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
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 - May 09, 2006
From: Brady, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Mountain Laurel and Desert Willow in pots or ground in Brady, TX
Answered by: Joe Marcus and Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I would really appreciate your advice if a Texas Mountain Laurel (now a 1 gal. size) and a Desert Willow (now a 3 gal.) are good candidates for planting in containers and, if so, what size for each? Any other input would certainly be helpful! Thanks...ANSWER:
Both Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) and Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) can be grown in very large containers in Brady, TX. Considering the the size of the pots your plants are now in, you probably want to go up to something in the range of 8-10 gallon pots. There are certainly problems with growing trees in containers, though. Among the most difficult issues is the problem of watering. Potted plants are far more prone to drying than those in the soil. Fertilizer and mineral salt build-up is another issue. Finally, potted plants are far more prone to freeze damage than those rooted in the earth. All of these are issues to consider.It should also be possible to grow Mountain Laurel, at least, in the ground. The Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Texas shows it occurring in your neighboring county, San Saba. Desert Willow, however, has not been recorded as occurring near McCulloch County (i.e, in a neighboring county).
More Trees Questions
Leaves on 3 year old maple turning brown in Lebo, KS.
July 16, 2011 - Hello, one of our five Maple trees which is is 3 yrs. old now, we saw a week ago that the leaves started turning brown and dropping. My question is: Will the tree survive this and return healthy next ...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for under a black walnut from Lansing MI
October 04, 2012 - What native plants can you recommend that will grow in Michigan under a mature black walnut tree?
view the full question and answer
Tree for a Missouri yard
March 10, 2012 - Our front yard tree died. We have landscaping that needs shade. We are in Zone 5, looking for a fast/medium growing shade tree that does not produce anything that falls into the grass and will allow t...
view the full question and answer
Plants to filter dust from a road in MD
June 01, 2011 - I live in MD next to a dirt/gravel access road. I would like to plant something along my property line to block the clouds of dust we regularly get from cars and dirt bikes. Is there something fast ...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Texas wild olive tree in Tucson
November 15, 2010 - Planted a Texas Olive tree in Tucson, Az. Some of the leaves are kind of yellow. It gets part sun and part shade and is growing. Is this due to too much water, not enough water or does it need somet...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |