Strictly Native

Plants
Strictly Native

Strictly Natives - Gailon Hardin

June's Feature:
Echinacea purpurea

The Native American discovered it and the American Pioneer claimed it to purify blood, cure rheumatism, streptococcus, poisonous snakebites, dyspepsia, tumors, syphilis, gangrene, eczema and hemorrhoids. During the 1920s it was this country's most popular plant drug; and today, every corner drug, grocery and herbal store carries bottles of the herb in capsule form. It also comes in flower form pictured below.

Purple coneflower grows two feet high, has 4" daisy flowers with prominent cone-like dark purple centers and lavender petals drooping downward and normally blooms July and August. In mild winters, it can start blooming in March. It will grow in most soils but takes a little more water than most natives. It still, however, must be well drained and is one of those wonderful plants that will take dappled shade to full sun.

Propagation is easy. Once temperature gets 70 degrees, sprinkle seed in spring or summer outdoors and watch the seedlings emerge in 10 to 20 days. Started early, it blooms the first year.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsylvania, 1987.

May's Feature:
Yellow Columbine - Aquilegia chrysantha

Yellow Columbine is one of the many native plants that will grow in full to part shade. It's brilliant yellow color brightens a dark corner and is evergreen throughout our winters. In good soil it can become a three-foot mound of green with it's yellow flowers and long spurs reaching upward another foot or two. Columbines will grow in sand, loam or limestone and require a moist well-drained site. Be careful not to plant the yellow and red varieties together; they cross pollinate and create a yellow/red combination of the two that is not at bright as either original.

If you're interested in propagating Columbine, collect seed as soon as the flower withers and turns brown and the seeds are black in late May or early June. Remove the brown follicle and turn upside down into a container. Allow the follicles to dry for a few days, plant outside immediately or refrigerate for later planting. When planting in the greenhouse, sow the seed in a vermiculite mixture tamp lightly to help hold seeds in place. They need light to germinate, so make sure you can see the seeds on the surface. The seeds germinate within one week; however, they grow slowly. Be patient and do not fertilize young seedlings. They will be ready to transplant into individual containers in six to seven weeks. Mature plants may be divided in the fall. Take care when transplanting not to break too many roots and water immediately after replanting.

References:

Jill Nokes, How to Grow Native Plants of the Southwest, Texas Monthly Press, 1986.

Sally Wasowski and Andy Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, Gulf Publishing Company, 1997.

Harry R. Phillips, Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers, The University of North Carolina Press, 1985.

April's Feature:
Cross Vine (Bignonia capreolata)

My cross-vine surprised me with its colors; it's the only one I've seen like this.

As I hurried out to my compost bin one crisp February morning, I gasped as I saw my six-month old cross-vine. The luscious pink and orange blooms overpowered me, mainly because I just recently converted to Texas natives. After the summer of '98 and '99, I decided pansies and petunias were not my cup of tea; so fall of '99, I got serious with natives.

Cross-vine (Bignonia capreolata) is a vigorous evergreen woody vine capable of reaching 65-70 feet. It climbs via tendrils, has showy 2 inch bell-shaped red and yellow flowers and blooms normally from April to June. However, with our mild winter this year, they started blooming two months earlier. The vine grows in full sun to full shade in rich moist east Texas swamps and in my dry seldom watered sand in North Central Texas.

Since cross-vine is a Texas native, it will come true from seed. Collect the flat leather seed pods in late summer through fall when they are light brown and begin to dry. They will remain viable up to one year if kept in sealed containers in the

Standard coloring

refrigerator. They can be sown outdoors after all danger of frost, or much earlier in a greenhouse. Germination usually occurs within two to four weeks. Cuttings can also be taken from softwood during current season's growth in late spring through summer. Treat cuttings with root hormone and rooting usually takes place in four to eight weeks.

References:

Jill Nokes, How to Grow Native Plants of the Southwest, Texas Monthly Press, 1986.

Sally Wasowski and Andy Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, Gulf Publishing Company, 1997.