Native Plants
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Saturday - January 31, 2015
From: Houston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Shrubs
Title: Time for pruning wax myrtle in Texas
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
We live in Houston. Can we prune back our southern wax myrtle now?ANSWER:
Morella cerifera (Wax myrtle) is very forgiving of pruning, and we saw several different suggestions when we searched on the Internet. If you do it right away, before new growth starts to show up, you can prune them now; don't wait until it starts to get hot. Then, after that, prune it a couple times of year to help it regrow into a hedge size and shape. Don't get too severe and boxy in your pruning, as that will ruin the natural character of the plant. If you are getting berries on your myrtles, that means you have female plants and that there are male plants of the same species in the area for pollination.
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March 22, 2010 - Hello Mr. S.P.,
Do you know when the Texas buckthorn, Ziziphus obtusifolia (I believe), flowers (and leafs out) in Austin? Is there one at the Wildflower Center?
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Preventing weeds in kinnikinnick in Richland WA
May 29, 2011 - We planted our kinnickinick last Nov. and we live in Richland, WA, where it gets hot in the summer. We planted almost 500 of them on a hillside. Weeding is taking over our lives, to say the least. ...
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July 27, 2008 - What is the best way to kill and/or remove mahonia repens?
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April 07, 2012 - What would be a good, fast growing, hedgerow plant that is NON-POISONOUS TO HORSES? Thank you.
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May 02, 2012 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I've planted my entire South Austin garden with natives from your excellent recommendations and I wanted to thank you, the garden is just beautiful!
So here is my questio...
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