I had been somewhat concerned, since this plant has done nothing since I planted it last June. I was hoping that I had been able to keep the soil alkaline enough for it when I added amendments. (This species, being native to Texas, actually likes alkaline soils.) Somebody I met recently said that her landscapers made the mistake of planting hers in soil that was too acid, and the plant refused to grow until this was rectified.
Above is a later shot, taken some days later when the flowers opened more.The photos below were taken toward the end of last week
Already, as of last Saturday, the flowers began to wilt, and seed pods are forming in their place.
There is also new growth on this plant. I will post pictures of this later.
I saw several larger specimens of Texas Mountain Laurel during a recent trip to San Antonio. They appear to be quite common over there. Some were trained as trees, and others were left to grow as large shrubs. Either way, there is nothing quite like being downwind from a large one of these when it is in full bloom. The fragrance is incredible! Some say resembles grape kool-aid, but I'd say I like it even better.
I believe I read someplace (I can't remember where now) that, as a legume, S. secundiflora fixes nitrogen, making them good neighbors for nitrogen-loving plants.
Incidentally, the seeds and pods from this plant are very poisonous and should not be ingested.
7 comments:
I would love to have a couple of Texas Mountain Laurel trees in my garden, but I prefer the silver leafed variety. The purple flower clusters against the silvery foliage is breathtaking!
Last week I almost bought a couple, but they are so slow growing that I decided against it.
Aiyana
I had no idea there was another variety! Thanks for mentioning it.
I managed to find a picture of one here: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/sosecsp1.htm
They do indeed look very beautiful. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled here.
It looks happy and healthy. I think you got the soil just right.~~Dee
In spite of their relatively short bloom period, I love Texas Mountain Laurel too! And isn't it great that it grows well in alkaline soil. It makes up for not being able to grow azaleas and the like. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
This has been a really good year for Texas mountain laurel here in Austin probably because we got so an unusual amount of rain last summer.
I have two tree-sized Texas mountain laurels and a number of smaller ones I've grown from seed over the year. They are very slow growing and, because they have a long taproot, somewhat difficult to transplant.
Taproot. Hmm.
I bought this one in (if I remember correctly) a 3 gallon container. The roots had not yet filled the pot when it was transplanted. I certainly hope life in a container will not be detrimental to the future health of the plant.
It seems pretty happy where I have placed it so far, though. :)
They do have a long taproot and are difficult to transplant.
I've found that container grown Mountain Laurels are aesthetically pleasing.
I've been growing the Mountain Laurels for a few years now in mass quantity via containers. It has taken a few years to get the proper recipe for growing them,but this year looks good.
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