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
Tuesday - June 19, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Select Region
Topic: Managing Roadsides
Title: Identification of Monarda citriodora on roadsides
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
What is the name of the lavender wildflower so prevalent right now throughout the Texas hill country? It's an upright stalk that has lighter and darker lavender petals with rows of green leaves separating them.ANSWER:
I'm betting this is Monarda citriodora sometimes called Lemon Beebalm, Horsemint, or Bergamot. I've noticed it, too, and have never seen such a beautiful display as we have this year, thanks probably to the rains in the Fall and Spring. This native Texas wildflower can be an annual, a biennial, or a perennial. It attracts butterflies, is a nectar plant for bees and hummingbirds and is deer resistant! And, it grows well on limestone shelves. What more could anyone in Central Texas ask? It is native to this area but has been successfully introduced to other parts of the country.
Monarda citriodora is a member of the mint family. The leaves have a lemony scent, and it blooms with lavender to pink flowers from May to July.
From the Image Gallery
More Managing Roadsides Questions
Highway construction in wildflower areas from Kingsland TX
April 22, 2014 - I see no other link to contact about this, except for you. Maybe you can direct me. I just drove Hwy 281 South and a lot of road construction is being done. For many years that I've noticed, there ...
view the full question and answer
Do any laws prohibit killing roadside wildflowers?
April 09, 2013 - Is there any law or regulation at the state level that prohibits, or at least discourages, mowing or spraying herbicide on the highway roadsides before the wildflowers have set seeds or did we lose th...
view the full question and answer
Winter snow and road salt in Michigan
June 27, 2010 - I have been asked to select plants for an area in zone5/6 that suffers from snow load and street salt during winters. The area is about 15x18 and has a deciduous tree in the center. Grass, which did ...
view the full question and answer
How to eliminate roadside thistles
May 26, 2015 - When we drive along the highway we see lots of wildflowers and no thistles in the median. How does the Highway Department keep the thistles out? Here in Kerrville, we are overwhelmed by thistles thi...
view the full question and answer
Plantings of Castilleja in Texas
April 04, 2012 - I am a graduate student interested in studying different species of paintbrush (Castilleja) in Texas. I understand that the Texas Dept of Transportation has been seeding wildflowers along Texas highwa...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |