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
Thursday - July 25, 2013
From: St Johns FL, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Planting, Trees
Title: Growing Chilopsis in Florida
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I live in St. Johns County, FL between Jacksonville and St Augustine. I live inland, not near the beach. I bought a small desert willow plant in Victoria, TX and brought it back to FL to grow. I plan to plant in a raised bed. Can you provide any information to include in the planting matter so that it could survive in FL? Or would it be best to plant it in a large pot that would dry out more?ANSWER:
Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is a small tree that has willow-like leaves and attractive, large pinkish-white, funnel-shaped blooms that appear after summer rains. It is showy, drought-tolerant and fast growing. It grows best with just enough water to keep it blooming and healthy during the summer months.
Here’s some information about the soil and growing conditions from our website: Well-drained limestone soils preferred, but also does well in sands, loams, clays, caliches, granitic, and rocky soils. Minimal organic content the norm. Allow to dry out between waterings, as this will encourage more extensive waves of blooms. Avoid excessive water and fertilizer, as that can lead to overly rapid growth, fewer blooms, and a weaker plant. Prolonged saturation can result in rot. Won’t grow as fast or get as large in clay soil but won’t suffer there either. Can be drought-deciduous in some regions. Can survive temperatures as low as 10 degrees F.
Prune frequently during its first few years to encourage minimal or single trunks. Water occasionally during prolonged drought. Remove spent flowers and seed pods to encourage continued blooming. To encourage branching and blooming, cut back during winter dormancy by a third.
The tree should grow well in a large pot or in a raised, well drained garden bed with lean soil.
From the Image Gallery
More Planting Questions
Yellow in pin oak leaves from Allen TX
May 25, 2012 - I have two pin oaks and one is completely yellow - a sign of iron deficiency and the other is starting to turn completely yellow as well. I've a proposal for iron deficiency but it is quite expensiv...
view the full question and answer
Plantings for beneath a red oak in Lubbock TX
February 23, 2012 - What would you recommend to plant in a two tiered raised bed facing west, totally blocked from the east, thus receiving only the afternoon sun? A 21 year old red oak sits in the middle of the upper ra...
view the full question and answer
Ground cover for sun in Phenix City, AL
April 04, 2011 - I live in Phenix City, AL and am new to planting. I have a 60 x 15 feet slope that is just dirt. I am going to till it next week and want to plant some various ground cover plants (that will grow to c...
view the full question and answer
Best wildflowers for Lamar County TX
February 02, 2012 - What are the best wildflowers for northeast Tx? We live right below the Red River just north of Paris. Can they only be planted by seed in the fall? Thank you.
view the full question and answer
Need advice ab out raspberry root in Merced CA
February 14, 2015 - I planted a raspberry root the day that it started raining hard. I was just concerned about the root rotting since there is so much rain going on lately. Will I need to replace it or will the root...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |