LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
With
the movement towards using native plant material in the home landscape
growing by leaps and bounds each year it is high time that we clear up a few
general
misconceptions. One of the main attractions to the use of local natives is
they are just plain easier to grow. If we can find some local plants that we
like
the looks of then we have a truly winning combination. Right?......Well, almost.
Read on.
To begin with we need to acknowledge
the sheer size of the state we live in. Ecologically speaking Texas
encompasses several climates from the seriously
cold and windy Panhandle to the subtropical Valley or from the damp forests
of East
Texas to the dry desert of West Texas. As far as botany is concerned,
Texas is divided into ten distinctly different eco regions according
to the types
of plants
that dominate each region. Where these divisions meet we can observe
a gradual blending of plant species or a sharp contrast as one encounters
when dropping
off the Balcones Escarpment onto the Coastal Plains. Notice in the first
paragraph
I used the term “local natives.”
Before you go shopping you need to maybe check a map to determine which
of these eco regions you live in (go to npsot.org for a map). It is popular
right now for
nurseries to inform the shopper that certain plants are Texas natives.
That is no insurance that this particular native will work well for you.
Knowing which
part of the state that plant is native to is the real criteria. That
information is readily available by asking a knowledgeable person, consulting
a good reference
book, or doing a web search.
Another fairly reliable method to determine which native plants are suited to
your particular area is to simply draw a 50 mile, then a 100 mile radius around
your location. Within the 50 mile circle it is a pretty safe bet that there is
little difference in climate. The natives found within that radius will at least
be capable of handling the weather. Beyond the 100 mile circle it is likely that
there will be some difference in temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Note that
this method will not work in areas where drastic changes in elevation occur such
as in the mountainous regions of West Texas or the canyon country of the Panhandle.
In these situations elevation will play a more significant role than actual distance.
Now if you are not confused yet, let’s take it a step further.
Within each of these eco regions we find wet places in low areas or near
creeks,
rivers, lakes,
and etc. Dry areas on higher ground. Shady places in wooded areas or
the northern exposure of hills. Sunny places in clearings and open grasslands.
Extremely
hot exposures in rocky or gravelly soils facing south or west. Add to
this
the full
gamut of soil types from tight clays to loose sand and from high fertility
to very poor soil and you get an amazing amount of diversity in what
we call microclimate.
Observe the locations where your desired plant wants to grow in the wild.
Quite a few plants found growing in these microclimates are pretty finicky
about
being planted outside their preferred habitat. For this reason, you may
fail at growing
certain plants even though they are native to your local area.
Let’s use blackfoot daisy (melampodium leucanthum) as an example.
This beautiful little white flowered daisy can be found growing over
a much of
the state. It can set off a profuse bloom any time during the spring,
summer, or
fall. It is very drought tolerant, cold hardy, and it thrives in reflected
heat. Seems like an easy plant to grow until you pay attention to microclimate.
In
Nature, blackfoot daisy is almost always found growing on very exposed
rocky or gravelly hillsides. If you take this plant and attempt to grow
it in rich
garden soils that are constantly irrigated it will probably not live
very long. On the other hand if you plant it in a sunny well drained
raised
bed, berm,
or rock garden and neglect it some it may thrive for many years.
Now let’s look at our Texas bluebell (eustoma grandiflora) as a
second example. This is one of the showiest of our native wildflowers.
Texas bluebell
usually does not bloom until the serious heat of late June to early July.
Once it has begun it will continue to bloom throughout the summer and
into the fall.
Several years ago I noticed large numbers of these big flowered beauties growing
around the shoreline of a local lake. They all were found slightly away from
shore (not actually in the water) and out to about 25 feet or so away from the
shore where they suddenly stopped as if a line had been drawn to prevent further
spread. As I sat and scratched my head over this I finally deduced that the water
itself was the limiting factor. On a windy day, the breaking waves would be blowing
spray about 20 to 30 feet up the bank giving the bluebells an extra drink. With
this in mind I began noticing that almost without exception bluebells are found
growing in low places and often in poorly drained soils. This makes perfect sense
for a summer bloomer to prefer places that puddle up after a quick summer shower.
Texas bluebell is a perfect candidate for that deep moist garden soil where the
blackfoot daisy would surely rot.
Then there are those plants that are very forgiving. They thrive in a
wide range of soils and conditions. This past year I was working with
a client who had spent
most of his career in Nebraska. He wanted me to take a look at a native
plant display from the University of Nebraska as an example of what he
wanted to recreate
here in Wichita Falls. I was not overly thrilled by this but I went ahead
and looked up the web site. At first I was taken aback by all the plants
listed (about
70% to 80%) that were native that far north and were also native to our
local area. Then I remembered that both Nebraska and my portion of North
Texas were
on the Great Plains. We share very similar growing conditions although
Nebraska gets much colder in the winter. The same plants that are in
peak bloom typically
in May here in North Texas would bloom in June or July for the folks
in Nebraska. That was the only real difference.
A good example of one of these forgiving plants is turk’s cap (malvaviscus
arboreus var. drummondii). This long lived perennial produces bright red whorled
flowers similar to a turban, hence the name. Normally associated with wet places,
turk’s cap is also very drought tolerant. It can stand full sun or full
shade as well making it one of those one-size-fits-all plants that the nursery
industry just loves to sell. Turk’s cap is native to much of Texas excluding
the West Texas deserts and the Panhandle. If we were to locate some wild turk’s
cap here in North Texas we would probably be looking at a rather tidy plant no
more than three or four feet tall and wide. If we travel down into the Hill Country
we would find the same plant to be five or six feet tall and possibly more with
a semi-woody base. Then if we were to travel even further south into the tropical
regions of Mexico we would find turk’s cap to be a tree with a woody trunk.
Here is a plant that has adapted itself over a wide range of different climates.
If it were not for winter and our typically dry summer then turk’s
cap would certainly be a tree in North Texas as well.
The point to all this is simply not to assume that just because a plant
is called a Texas native in the nursery trade means that it is bulletproof,
never needs
water, or improved soils. Any time we take a plant away from its preferred
habitat it will be stressful to that plant and it doesn’t really
matter whether the plant is from a different part of Texas or from China.
The gardener
must
create the right conditions to relieve that stress as much as they possibly
can. If you have failed at growing a certain plant but you really want
to have that
plant then you must study the microclimate carefully. Find out where
it thrives in Nature then try again by creating similar conditions. The
more
you know,
the easier it is to grow.
Until recently, most of the plants we bought and sold in the traditional nursery
trade were the forgiving one-size-fits-all type that would grow in a wide range
of soils and climate. Water was cheap and extra inputs were a given. Today more
people are demanding less water use and lower maintenance in the landscape. Native
plants and native plant nurseries have come to the market place to play a key
role in fulfilling this need. This does not mean that gardeners no longer have
to study horticulture. Indeed, we have been given a whole new set of tools that
compel us to study even more. The ease of creating an aesthetically pleasing
landscape that does not demand input from outside resources has been increased
dramatically as long as we pay attention to location.
Therefore we should not attempt to grow West Texas desert plants in our
eastern forests or vice versa. Instead we should take pride in the particular
eco region
that makes our part of the state what it is. We should display those
plants in the bulk of our attempts at ornamental landscaping. Certainly
we should continue
to experiment with our native plants to discover just how adaptable they
may be but we should always keep in mind that we are experimenting. Experiments
often
fail. Check the environment that the plant is found in Nature and you
will have a better chance at success.
-Paul Dowlearn
