From the garden
TheKnoxCountySafety Rest Area landscape qualifies as a xerophytic mini-botanic garden. Xerophytic plants are those that are able to survive in environments with little water. The term ‘xerophyte’ comes from the Greek xeros, meaning dry, and phyton, meaning plant.
The Knox County Safety Rest Area, on westbound US 82 east of Benjamin, is a showcase for established xerophytic plants. The species chosen by TxDOT (txdot.gov) for landscaping the rest stop are especially well suited for our arid West Texas.
Gardeners and casual outdoor enthusiasts can pack a lunch and take a drive to enjoy a well-maintained roadside table at the rest stop. Depending where you are in the readership area, the drive is a short one, for example, a one-hour drive from Dickens. The rest stop is handicap accessible, with interpretive displays, drinking water, and group picnic areas. With paper and pencil and a camera make a list of the drought tolerant plants that might be included in a personal West Texas garden or landscape.
Plants found at the Knox County Rest Stop are: Chaste tree ( Vitex agnus-castus). Deciduous shrub bearing fragrant lavender flowers and aromatic leaves. Attracts pollinators. Can become invasive.
Blonde-AmbitionBlueGramaGrass ( Bouteloua gracilis).
Blue-green foliage, golden summer flowers on stiff stems, blonde seed heads remain throughout the winter.
Trailing Germander ( Teucrium aroanium). Spreads by trailing stems, honey-scented purple-pink booms born on fragrant gray-green leaves attracts pollinators; drought and heat-tolerant. Evergreen.
(
Hesperaloe parviflora).
Tall spikes bearing deep red flowers arising from clumps of slender, green, drought tolerant stiff foliage. Evergreen. Can become invasive.
Fringed Sage
(
Artemisia frigida).
Tiny yellow flower clusters appear in summer atop tufted silverwhite, feathery foliage, lowspreading, woody perennial. Attracts pollinators.
Pale Leaf Yucca, Dagger Plant (
Yucca pallida).
Low, clumping yucca with flexible, pale blue-green, finely serrated leaves. Leaves have whitish-yellow margins. Flower stalks of pure white, bell-shaped flowers emerge in late spring.
Bear Grass
( Xerophyllum tenax). Perennial herb. Leaves are wide, dull olive green with toothed edges. Spiky flower stalks bear fragrant white flowers. Reseeds readily. Deer and bear eat flowers and leaf bases. Drought tolerant.
Russian Sage ( Salvia yangii). Delicate silver-gray foliage and tubular lavender- blue blooms attract pollinators. Perennial but may become invasive.
Soft Leaf Yucca ( Yucca recurvifolia). Graceful, blue-green leaves. Stunning white blooms borne on a tall flower spike. Evergreen.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
