All Summer Bloomer for the Bees and Hummingbirds

Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Lynn's Legacy'                                                                                             S. Reeve

I love California native plants, but not so much in the summer when they are semi-dormant. One way to have some summer beauty is to choose plants that look like they are native to mix with natives. One such plant is Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Lynn's Legacy'. While not native to California, it hails from Mexico, so kind of close? I have known about this remarkable plant for quite some time but have never seen it for sale. It blooms heavily all summer especially if it is watered once in awhile. Once one flush of blooms finishes it just prepares a new set of buds to bloom again. The blooms least several days.

This particular selection was made by plantsman Lynn Lowery of Texas in the mid-eighties. He discovered it growing among a stand of Leucophyllum langmaniae outside of Monterrey, Mexico. Lynn loved collecting and introducing new plants, especially natives, and had a keen eye for promising selections. His nursery was in Houston, TX. 'Lynn's Legacy' is a slower growing version of the regular Cenizo, and was chosen for its profusely flowering nature and its compact growth to 5 feet. This is such an easy plant that covers itself with flowers several times from late spring into fall. It requires so little to behave so beautifully. The growth is compact and dense and flowering is profuse and lovely. The specific epithet, "langmaniae" refers to Ida Kaplan Langman. She botanized in Mexico and wrote an impressive book in the mid-sixites on the plants she found there titled, "A Selected Guide to the Literature of the Flowering Plants of Mexico."

While I prefer the deeper pink flowers of the Leucophyllum frutescens, the compact growth habit and grayer foliage of this plant make a better landscape plant for the typical homeowner. Here are Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Lynn's Legacy' in the foreground and Leucophyllum frutescens in the background. Notice the different flower colors. The soft gray foliage and rounded habit make this plant attractive even when it is not flowering which isn't very often!

Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Lynn's Legacy'                                                                 Photo by Dr. Jerry Parsons

Another advantage to this particular plant is it is not as dependent on humidity and rainfall to spur bloom formation as Leucophyllum frutescens. As long as you remember to water it occasionally, maybe once every 10 days or so, it will continue to bloom. I love this plant as it is positively bodacious! It is a doer and thriver. Once I planted a couple of Leucophyllums and basically forgot about them as they got swallowed by an Encelia californica only to find them in the mid-summer as the Encelia died back. I had hardly watered them and they still looked great. This is almost a "plant-it-and-forget-about-it plant" at least where I live. 

Leuocophyllum langmaniae 'Lynn's Legacy'                                                                                  S. Reeve

Now of course because gas-powered hedge clippers exist there will always be those that desire the plant to look like a cube or hockey puck, but please don't do this to this plant. Its fine rounded and well-behaved growth habit does not need assistance to look its best.

Plant torture                                                                                                   photo by David Cristiani

Leuocophyllum langmaniae does best in well-drained sandy soil and grows best when provided heat and full sun. As I mentioned before this plant flowers almost continuously regardless of rising humidity, irrigation or precipitation. Irrigation in the dry months of summer can encourage more profuse blooming of the lavender flowers. Bees and butterflies love this plant. Why I love summer-blooming bee plants is they supply late season bees with the pollen and nectar they need to produce offspring. Summer bloomers make all of the difference between success and survival of native bees for subsequent years. One summer we had uncharacteristic heavier rains and they allowed, a previously uncommon bumblebee to prosper. Here is a shot of gorgeous Bombus pensylvanicus ssp. sonorus visiting Leucophyllum frutescens. 

     Bombus pensylvanicus ssp. sonorus                                                                                             S. Reeve

Honeybees also love this plant as do hummingbirds. In the summer I have four species of hummingbirds in my garden and they appreciate the all-summer feeding station that his plant becomes. The sympetalous zygomorphic (fused petals, bilaterally symmetrical) five-lobed flowers occur in pairs at most congested internodes, so doing the math, that is a lot of flowers! The leaves are furry, gray, and spatulate. The silver hairs on the leaves are stellate and each individual hair is shaped like a sparkler. The flowers are also covered in minute hairs. Nectaries with sweet nectar draw the wildlife plus ample pollen makes this a valuable plant especially for bees. It supplies nectar for the adults and pollen to store for the larvae. Check out the nectar guides in this close-up. They act as runway lights for incoming bees. Because I plant this for the bees, I make sure when I buy it that it has not been treated with neonicotinoid pesticides as I do not want to harm the bees that visit. In Texas, Mexico, and Arizona this plant is the host plant for Theona Checkerspot butterfly and the large gorgeous Calleta Silk Moth. 

    Tomentose leaves, furry flowers, and spatulate leaves                                                                          S. Reeve

Another reason I prefer the habit and flower power of 'Lynn's Legacy' is flowers up and down the stems in doubles while Leucophyllum frutescens tends to flower only singly at the ends of branches. Leucophyllum langmaniae prefers dry alkaline, rocky or sandy soil, that is well-drained. Summer heat and occasional watering will keep this plant blooming for months well into fall. It is hardy down to 5 degrees F. Once again, drainage is more of an issue than cold hardiness as this plant will more likely succumb to bad drainage in the winter than from cold. If this compact grower needs pruning do this while it is dormant in the winter. This truly one of my favorite plants for wildlife and I almost feel like I am cheating when I grow this because it is so easy.