July | 2013 |

This has been a most unusual July at the White House. Early on, we had a week where the high temperatures for the days stayed in the 80’s and the night time temps were in the 60s. These amazingly pleasant temps were brought to us by an unusual cold front that dipped down from Canada. Along with the cooler weather, the front brought rain! Twice during that blessed cool spell our rain gauge captured a ½ inch of rain. If an inch of rain and nights in the 60’s weren’t enough to make us forget that this really was Texas in July, this past Sunday lightening crashed, thunder rolled and the heavens opened up and delivered us another inch and a half of rain!

Zephranthes grandiflora in Cynthia Mueller’s College Station garden

While all of this rain has been much appreciated by all the plants in our yard, the ones that have shown their appreciation the most are the rain lilies. Sally and I recently visited my dear friend Cynthia Mueller in College Station. As I have mentioned before, Cynthia is one of the most knowledgeable and generous plant people I have ever met. She is also a lover of these amazingly tough and beautiful flowers.

This lovely white Rain Lily in Cynthia’s garden is a cross between the Giant Rain Lily Cooperia, and a Habranthus.

Thanks to these summer showers, Cynthia’s gardens were bursting with the color and smells of these utterly reliable plants. Even though these flowers are called lilies, they actually belong to the Amaryllis family. Rain lily is really a generic term that applies to approximately 70 species of plants that belong in three different genus: Zephyranthes, Habranthus and Cooperia.

The lovely pink Habranthus brachyandrus in Cynthia’s garden

While rain lilies come from many families, they all share a few traits that make them great plants for the Texas gardener. First, they are all native to the Americas so they do extremely well in zones 8 through 10. Another thing that I like about them is the fact that they are bulbs. Bulbing plants are hardy plants. However, the absolute best thing about rain lilies is their durability. They truly are a plant that you can plant, forget and enjoy more and more with each passing year.

Zaphranthes drummondi in my yard. I grew these from seeds shared with me by Cynthia Mueller of College Station

Rainlilies are becoming a little more popular in the nursery trade. Since they are small, durable and adaptable they are great for people that have limited space. Because of their reliability, they are also great choices for people that don’t have the time or desire to deal with “fussy” plants.

If you want to grow your own rain lilies you should either grow them yourself from seed (read Cynthia’s article on how to do this here) or buy established plants. While it is possible to grow them from bulbs you need to be a little wary of buying these. If rain lilies have any drawbacks, it is the fact that their bulbs do not like to be out of the ground for very long. However, this does not mean that you cannot transplant the bulbs. Since many of these plants naturalize so readily here, you can quickly find yourself with big, thick drifts of flowers. If this happens, thin your stand by digging and moving the bulbs to other locations on your property.

Rain lilies produce lots of little seeds that are easy to gather and propogate

Whether moving established bulbs or planting established plants from nurseries, it is best to place them in an area that receives a little shade. Since most of their flowers only last a day or two, a little shade can help your plants produce their most vibrant blooms and extend their bloom time. Because of this, many people plant their rain lilies around the base of the trees in their yards.

This past week I have noticed more and more rain lilies under the trees and in the ditches of the rural roads of Washington county. I smile every time I see one. You see, I absolutely love reliable and carefree plants and no plant that I know of is as beautiful, reliable and care free as the group of plants we call rain lilies. If you are looking for something that will thrive in our climate with absolutely no help from you, then rain lilies are are a group of plants that you really need to add to your garden collection.

Sally and I celebrated the Fourth of July with our daughter and son-in-law in Oklahoma City. While there, we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. What a lovely and moving place. Things like this make me so proud to be an American. I truly believe that there has never been another group of people that can better come together after a tragedy and turn it into a silver lining. While there is no doubt that what Timothy McVeigh did on that April day was horrible, the people of Oklahoma rose above it and created a lovely and peaceful place that memorializes those lost and celebrates the sacrifice of the volunteers that turned the horror of that day into a place where all can celebrate the indomitable American Spirit.

Each of these beautiful chairs memorialize on of the victims of this senseless tragedy

Each of these beautiful chairs memorialize one of the victims of this senseless tragedy

Two minutes after Timothy McVeigh lit the fuse of his bomb, 168 men, women and small children were gone; so was the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. An additional 300 buildings in the downtown area were damaged. About the only thing left standing at the blast site was a large American Elm tree that is now called “The Survivor’s Tree”. This tree is now the center piece of a horticultural tribute to resilience of the American people.

This Elm tree was about the only thing to survive the blast. The “Survivor Tree” is a testamnet to the reseliance of the human spirit.

Elm trees in general are incredibly hardy trees. One example in Ontario, Canada grew to 140’ tall. Elms can take extreme cold, extreme heat and endure extreme drought. At the beginning of the last century they were the most commonly planted tree in America. However, around 1928, disaster struck in the form of a small black beetle that spread a fungus called “Dutch Elm” disease. This disease decimated elm populations that had no resistance to this Asian invader. Dutch Elm Disease is still a serious problem. However, if you have the money, there are now treatments that can save an infected elm if the infection is caught soon enough.

If you are a Texan and you have an affinity for these hardy trees, you are in luck. Texas has a native elm that is very resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. In fact, the Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia) is resistant to most pests. While its leaves are sometimes nibbled by the Elm Leaf Beetles, there is not much else that bothers it. This cedar elm makes a great shade tree and it is extremely drought tolerant.

This lovely print is courtesy of the Texas A&M Forsetry Service Tree Planting Guide at:
http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/Display_Onetree.aspx?tid=100

According to my friend Morgan McBride of Tree Town USA, cedar elms are a great choice for most Texas landscapes. These lovely trees are covered in small, oval, serrated leaves that are rough to the touch and turn yellow in the fall. They can grow in sandy soils and in thick clay soils. In fact they can even grow in the highly compacted soils that are common in urban areas. These adaptable trees have a moderate growth rate and only require a moderate amount of water to thrive. They can grow to 60’ tall and develop a spread of over 40’.

Cedar elms develop a deep root system that allows them to withstand drought and most windstorms. If you go to a nursery and ask for an elm for your yard, you need to insist on the cedar elm. Many nurseries stock the Chinese Lacebark Elm and will often offer it as a substitute. While the tree does have a lovely rough bark, it develops a shallow root system that makes it easy prey for windstorms. Also, the Chinese Lacebark is susceptible to cotton root rot. Because of this, you are taking a risk if you plant it anywhere in our state that once grew cotton (and since most of our state once grew cotton, you really need to think about this when you make your elm choice).

My buddy Morgan is selecting a Cedar Elm for a client. Notice that he really is touching it with a 10′ pole. Don’t know why that is so funny to me but he really does travel around with a 10′ pole in his car at all times.

Like the people of Oklahoma, elm trees were attacked and decimated by an unexpected enemy. However, they survived. Now this American classic is making a comeback. I love elm trees and I am so glad that the people of Oklahoma saved their “The Survivor Tree”. This deep rooted, dependable and resilient tree is the perfect centerpiece for a memorial that is dedicated to faith, healing and the resilience of the American spirit.

This post has been shared on the HomeAcre Hop and the Homestead Barn Hop. These hops are great way to gather information from some of the best bloggers on the web. Be sure to check it out!

This is a detail of a large statue that stands on the site of the old rectory of St. Joseph Catholic Church. the rectory was destroyed in the blast. This statue is called "Jesus Wept" and it based on the shortest verse in the bible; John 11:35

This is a detail of a large statue that stands on the site of the old rectory of St. Joseph Catholic Church in OKC. The rectory was destroyed by the April 19 bombing. This statue is called “Jesus Wept” and it is based on the shortest verse in the bible; John 11:35

Monthly Archives: July 2013

Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes, Habranthus and Cooperia spp.)

Celebrating the Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia)