Texas ramblings

Plant lovers on vacation gravitate towards the plants that are in the new location. Although my daughter and I have been to Texas several times before, it is always a nice visit once I accept the unlike-the-East issues. Those issues are heat, bugs, heat, bugs, and more heat and bugs. On the positive side, one of the things that I look forward to here is that the native plants are different than the one's "back East". It is wonderful that we can zoom around the world via the Internet and our friends are as close as a keystroke. But, sometimes, when you visit someplace different, you really want to see different things... because the Walmarts are all the same as are most of the stores at the Mall. Native plants are definitely unique and my mom has many of them growing around her house.

I am sitting outside (rare occurrence for the middle of June in these here parts) writing this blog. Texas is so big, that 2 hours away and you are in a significantly different growing zone but it doesn't seem like you have gone that far away. That is true in Pennsylvania because where I live is in the valley and the Poconos that are 2 hours away are the mountains but here in Texas, it seems different. My brother lives in Keller Texas which is very grassy and mostly flat. Plus, he lives in a suburb of houses that so much like all the other houses in the neighborhood. My folks live in Mt. Vernon in what is referred to the Piney Woods section of Texas. Their community is definitely wooded... my mother has done her part to maintain the woods feeling of her area.

One of my favorite native plants that she has on her property is the Turk's Cap. I have tried to grow it in PA... but it doesn't like it. I enjoy it when I visit here...

Turk's cap Malvaviscus drummondii (M. arboreus var. drummondii)is really a brilliant red and here in the woods, it just glows red in and amongst the foliage. According to the Texas native database, it sounds like it will grow almost anywhere but especially likes part shade.

Will check in again tomorrow,

~k