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 - April 23, 2013
From: Murrieta, CA
Region: California
Topic: Soils, Trees
Title: Will arctostaphylos grow in Austin, from Murrieta CA
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I currently live in Murrieta, CA at 2,000 ft. We planted 800 native plants on our slopes so they were extremely drought tolerant. One of my favorites is the Arctostaphylos family that will take the frost/freezes we get and still bloom in the winter (esp for the hummingbirds). Normally we don't get summer rain but occasionally we will get an August monsoon for a couple of days. I would like to know if the Arctostaphylos family was tested in the Central Texas area since the drought has made water so precious? Some of the new hybrids, Sunset and Paradise with red new growth, and Lester Rowntree are spectacular. We are planning to move to the Austin area and would love to plant some of these manzanitas in Austin.ANSWER:
We don't know much about testing plants to see if they will grow here. The environment in Texas does its own testing. Generally speaking, plants will either grow here or they won't. We did a search in our Native Plant Database on "arctostaphylos" and got a list of 17 species native to North America; exactly one was native to Texas. This USDA Plant Profile Map on native locations of Arctostaphylos pungens (Pointleaf manzanita) shows that it grows in one county in Texas, Jeff Davis County, in the Chisos Mountains, which is deep in West Texas, close to the Mexican border. We looked at some others of the species, finding some endemic (growing nowhere else natively) to California, and many in seacoast areas.
You say you are growing the plants at an elevation of 2000 ft; Austin's elevation varies from 400 to 1000 ft., because we are on the Edwards Plateau, also known as the Texas Hill Country. Someone from the Appalachian Mountains once asked us where the hills were. Everything is relative - they look like hills to us, but mountain slopes they are not.
Looking further at the possibilities that some members of this species might grow in Austin, we found someone who wrote a post on Dave's Garden, a forum, on Arctostaphylos pungens (Pointleaf manzanita). The writer sounded like he had tried them and was from San Antonio, which is also on the Edwards Plateau, south of Austin. You have to scroll down the page to the last comment.
So, we have gathered circumstantial evidence and tried to find an answer to your question, "Will members of the Arctostaphylos family grow in Austin?" Frankly, we don't have a good answer to your question. We do know that it is ordinarily found growing natively in acidic soils, which our soils definitely are not; the Edwards Plateau soils are very alkaline. And we found an article on the plant that said it was difficult to find in commerce.
From the Image Gallery
More Trees Questions
Determination of the sex of Mexican persimmon (Diospyros texana)
January 30, 2008 - Last spring, I planted a persimmon fruit from a Mexican Persimmon. I now have 6 small seedlings coming up. Since they all came from the same seed source - 1 black persimmon, will they all be male tree...
view the full question and answer
Small Tree for Texas Garden
November 06, 2014 - I would like to plant a small tree just 3-4 feet from my house, but I don't want to damage the foundation. Is there a small fruit or nut tree I could plant that would fit the bill? Failing that, is t...
view the full question and answer
Grafting to a cherry laurel for edible fruit in Austin
July 01, 2010 - I was the one who asked earlier about grafting to a Cherry Laurel. I will happily graft a local plum on it, say a Mexican Plum or American Plum or one of the naturalized peaches (a friend has an India...
view the full question and answer
Thinning out of maple tree following heavy winds
July 26, 2008 - A 15 yr old red maple lost significant fruit in spring from heavy winds, in summer the tree seems thinned out. Is this the reason? Tree is otherwise very healthy and has always had thick foliage in ...
view the full question and answer
Can I move my Dwarf Orange tree from California to Florida?
April 12, 2012 - I am moving from California to Florida and have a small dwarf orange tree. Can I bring it with me to Florida? Thanks!
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |