We have a funky tree in our yard. I planted it right at 5 years ago, the spring after The Talker was born. Actually, we planted three of the same variety, Texas Mountain Laurel, but only one of them is funky.
Texas Mountain Laurels have purple blooms that smell like grape kool-aid or grape bubble gum. Which is weird, but not funky. The blooms look like this.
Every one I have ever seen is just the same. Clusters of purple and lavender blooms. They are really pretty, but the blooms only last a few days. Tell me, who would not love a front yard that smells like grape kool-aid?
But one of our three is a funky tree. Two of it's branches bloom clusters of pure white flowers. They still smell kool-aidy, but I don't think the scent is as strong. Until last year I thought they were just really pale flowers. But last year it became obvious that the tree is putting out white flowers. The other main branch of the tree makes purple blooms. 
Anyways, I thought you might like to know about our funky tree. Plus, I wanted everyone to know I am not the only funny smelling white thing hanging around here, today.
I planted some in the back yard last month, so hopefully some day
we will have a whole forest of albino mountain laurel trees around here.
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3 comments:
This is obviously from the graft on a parent tree. I wonder what kind they used. I've seen pink Dogwoods do this. You know there are no natural pink Dogwoods. That's someones invention.
We too have a Texas Mountain Laurel that is blooming white! (this is it's first year to bloom - just 3 years since it was a seed) Someone told me that they had planted seeds from a white bloomer and the trees bloomed purple. (They wondered if there was some cross-pollination going on) Just wondering what your experience was with the seeds you planted.
I noticed today that my purple blooming Mountain Laurel trees are starting to bloom. No buds that I noticed on the white blooming tree, yet.
I had some success propagating last year's seeds from the white blooming tree, but the 3 trees that I kept from that experiment are only about a foot tall tall. I was assuming they won't bloom for a few more years. And it sounds like from your experience that I am going to have to wait another couple of years to see if I get any white blooms.
Until then, I'll keep gathering the "white" seeds.
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