Seed Pods

This is the time of year to look for newly formed seed pods.  The hibiscuses growing behind the fence at my parents were covered with pods that were already splitting open to reveal the seeds inside. The flowers were done for the season.

The red yucca had pods in various stages of development with the whole progression of buds to flowers on the same stalk. Are the darker reddish pods more or less mature than the greens ones?

The desert willow has pods that look like beans. The pods look fibrous and sturdy compared to the flowers of the tree (maybe that is true for almost all plants).

Gardens in the Hot and Dry

The plantings that look the best in Texas this August are ones that thrive in the hot and dry.

There were several desert willows planted around Josey Ranch Lake. Their blooms look at lot like delicate orchids. I had not seen them in the Carrollton area previously; they are popular rest stop plants along the route through New Mexico to Tucson.

There are many types of sage that thrive in high heat without a lot of water.

My favorite is the red yucca: the deeper color of the buds, the delicate flowers, the seed pods forming, and the muted green of the leaves….and they grow best under relatively adverse conditions.

The image below is a 10x magnification of the flowers.

This trend of transitioning gardens to plants that tolerate heat with less water is a positive one given the water challenges Texas is experiencing.