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.
A society of garden clubs? – Not!
**ARCHIVED POST ** Many people unfamiliar with the Native Plant Society of Texas envision the organization as a collection of garden clubs for native-plant geeks. The Society may have some obsessive enthusiasts (i.e., geeks), but no chapter is a garden club.
Mountain cedar — water guzzler of the Hill Country or not?
For years I’ve heard many people say, “David Bamberger cleared the cedar off his land, and his springs started flowing.” Keep in mind I don’t mean David Bamberger said that; it’s what other people keep saying. If all he did was clear the mountain cedar (Ashe juniper), the Bamberger Ranch
Mountain cedar — does it deserve such disdain?
There are a couple of myths about “mountain cedar” or Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) that seem to be part of the conventional wisdom of the Texas Hill Country. One is that mountain cedar doesn’t really belong here because it only recently invaded the Hill Country. The other is that merely
July-August 2010
NICE! Plant of the Month (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri) Family: Poaceae Other Common Names: Big muhly Type: Native prairie grass Growth: Consists of 2 to 5-foot-tall bunches of dull, gray-green foliage. Deer Resistance: Deer do not browse this grass. Wildlife: Nesting material for birds Light Tolerance: Full sun to part shade Flowers:
Mountain cedar – does it deserve such disdain?
There are a couple of myths about “mountain cedar” or Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) that seem to be part of the conventional wisdom.
Denton will host symposium
Our annual symposium in Denton will be the observance of the 30th Anniversary of the founding of our Society.
Lindheimer muhly, a native accent grass
Landscapers who use natives have shown that many native grasses can be some of the most effective and easy-to-grow yard plants.
Lindheimer muhly — the NICE! grass for 2010
From its beginning in 2000, the Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas wanted to promote native grasses as good landscape plants. As its symbol, the chapter chose the grass commonly called inland seaoats (recently changed to broadleaf woodoats). Over the years, several grasses have been plants of
“Boerne Bean” finally gets some respect — it’s a new species
Several years ago when Jan Wrede and I were crawling down a narrow little side canyon off Cibolo Creek, she exclaimed, “Oh, there’s a Boerne Bean!” She was referring to a bean-like vine that trailed across the limestone ledges and up into the trees. “What’s that? Never heard of it,”
June 2010
NICE! Plant of the Month (Malvaviscus Drummondii) Family: Malvaceae Other Common Names: Texas Mallow, Drummond’s Wax Mallow Type: Big, large-leafed deciduous perennial shrub; woody only near its base. Natural Habitat: From southern portion of the Texas Hill Country east to Florida and the West Indies; south into Mexico. Native in
‘Boerne Bean’ – it’s a new species!
Alfonso Delgado-Salinas and Bill Carr have published a paper introducing a new species, which they named Phaseolus texensis
A nice bloomer during the hot summer
The bright-red flower of Turk’s cap is not the regular “mallow-like” open five-petal bloom.
