Identifying Texas Sabal and Washingtonia Palms

Living in the Rio Grande Valley, it's easy to take for granted the beauty of our native and naturalized palms.  There are many thousand varieties of palms and 15-20 of them are a common sight in this area.   I think we should all be able to identify the plants and trees growing in our landscapes - along with the birds and butterflies that frequent them.   One of the advantages to learning to identify different palm trees is that it makes you take a closer look at the plant, which leads to a greater appreciation of each palms unique characteristics.

Let's just talk about two of the most common palms down here - our native Texas sabal and the

Mexican Fan Palm

Mexican fan or washingtonia palm.   The untrained (or unobservant) eye would say they look the same.  They are both tall with large fan leaves.

The Mexican fan palm grows 36 inches a year, maturing at 80-100 feet.   Although it's not native, it has naturalized here.  Birds have spread the seeds through our brushlines and native habitat.   A few people even consider it invasive.  But it is a wonderful food source for many birds.  We have been lucky enough to observe a flock of small parrots feeding on the ripe fruit.  We kept hearing something hit the ground - it was the seed they spit out after consuming the fruit!   Mexican fan palms line the highways and many boulevards throughout south Texas.   It does well in parking lots, grouped in large open areas, and in the landscape of a tall building.   In a typical residential landscape, it may look more like a telephone pole than a palm.

Texas Sabal

Texas sabal palms are the only palm native to south Texas.   They grow from deep south Texas south to Central America.   Sabals are slower growers, adding 1 or 2 sets of fronds each growing season, which amounts to about a foot a year.   Mature height is 40 or 50 feet but I rarely see any taller than 20 - 25 feet.   It used to be rare to see one growing in the wild, but birds have done a great job of spreading seed.   Texans use sabal fronds when building palapas.    Sabals retain their 'boots' (leaf ends) for a very long time, giving the trunk a heavy cross-hatched look like the palm below.    It is both drought tolerant and salt-tolerant, making it a great choice for coastal plantings.









Similar but not the same.  Here are the differences to look for:

• Texas sabal has a smooth frond stem with no spines; Mexican fan has short, dark thorns along the base of the leaf stem.
• Texas sabal has larger fronds (5-8 feet wide) than the Mexican fan (3-5 feet wide)
• Texas sabal has a larger, fuller canopy.  
• Texas sabal trunk is thicker than a Mexican fan's - about 30" in diameter - and it is more likely to have its boots. 

Take my challenge to learn to identify different palm trees growing in south Texas!

Desert Willow

For the past decade, gardeners everywhere are looking for water-wise plants and Desert Willow is one that I want to add to my home landscape.    This Texas native is considered a small tree or large shrub.   We have been growing it at the nursery for the past 4 years and really like how it performs.   We are just now selling our first crop.  They are a little lankier than we would like but we've begun a pruning program that has added fullness to the trees.    

Now, more about Desert Willow.   It's not a willow at all - but a catalpa, if that means anything to you.    This small tree has willow-shaped leaves and blooms from June through October.   The blossoms look like miniature orchids and may be pink, purple, or white.  I've read that there is also a yellow variety but have never seen it.    I'm picturing a flower that's more cream-colored than yellow.

Desert Willow 'Bubba'

There are a couple of patented Desert Willows on the market:  Bubba which blooms a vibrant hot pink and Timeless Beauty which has burgundy and lavender bi-colored flowers.  If the color is important to you, purchase from a reputable nursery or buy when the tree is in bloom.  They begin blooming at a fairly young age - even in a 5 gallon container.


Desert Willow is fast growing and it tends to be a bit leggy.  It may be hard to do, but until your tree is 5 or 6 feet tall, prune it severely.   By that, I mean cut it back by a third.   Do it in late winter.   These trees are deciduous and experience a bit of die back each winter so you'll really feel like you're trimming bare sticks.    Your tree will thank you with a much fuller canopy.    As a bonus, it  flowers on new growth so you'll get more flowers too!   Because it flowers on new growth, you can prune it for the shape you want and not sacrifice any blooms.

Desert Willow is fairly new in nurseries but, they should be available throughout Texas.   Speaking of Texas, Desert Willow grows just about everywhere in Texas except east Texas.   They just get too much rain there - poor people.  It grows in a variety of soil types as long as it is well drained.  

Surviving triple digit temps in the garden

July is the peak water-use month for plants.  About 75% of plant problems occurring in summer are due to heat and drought stress.   Here are four easy ways to help landscapes survive the RGV’s summer heat.   

Frangi-pani

1. Water wisely.   As a reminder, watering once a week deeply is better than watering a small amount each day or two.   The ground dries from the surface down.  If the ground surface is wet all the time, plants will grow shallow roots.  Letting the soil dry between deep irrigations encourages roots to grow deeper.   In addition to feeding the plant, roots also anchor it.    Over the last few weekends, I have installed drip irrigation to a couple of our planting beds.  I have wanted to do it for years but was intimidated.  Let me guarantee you that it is a very easy process - I'll post my specific "how-to" in a day or two. 
2. Select plants that are native or well-adapted to our climate.    Look for those labeled “Texas Superstars” by Texas A&M AgriLife.    You may have the right plant in the wrong location.   “Full-sun” plants sometimes perform better with afternoon shade in the Rio Grande Valley. 
3. Mulch, mulch, mulch.   Plants in landscape beds that contain 4-6 inches of mulch do not lose as much of the available water to evaporation.   Also add mulch to your container grown plants.  Mulch has been shown to reduce the water needs of container-grown plants by 25%.   Mulch cools the soil temperature, discourages weed seed from sprouting, and conserves water.   
4. Install a rain barrel.   A one inch rain over a 1500 square foot roof will supply 900 gallons of water.  Rain barrels are available in many sizes, styles, and materials.  In full disclosure, I haven't done this yet - but I think I know where I want my first one . . .   Visit the Master Gardener Arboretum in San Benito to see a sample set-up. 

Plant Trends

Yucca trucleana or Spanish Daggers

The past year, we've noticed many more calls at our nursery about plants that use very little water - such as this Spanish dagger (Yucca trucleana).

It's native to the Rio Grande Valley and west Texas - flourishing in the dry ranch country.   These are slow growers.    The one pictured was sold at our wholesale nursery, Simmons Oak Farms -  this will make an instant impact, won't it!  I love the sculptural quality of these big yuccas.   

In the spring, yuccas bloom with clusters of beautiful white flowers that some people harvest to eat.   Mockingbirds like to hang out in Spanish daggers - not sure if they are feeding or they just like the cover and protection.    If you want a full Yucca, do not remove the flower pods.    We have noticed that removing the pods before they are nice and dry keeps the branch from splitting into two  heads.  

Be careful that your yucca doesn't get too much water.  To much water will cause the plant to rot.   We had a large Spanish dagger in a planting bed near a huge old ash tree.   That planting area was watered with grey water from our home and everything seemed to be pretty happy there -  until Hurricane Dolly came along.   It tore up the ash so badly that we had to remove it.   That changed everything!  Suddenly there was lots more water and lots more sun.   The Yucca loved the sun - but not the water.   To try to remedy the problem, we've planted a Montezuma bald cypress in the area - maybe in another year or two, the cypress will use enough water that the yucca thrives again. 

Yucca trucleana would be a great addition to your water-wise garden

Gotta love annuals

This little clump of three volunteer nasturtiums have elicited more interest and questions than anything in my garden. Until recently, I had never had any success with this little annual. I've always planted them from seed but would get a weak stand - and often the few seedlings I had would die before they had a chance to really grow and bloom. Although nasturtiums bloom in the spring, you need to plant them in the Fall - and now I always follow my friend Jean Anne's rule: Plant your seed before Halloween or forget about it until next year. The seed is extra hard, so a good overnight soaking is my second nasturtium rule.

I do wish I had gotten around to fertilizing things this spring - the pretty round leaves would look much nicer if they were greener . . . without intending to I seem to have an EarthKind garden. . . .

Some Kind of Cereus

I'm not positive what kind of Cereus this is - but I'm pretty thrilled that it's blooming! Its blossoms measure 8 or more inches across. My father-in-law dug the parent plant from some brush land along the Arroyo Colorado so I can only assume that it's native to the Rio Grande Valley. In their booklet on Cactus, Groundcovers, and Vines, the Native Plant Project describes Acanthorereus pentagonus as an upright five ribbed cactus. I must admit mine only has three ribs and a definite triangularly shaped stem - but I still think this is it. Commonly called Night Blooming Cereus or Barbed Wire Cactus, it blooms at night from June through August. The pistols and stamens are a buttery yellow.
This bud will probably open in a day or two.

Night Blooming Cereus is a climber. We've planted it in the Rock Garden next to a Mesquite Tree. Since it should only grow to 20 feet, it won't overtake this tree. Until it was recently pruned, its vines had rambled along the the open ground, even putting down roots into some of the porous rocks.

This bloom is from a different night blooming cactus. It is growing intermixed with the larger Cereus. I got this start from my father. Maybe this bed should be called "The Paternal Bed". This Cereus has a flat stem and smaller flowers - but blooms profusely - sometimes I'll count over 20 blossoms on this planting. Too bad they only last one night.

Both of these propogate easily from stem cuttings. You will want to let the cuttings harden a bit before planting. I planted mine directly into the bed.

An Aphid Invasion!

The aphids are coming!

The aphids are coming!

I'm afraid that this warning is a bit late for this stand of Hamelia patens or Firebush. About a half of the individual plants are already affected to one degree or another. One is already completely defoliated and the others are all a flitter with insect activity. Notice the shine from the honeydew on this plant - Add the cupping of the new growth and you can be pretty certain you have a healthy community of aphids.

On a side note, I want to share with you the first aphid treatment I ever read about (and this was my practice for years!). Treatment consisted of a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol. It works well, but it would take hours of time and gallons of rubbing alcohol for this infestation. Of course, this treatment was described in a book about houseplants. . . .

Pictured above is one of the Hamelia paten (Firebush) that has not been affected yet. I was a little unconvinced when my husband suggested that we just leave this planting alone and let nature take its course. He even opined that this could be good as it would attract lots of beneficials to our yard. Although he has farmed for over 30 years, I wasn't convinced and did a bit of research on my own. In his article, Aphids in Texas Landscapes, Bastiaan M. Drees from Texas A & M concurs.

There are many different kinds of aphids and most entomologists will tell you that identifying your pest exactly is not important. Notice the yellow aphids on this firebush. If you look closely you can see some white skins. Aphids molt about 4 times on their journey from larvae to adult stage.

To further prove his point, my hubby took me outside to check for beneficials. This orange ladybug was the first we saw. She was moving so fast that I had a hard time getting a good picture. I guess when you have this number of aphids to devour you have no time to waste!

There are about 500 different Ladybug species in the United States and almost 5,000 worldwide! They come in a variety of colors (Reds, yellows, orange, gray, black, brown and even pink) with and without dots.

Check out the spreading wings on this ladybug. She must be ready to fly off to a new - and more bountiful - plant. A ladybug egg hatches somewhere between 4 and 10 days. But the "baby" is not exactly a miniature of the adult.

The above bug is a ladybug larvae, often refered to as an alligator. The close-up picture below depicts just how descriptive the name "alligator" is.

The presence of alligators is a good sign that we are well on the way to controlling our aphid infestation. It means that we have multiple generations of beneficials in our garden. This alligator is so much duller than the others. I wonder if it is molting. It has the same markings as the vibrantly colored one above. The Ladybug Lady shares larvae and adult pictures that show various ladybug species.

My husband pointed out this white fuzzy beneficial. He couldn't give me a name for it but assured me this is a good guy! Looking at this plant might make you think you need to take some action. But look a bit closer. Most of the markings are molted skins. To treat at this point would kill your garden beneficials.

Could this bug have been inspiration for the set designer of The Matrix? Up close, he does look pretty vicious!

Happy gardening from my little biology lab to yours!

A Tropical Treasure

A South American native, Bougainvillea puts on quite a show for months on end. I have always loved the many colors of this particular specimen. The dark salmon bracts fade to pale pink as they age. After much looking, I can't decide which variety I think it is . My best two guesses are Bougainvillea Buttiana 'Temple Fire' or Bougainvillea 'Rosenka'. If I had to choose the most descriptive name, it would definitely be 'Temple Fire'.

When I purchased this particular plant it was viney and trained to a small trellis. In the past five years, I have come to see that it's natural form is actually bushy and smallish (small for a bougainvillea, that is).

Bougainvillea is propogated by stem cuttings taken in the winter or spring. It blooms on new growth so feel free to trim away after a flush of blooms. Hardy to 25 degrees, bougainvillea is a great choice in Deep South Texas.

Happy Easter from My Garden to Yours!

I wandered around the garden this morning to find the miniature Poinciana blooming! Also know as Mexican Bird of Paradise, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, is a tender but large shrub that will bloom from now until October. It grows to about 10 feet tall in my garden. This plant was given to me by friends, Jim and Sue, and does beautiful in poor soil and hot weather! (Of which, I have an abundance!) It grows easily from seed and may be a little bit aggresive for some people. I find that the sprouts are easily removed and that it is worth the extra "weeding".

Wordless Wednesday

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

Field Trip!

February 29th is a free day in my book - so we took a break and headed off to Harlingen's World Birding Center. The park had tons of visitors today so ours was not an original idea. . . .


I had never seen Guayacan, Guaiacum agustifolium, blooming until today - Wow! What a beauty! I don't have any in my yard - but will be adding one or two this spring! This is an understory tree as it only grows to 8 or 10 feet. This one was nearly as wide as it was tall. The bark can be made into soap, so this plant is also called soapbush. This Valley native would look great in any landscape!




On the north side of the park, there are large plantings of prickly pear cactus. Lot of buds beginning to pop out. I'll have to check back in a week or two and see if they're blooming!

This is a piece of citrus "staked" on this tree. I know that orioles and woodpeckers both love fruit. Volunteers had placed citrus halves all over the park - especially near the photo blinds.

There are many ponds all over the park - but this American Coot was the only water bird we saw - it must have been naptime.

I thought this grass was especially pretty. I don't know its name and am too lazy tonight to look it up! Feel free to educate me!

This little sweetie is the other half of my "we". I must admit that playing on the "dinosaur eggs" was her favorite part of our excursion!

Special thanks go out to the Arroyo Colorado Audubon Society and the Cameron County Master Naturalists for all their work in this park.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

When I looked out the window this morning, this was the breathtaking sight that greeted me! This Honey Mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa, anchors a dry corner of my yard. I think it must like it there! The pods are eaten by deer, cattle, and lots of smaller animals. Quail and doves feed on the seeds. Mesquites are good shelter and nesting sites. They tend to have a very open, spreading habit. Mesquite wood is used for fence posts, furniture, and barbequeing. This particular tree is exceptionally upright for a Honey Mesquite. Its elegant free-form shape makes it a good ornamental tree in the landscape. Just make sure to give it plenty of space!

Jewels of the Desert

During a recent visit to Phoenix, Arizona, I saw so many plants that we grow here in deep south Texas. Purple sage, oleander, yucca, and palms of all sorts were abundant in residential and commercial landscapes. It was a good reminder of what I need to be focussed on for the dry areas of my garden - not getting more water to them, but planting things that love those conditions. Most fun for me were seeing those plants that I can't grow. Unfortunately, my poor photography skills combined with the bright Arizona sun left me with just a few pictures worthy of sharing.

My favorite desert plant, this Saguaro cactus Carnegiea gigantea can grow to 50 feet tall. It thrives in the dry desert air - thus making it difficult to grow in deep south Texas - but I do know two people who are growing them in Harlingen. A large five armed Saguaro would be estimated to be 200 years old. I've never seen one flowering (May and June). It's a night-bloomer, opening in the cool nighttime air and closing again by the following noon.

Ocotillo, Fouquieria splenden, sure stands out against the blue Arizona Sky! When I moved in to get a closer look, I was surprised to see all the little leaves along this branch. I think the thorny branches are often completely bare but Arizona has had abundant rainfall this year so everything is lush. In the spring, Ocotillo produces a bright red tubular blossom at the ends of it's branches.

Don't you just want to cuddle up with this Teddybear Cholla, Opuntia bigelovii? This fuzzy looking plant is actually covered with sharp, barbed spines. I hear they are very painful to remove - but we were sure to keep our distance!

I don't know if Huisache (Weesatche), Acacia smallii, is native to Arizona but it's one of my favorite Texas natives! It's one of our first spring bloomers and the fragrance is incredible! One difference I saw was that our huisache are completely bare when they bloom - so they are awash with golden pom-poms.