Ask Chris
by CHRIS WINSLOW
One of my favorite plants native to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and as far south as central Mexico, is the Texas mountain laurel.
This deer-resistant beauty is an evergreen flowering shrub or small tree that can grow to a height of 20 feet. It’s in the bean family, related to the mimosa, redbud, acacia and pride of Barbados.
Mountain laurel (Sophora secunifolia) flowers in late winter, toward the end of February and early March. Its flowers are purple with a unique grape ‘Kool-Aid’ fragrance. Very intoxicating.
Besides their shiny deep green leaves and gorgeous flowers, mountain laurels have proven themselves again and again to be extremely drought tolerant. My laurels at home have made it comfortably through the 2011 drought without any extra water.
Because of their beauty and this ability to thrive in dry conditions, mountain laurels are popular and very much in demand as a landscape plant here in Hays and Travis counties. They are, however, quite slow growers, and come with a high price tag.
To save a little money and have some fun, you can easily grow these laurels from seed.
The ¼ inch red seeds come with a tough seed coat that needs to be scarified (or weathered) so that the seed will germinate quickly. There are several different ways to do this.
You can soak them in liquid seaweed overnight, or scratch them on a coarse concrete pavement. Another way is to sandpaper their surface, or nick them on a grindstone. All these methods will shorten their germination (sprouting) time.
Plant 3 or 4 seeds together in a 4-inch pot. Be sure to use a good potting or seed sprouting mix, and place in a sunny, warm location. New seedlings should appear in 20 to 30 days.
Water your new seedlings when they are dry. After 6 months, the baby laurels should be ready to transplant into the ground. Pick a place that’s full sun or partly shaded, and well drained.
Your new laurels should grow a foot a year for the first 3 to 4 years and somewhat faster as they get older.
If you are interested, come by the nursery and pick up some of my scarified seeds. They’re free to readers of the Hays Free Press!
Happy gardening everyone.
If you have a question for Chris, send it to [email protected] or It’s About Thyme, 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, Texas 78748. itsaboutthyme.com.
