Mulberries and wild pearsMay 20, 1987 by Pat Gibson |
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There have been some plants introduced to this country that have spread and while occasionally become pests, are generally enjoyed. Of course, there are always those who find things to be pesky that other folks find to be fine.
I knew some folks once who mowed the native bluebonnets down in their pastures because they said the bluebonnets killed the grass and the cows wouldn't eat the flowers. They had a ranch that looked like a well maintained park, about as dull and inviting as Zilker Park on a rainy February morning.
The mulberry tree has one native variety, but most kinds you find growing here in Texas are imported. They adapted and went wild because the climate was hospitable. The mulberry is usually a small tree that has bright yellow leaves in the fall. The fruit ranges from white to black and from tiny with very little juice to cherry sized and very juicy.
We have a white mulberry in front of our house that must be one of the strongest trees alive. When we first built the house, it was just a bush and we kept cutting it down. It was just in the way and the huge leaves made a mess. The leaves were what finally gave it a reprieve. The leaves turn a deep yellow with dark green veins in the fall and I found them very pretty. Two years ago it finally began to produce fruit. The mulberries are about an inch long and very sweet. The tree produces enough for the birds, the crew and yours truly to nibble on and an occasional handful on a bowl of cereal. The tree now presents a problem since it is right on the edge of where the garage is to go. With the root system that tree must have from being cut down so often, maybe we can prune it severely and get it out of the way of the garage. Many fruit trees have gone wild thanks to animals eating the fruit. There are pears, cherry and plum trees that have gone wild but they are only true to the root stock and usually produce inferior fruit to what comes out of a commercial orchard. Sometimes, you will see a tree bloom in the spring and never see the fruit. There is a tree like that over on Fitzhugh. From the color of the blossoms, I would say it is a peach, but I have yet to see a peach on it in all the 12 years I've been driving that road.
There are some plants that go native better than others. Some plants that take less care than others to give you a beautiful yard, but that's another story.
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