Rewilding My Lot

Viguiera stenoloba
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database entry

This Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye plant has truly impressed me with its resilience and drought tolerance. Back in May (I am writing this in July) when it was already flowering I dug it out of a friend’s garden, where it had arrived as a volunteer, and transplanted it here. Let me first say that it is not particularly recommended to transplant whole native plants after they have established themselves in the ground because they put down deep roots that you cannot help but damage during the process. Nevertheless, the generous offer was there and I took several different plants, of which about 50% have survived.

After the plant was in its new location, I removed all flowers and buds. This was so that the plant wouldn’t expend energy maintaining flowers while simultaneously trying to repair its root system. It also got a dose of mycorrhizae to help root growth.

The Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye then proceeded to not only survive, but also thrive. In the past two months it has grown several inches and produced a profusion of yellow flowers that are still going strong, all without supplementary water beyond the first couple of weeks. Here are two photos of a Mimosa Yellow butterfly visitor to the plant early in its time here.