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

Wednesday - September 14, 2005
From: Elkhart, IN
Region: Midwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Texas Sage in Indiana
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I was living in Texas and now I have moved to Indiana. I would love to have some Texas Sage here. is it possible?ANSWER:
One of the problems with common names is that many are shared by more than one species of plant. I am going to surmise that the Texas Sage you're referring to is Leucophyllum frutescens, also known as Cenizo, Purple Sage, Texas Silverleaf and Texas Rangers. Leucophyllum frutescens is native to South Texas and will not survive the rainier, colder winters of Indiana.
Another Texas Sage, Salvia texana, is also a South Texas native and would suffer the same fate in Indiana as Leucophyllum frutescens.
Since you can't live in Texas for now, we would suggest that you look into native Indiana plant species for your garden there. You can find lots of information on Indiana plant species on the Native Plant Information Network. There, you can search our Native Plants Database by state and get a list and information on plants that are more adapted to your area.
More Shrubs Questions
Native Plant Suggestions for Dripping Springs
August 02, 2011 - I have a very dry commercial property in Dripping Springs TX where the dry sand/dust isn't a good rain conductor (whenever we get rain). What can we plant there? We have no irrigation and use a rai...
view the full question and answer
Time of year to plant Texas Mountain Laurel in El Paso, TX
June 10, 2013 - When is the best time of year to plant a Mountain Laurel tree in El Paso?
view the full question and answer
Landscaping trees and shrubs non-toxic to dogs from Monticello FL
March 08, 2013 - We're landscaping and need advice on large and small evergreen trees and shrubs that are native to or will flourish in North Florida. We plan to put in a treeline (large and semi-large trees) as wel...
view the full question and answer
Plants for pool area in Florida
May 09, 2008 - My husband and I have a pool with 4 planters and are looking for plants that we can put into our screened in pool area. We live in Central Florida and looking for ideas of plants that are slow growin...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native Eugenia in Scottsdale AZ
June 02, 2012 - I have 5 eugenia topiaries in my courtyard in pots..I notice as the days here in Phoenix get hotter and dry (as usual) they are starting to look bad, even though they are under a shelter out of the di...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |