A friend of mine advised that the secret to getting the Gaillardia 'Oranges and Lemons' to overwinter is to NOT deadhead it. The seedheads are attractive. This is my first year with it, so will have to report next spring, success or failure. I really like Precure Nursery - they offer a number of native plants, like the Baptisia and Pearly Everlasting I got. I always get my Rue and Fennel there because they have nice, big plants, oftentimes with Black Swallowtail cats as a bonus. My all time fave nursery, tho, was Warren's. I got my Passiflora 'Lavender Lady' from them and it is still going strong. Other natives I have gotten from Wild Things when they go to various Farmer's Markets. She sells tons of them, rare ones you would never find at a commercial nursery. But, that is over for this year. Check out their website. She always brings caterpillars of various butterflies, too, eating their larval host plants. The kids, in particular, love it! I have purchased numerous plants from her over the years, including my False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) that is a host for the Red Admiral butterfly. I loved Satterlee's, too, but they were pretty expensive on a lot of their plants. Horn's is a little less expensive. I was sad to see them close the doors on Satterlee's. I stood outside and watered for 4 hours yesterday until 12:45. Thought I would pass out, tho drinking lots of water. Had to do it since I have been at my daughter's for the past week and things needed attention. Susan

Is Frilled Puccoon the same as Fringed Puccoon? The Prairie Smoke is a gorgeous plant. I would love to have a field of them. Can you imagine? The Flame Acanthus is very pretty. I love that the foliage stays nice all summer in this drought, too. It just keeps on trucking no matter what. I wonder how it will do in a wet year - like we get a lot of those. 2007 was the only one I recall ever. I have a new Salvia darcyi and it is bloomin' like crazy this year - not a native, but tolerate heat and drought pretty well. Well, except for Black & Blue, which likes its regular watering. I am having such a horrible problem with Southern Pink Moth this year, that I almost want to give up on them, though. They really cause a lot of damage, and the blooms get eaten, too. I dare not spray due to my "butterfly friendly" environment. They seem to have taken up residence in my garden, and spraying or sprinkling BT is not an option. Black & Blue they adore, and they have also taken a loving to 'Lady in Red'. So far, they have not eaten much of S. darcyi, so maybe they don't prefer it. I haven't been able to water as much as I would like this past month or so due to daughter's illness. Still, all has survived. The Verbesina encelioides has marched on thru the drought. I keep hoping for Bordered Patch butterflies, but have barely had any butterflies this year. The Flame Acanthus is host to the Texan Crescent butterfly, but none of those this year either. My natives that really suffer without water and the extreme heat are False Nettle aka Boehmeria cylindrica (for the Red Admirals), Ptelea trifoliata, a native small tree, host for Giant Swallowtails, my new plants, Dooryard Plantain or Plantago major (Buckeyes), Verbesina alternifolia or Wingstem, Hibiscus coccineus, Buttonbush or Cephalanthus occidentalis, and Liriodendron tulipifera. or Tulip Tree, Wild Cherry tree (Prunus serotina), and Lindera benzoin or Spicebush, which completely died. Some of these most folks would not plant, so I don't often mention them as suggested natives to grow. However, they are butterfly and/or moth nectar and host plants that I continue to struggle with. The Spicebush is one I have attempted 3 times now, and probably will not try again. But other members of this family (Lauraceae) are difficult, too, so there is not really a good alternative. Is anyone planning to do any fall plantings? Susan

Hi there--you will love gardening in Austin... there are so many cool local nurseries and resources that are really tailored to our climate and especially native plants. We are very blessed to have so many unique places to buy garden things... and the people who work at the locally-based nurseries here are always very helpful about what will work or not work. And of course the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center is here, which is really a national treasure. It has both wild and formal wildflower and native plant gardens and is a great way to see the different seasons of growth in this area (or the seasons of wildflower bloom in TX). The cool thing about Austin is that it pretty much sits on a fault line which divides it into two completely different climates... types of soils... there are challenges and joys in both--I garden on the Austin clay. It can actually be quite fertile.. and the right native plants grow in it. It just often needs amendments to get it more 'plantable' and less dense. I think what's really hard about it is that it's hard to dig when it's dry, but lots of plants and trees are perfectly happy in the clay, even some of my roses. When you get here look for The Garden Guide for Austin - which is put together by the county gardeners and has a great planting schedule for plants we can grow here as well as suggested resources.... (there's stuff on wildflowers in there, too). Also, most nurseries here carry a small booklet called "Grow Green" which is a very good start to what native and adapted plants do well here. Cseim mentioned it above, and you can download or search this guide from the city's website: Grow Green have fun discovering!

I've been to Texas a few times, and yes, everything is bigger there. Can't wait to go back again! There are about 6 species that it could be, but considering the striations and tubers, debilis and violacea are strong contenders, but some good photos of the leaves would help. There aren't any good leaf pics so far, and some of these species have distinct leaves. It wouldn't hurt. I'm starting to appreciate these weedy Oxalis because they are mostly native, they will always be here, and they can shade open ground preventing worse weedy species from getting a foothold. Like Canada Goldenrod for example. If it's doing well in a lawn why not add it to your lawn, unless you enjoy herbicide, pesticide treated monoculture turf? I even have a couple native Oxalis species on my wish list. Oxalis montana Oxalis illinoensis Oxalis violacea