Native Plants
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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - December 19, 2011
From: Owensville, IN
Region: Midwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Propagation, Trees
Title: Why is non-native peach tree not going dormant in Owensville IN
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a peach tree I grew from a peach pit. It is about 2 years old. I planted the tree in my yard this summer. It is now about 3' tall. My problem is it is not going dormant. We have had several freezes and the tree has not lost leaves and looks healthy. My question why has it not gone dormant and will it survive if it does not. I live in southern Indiana. Thanks for your help.ANSWER:
Begin by reading this article from Ohio State University Extension on the surprises you will get when you plant a peach seed, and why. Next, we want to tell you that we have information in our Native Plant Database only on plants native to North America. The Prunus persica, peach is native to China. Because of the grafting of peach trees mentioned in the OSU article and because the tree is not native to North America, we really can't even guess why it is not going dormant. By now, it may have. There are probably so many different strains of the genus Prunus in your tree that it is totally confused. This sounds like something that is going to have to take its course, but for your sake we hope it survives. It would be interesting to see what kind of fruit you get if, indeed, you do.
More Trees Questions
Probably non-native crapemyrtle trees damaged by hurricane
January 15, 2009 - I have 5 crape myrtle trees. I live in Galveston, Tx and when Hurricane Ike came through in September the salt water I think killed them. They have not come back since then and are brown with no leave...
view the full question and answer
Drought Resistant Privacy Screen for North Side of Austin Texas House
July 10, 2016 - We live in the densely populated Mueller development, where there's barely 3 feet from our home to the 6 foot high privacy fence between us and the house next door. Since the houses are 2 stories, we ...
view the full question and answer
Replacements for photinia from San Antonio
August 31, 2012 - i just read your response to someone regarding Red Tip shrubs. You just saved me thousands of dollars ! I was getting ready to order over 250 of these to line my 2.5 acre fence line. What shrub would ...
view the full question and answer
Plants for winter installation in Houston
January 01, 2009 - What plants can you plant in the winter, Houston, Texas?
view the full question and answer
Native plants for clay soil in Lathrop MO
March 21, 2011 - My family just moved to the north Kansas City, MO area and would like to know what native species, both perennial and tree, will do best in the clay soil. It has already proven problematic as we have ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |