[ Common Fig (Ficus carica 'LSU Purple') | Posted on June 28, 2021 ] This variety of fig is supposed to bear fruit repeatedly each year. |
[ Pomegranate (Punica granatum 'Wonderful') | Posted on June 28, 2021 ] I planted one in Central Texas (zone 8b) the autumn before the arctic freeze of February 2021. We had about a week of icy temperatures down to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. The tree died back to the ground, but it came back quite strong and is growing amazingly fast. |
[ Concord Grape (Vitis labrusca 'Concord') | Posted on May 8, 2021 ] I planted a Concord grape early this Spring (2021) and it is doing very well. Lots of leaves and new growth. The leaves have a bit of damage; something is eating them but I'm not sure what. I note this because the Niagara grape next to it has no damage. Perhaps Concord is less resistant to whatever is snacking on it in Central Texas than Niagara is. But I don't think there is any real damage to the plant. |
[ Fox Grape (Vitis labrusca 'Niagara') | Posted on May 8, 2021 ] I planted a Niagara grape early this spring (2021) and it's doing very well. Lots of leaves and new branches. I cut off all the flowers I found so that it would put its energy into root growth. Nevertheless, I found a small cluster of grapes hidden under a leaf. I will leave them. They are supposed to ripen around September. |
[ Grape (Vitis 'Herbemont') | Posted on May 2, 2021 ] This grape is a hybrid of the classic European grape Vitis vinifera and American native grape Vitis aestivalis var. bourquiniana. It may also be descended from Vitis cinerea, another US native. |
[ Japanese Plum (Prunus salicina 'Santa Rosa') | Posted on April 22, 2021 ] Santa Rosa plum is one of the plum varieties best suited to Texas weather. It is self fertile, but probably bears better with a pollinator or a grafted branch from another variety of plum. |
[ Apple (Malus domestica 'Anna') | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] Anna apple trees have an unusually low number of required chill hours. Apple trees require a certain number of cold-weather hours or they won't produce fruit. Anna requires so few it can produce fruit even in places like Central Texas, with mild winters. It does need another apple tree (of another variety, I think) to pollinate it. Make sure the pollinator blooms at the same time. |
[ Apricots (Prunus armeniaca) | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] This delicious fruit can be frustrating for gardeners in climates with late freezes. Apricots are notoriously prone to getting nipped in the bud, so in places like Texas you can really only expect to get an apricot crop once every few years. |
[ Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] Sugar maples can be tapped for their sap, which is boiled down into maple syrup, but only in certain climates. They can only be tapped where the weather repeatedly rises above freezing and drops again regularly for a long time, because when spring weather comes, the sap rises from the roots, and when it freezes again the sap flows back down. A long period of regular freezes and thaws means a long period when the right kind of sap is accessible in the trunk in large quantities. |
[ Daikon Radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatu 'Miyashige White Radish') | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] Daikon radishes are used as cover crops. Their thick roots penetrate 1-2 feet into the ground, and not long after they were seeds, they are done. Farmers leave the roots in the soil to decompose into good organic matter for other plants, and use the leaves (working them into the soil, I think) for the same purpose. |
[ Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] Arbutus unedo's outer bark peels and flakes off to reveal smooth, cinnamon-red bark underneath. |
[ Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] This is considered one of the most cold-hardy palms around. It's unusual for a palm in that it prefers part shade rather than full sun. It might be the best choice for someone with frosty winters who wants to give palms a try for the first time. |
[ Rose (Rosa 'Valentine') | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] I planted this rose in the fall, and it bloomed into December! Then it started blooming again, like crazy, in mid-April. |
[ Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii) | Posted on April 21, 2021 ] Turk's Cap bloomed in December for me near Austin, TX, even after multiple frosts! |
[ Rose (Rosa 'Shadow Dancer') | Posted on January 18, 2021 ] This rose is impressive: |