Gardening

March Plant of the Month: Texas Mountain Laurel

by Dr. William M. Johnson, Galveston County Extension Agent - Horticulture

March 8, 2006

It must be March—the questions about a shrub with purple-blue flowers hanging in clusters have begun! The flowers clusters produce a wonderful and heavy fragrance of grape chewing gum that typically draws a closer inspection by the nose. This picturesque shrub is commonly known as Texas Mountain Laurel. Photo Credit: William M. Johnson

Despite the onset of several days of cold, rainy, and basically miserable weather to usher out the month of February, many trees and shrubs have been putting forth impressive bursts of color to brighten up our landscape and our life.

It must be March—the questions about a shrub with purple-blue flowers hanging in clusters have begun! The flowers clusters produce a wonderful and heavy fragrance of grape chewing gum that typically draws a closer inspection by the nose.

This picturesque shrub is commonly known as Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora). Another name by which it is known is Mescal Bean.

Texas Mountain Laurel is an attractive spring-flowering small tree with a dense canopy of glossy, evergreen leaves. The beautiful, purple-blue and wisteria-like blooms are most striking indeed.

Texas Mountain Laurels usually reach a height of six to twelve feet, which allows them to fit well into the scale of the smaller modern garden. They often produce multiple trunks, and over time grow into show-stopping specimens.

Texas Mountain Laurels are generally disease and pest-free, and tolerate a wide range of well-drained soils. They are native to the alkaline soils of the Texas Hill Country, and are often found growing among granite rocks.

Plant Texas Mountain Laurel in full sun or light shade. Young trees may be purchased at the nursery, or grown from seed. The seeds may not sprout for several years unless they are first nicked with a file to start the process of germination.

An easier way is to collect unripe seed, when it is pinkish in color, in late June or early July before the seed coat has had a chance to harden. Plant them immediately, and they should sprout quickly.

Texas Mountain Laurels are not easily transplanted and may require a year or more to overcome the process. One way to overcome this obstacle is to plant the seeds where you want them in the landscape or to plant them in gallon containers. Container grown plants should be handled carefully to avoid disturbing the root ball.

Although these trees are planted in many neighborhoods in the warmer parts of Texas, children should be warned that the seeds contain a poison.

Texas Mountain Laurels are an excellent source of evergreen foliage and beautiful flowers and require little, if any, irrigation once established. While they thrive in the dryer areas of Texas, they grow very well locally if provided a well-drained soil.

Once established, Texas Mountain Laurel is practically indestructible as a landscape plant. It tolerates our alkaline soils well. The plant is picturesque at any age. When barely more than a small twig, it can bear fragrant flower clusters.

Enjoy the fragrance and enjoy the beauty of a Texas Mountain Laurel in your landscape.

Gardeners' Q&A

Question:

Answer:

Try to follow this branch downward and find out where it is attached to the tree trunk. You will probably find that it is growing out of the trunk below the graft near the soil. Prune out this branch now. Be careful not to prune flush or too close to the tree trunk. Suckers growing from the rootstock are very vigorous and will outgrow the rest of the tree in a couple years.

Question:

Answer:

But let's face it. We usually buy plants to enjoy. And with citrus much of the enjoyment comes from harvesting fruit from our own trees. The amount of reduction in future growth and production is relatively minor. And for one or two trees in your back yard, the reduction in production would barely be noticeable. I wouldn't worry about cutting off all or some of the flowers. Enjoy your fruit tree.

Question

Answer:

Try mowing or clipping off all the leaves to within one inch from the ground before new growth begins to emerge. Ideally, this should be done in January as some liriope will soon start putting out new growth. Many other grasses, such as miscanthus and pampas grass, can be clipped also.

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

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