Native Plants
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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Monday - August 24, 2009
From: Round Top, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Source for purchase of Texas ash tree in Round Rock, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Where can I purchase a Texas Ash (Fraxinus texenis)?ANSWER:
Fraxinus texensis (Texas ash) grows natively in Central Texas, and is a well-adapted tree for this area. However, you don't want to be purchasing ANY tree, and certainly not planting one, right now. We are, as you know, in a protracted heat and dry wave and just about anything planted now would probably go into transplant shock. Nor do you want to buy a tree from nursery stock that has possibly been in a container for 1 to 2 years, and is root-bound.
Go to our Native Plant Suppliers directory, type the name of your town and state into the "Enter Search Locaton" box and you will get a list of native plant nurseries, seed companies and environmental and landscape consultants in your general area. You could go ahead and contact them now, inquire if they are going to be stocking the tree you want, and when the new stock will be in. Do not, repeat DO NOT allow anyone to talk you into buying something they have in the nursery now, for the reasons we have already cited. Patience is the key, wait for the cool weather and the rain, and your more freshly dug little tree will have a much higher probability of surviving the transplant.
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