Native Plants

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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Thursday - June 19, 2014

From: Georgetown, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Why didn't the mountain laurels bloom this year in Georgetown, TX?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Why are the mountain laurels not blooming this year, I live in Georgetown, TX?

ANSWER:

If you check with Wunderground.com for Georgetown's minimum temperatures for the first of March 2014, you will see that on March 2 it was 24°F, March 3 was 19°F and March 4 was 28°F. Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel) begins forming flower buds in February and generally blooms by late February and early March. The extended low temperatures in early March in Central Texas froze many of the buds before they could open. The mountain laurel in my yard in Austin had only a couple of blossoms that managed to bloom and I didn't see but a few small blossoms anywhere in my neighborhood. Hopefully, next year they will have a better chance at blooming.

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Thursday - June 19, 2014

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