Club VL: Austin's v. low water plants 🌿 the passing of Tom Spencer 🌿 build an arched trellis

NURSERY NOTES: The Wildflower Center's Spring Native Plant Sale is in full swing. Fridays - Sundays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. until April 27. Admission to the plant sale is free. LBJ 🌿

TREEFOLKS PICNIC: join the staff and volunteers of this flourishing non-profit for a celebration on May 4, 11 - 4 p.m. at Live Oak Brewing Co. Free admission. A seed swap, a dance, singer Pam Reyes, an Ask-An-Arborist Panel, and even tarot readings are all promised. TreeFolks ❦

At Figbeard's fruit tree workshop earlier this month, in the impressive gardens of the Community Food Bank, gardeners learned the art of grafting, and the Fig-Pop Method of effortlessly rooting fig tree cuttings in sealed bags. ❦

JAPANESE FIRE: "shou sugi ban" is a technique of finishing pine and other woods with fire, to create an attractive and durable finish. By slightly charring the surface of the wood without combusting the whole piece, the surface becomes water-resistant through the carbonization process:"

tiny industrial ❦

HOW TO BUILD AN ARCHED TRELLIS FOR $30: apart from the simple beauty of it, having a trellis will greatly boost your capacity for veggies. In this video, Jess from Roots and Refuge Farm in Arkansas shows how it is done. (Cattle and hog panels available locally from Montopolis Supply ) ❦

TOM SPENCER: All in Austin's gardening community mourn the loss of Tom this month. While clearly an expert in all things horticultural, the genial host of Central Texas Gardener was always careful to think of questions that a beginning or intermediate gardener might ask of the expert in the studio. In addition, his sense of humor and fun made sure that the conversation never got too bogged down in horticultural Latin, or scientific nomenclature.

Comments Austin Garden writer Amanda Moon: "Tom's approachable, laid-back interview style put me at ease and made filming those segments so stress-free. I always looked forward to those tapings. Tom was super-friendly and a great man. He will be missed by many."

From TreeFolks' executive director Andrew Smiley: "Tom inspired us to ‘plant trees, plant hope,’ and that is how TreeFolks will continue to honor his legacy."

There will be a Celebration of Life for Tom at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Saturday, April 26th at

10:30 a.m. Statesman Obituary 🌿

THE AUSTIN GARDEN relies on readers for support. Whether annual or monthly, all donations are welcome. At present 6% of readers fund this newsletter. Many thanks in advance. PayPal link ❦

Club VL: the 42 Plants that can Take the Heat

by Darrel Mayers

With the prospect of another oven-hot summer looming, what better time than now to consult the City of Austin's excellent Native & Adapted Landscape Plants .Within its pages, the water requirements are carefully listed as high, medium, low, or very low for each plant.

It is the last category - very low - which is the focus of this list of 42 plants below. This is where we discover those tough-as-nails specimens that can make it through almost anything.

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Trees

Cedar elm trees (Ulmus crassifolia)

Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)

Lacey oak: (Quercus laceyi)

Mexican White Oak (Quercus polymorpha)

Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)

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Small trees/ Large shrubs

Arroyo Sweetwood (Myrospermft um sousanum)

Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) photo above

Eve’s Necklace (Styphnolobium affine)

Goldenball Leadtree (Leucaena retusa)

Huisache (Acacia farnesiana)

Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora)

Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri)

Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)

Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana)

Mexican Redbud (Cercis canadensis var. mexicana)

Texas Redbud (Cercis canadensis var. texensis)

Retama (Parkinsonia aculeata)

Flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata)

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Shrubs

Agarita (Berberis trifoliata)

Black Dalea (Dalea frutescens)

Elbow bush (Forestirera pubescens)

Flame Acanthus ( Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii)

Fragrant mimosa (Mimosa borealis)

Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

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Perennials

Artemisia (Artemisa ‘Powis Castle’)

Bulbine (Bulbine frutescens)

Square bud primrose (Calyophous berlanderieri)

Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)

Damianita (Chrysactina mexicana)

Gayfeather (Liatris mucronata)

Hymenoxys (Four nerve Daisy) (Tetraneuris scaposa)

Cedar sage (Salvia roemeriana)

Goldeneye Skeletonleaf (Viguiera stenoloba)

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Yuccas/Agaves/Succulents/Cacti/ Sotols

Agave (multiple species)

Basket grass (Nolina texana)

Yucca (multiple species)

Yucca paleleaf (Yucca pallida)

Red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)

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Groundcovers

Iceplant: (multiple species within the genera Aptenia,

Delosperma, and Malephora)

Santolina - Lavender cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus)

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Grass

Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides)

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Ornamental Grass

Pine muhly (Muhlenbergia dubia)

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Native & Adapted Landscape Plants is available free at most nurseries in Austin. ❦