News and announcements from our committee chairs, board members, and chapter leaders. Subscribe to our mailing list to stay up to date. For chapter news, visit Chapters. If you are looking for a calendar of events, see our Events Calendar.
Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference
After speaking at over 1,000 programs and attending many more, it’s hard to make myself attend many lectures. But luckily a few come along that truly make a difference. This year’s Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference is one of them.
Plant Rescue — saving native species during urban sprawl
Author: Bill Ward Agnes Hubbard, co-founder of the Hill Country Daily Bread Ministries (HCDBM), recognized that it would be a shame to destroy all the native plants on the property where her organization will build a new warehouse. Fortunately, HCDBM volunteers Connie and Melvin Carley are familiar with the Plant-Rescue
April 2010
NICE! Plant of the Month (Callicarpa americana) Family: Verbenaceae Type: Perennial multi-branched shrub. Natural Habitat: Prefers moist woods and stream terraces. Range is from Bermuda, Cuba and Florida, north to Maryland and west to Bexar and Kendall counties. Growth: 3 to 7 feet. Deer Resistance: Deer rarely touch its leaves.
An American beauty
American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is an easy-to-grow shrub that does well in the shade of large trees.
The state of Texas trees
The 10th Native Plant Spring Symposium, co-sponsored by the Native Plant Society and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, will be April 24, 2010
NICE! plant for April — an American beauty
Author: Bill Ward Operation NICE! (Natives Instead of the Common Exotics!) recommendation for April is another top-favorite landscape plant — American beautyberry. This is a planning-ahead recommendation. American beautyberry won’t be at its showiest for months, but this is a good time to plant beautyberries for fall gratification. During early
Helping school children grow native
**ARCHIVED POST ** It was not that much of a stretch for me to get more interested in native plants after retirement, because as a geologist I was often in the field describing rocks and paying attention to the plants that characterized the outcrops of different strata. Some plants even
March 2010
NICE! Plant of the Month (Lonicera sempervirens) Description:Coral honeysuckle (evergreen honeysuckle or woodbine) is a perennial, almost evergreen vine with a woody base. Native to the eastern half of Texas and the eastern U.S as far north as Massachusetts, coral honeysuckle can be found in woods, thickets, slopes, cliffs, and
“Native-Plant Watch” — helping Boerne school children grow native
Author: Bill Ward One of my good buddies in the Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas is Delmar Cain. He is like several others of us who have taken an interest in native plants during our post-retirement years. It was not that much of a stretch for
Coral honeysuckle is the perfect vine for landscapes
Its whorls of bright-red trumpet flowers, shiny dark-green oval and oblong leaves, and red berries make this honeysuckle a showy vine for home landscaping.
February 2010
NICE! Plant of the Month (Cercis canadensis var. texensis) Description:Texas Redbud grows as a deciduous small tree or multi-trunked shrub, achieving a maximum height of 10-20 feet. It differs from the Eastern Redbud in that the leaves are rounder, thicker, and very glossy. This tree is best known for the
Warnock herbarium found in Kendall County
**ARCHIVED POST ** Two or three weeks ago my wife Kathy brought home a collection of pressed native plants for me to see. She suspected I’d be interested in these herbarium specimens because of their high quality, and she was right! This turns out to be a historic collection!
