Spring will be arriving soon, and it is always such a wonderful time
to be living in central Texas. For me one of the highlights is the sight
of some of our flowering native trees blossoming out – the redbuds,
the mountain laurels and the Mexican plums.
You can see them planted in landscapes as accent plants, and along
the roadways growing wild. It is these wild trees that show us just
how adaptable they are. Sometimes they're exposed to the full force
of the sun and other times they form an understory, shaded from the
sun by larger canopy trees.
At the nursery I'm often asked about Eastern, Mexican, and Texas red-
buds. What’s the difference?
The eastern redbud, which grows all over the hills of Austin, is the
largest of the local redbuds. It can reach a height of more than 20 feet
and has large, heart shaped leaves.
Its flowers are purplish-red, and they appear late February through
the end of March – a great announcement that spring has arrived. Its
leaves are dull (non-reflective) and tend to rust in the late summer
heat. Many horticulturists believe the Eastern redbud is more suitable
to the eastern part of the state where rainfall is more abundant and
soil pH is more acidic.
Better for our region are the Texas and the Mexican redbuds.
The Texas redbud grows naturally west of the range of Eastern red-
buds, in calcareous, well-drained (limestone) soils. It is more heat
and drought tolerant, grows to a width and height of 15 feet, and has
rose-purple flowers. Its waxy leaves are smaller than the eastern vari-
ety. It has a multi-trunk form which makes it an attractive landscape
accent or specimen tree.
The Mexican redbud is a little smaller than the Texas redbud, with
smaller, glossier wavy leaves. Mexican redbuds must be planted in a
well-drained location. They are known for their extreme drought and
heat tolerance. For hard, xeriscape plantings, this beautiful tree is the
one for you.
My two other favorite native, spring flowering trees are the Texas
mountain laurel and the Mexican plum.
The laurel is a large shrub… or small tree if you prefer. It has dark
evergreen leaves and multiple trunks. Its flowers are dark purple with
sweet, grape Kool-Aid fragrance.
They require a well-drained site and can grown successfully in a wide
range of sunlight, from full sun exposure to shade. They're also drought
and heat tolerant.
The Mexican plum can be seen along the roadside toward the end of
February and early March. It is a small tree with black trunks and beauti-
ful, strong scented white flowers. Mexican plums do best with a little
afternoon shade, making this a good choice for an understory tree.
One of the best native stands of Mexican plums is along FM 1626
near Leisurewoods. These redbuds, laurels and plums can be found
all over Hays and Travis counties, both in wild settings and as state-
ments in landscapes. Happy Gardening Everyone!
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We have Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico and forest pansy redbuds in
stock: $34.99 for 5 gal. $79.99 for 7 gal.
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