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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

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.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Monday - June 10, 2013

From: El Paso, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Shrubs
Title: Time of year to plant Texas Mountain Laurel in El Paso, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

When is the best time of year to plant a Mountain Laurel tree in El Paso?

ANSWER:

As you can see from this USDA Plant Profile Map, the desert shrub or small tree Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel) grows natively pretty far into West Texas and the Big Bend area, but not quite as far as El Paso County, so you will need to follow the plant link above to our webpage on that plant to make sure you have growing conditions appropriate to the plant.

As for the best time, the best time to plant any woody (trees or shrubs) plant in the hot Southwest is in cool weather, November to January when the plants are semi-dormant. Don't buy it now and plant it then. You won't even have to dig a hole if you do that, because the tree will already be dead.

From the Image Gallery

Texas mountain laurel
Dermatophyllum secundiflorum