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Sophora secundiflora-Texas
Mountain Laurel
If you catch a whiff of grape bubble gum on the air in February and
early March, look around to see if there is a blooming Texas mountain
laurel nearby. The large purple clusters of wisteria-like flowers look
as good as they smell! Most Texas mountain laurels have glossy green
foliage, providing a perfect foil for these showy blossoms. 'Silver
Peso', a clone with silver-grey foliage, is occasionally found in the
nursery trade. Texas mountain laurel is evergreen, thornless, and is one
of the cleanest small trees around. It is a good choice for patio areas,
growing slowly to 15 feet tall and wide. This popular tree is often
difficult to find in large sizes, so you might have to plant a five or
fifteen gallon and wait patiently for it to develop a canopy. Deep,
infrequent summer irrigation will encourage faster growth. One word of
caution: this plant produces thick, hard seed pods which contain
poisonous orange-red seeds. However, the seed pods are very difficult to
break open. (I finally broke one open by jumping up and down on it
repeatedly.) If you're concerned about the seeds, simply clip off the
seed pods before they mature. Texas mountain laurel is very cold hardy,
to 10º F. USDA Zone 8
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