Pomegranates, old-fashioned roses shake off the cold to bloom brightly
Unusually hard freezes in February the past two years, and dry weather and drought since winter, have challenged our gardens.
A number of established, cold-sensitive plants were damaged or killed in the freezes, and now we are in the midst of Stage 2 drought restrictions to protect the Edwards Aquifer, our water source. The supply chain disruptions have affected plant supplies, too, so we often don’t know when our favorite plants will be available on the market.
Despite those complications, colorful plants are making a good show in the landscape right now, and one of the most noticeable is pomegranate. The many selections include both fruit-producing and ornamentals that produce an orange bloom from mid-april through May. The dominant pomegranates in my neighborhood are dense, 12-foot-tall ornamentals that the deer do not eat, and they supply cover for birds in addition to producing attractive long-lasting flowers.
Area nurseries offer smaller ornamental selections plus a number of fruit bearers, including the most widely planted variety, Wonderful. For the most successful fruit production in the San Antonio area, avoid Wonderful in favor of Pink Satin or another selection that has a history of good fruit production in the area.
Keep pomegranates in good condition by pruning a portion of the old stems at ground level each year. The February freeze killed a number of branches that should be removed.
Old-fashioned roses are also making a good show in the San Antonio area. One that has just finished blooming is the Lady Banks rose, which produces quarter-size blooms in yellow or white. The old-fashioned, white-flowered version will
often have small thorns. Lady Banks rose is a favorite nesting site and protective cover for shrub-nesting birds.
The bloom is produced on a large plant 8 feet in diameter with weeping branches. The long-lived Lady Banks rose will
sometimes find its way up into mesquite and even live oak trees to reach enough sun to produce its three weeks of blooms each year.
Mutabilis is another of the old-fashioned roses that can be planted as a single specimen at
a sunny position on the lawn, against a fence or in a group of three plants. It works well for cover for wildlife.
It is also called butterfly rose, and it is a large plant that will grow to 12 feet around and 8 feet tall. Its bloom is flat and the size of a silver dollar. The flower starts as light yellow, changes to pink and finishes as crimson. Mutabilis is quite a contrast to Lady Banks rose in terms of bloom period. In a year of mild temperatures and adequate rain, you can expect mutabilis to bloom for eight months.
If you have been following my advice on plants to use in your garden as nectar sources for monarch butterflies and other pollinators, you have probably planted some bluecurl seed. The plants are blooming now in both the sun and the shade. If the soil is 4 inches deep or more and the plants had access to rain or another water source, they are probably 3 feet tall. In dryer, shallow soil locations, they will be smaller but still will serve as a good nectar source.
Another blue-flowered series of plants that are blooming are day flowers and spiderworts. They are generally perennials that produce a lush foliage and flowers in the shade.