NICE! Plant of the Month
(Dalea frutescens)
Family: Legume Family (Fabaceae)
Other Common Names: Black Prairie Clover
Type: Perennial shrub, deciduous.
Natural Habitat: SE Oklahoma, Central Texas west to New Mexico; Mexico. Dry rocky limestone soils, on hillsides among brushy vegetation.
Growth: 1-3 ft high, rounded and spreading.
Deer Resistance: May be browsed by deer and rabbits.
Wildlife: Food plant for Dogface butterfly, nectar source for many butterfly species.
Light Tolerance: Full sun.
Flowers: Small, ½ inch, magenta and white flowers on short dense heads, may form masses of blooms in late summer and fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous pods.
Leaves: Leaves up to 1 inch long, odd-pinnately compound with 13-17 leaflets. Foliage silvery-green, under side dotted with glands, aromatic when crushed.
Water Requirements: Very drought tolerant once established.
Soil Requirements: Well-drained, sand, clay, caliche, limestone.
Planting Instructions: Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart. Dig a hole at least two times wider than, but the same depth as the root ball in the nursery container. Sides of the hole should be irregular, not smooth. Remove plant from container, taking care to support the root ball. Loosen exterior roots gently with your fingers. If the plant is root-bound and cannot be loosened by hand, the outer roots may be cut in several places. Lift the plant by the root ball and place into the hole. Backfill hole, using soil that was dug out. Do not add any soil to the top of the root ball. Gently firm the soil with your hands, but do not tamp it down. Place 3-4 inches of mulch over the bare soil around, but not touching the base of the plant.
Watering Instructions after planting: Water deeply after planting to settle soil around roots. Then water every 7-10 days, as needed, during the first growing season. Before watering, check soil moisture at a depth of an inch or two at the edge of the root ball. Skip a watering after a rainfall of ½ to 1 inch. Maintain this watering schedule until the first fall. Reduce watering during the cool and winter months. In a “normal” year, no watering may be necessary during the fall and winter, but during a dry period, monthly watering may be needed. Second spring and thereafter: Water monthly only during the periods of drought. Once established, native will survive with little supplemental irrigation.
NICE! Tip: Excellent landscape plant, especially in mass plantings. Use as a groundcover or low border. Prune in spring to promote flowering, but otherwise low-maintenance. Over-fertilizing and over-watering may result in weak, leggy stems and reduced flowering.
Look for the NICE! Plant of the Month signs and information sheets on your next visit to a participating Boerne nursery. And thank you for supporting native plants by using them in your landscapes.