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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.

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Monday - December 11, 2006

From: Dripping Springs, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Source for Crossvine and time to plant
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I live in Dripping Springs, Texas. I would like to plant a cross-vine in my back yard. When can I plant the cross-vine? Where can I purchase them in my area?

ANSWER:

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is a great plant for hummingbirds. It will grow on most any soil but will require some watering to become established. Jill Nokes in her book, How To Grow Native Plants of Texas And the Southwest says that they are easily grown from seed if planted after danger of freezing in the spring. Container-grown plants will do best put in the ground in the winter.

You can check our National Suppliers Directory for nurseries and seed companies that specialize in native plants in your area. In a quick search of those with web sites listed, I found Natives of Texas in Kerrville with crossvine for sale. Some of the nurseries and seed companies in our list do not have web sites, but do list telephone numbers that you might call to see if they carry the plant.

 

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