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 - June 03, 2008
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Transplants, Shade Tolerant, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Turks cap not blooming in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Why is my Turks Cap not blooming? It gets about an hour of sun in the morning, then shade for the rest of the day. It gets watered with the sprinkler system that waters our lawn.ANSWER:
Turk's Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow), is classified as a sun to part shade plant. We consider sun as 6 or more hours a day of sun, and part shade as 2 to 6 hours a day. Less than 2 hours a day is considered shade, so that is probably the main reason your plants are not blooming. Also, although they bloom from May to November, they usually produce in heavy profusion during hot weather at the end of Summer and early Fall.
Why don't you wait and see if they begin to bloom more later in the summer? Then, if they still are not satisfactory, wait until it cools off, trim the plants back and transplant them to a sunnier place. Your hummingbirds will thank you.
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Transplanting Indian Paintbrush in Corona CA
November 05, 2013 - I have a very mature Indian Paintbrush Plant that was becoming too large for the area I had originally planted it in, so I transplanted it to an area much more suited for its size. I reviewed the que...
view the full question and answer
Does a cenizo really predict rain in Austin?
July 18, 2009 - Mr. Smarty Plants, folklore has it that the flowering of Cenizo (aka Barometer Bush) is a predictor of rain fall. The Cenizo in South Austin is blooming profusely right now.
Does this portend a Noac...
view the full question and answer
Looking for plants for phytoremediation in Columbus, TX
May 27, 2015 - Hello! I am looking for native Texan phytodegrading/rhizodegrading plants (basically I want phytoremediating plants that could be left in place and not have to be removed/disposed of after they had ta...
view the full question and answer
Will Convallaria majuscula grow in Texas?
September 10, 2015 - Can I transplant Convallaria majuscula,
American lily-of-the-valley I originally brought from northern Wisconsin a few years back to the Chicago area to my new home in Buda Texas?
view the full question and answer
Curb appeal for sale of house
December 16, 2007 - Help! We're selling our house soon and need to redo our flowerbeds in the front of the house (facing north, gets partial sunlight throughout the day) in the coming weeks but don't have a clue where...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |