I would tend to take those accounts with a grain of salt. Anecdotal.


"Steve Coyle" wrote in message
om...
Howdy folks,
In regards to this message:

I mean, come on...the Cedars (Juniperus
Ashii) took over when the new-to-the-area whites cut down all the trees
150
years ago. Now, Tallow, with enough water, will take over from the
Cedars!

sigh

Guess we'll permanently change the land several times before the local
ecology finds some way of putting up with us.

I found one of the most interesting histories of the changes in the
ecology of the Texas Hill country over the last 150 years in an
unexpected place. The first volume of Robert Caro's Bio epic of Lyndon
Johnson, "The Path to Power" ( at the library ) had a 100 or so pages
on the early Hill country and the changes that happened in terms of
the grazing of the native grasses, the loss of topsoil and the arrival
of the invasive plants. In addition a lot of interesting info on the
development of the dam system, and the creation of the Highland lakes.

It's hard to imagine that the Hill country not long ago had top
soil held together by grasses. In a generation ( Lyndon's Dad ) the
land was grazed by introduced cattle, lost the grasses that held it
together and the soil eroded away.
It's not just the hill country, of course, but I once read excerpts
at the Austin History center from the diary of one of the first anglo
settlers at Big Bend who wrote about having a hard time getting
through the shoulder high grasses that covered the area. Grasses that
would also be grazed away.

As far as Tallows go, get your money back, and be aware it's
likely not the only plant you might come across in a nursery that you
should avoid planting. Also be aware that once we get up into the
nineties some of those lovely plants you see for sale might be getting
watered two or three times a day to keep them from flopping over, and
if you take them home can go down in the heat while you are away at
work. I never could figure out how a hanging basket of New Guinea
Impatiens that needed to be watered twice a day in the shade at a
nursery was supposed to survive hanging from someone's porch.


Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com