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
Saturday - May 09, 2015
From: Wagoner, OK
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Can a Texas Mountain Laurel grow in Northeast Oklahoma?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I was born and raised in Texas but am now living in Northeast Oklahoma. I miss the smell of Texas mountain laurels in the spring. Is there any way of getting one to grow here?ANSWER:
Lets start with a couple of articles that point out the virtues of this plant. The first talks about the fragrance of the flowers being like grape bubble gum or grape Kool-Aid. The second deals with problems involved in digging and transplanting these trees.
WIll it grow in Oklahoma? Well, the name sort of gives us a hint; Texas Mountain Laurel Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel) is a popular evergreen that prefers rocky limestone soil and is native from Central Texas west to Mew Mexico and south to San Luis Potosi in Mexico . This USDA distribution map shows that it doesn’t grow close to Waggoneer County, OK. (zoom in to show county leve distribution)
I’ve copied the following from the plant’s NPIN Page
Native Habitat: Brushy slopes; open plains. Common in limestone soils. Well-drained sand, loam, clay, caliche, limestone.
Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low , Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
Soil pH: Alkaline (pH>7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Dry, rocky, well-drained, preferably calcareous soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay
Conditions Comments: Needs good drainage.
If you can approximate these growing conditions in Wagoner, OK, you may be able to coax a Mountain Laurel to maturity. On the other hand, you may have to go to the Wal-Mart for some grape Kool-Aid.
From the Image Gallery
More Shrubs Questions
Dog and kid barrier in East Wenatchee WA
October 01, 2009 - I have about a 8 foot section between my driveway and the neighbor's yard, and their kids and dogs like to run through it! I would like to plant a non-invasive 4-6 foot growing shrub/bush of some s...
view the full question and answer
Deer Resistant Plants for Newton Square, PA
August 25, 2014 - I'm looking for highly deer resistant plants native to PA.
Thank you!
view the full question and answer
Why are the leaves on my Laurel hedge turning brown in Everett, WA?
February 22, 2010 - Our laurel hedge seems to have brown leaves on the top of the bush. We haven't had a freezing winter so we are trying to figure out why some of the leaves are brown.
view the full question and answer
Hedge plant for Maui.
February 17, 2009 - Question: I live in Pukalani, Maui, Hawaii and would like to put a "living fence" around my yard for some privacy. Ideally, I want something that is going to grow fast and about 8+ feet tall for a h...
view the full question and answer
Hedge options for Sag Harbor, New York.
October 11, 2010 - Hello,
My fiance and I live in Sag Harbor, NY on the East End of Long Island. We would like to plant a hedge across our yard to separate the front and back and have privacy.
Here is a picture o...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |