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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Wednesday - June 06, 2012

From: austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Watering, Trees
Title: Mexican Plum with wilted leaves in Austin, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

I am new to Texas & have a yard with mature mexican plum trees. They are quite beautiful however as summer sets in I notice that the leaves appear "wilted". Is this normal or should I be providing extra water? Thanks

ANSWER:

Welcome to Texas!

The Mexican Plum Prunus mexicana (Mexican plum) is a handsome Texas native that has low water use, and can tolerate dry conditions. However, when the leaves on a tree begin to wilt, it is trying to tell you something. If the water loss by a plant through transpiration is greater than the water supply, wilting can result followed by leaf drop. As the weather heats up, water demand increases, and if the trees have set fruit, there is additional demand in order for the fruit to grow and develop. So I guess the short answer is to add some more water.

I’m including two links with tips about watering plants; one is from the Texas Forest Service, and the other is from Oregon State University Extension.

From the Image Gallery

Mexican plum
Prunus mexicana