My favorite ornamental tree in Texas is the Mountain Laurel for its intense purple color, pungent, grape candy-like smell, & it's one month blooming season - it keeps you in demand.
They produce pod like seeds every other year which some folks use to make jewelry. Butterflies love them. They make nice privacy fences as they mature at 20'. They only bloom from February to March when we have big rainfall in the earliest stages of spring and since we had a huge rainfall over the last few weeks, just this week alone I think I saw 10+ posts of photos on faceboon!
It can be found growing on the sides of the Texas Hill Country mountains, in Texas Parks and Wildlife trails, and in front of your dentist's office. The seeds blow and grow by God's grace. It requires very little water, perfect soil conditions, and grows intensely slow. But some how when people try to start them by seeding they just can't seem to find the perfect conditions so people buy baby plants to gain more success.
Thankfully, I received a baby one as a gift from the Texas Forestry Director last weekend during the Leon Valley Earthwise Living Fair, while they promoted the San Antonio $50 tree rebate program that I blogged about recently: Green Shade Tree Rebates - San Antonio, Texas.
Since the CPS & the Texas Forestry Department find my blogs with Google Alert, I'm making it publicly known that I'm planting my gift this afternoon when I'm done blogging! Thank you!
PS - The blog background I'm using is to promote the joint venture for the Alamo area coordianted efforts to add trees to San Antonio. More information can be found at alamoforestpartnership.org.
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