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Milberger's Nursery and Landscaping
3920 North Loop 1604 E.
San Antonio, TX 78247
210.497.3760
charlesmartelli@milbergernursery.com

Open 9 to 6 Mon. through Sat.
and 10 to 5 on Sun.


Three exits east of 281, inside of 1604
Next to the Diamond Shamrock station
Please click map for more detailed map and driving directions.


Click here




April

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please click on any photo for a larger view

Crossvine prospers in the sun or in light shade. It is an evergreen vine that can cover a fence or fill a trellis. In April the vine is covered with red-apricot-colored, tubular blooms that stop traffic. The selection ?angerine Beauty has a superior orange color and larger blooms than the native vine. Crossvine is often the flowering plant where we see the first hummingbirds of the spring in South Texas.

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The widely adaptable dwarf Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) has been named a Texas Superstar™ by Texas A&M University. The tall upright, dark green plants with lance-shaped leaves and bright purple, tubular flowers are in full bloom in the hottest part of the summer and show no signs of being neglected even if planted in a less than optimum location.
Mexican petunias are very adaptable and will tolerate wet and dry soils. They prefer full sun but will tolerate shade; however, since flowering is light-related, the plants will flower less in shade. Mexican petunias and their cultivars are perennial and will remain green under conditions of light frost. However, the foliage will die when a severe frost occurs, and the plant will go dormant until spring.
Although Mexican petunias are drought-tolerant once established, they perform best with regular irrigation during droughts and with regular feeding of high phosphorus fertilizers. They are disease- and insect-resistant and only rarely bothered by snails and caterpillars.
One limitation of the large-growing plant is that it can be aggressive in well-cared-for situations, spreading by both seed and rhizomes which can be a pest in rich garden soil. The introduction of a dwarf Ruellia was a great step in solving this "problem". The dwarf, less-aggressive version of the species is 'Katie' dwarf Ruellia (sometimes called 'Nolan's dwarf'). About 6 inches in height, it works nicely in an informal front-of-the-border grouping or as a groundcover in narrow spaces. 'Katie' needs no deadheading, and will continue to flower all season long, and is just as tough as its species parent, able to grow in hot, dry neglected spots. In good soil, the plant will reseed true, but is not as invasive as others in the species. Recently, a dwarf pink version of 'Katie' called 'Bonita™' was patented and introduced by Color Spot Nurseries. A white version can also be found.