Xeriscape - Drought-Adaptive Horticulture
The Gone Native Drought Adaptive Garden
Scenes from September, 2006
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Fourwinged Saltbush is a native shrub to west Texas. It is not often used in the home landscape, but is a superb plant for attracting wildlife.
Windmill grass is a common shortlived perennial grass in the region's pastures. The blossoms and seedheads are like tiny dancing figures in a good stiff breeze.
Underneath the prickly pear is Devil's bouquet, a perennial member of the four-o-clock family, which deserves a place in the drought adapted landscape.
After a light misting rain spiderwebs appear by the hundreds in the pasture.
During a rainy season, an uncounted number of mushroom species send up their fruiting bodies among fallen mesquite beans.
Doveweed (croton) blossoms are intricate. Notice the tiny droplets of rain on the rough leaves.
Saltbush seeds glowed chartreuse in the rain under a mesquite.
Aaaaah rain! A llanero stands outside, watching it rain, since it is a rare phenomenon.
During the rain, the paper wasps stayed on their nest under the tin roof over a deck in the shade structure.
Big tooth maple grows well in West Texas. Rain makes everything shine and glow.
The yellow lazy daisy caught rain drops as well.
So did the blue mist eupatorium, but all the queen butterflies normally on it had found shelter.
A decollate snail emerged from the ground during the rain and oozed along a sheltered painted walkway.
Even the wooden structure of the shade house sprouted mushrooms during the long rainy spell of 2006.
Menodora (pictures of its blossoms are in the July installment of the diary) seedpods seemed to attract this tiny butterfly – or was it depositing an egg?
Turk's cap begins blooming in May and blooms until frost, and attracts hummingbirds. Gone Native has two species, the smaller Drummond's and the larger Mexicana. Gone Native also has a white form of Drummond's.
The Ceratostigmata plumbago broke into full bloom with the rains. Lila the dog usually supervises the photographer.
Evergreen sumacs begin to bloom in September. By November the large shrubs will be adorned with clusters of red berries.
Salvia darcyii often begins to bloom in June, but kicks into high gear in the fall. It slowly spreads by rhizomes, and when well watered will reach six feet in height.
The stumps used for seating at the firepit sprouted mushrooms.
This mushroom looks like an ear.
The blossoms of chives are tiny white stars.
In September the nuts of the Chinese pistache begins to turn red. It will not be long before birds feast!
Giant sacaton is an attractive native west Texas grass that should be used in the home landscape. Wissadula's soft velvet leaves are to the right, and below it are tiny yellow blossoms of Xexmenia.
Vitex negundo has pale lavender blossoms with spikes longer than Vitex agnes-castus, a more commonly used species. The shrub is slow growing, and may not reach more than 5 feet in height.
Green sprangletop has a distinctive seedhead.
On a false grape vine (Cissus incisus) a half dozen large hornworm caterpillars fed happily.
Black grama is a common pasture grass, but its bloom heads are red.
Balsam apple has been used as an ornamental plant because of its bright red fruit in the fall. Underground is a spherical root the size of a basketball. This one is climbing a lotebush with its blueish bark.
In low light, saltbush seeds became chartreuse, in counterpoint to the seedstalks of plains bristlegrass.
This devil's bouquet had white centers to the normally red blossoms.
Variegated tall grass is another passalong ornamental. With the blue colored pads of big prickly pear, it is striking.
Beebrush and vitex shrubs go well together.
Southern prairie lizards are known as fence lizards since they are often found climbing human constructions.
In the foreground are two species of agave, then the white blossoms of California buckwheat, and beyond are the yellow blossoms of yellowbells. Lila the dog and Minimum the cat discuss who has the right of way. Both pets usually accompany the photographer.
Texas gold lantana, salvia darcyii, pink fuzzies, and nolina line a flagstone patio. The blue is colored chunks of glass, not water, in the depression known as the Sacred Well.
If August or September rains come, the glories of grass bloom stalks proliferate. Cane bluestem is one of the showiest.
Windmill grass and bristlegrass add to the fun.
Sand dropseed has a delicate spire for its bloomstalk.
In the foreground is Sophora gypsophila, which is only found in the Guadalupe Mountains in the United States (and only 32 plants in the wild). It also grows in Mexico. Beyond is the bridge over the dry stream bed and the grove in the last rays of sunlight for the day.
Over the years the seeds of Clematis drummondii and dug from the wild root balls were brought to Gone Native, but none lived. But in 2006, it appeared on its own. What a blessing! The blossoms will be followed by white fuzzy seedheads that will remain well into the winter.
An old "mimosa" or Albizzia trunk sprouted fuzzy white mushrooms after the fall rains.
Balsam apple has deeply dissected leaves, and it has emigrated into the planted area thanks to a bird that gobbled its berries.
In the arroyo garden, Anisicanthus quadrifidus displays its dark red blossoms. It reaches a size of six feet by six feet.
Creosote bush with its tiny white fuzzy seeds is in the foreground, while the agave was planted into the wall of the arroyo garden.
Verbesina nana is a native perennial daisy with unusual orange disc flowers with protruding yellow stamens. It only grows four inches tall.
The shrub skeletonleaf goldeneye with its yellow daisies is native to the TransPecos region of Texas.
Polka dot prickly pear is not hardy below 15 degrees.
With rain comes grasshoppers. This one has been working on a Turk's cap leaf.