The flower stalk is sweet-tasting before it produces flower pods/flowers. Roast or pickle it before the pods appear. As the flower pods mature the stalk becomes tasteless and tough. After the flowers have past the ripe fruit of the thick-leaf …
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As you cross the dry, sandy, alkaline soils of south and west Texas and southern coastal areas you make see a gray-colored bush covered in thick, elongated oval leaves. Depending on the time of year, the bush may be covered in long, tubular, …
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Stroll past any disturbed area, especially one that’s a bit damp, and you are almost guaranteed to come across lots of this wiry, weedy, sparsely-leafed, yellow flowered plant called wireweed. It seems to love the edges of parking lots, underpasses, …
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Allow leaves to dry or force-dry the leaves in an oven, then crumble into food. These are one of the key seasoning for Cajun seafood boils. I like to use it as a replacement for Italian season to make a “Cajun” lasagna.
Bayberry candles are …
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It’s hard to miss Turk’s Cap shrubs in the summer. Their multitude of bright read, uniquely-shaped flowers set against dark green foliage draw not just the human eye but also many butterflies and hummingbirds. These native mallows, related …
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By mid-summer the four-petaled, yellow flowers of St. Andrew’s Cross can be found all across the disturbed, partially shaded areas of Texas. This plant is tough but doesn’t like full sun, preferring the shade of a wood’s edge. It grows from …
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Wild roses can be found growing along fences (barbwire or other types) across the Texas prairie and on old homesteads. They make a formidable barrier or security fence once well established. They are pretty much impervious to droughts, blistering …
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Fall brings forth a lot of different red berries in Texas, both wild and landscaping. One of the most thickly-covered red berry bushes is Pyracantha. These started out as a non-native landscaping plant but due to birds LOVING these berries, …
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Purple sage, also known as cenizos, gives rise to the purple prairies of Texas, though it’s found mostly in the more arid regions. The plant retains its leaves all year long but the flowers appear in the summer and fall, blooming after rains. …
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There are few landscaping plants as showy as the non-native Pride of Barbados bushes. Their round shape, complex leaves, bright flower clusters, and long pea pods draw attention and admiration. These bushes are very tolerant of Texas summers, …
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