Is Houston's climate underrated?

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by KinBueno

If you plant the Barbados Cherry ( we call it West Indian Cherry) in the ground it will boom to a 6ft monster by Christmas and produce cherries every 4 or 5 weeks, but one hard freeze and the tree will be dead. It can grow in a large pot that you bring into the garage for cold snaps, but you won't get that many fruits.

Wow, this is amazing. Thanks for the suggestion.
I will have empty brand new backyard in Florida where I am moving soon, and this is probably the best thing to grow.

[KinBueno]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

Wow, this is amazing. Thanks for the suggestion.
I will have empty brand new backyard in Florida where I am moving soon, and this is probably the best thing to grow.

Aww you are leaving us? What part of Florida are you moving too? That opens a lot of possibilities in regards to tropical trees.
The WI Cherry is a workhorse. The cherries are not related to what we normally think of as cherries, but I do see them occasionally at Fiesta.

They are high in Vitamin C and other good stuff. The flowers are shaped like Crepe Myrtle flowers, but they are no where as showy. They are not Bourne in clusters so they are less noticable.

They are also very drought tolerant and not picky about soils. They don't have vigorous roots so you can plant them right next to the house. Or neighbor in the Caribbean had a huge that would topple over during each hurricane because they lack large roots. The neighbor would just push it back upright, water it and in a few weeks it would be loaded with cherries again.

Originally Posted by SanJac

Thanks! I was going to get 3 Kieffer Pear but I'll change my order based on your guidance. I don't like figs so they are out. I was curious about the cherry tree but I've never seen one in Houston. My cousins in Washington used to send us some every year and we would send them oranges. Why would Trees for Houston give out trees that will not survive in our climate? Strange.

That is a good question. Their is a version of West Indian Cherry that is native to Texas, but in the valley area.
That one is more of a shrub than a tree. The leaves are smaller and the fruits are waaay smaller and not really sweet.
It is nice to have as a novelty and I have seen people use them as hedges. They are slightly more cold tolerant than the fruiting West Indian cherry, but both will most definitely be exterminated during those cold snaps we have been having.
A mild cold snap will knock it back but it will re-sprout from the roots.

If you are getting a cherry be sure to ask if it is the one with small fruits or large ones. Both are edible but one produces fruits the size of your pinky nail, the other may be as large as a quarter.

I didn't like figs either, but I'm hooked on growing my own because they taste different off the tree.
With the Kiefers they make a more handsome tree than the pineapple pears, in terms of branch structure. The Pineapples are vigorous so they end up more fancy with really long branches shooting out in each direction. The Kiefers grow more evenly with more strategic branching.

If you are set on all Kiefers you can still do that. They are self pollinating but produce a more robust crop if there is another pear cultivar in the vicinity that can help with cross pollination.

Another workhorse tree I would recommend is the Scarlet Beauty Plum. That thing is the first to flower each year. It is usually covered in flowers each January and we get buckets of plums. The local plums are more beautiful, with scented flowers, but they are more for Jellies and don't make good eating. The Scarlet Beauty produces lots of sweet juicy plums you can eat straight off of the tree.

Two final trees I would like to recommend for Houston are the Feijoa and the lowly loquat.
You have probably walked by Feijoa plants dozens of times and not realized they were fruiting trees. They are evergreen so people use them as hedges. Because they keep clipping them you don't usually see them fruit. The fruit is also exactly the same color as the leaves so unless you are nosey you don't see them. But Feigoa is actually a species of Guava. Some people say it has a slight pineapple taste so the common name is Pineapple Guava.
So this cute little Tree, shrub bush, hedge is evergreen, so it provides privacy, and not only are the fruits edible but the flowers are too. The flowers taste like marshmallows.

Finally, the loquat tree is pretty common all over Houston. The trees are very variable so not all of them will taste the same. Most people but a cultivator to ensure they get good fruits but I think the ones I grew from seed are just fine. They are a bit sour If they are not fully ripe, but when they are ready the taste reminds me of Cola Champagne soda.

I just like the tree period. It has large evergreen leaves so there is still a tropical look even during the winter time. I love the fruits raw but they also make excellent jelly.

If y'all are interested in trees and plants that are not the usual same old same old you see everywhere, I would check out JRN Nursery on Breen Road off of 249. Their green houses are like a tropical fruit forest. They are rather pricey, but it is worth a look. The magnolias should be in bloom right now, last year they had the most beautiful saucer magnolias with huge flowers in deep red, yellow pink. Another good Nursery is Joseph's in Pearland. I think both are ran by Vietnamese families but Joseph's is less exotic than JRN.

[SanJac]

Thanks! I’m going to look for that Scarlet Beauty Plum!

Are you familiar with a tree that only flowers every few years? I saw the most beautiful tree with pink flowers. I thought it was a Crape Myrtle but now I know it couldn’t have been. I could kick myself for not having the courage to ask the homeowner if I could take a cutting. For the last two years I pass by that house and have never seen the tree bloom again. Nature is amazing.

Today I learned about the Hercules’ club tree. Turns out I have one. My lawn guy scared me into thinking the tree was cursed and a bad omen, but I researched it and found out the Indians actually used the tree for medicinal purposes. It is an ugly looking tree full of thorns. I’m going to keep it for the time being.

[KinBueno]

I have heard of the Hercules club but I'm drawing a blank on the one that flowers every few years.
I wish you had snapped a photo so I could see the flowers and leaves.

Honk Kong Orchids may not flower the year after a bad cold snap. But their flowers are much bigger than crepe Myrtles.

Desert Willows are another option, but those should flower reliably every year.

There are a range of magnolias with pink flowers, but those are huge flowers so you can tell from far off.

Flowering Peach, Plum or Apricot put on a show, but only in early spring so that's a dead giveaway. None produces fruits. Crabapples put on a spring show too, but all of those should flower every year.

Pink trumpet trees may not flower every year due to cold snaps. I have seen them on sale here, but they are easily killed by cold snaps and are really for warmer zones (the Valley and Florida).

I tried growing Weigela and didn't have much luck. It's more a bush than a tree though.

What else...it's too early for my brain.
Oh Pink Silk floss trees. Their flowers look like Hong Kong Orchid flowers.
And there's also the Mimosa Tree.

Maybe when I'm fully awake I will think of some more.

Have you started planting natives for the birds and butterflies?

Oh Oh, it looks like we hijacked the thread. Houston is a decent zone for growing a wide range of plants though, so I guess many plants would say Houston's weather was underrated

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

New York and LA have a higher amount of selection and quality of food than Houston

Anyway, Humidity sucks. But boy are you exaggerating the effects it has on breathing. Speaking of that, the opposite extreme (Phoenix, Denver) also have their effects on breathing. For those sensitive getting nosebleeds

Chiming in from Phoenix. I grew up with severe asthma and my doctor recommended my parents move me to Arizona. They didn't, however, I ended up here anyway. The arid climate is easier on the lungs than humidity, especially if it's high. However, I have never lived in a place where so many children and adults have Asthma. The air quality here is typically poor due to all the particles in the air. Oh, and Valley Fever, a horrible respiratory disease, is another concern out here.

[SanJac]

Houstonians love their free fruit trees. I drove to Delmar Stadium 45 minutes before the giveaway and there was a line of cars 2-3 miles long…crazy. I could not even turn off the feeder on 610 so I left. I went back at 10:30 thinking the line would have died down. Nope! I came away empty-handed.

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by KinBueno

Have you started planting natives for the birds and butterflies?

I went to “mostly natives” a few years ago…lots of salvia, lantana, sages. I tell you a foolproof plant for Houston is Dianthus. Those things survived snowmaggeden and the 100 degree summer of 2023 and they are thriving!

Another foolproof plant is the crinum lily. I have several of those. Last year I went on an Antique Rose kick. Everybody has the knockout. Mine got sick so I dug them all out. The antiques look like they are going to produce a beautiful crop this year.

I keep a few tropicals…Hibiscus, swamp rose mallow, bougainvillea, plumeria, jasmine, and Angel’s Trumpet. Most of those are in pots so I can bring inside during freezes.

Yes, Houston has ideal weather if you enjoy gardening.

P.S.: That tree I mentioned with pink flowers was blooming in the Fall. One of these days I’m going to stop at that house and just ask.

[KinBueno]

Aww that sucks. I guess it has gotten back to the pre pandemic long lines.
I'm sorry you didn't get your trees.

But yeah there are a lot of fool proof plants for Houston. It's just that Houston used to go years before it got the really cold snaps that kill tropicals like hibiscus. Now the snaps are like every year now.

I used to have a variegated angel trumpet that would perfume the night air with the most intoxicating fragrance. But it finally froze. I have the regular green ones with pink flowers. They comeback like clockwork but sadly the flowers are not scented.

I'm running out of places for bedding plants like dianthus.
I'm getting more into 4 seasons of color with natives.
Especially those that produce berries.
Gotta distract the birds with other sources of food so they leave my fruit alone

[worldlyman]

Originally Posted by blameyourself

The fact that these threads tend to come up multiple times a year and people so vehemently try to defend the weather in Houston, tells me all I need to know. Me thinks many here try just a little too hard to sugar coat things.

Having recently been in the SE Asia tropics this past entire January-February where it's always muggy and humid, I missed being in Houston weather. I'd see the weather tickers and Houston would be having mostly nice 65 F days and a few cold ones (but that's OK).

Houston's weather is mostly good for about seven months at least, realistically, depending on one's threshold. The naysayers only bash Houston's weather when it's at its most extreme summers June-July-August. But they have nothing to say about its good points in late Oct through April.

Entitled people in the USA who have never spent time in the REAL tropics from December to Feb and complain about "Houston weather", they really have no clue. Sorry.

Yeah, count me as a "defender" of Houston's weather and there isn't any "sugar coating" what I said. It's facts. It isn't SoCal consistency but then living out there for years...the lack of Gulf Coast gullywashing thunderstorms was a bit depressing in a way.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

The arid climate is easier on the lungs than humidity, especially if it's high.

I grew up close to a tropical rainforest and there’s nothing better than breathing cool humid air
Feels like drinking cold water on a hot summer day