Plant ABCs: Q is for Quercus fusiformis

Plant ABCs is an ongoing series in which I am highlighting a plant from my garden for each letter of the alphabet.  I'm currently going through the entire alphabet A - Z, then will continue updating and adding plants to the list over time.  My previous posts in the series are on the "Plant ABCs" tab under the header.

The first choice for the letter "Q" in the garden would have to be Quercus (oak) because the resident live oaks make such an important difference that I can't imagine the garden without them.

Ball moss begone!

To de-moss or not to de-moss, that is the question.

It's not really moss, it's Tillandsia recurvata and it clings to the live oaks in our area.  Ball moss doesn't directly harm the trees but it does accumulate and looks ugly.  When it takes over a tree it can block the light causing early demise of lower limbs and can partially block the view.  But mostly it just looks ugly.
 

The biggest acorn in Texas

At first glance it doesn't even look like an acorn because it is so large and unusually shaped.

Celebrating Texas Native Plant Week in the garden

This week (October 14-20) is Texas Native Plant Week and I'm celebrating by highlighting native plants in my garden.

We learn over and over that "you can't fight Mother Nature".  Two years of drought and record heat here in San Antonio underscored the need to emphasize native plants in my gardens.  As you might expect, the Texas natives came through with flying colors while even many adapted plants gave up over the past couple years. 

Plants like Gregg's mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) have kept bees and butterflies busy all summer.