This past weekend I attended one of my favorite events of the year, the fall plant sale at the Wildflower Center. I look forward to this sale all year long. I knew I’d try to be budget-wise going in, but I also knew there was a good chance I’d blow it. I blew it. I was having too much fun. Plus, there were so many plants that I felt belonged on the NEED list.
My goal was to increase the native diversity here at Great Stems — I get such pleasure out of adding to “the list.” Besides, the more diversity, the more wildlife I attract. Win-win, for all of us… and the world! My treasured finds this time?
Soapbush, Guaiacum angustifolium — this plant is even cooler in person than the info one can read about it. It’s native to south Texas and the Edwards Plateau, and when it blooms it will have beautiful, fragrant purple flowers. Unfortunately, deer apparently like it, so here’s yet another plant that will get planted in the backyard. It’s the larval host for Gray Hairstreak and Lyside Sulphur butterflies, though the latter are found more in south Texas.
Dwarf Palmetto — I kept delaying buying one because they are such slow growers, but they’ll never grow in my yard if I don’t plant them. I’ve got an area that gets saturated when it rains, so I’m hoping they’ll like it there.
American Smoke Tree, such a beautiful tree. Apparently its blooms look like puffs of smoke when viewed from a distance.
Check out the pink on this Pink Gaura. I couldn’t resist, nor could my neighbor. People followed us around wanting this plant.
Other plants I’m thrilled to have:
White Leadwort
Coralberry
Twist-Leaf Yucca
Crag Lily
Purple Leatherflower (Purple Clematis)
Scarlet Leatherflower (Texas Clematis)
Lindheimer’s Senna
Shrubby Boneset
I did pick up a few extras of plants I already had but wanted more of — with my big yard, it is an ongoing process trying to fill it in. And I picked up a variety of plants for the school — Sandpaper Tree and Lindheimer’s Senna, included — both great plants the tactile-oriented can appreciate.
The boys and I have been tackling the front bed, a shady area that has just needed a lot of work for a long time now. A few plants have done well, but other major ones all died. I did some transplanting of the ones that were struggling and replaced the ones that didn’t make it. I left room for the new plants to grow, and we’re sprinkling Pigeonberry and some shade-tolerant wildflower seeds to eventually fill in the gaps.
Was I clever enough to take a before picture? Not even vaguely. It will take a couple of years to see this area start to fill in, but at least the plants are in the ground and already on their way!
You got some good ones. Do you remember seeing any Texas Musk Flower? I’ve wanted one for a long time.
If you need any more Twisted Leaf Yuccas, Lechugia or Standing Yuccas, please feel free to come get some. Some of the Standing Yuccas are 4 to 5′ tall and it doeasn’t take much root to have a good transplant. I’ll even help you dig, I’m just that stand up of a guy.
Do you mean Scarlet Musk Flower? Nyctaginia capitata? That wasn’t on the available plant list, so I assume it wasn’t there.
I might just take you up on some of those yuccas, Bob! Let me get my beds prepared with more space. What is a Standing Yucca?
Hear hear! I find it impossible to stick to budgets when I have plants around me. They are just begging to be given a loving home with nice damo soil and someone who’ll actually water them! Or I’m making excuses… Either way, your shady bed looks like it’s making some headway. The patchy months are always painful, but I’m sure by this time next year you’ll have it bursting with colour!
I love your list! And believe me, I always blow the budget at the WC sales! I’m adding your list to my list. For your shady bed, check out the geum canadense groundcover. Possibly, Plumbago scandens. I got that in the shady section at WC a few years ago, but my experience is that it wants some sun. Gorgeous!
I love your son’s statue man and plan to borrow his idea! We’ve done the same thing with piles of rocks until we figured out what to do with them. Then we left them for toad and lizard habitats. I want an official statue man.
And yahoosers for joining the wildlife garden forum. I look forward to watching it!
Oh hey, I forgot to add Plumbago scandens to the list — I actually did buy it and put it in the sunniest part of the shade garden. Thanks for reminding me! I’ll have to look for Geum canadense — that one’s new to me.