Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
1 rating

Monday - June 02, 2008

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Butterfly Gardens
Title: Dieback of Indigo Spires and whirling butterfly
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have an Indigo Spires plant that is turning yellow and dying back. I have fed it but nothing seems to perk it up. I also have whirling butterfly plants that are losing leaves and dying back. What do you think might be happening? I thought both were hearty, hard -to- destroy plants, adapted well to Central Texas. Thanks

ANSWER:

Indigo Spires, sometimes called Mystic Spires, is thought to be a hybrid between Salvia farinaceae and S. longispicata. It was found growing at the Huntingdon Botanical Gardens in California in the 1970s. The botanist who discovered and named it noticed that it the new plant was growing near the other two, and theorized that it was an accidental hybrid. Salvia farinacea (mealycup sage) is a Central Texas native, but the S. longispicata is something of a mystery, thought to be native to Mexico. In fact, when we went googling to try to find information about it, it was always in combination with S. farinacea to make Indigo Spires. When you're unclear about the parentage of a plant, it is very difficult to diagnose problems or recommend care. So, we found some facts, including in our Native Plant Database, about S. farinacea, and hope they will apply to the mix of two salvia. We learned that salvias hate to have wet winter feet, but also hates having roots dry out and will quickly die when that happens. If your salvia was in a poorly drained bed, it might be suffering from drowned roots. It's more likely, however, since we didn't have much winter rain, that the salvias are suffering from being dried out. You are going to need to trim out the upper part of the plant anyway, to take some of the strain off the roots, and then make sure it has moist soil around the roots. Under ordinary circumstances, it is advised to cut back old flower stems when new basal foliage begins to appear. Don't fertilize until the plant is recovered, if it recovers, and we hope it does. Just as an aside, hybrids like this are sterile, or their seeds will not breed true to the original plant. If you wish to propagate it, take stem cuttings.

Whirling Butterflies is a trade name given to Gaura lindheimeri (Lindheimer's beeblossom). The Genus, Gaura, is easily recognized but species names are more difficult due partly to a great deal of hybridization. The Gaura lindheimer is a native of Louisiana west to Texas and Mexico, and can be invasive. So, again, we're just going to try to find pests or problems of Gaura, without knowing the exact parentage. About all we could find out was that there are no serious pests or diseases and, indeed, it is considered an invasive weeds in many parts of the country. It has a long taproot, like a carrot, and attempts should not be made to transplant it, because it is difficult to avoid damaging that taproot. It would appear that because of our early hot Spring, both of the plants you are concerned about are reacting more like it was the middle of summer. Trimming them back pretty hard and then making sure they have water with very good drainage should perk them up. In times of intense heat, many plants will go semi-dormant, allowing their leaves to roll or fold up, to conserve moisture. Try trimming back all that excess foliage and dried leaves, and let the green leaves on the basal area keep things going. Even plants need a vacation.

 

More Butterfly Gardens Questions

Deadheading flowers on hybrid Black Knight butterfly bush
July 17, 2008 - I have two Black Knight Butterfly bushes in my landscape. Should I deadhead the flowers on this bush? Also, should I prune this back, if so, when, how much? I live near Kansas City, Missouri.
view the full question and answer

Plants for Daisy Girl Scout native plants project
December 13, 2013 - Hello, I am a daisy Girl Scout leader and we are working on one of our Journeys and Native Plants Patch Program which requires our group of 5-6 year old girls to plant and care for a mini-garden. ...
view the full question and answer

Butterfly and medicinal plants for New Braunfels
July 10, 2009 - I am in zip code 78132 and we just put in a garden at our front steps- so my choices for plants need to fill a need for beauty and function. I want to include plants that will host and feed butterfli...
view the full question and answer

Caterpillars feeding on Phacelia congesta
May 11, 2014 - Can you tell me which caterpillars can be found on Phacelia congesta in Bell County?
view the full question and answer

Butterfly plants for Kolkata, India
August 06, 2009 - I am from Kolkata, India. I have a garden of 200ft x 50ft size, mostly shadowed by big trees. I want to attract butterflies in my garden. Can you please let me know the flowers / plants I plant for bu...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.