Q&A – Ask Neil: October 30, 2025
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QUESTION 1
WILL MY MEXICAN BUCKEYES GROW?
Question: Some 7-8 years ago I planted a Mexican buckeye tree. I noticed a few new plants in the bed beneath the tree, so I planted some of the seeds. The plant on the left is from summer 2024, while the one on the right is from summer 2025. Will they grow? Sam G., Cedar Hill, Dallas County.
Answer: The proof is in the seedlings. They’re doing quite well. Give them full sun, ample moisture, but good drainage and they should do well for you. Winters will be your main concern. For them and for a lot of other plant species, we should hope that we will return to more average temperatures. As long as you have these plants in pots, they will be especially vulnerable to cold. Protect them anytime temperatures will drop very far into the 20s. They’ll be far safer once you get them planted into the ground.
QUESTION 2
WILL MY DESERT WILLOW FILL IN?
Question: My desert willow really took off this year, but one side didn’t grow well. I had tall cannas on that side. They have since been relocated elsewhere. Will the desert willow fill in? Do you recommend any pruning to reshape it? Denise R., Little Elm.
Images clickable for larger views.
Answer: You’re doing great. Unfortunately, with a 2-dimensional photo, I can’t tell how misshapen it is due to the crowding. At the most you might need to round off the “corners” just a bit, but prune in a way that you maintain the natural growth form. Yes, it should round itself out. A little follow-up light pruning should be all that is needed.
QUESTION 3
HOW CAN I TRIM MY YAUPON HOLLY?
Question: Our yaupon holly has gotten too tall to be safely manageable. If we prune it down to 2 or 3 ft., will it regrow? When should we do that? I do not like this formal shape. Lee H., Weatherford.
Images clickable for larger views.
Answer: Hollies are good about coming back after a severe pruning like you’re describing, although I can’t guarantee that this one will since it’s been shaped pretty radically for some time already. I would cut it back even farther, probably to 4-5 inches from the ground. That way all the new shoots and “trunks” would originate near the soil line, so they would look natural. You’ll get many. Be prepared to remove all but 5 or 7 of the strongest ones as they grow to 12 to 15 in. tall. I would do that major trimming in late January, to take advantage of the burst of spring growth.
QUESTION 4
WHAT IS THE BEST PURPLE SALVIA?
Question: What is the best purple salvia that could be seen from the street? Marianne H., Dallas.
Answer: (This reader is a longtime friend and now retired co-worker. Her lovely home sits back off the street in a historic district. She will need a 24-30-inch salvia if my memory is correct.)
No one in Texas knows salvias any better than our good friend Dr. Greg Grant, Smith County Extension Horticulturist. Greg texted me Tuesday with an unrelated question, so I took liberty of asking for his recommendation.
Greg said, “Mystic Spires is probably showiest. I haven’t grown it, but Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues is the same cross.”
And then there’s the one that Greg found blooming beautifully in a South Texas cemetery. He said, “Henry Duelberg is not as refined, but it’s tough and adapted.”
It doesn’t get any better than that advice, Marianne!
QUESTION 5
WHAT IS A GOOD, TALL, SLENDER PLANT FOR USE BESIDE A HOUSE?
Question: Please recommend a tall, slender evergreen shrub for a very sunny location next to the foundation of our house. What is your opinion of Sky Pencil holly? Dortha Brown, Waco.
Answer: You are in the alkaline Blackland Prairie soils. Because of the acid-loving hollies in its genetics, Sky Pencil is not well suited to your conditions. I see them being sold by national big box stores that don’t realize they’re doing their Blackland customers a disservice by selling them. Their life expectancy is short in those conditions. They also tend to splay out and look unruly.
I would suggest Oakland hollies or Scarlet’s Peak or Skyward yaupon hollies. Just to have said it, the upright junipers all have disease problems and are not good solutions.
QUESTION 6
HOW CAN I SALVAGE THIS NEGLECTED CRAPE MYRTLE?
Question: What should I do to salvage this crape myrtle that has been neglected for 30 years or more? It is infested with wild hollies and some sort of oak. Gary W., Canton.
Answer: Start by making sure, before any of the plants lose their leaves, that you do not have poison ivy in the mix. That would require special attention before you could proceed. See Steven Chamblee’s story this issue for more details.
Then I would wait until the first freeze causes all deciduous plants to drop their leaves. At that point you can start cutting out the hollies and oaks with a chainsaw and loppers. Work methodically, one stem at a time. Gradually the trunks of the crape myrtle will become more obvious and you will be able to remove any dead branches as you reshape the original plant. All of this can be done in mid-winter. You’re probably going to be amazed at the results.
QUESTION 7
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR MOUNTAIN LAUREL?
Question: What could have happened to our Texas mountain laurel? It was planted as a 30-gal. tree 12 years ago. It looked great in September, then this happened almost overnight. Max B., Dallas.
Images clickable for larger views.
Answer: I can’t tell from this distance, but check the trunk closely. I lost a mountain laurel of about the same size and age in Collin County to a progressive wedge decay of some sort. There was deterioration of the internal tissues along with small fungal conks visible on the outside. It all happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to have a sample run through the Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Texas A&M. Perhaps you do have enough time if you see anything. They could culture it and give you guidance. My problem moved so rapidly I was not able to save my tree. I didn’t find anything specific to mountain laurels online just now, but if you want to do a little searching, the botanical name for the plant is Sophora secundiflora. Good luck. Not much fun.