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roselee_gw

Pix of survivors in the fields nearby ...

About seven or eight years ago quite a few houses in my neighborhood were removed because of flooding from a tributary of Salado Creek. Most of the shrubs were removed along with the houses, but the trees were left. Slowly most all except the native trees died. It's been interesting to see what ornamental plants survived; especially in the last couple of years of extreme drought.

Artemesia grows around a surviving pecan tree ...

Several yellow/orange lantanas are flourishing ...

I think this may be Cedar sage; perhaps it is a wild specimen ...

Rock rose ...

Can anyone ID this beautiful plant?

I may have to transplant a piece to my yard ...

From where I stood I could see four of this same color crape myrtle in the fields. So whatever the variety this one is a survivor ...

There were also lots of Four O'clocks, and lots of wildflowers are coming up because of the 3 1/2 inch rain we had a few weeks ago and then another 3 1/2 inch this last weekend.

So if you want survivors these are a few to remember :-)

Comments (26)

  • carrie751
    12 years ago

    Isn't that a Turk's cap, Roselee? The leaves and blooms look like my Turk's cap.

  • jardineratx
    12 years ago

    Thanks for sharing these photos! Looks like malvaviscus drummondii (turk's cap) in the last photo.
    Molly

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes, I guess it is! Thanks! I thought about Turks cap with that stucture sticking out, but my turks caps leaves are different; bigger, wider, and smoother, and the flowers stay tightly closed, but of course like most everything else there are different varieties of Turk's cap.

  • flowerlover78
    12 years ago

    oh - you guys are great! I just saw that plant - planted at la cantera, and told my husband how beautiful it was and I did not have it- now it has a name!

  • rock_oak_deer
    12 years ago

    Great find Roselee, the first time I saw that Turk's Cap growing at Ft. Sam I had to give it some thought too. It does look just slightly different than the others.

  • pjtexgirl
    12 years ago

    That must be trippy seeing those houses go back to field instead of the other way around. I'd take the whole turk's cap. I've successfully transplanted 2 whole, big plants. It will have large roots. It's native to texas but NOT indigenous to that area so it's not like you're removing wild plants.

  • bossjim1
    12 years ago

    Roselee, I've had success taking hardwood cuttings, of Turk's cap, about 8" long, and just sticking them in the ground, in good garden soil, this time of year, and by spring they are rooted and leafed out.
    Jim

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks Jim and PJ. I'll try to root it first rather than digging the plant. I dug a few artemisia to plant by the curb since it's proved itself to be very heat and drought tolerant.

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    12 years ago

    I was just at the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence and they are selling a salmon/pink Turks Cap called Pam's Pink, found by Gregg Grant. It is really beautiful - I had to have one!
    Judith

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    12 years ago

    I love my Pam Puryear Pink Turk's Cap. It grew wider and taller than the native red this summer and is exploding with bloom right now.

    When we vacationed at the coast, we saw these lovely red flowers on a nature walk that I just didn't recognize until later when I looked at the pictures. I've grown Turk's Cap for years but there are real variances in their appearance.

  • beachplant
    12 years ago

    it could be the native turks cap, it has smaller leaves and usually a more compact growth. You'll see it growing under trees in the Hill country, around Yorktown, Gonzalez. I dug some up in Yorktown & transplanted to the backyard, it is a much lower grower than all my others.
    Tally Ho!

  • ruthz
    12 years ago

    My Pam Puryear Pink Turk's Cap always does better than my reds.

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I don't grow it, but took this photo of a pink Turk's Cap at Andrea's Hill Country garden recently. You can see how many buds it has so I can imagine what an explosion of bloom it's capable of ...

    I have what was passed along to me as "Pink Turk's Cap" that is getting ready to bloom. However, it's a large round bush and it's flowers open all the way. I've never seen it except at Malcomb Beck's garden. It's some kind of mallow, but not what is commonly called Pink Turk's Cap. Very pretty, I'll post pictures when it blooms and afterwards try to get some cuttings going.

  • pjtexgirl
    12 years ago

    I have the pink too. My reds are hardier but it's pretty good. I didn't like the white one. It got brown edges at my house.

  • Lin barkingdogwoods
    12 years ago

    PJ, I have the white one too, and it seems to me it's not as robust as either the red or the pink, and seems to come back much later as well. In too much shade it languishes, in sun it burns. I think I have one that's in a good spot.

    I was at Lowe's a couple weeks ago, and they had some pink turk's cap, and since I was planning to split one of mine I decided to buy one instead. I asked one of the ladies how much it was, and she said, well it's half-price, whipped out a red marker and slashed the UPC. I KNOW they had just come in, as they weren't there my last visit, but I'll take half-price any day!

    Lin

  • carrie751
    12 years ago

    My Lowe's would never do that as the person who checks you out has to get a superior to let them ring up the ones that are already on sale..............go figure !!!!

  • linda_tx8
    12 years ago

    That red salvia is definitely not Cedar Sage! It's probably Salvia coccinea...what do you think?

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    12 years ago

    Linda, I wanted to say Lady in Red or Salvia coccinea too.

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you for the red flowered sage ID.

    Do you think the grey foliaged plant is Artemisia valerie that Mara mentioned in another post? Since I transplanted it to the hell strip out front I'd like to have an idea of what to expect of it. Anybody else grow it?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Artemisia valerie finnis

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Also what is the grass variety that's blooming behind the artesmisia?

  • pjtexgirl
    12 years ago

    Roselee, my neighbor and I grow Artemisia. Definatly put it where you want it. It will jump edging and grow well into established sod. A potted plant would stay contained.

  • Lin barkingdogwoods
    12 years ago

    Roselee, that artemisia looks like Silver King to me - but I don't think there's much difference in appearance between Silver King, Silver Queen, or Valerie Finnis.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Silver-form artemisias

  • linda_tx8
    12 years ago

    The grass behind that artemisia is most likely KR Bluestem (nonnative invasive grass, seems to be just about everywhere, including my place).

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    12 years ago

    The Artemisia luoviciana varieties are hard to tell apart. The native forms are runners. The artemisia valerie finnis is a little better behaved and grows in a slower spread close knit clump and the native stuff runs.. Mine is looking very tired right now. I might be in the market for more if they do not revive. I also yanked a good portion of it out for a movie that I worked on and then put it back in the ground in dead of summer. WHat was I expecting? A miracle ?!?.. It is looking pretty dead right now. Things can change. Can't they?

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    12 years ago

    Yes, I am amazed at all the green grass. It sure is not like that up here, even after the rains. Are you sure you are in Texas?

  • ltcollins1949
    12 years ago

    Roselee, great pictures taken by you as usual! I have a couple of thoughts that have been already expressed but which I'll second! LOL!

    #1. Artemisia 'Powis Castle'. I have lots of it growing in my beds. I think that the grass to the back might be Johnson Grass which is highly invasive.

    #3. Definitely Salvia coccinea a/k/a Scarlet or Texas Sage. Very prolific and hummers love it. It also comes in white and pink.

    #5. Like already mentioned it is Malvaviscus drummondii a/k/a Turk's Cap. I have tried growing the pink but it never made it and pink is my favorite color. Here is a picture of the

    . I've not attempted to grow it, but it is very pretty.

    BTW Roselee, there is also another Turks Cap that I have growing in my yard thanks to birds. It is Malvaviscus penduliflorus. The hummers really like both types! I think that is probably the one that you have in your yard.

    Thanks for the great pictures!