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 - December 11, 2012
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Seeds and Seeding
Title: Agarita and Mexican Buckeye not flowering or fruiting.
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
The Greenbelt behind our home has a ton of agarita and Mexican buckeye, but they never bloom or berry. The pigeon berry is very happily doing both all year. Any suggestions for helping the agerita and Mexican buckeye? THANKS.ANSWER:
Both Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) and Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) are typically very reliable for flowering and fruiting, so you're seeing something a bit unusual. Both species flower early in spring, so it's possible cold weather could play a role in them failing to flower some years, but it is doubtful freezing would kill the developing flower buds of these plants every year. Of course, if there are no flowers, there naturally be no fruit following.
Most often, lack of flowering is an indication of too little light, in other words, too much shade. We know of no other factor that would likely be the cause of the problem.
More Seeds and Seeding Questions
Eliminating black locust volunteers in Rockville MD
September 27, 2011 - I am a landscape designer whose client has a very large, mature black locust in her front yard. Not surprisingly, she also has multitudes of black locust volunteers popping up all over her yard. The...
view the full question and answer
Native grasses for organic farm in Elgin TX
July 22, 2014 - Hi there, I am working to restore native grasses on our certified organic farm in Elgin, TX. We raise eggs, grass fed beef, and grass fed lamb.
I am having a terrible time finding organic pastur...
view the full question and answer
Dealing with rain runoff on a slope in Austin
March 24, 2012 - Our lawn is a year old and slopes at about a 45 degree angle with a lot of small holes and tiny gullies from water run-off. I have tried packing them with soil, but it washes away in the rain. Would ...
view the full question and answer
Seedball Germination in Dallas, TX
May 27, 2015 - Last Fall we created thousands of seedballs with Lady Bird's wildflower seed mixture, compost and clay, and planted them along a bike trail in Dallas, Texas. We are so disappointed because nothing h...
view the full question and answer
Wildflowers for April wedding near Austin TX
August 31, 2015 - Home wedding April 2016. Live North of Austin.on 200 acres ranch and would like to plant wildflowers. What to plant? When to plant? Flowers that will sustain in vase or bouquet?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |