Grow Clematis in Texas

UPDATED 2024

If you garden in a hot climate, like I do here in Texas, you've probably been waiting for those temperatures to start cooling off! When they do start to cool, like they are now in mid-September, that's your signal that it's fall planting time! Just about everything prefers to be planted in fall here in Texas. But if you love Clematis vines, like I do, your plants will have a much easier time getting established if you plant them September through October, than if you wait until spring.

While fall is the very best time to plant perennials, shrubs and trees in Texas. But, unfortunately, garden center inventories don't always offer the plants you're looking for, or the quantities you need. Why? Well, most homeowners still don't realize fall is a superior time to plant, so they just don't buy as much during the fall season. That means garden centers are wary of bringing in the kind of inventory they need to. It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation.

Clematis 'Ramona'
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

On this delivery, I scored Arabella, Clematis candida, Ramona and Snow Queen. I'm already drooling!!

That means you may need to turn to mail order companies to find what you're looking for, like I just did for some particular Clematis varieties I was seeking. Most garden centers only bring in a limited stock of Clematis in spring, and none in fall. So I was really please to find a beautiful selection available at Buy Clematis Direct (don't appear to be in business anymore so you'll have to hunt around!) They even have some of the blue bush-like 'Arabella' Clematis that have been on my garden list for a while.

The condition in which mail order plants arrive can vary. So I was particularly impressed with the expert packaging on these plants, even with a double stack of flats in the box. Each plant was protected in plastic and paper wrap and hard dividers kept plant from being crushed. The plants are fresh and healthy.

Clematis order
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Clematis unboxing
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

How and Where to Plant Clematis

Plant clematis vines in areas where the top of the plant will have sun for a good part of the day, but the root zone will be shaded by other shrubs or perennials. It's not a bad thing if clematis get a bit of afternoon shade in the heat of summer. Clematis vines are good for planting on small trellises, obelisks, mailboxes or other fixtures. They are not heavy or destructive, so don't worry about them damaging the support structure.

Clematis may remain partially evergreen in our winter climate, or they may die down do the ground with hard winter snaps. New growth will emerge the following spring. What the vines don't tolerate well is wet, soggy roots during the winter when soil temperatures are colder.

If you're going to mail order for fall planting here in Texas, you'd better do it quick, as many of these companies are in more northern locations; that means they'll run out of inventory sooner or stop shipping due to colder temperatures in their area.

These Environmental Conditions Boost Texas Sage Blooms

UPDATED 2024

When rainfall and humidity show up, so does a bounty of purple. You may have noticed a bevy of Texas sage blooms around town for off and on a few times this summer, in conjunction with some unexpected summer rains.

What makes Texas Sage bloom?

Texas sage respond to a few different environmental stimuli that tell them it’s a good time to flower. High humidity or sudden soil moisture before and after rainfall will push plants to bloom. Changes in barometric pressure will also trigger blooms. Texas sage plants are sometimes called “barometer bush” due to this effect. You may have plants burst in to bloom after a bout of high humidity, such as before rain arrives, or bloom after a rain due to increased soil moisture.

Texas sage 'Silverado'
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

How to Grow Texas Sage

Texas sage are one of the prettiest and toughest of Texas native shrubs. They are adapted to dry hot climates, which is exactly why they only bloom in response to increased humidity/moisture. That's when the plant has the best opportunity to have flowers survive and be successfully pollinated in order to reproduce.

Plants are mostly evergreen and produce stunning silver foliage that perfectly complements the lavender to purple blooms. There are a number of varieties to choose from, most growing to an average of 5-feet tall and wide. If you need something smaller, keep your eyes peeled for dwarf varieties such as ‘Thunder Cloud’. If you want something a bit more expansive and impressive seek out ‘Rio Bravo’. It grows 5 to 6-feet tall and wide and is a heavy bloomer.

Texas Sage thrives in full sun and well-drained alkaline soil. They will tolerate a bit of shade, but too much shade will result in leggy plants that don’t bloom heavily. Supplemental water in summer will help plants grow faster and bloom more, but over-watering or poor drainage will kill Texas sage quickly.

Crimes Against Horticulture: Pruning Texas Sage

A Crime Against Horticulture
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

In case you didn't know, Texas sage are NOT meant to be hedge plants! Do not plant Texas sage if you want square boxes. Plant them if you want the blooms and do not shear them! Ultimately, these plants are being butchered (at the shopping center down the street from my house) because they are too big for the area in which they were planted. That's just poor landscape design planning. Don’t plant shrubs that are too large for the space and you won’t have to butcher them.

1. Continual shearing of Texas sage will weaken them…and kill them.

2. You lose all the blooms when you shear them (so why plant them in the first place?)

3. They look terrible. Just, terrible.

So pretty please, put the hedge shears away and let these beauties do their thing. Plant them where there is enough space for them to stretch their legs with at least a 5'x5' or more clearance.

As we head into fall, it’s a great time to start refreshing the landscape and adding new shrubs and trees such as Texas sage.

When it comes to certain shrubs, natural is the way to go. Texas sage is one such shrub. One of the worse horticultural offenses committed here in Dallas is the constant shearing of Texas sage shrubs into what I can only describe are large caterpillars…or balls. WHY? Please don’t.

When we lived in Little Forest Hills, my husband and I had two-mile route we walked regularly through the neighborhood. Around the corner from our house was a lovely mature fig tree. One day, during one of our walks, he commented on the tree and asked what it was. “Well honey, that’s a fig tree” I replied. “You mean, like Fig Newtons??” he asked in all seriousness. “Yes dear, that’s a Fig Newton tree.” I laughed, he laughed, and to this day every fig tree he sees is a “Fig Newton tree”. This story reminds me that not everyone is that well acquainted with figs or how to grow them.

Fig plants need a full sun exposure to produce fruit. Full sun means a minimum of 6-hours of direct sunlight, but more is better. Make sure to find an open site with sun most of the day. If possible, plant figs on a southern exposure where the early developing fruit will be more protected from winter cold.

Mature trees are cold hardy to about 15 or 20 F. However, we often drop below 15 F in Dallas during winter months, which can kill all of the top-growth on your fig plants. Most often they’ll grow back from the root zone, but it does set you back in terms of fruit production.Depending on the variety, they can quickly reach 15 – to 30-feet tall. While figs tolerate many different soil types, good drainage is key. Don’t plant them in low spots in the garden where excess moisture accumulates.
Note that in times of heavy rainfall, plants may experience a growth spurt and push off developing fruit. So if you’ve lost many fruits at one time, it’s most likely due to excess watering or rainfall in a short period of time.

Some of the best common fig varieties for Dallas are ‘Celeste’, which is very cold hardy, ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Alma’, ‘Magnolia’ and ‘Kadota’. We have four Fig Newton trees in our current garden, including ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Celeste’ and ‘Italian Black’.

Fig Fact: Common figs are unique in that they do not require pollinators for the fruit to develop. What you’re actually consuming when you eat a fig is modified stem tissue, rather than mature ovary tissue. In common figs, both the male and female flower parts are inside the stem tissue. What you find in the fruit that look like “seeds” are actually just unfertilized ovaries that did not make fruit.

I think most of us are still surprised by the amount of rain we're getting this spring, especially considering last year's downpours and flooding. While rain is usually more than welcome around these parts, the excess spring rain has created some ral challenges this year. Rain yet to come will perpetuate them.

Be sure your rain barrels are covered to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

Some of the issues you may be having in your garden as a result of all the extra moisture include increased insect and disease populations. Fungal diseases are especially happy right now. Black spot on roses, sooty mold on ligustrum, entomosporium leaf spot on photinias and Indian hawthorn to name a few. Brown patch, gray leaf spot and take all root-rot are in just about every St. Augustine lawn in town. Reduce the frequency with which you’re watering and limit any supplemental watering to the early morning. Night watering breeds lots of fungus. If it’s rained in the last week, do not run your sprinklers.

Insects that have been a problem this spring include slugs, pill bugs and tent caterpillars. Slugs can be treated with Sluggo, a natural product, pill bugs can be knocked out with Spinosad and caterpillars treated with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). Mosquito populations are also booming due to the consistent moisture. Mosquito larvae can also be killed using the granular form of Bt, available in both bits and dunks. This is the best method (besides eliminating standing water) to prevent mosquito infestations. Visit your favorite local garden center for great tips on how to handle these diseases, pests and treatments.

Remember that your established landscape (trees, shrubs, turf) only needs an average of 1” worth of rainfall per week; be it from actual rainfall or your irrigation system. Water-wise and drought tolerant plants need less. So as long as the rainfall continues, keep those irrigation systems turned off. Once the rain subsides, you can add back in a weekly watering if you feel your plants are beginning to show signs of stress; as well as watering your foundation. Twice-per-week lawn watering is typically only ever needed in late-July and August when temperatures soar to the 100s. Even then, healthy lawns with a deep root system won’t need watering that often. New plantings will require additional waterings until they root-in and become established. Remember that Dallas watering restrictions are permanent and are still in place despite the recent rains.

Even if you see our expansive clay soil cracking after heavy rains, realize that there is probably still a fair amount of moisture in the soil beneath those cracks. Those cracks are a result of the clay soil quickly shrinking at the surface as temperatures rise after heavy saturation. Over-watering your lawns and landscapes will only lead to more root rot diseases and overblown insect problems.

The basil is coming on strong in the summer garden and it’s time to start harvesting.

While its closest association is with Italian cooking, basil is actually native to India and used extensively in Indian cuisine. This fragrant and flavorful member of the mint family was originally only used for medicinal purposes. Basil tea was used to treat anything from digestive problems to headaches and anxiety. Today, basil is a culinary essential and there a multitude of varieties and flavors to choose from. With more than 150 species of basil currently grown around the world, the choices can be almost overwhelming. Scents and flavors range from lemon and anise to cinnamon. There are large-leafed sweet basils that grow large and bushy, small-leafed upright varieties such as ‘Sweet Aussie’ and even a tiny-leafed miniature variety called ‘Boxwood’. No matter your space or size of container, there is likely a Basil variety just right for you.

Basil ‘Boxwood’ has tiny leaves and a natural globe shape.

If you’re as addicted to making fresh pesto as I am then a regular supply of fresh basil in the garden is a must-have. Once you’ve made your own pesto, store-bought pesto just won’t do. The challenge with basil can be its tendency to go to flower and seed quickly and abundantly, leaving you with leggy plants that won’t continue producing much if any foliage. You’ll need to keep flower buds deadheaded proactively to keep plants producing new leaves. ‘Pesto Perpetuo’ is a variety that doesn’t flower, leaving you with an endless supply of fresh foliage to harvest.

If you haven’t yet planted your basil, you can do so all summer-long. Plants can be grown in patio containers or mixed into your ornamental and vegetable gardens. Basil needs a full sun location and semi-regular waterings to thrive.

There are few flowers we grow here in Dallas that are as exotic and intriguing as the passion flower. If you happen to have a passion flower vine in your garden, then you’ve no doubt been enjoying an explosion of blooms. While the heavy rains have caused many homeowners and landscapes some serious grief, vines like passion flower have happily soaked it up. Vines have grown leaps and bounds over the last two months and the honey bees, bumble bees and other pollinators couldn’t be happier about it.

Passion flower quickly attaches to any nearby structure, be it a fence or arbor.

If you’re looking for a perennial vine that can quickly cover a structure, such as an unsightly fence or a featured arbor, passion flower vine is a wonderful choice. There are a number of species and varieties of Passiflora spp. available, with flower colors of white, blue, purple, pink, red and orange. Some passion flower varieties aren’t completely cold hardy here in Dallas; they may die down to the ground in winter, but typically reemerge the following spring.

Passiflora caerulea, or blue passion flower (pictured in the photos), is a cold hardy specimen that typically keeps most of it’s above-ground vines and foliage over winter in Dallas, depending on the weather. Passiflora incarnata, also known as purple passion flower or may-pop, is one of the more cold hardy and popular species for our area. Both will host butterfly larvae and produce small fruits. If you want deep red flowers, Passiflora vitifolia is widely available, although plants aren’t quite as winter hardy.

If you’re looking to attract butterflies to your landscape, passion flower vine should be at the top of your shopping list. Gulf fritillary will flock to your vines en masse. They will lay their eggs on the vines, as it is a host plant, so be prepared for their caterpillars to munch on your plants a bit. Passion flower vine recovers quickly, so there’s no need to fret about any damage.

For the best results, plant passion flower vine on a southern exposure with plenty of direct sun. Plants can tolerate some dappled or late afternoon shade; too much shade will thin out the vines and limit blooms. Be prepared for vines to grow large and assertively. They’ll attach themselves with spiraling tendrils to any nearby structure. Now is the best time to find a good selection of passion flower at your local garden center.

Are you a horticulture or landscape student, young green industry professional, experienced pro or transitioning careers?

Perception of value in the green industry is a tough topic. Often, young professionals struggle to find a path to the type of career or earnings they want. Experienced pros may not be demanding enough professional respect for the career they are passionat about...and amateur gardeners who want to transition into the green industry profession may not understand what it really takes. I'll be joining the Emergent in Horticulture gang Tuesday night BLAB session to offer my thoughts, experience and strategies to "move from passion to profession" in the green industry. Tuesday, May 24th 7pm, Central time, 8pm Eastern.

Here is the LINK to the live session

Not familiar with BLAB? It's like a podcast, but in live video! You can login with your Twitter or Facebook account, watch the conversation, post questions for us and even join in if selected. BLAB can be used on your computer, or download the app on your phone or iPad.

The Emergent Facebook group, which is for those working professionally in the horticulture industry (or industry related students) can be found HERE

Mosquitoes are a fact of life here in Dallas, but this year it looks like we’re in for a bumper crop. The mild weather and additional rainfall this spring means a healthy crop of Mosquitoes. They are coming out in droves and are going to make it tough for you to enjoy any outdoor time once the rains pass.

While you may feel there is little you can do to stop the mosquito invasion, there are actually some simple treatments you can use to stop mosquitoes in their tracks. While adult mosquitoes can be sprayed with chemical treatments, or repelled with natural sprays, it can be difficult to successfully control them in this manner. Prevention is always the best medicine.

All it takes is a few handfuls of a natural larvicide to successfully prevent mosquitoes in your landscape.

Bt (Bacillius thuringiensis var. israelensis) also known as Thuricide (liquid form) or Mosquito Bits, is an all natural and amazingly effective preventative treatment for mosquitoes. This naturally occurring bacteria is fatal only to larvae and caterpillars. The species included in this product is particularly effective against Mosquito larvae (and fungus gnats). All you have to do is sprinkle a few handfuls of the bits under your foundation shrubs, any landscape beds with automated irrigation or that you water regularly, drain boxes, low spots in the yard and even gutters.

It’s a good idea to start putting out your Mosquito Bits in April and continue doing so monthly through September.

The Bt attacks the mosquito larvae and kills them before they even have a chance to mature. This bacteria is safe for children, pets, birds and fish. It’s the most non-toxic and most effective treatment for dealing with Mosquitoes.

If you live on a creek, pitch a Mosquito Dunk in it once per month to help control the population. Pass it on to your neighbors and ask they do the same. Do the same for ponds, birdbaths, abandoned pools, or any other standing bodies of water in your neighborhood.

Hopefully, you haven’t been contributing to the moisture problem by running your sprinkler systems when it's already rained...or is currently raining. All it takes is a small puddle of water for new mosquitoes to breed. When soils are already saturated, excess irrigation will only make the problem worse.

Preventing mosquitoes now is the best way to prevent a serious infestation problem this summer.