January in the Garden

January a wonderful month in deep south Texas to spend time in your garden!  But when we get 80 degree days like earlier this week, we're tempted to jump the gun on some garden tasks.  Here's a guide for January Garden Tasks in our area.  

• Gather and shred your fallen leaves.  They can easily be shredded with a mower or an inexpensive leaf shredder.   I have an electric leaf shredder, like the one pictured, that is indispensable this time of year.   The shredded leaves can then either be composted or used as mulch, where they will help suppress weed seed from sprouting and cool the soil during the summer. I have heard people say not to use live oak leaves because they contain too much tannin and tannin keeps the leaf from breaking down.   If you shred your leaves, they will decompose just fine.   Much to my husbands dismay, I am a proud leaf rustler.  I try to keep the back of my car empty so that I can pick up any bagged leaves that have been left at the curb.   You just can't have too many shredded leaves.
• Water only as needed.   Much of the landscape will be dormant and will not be using much water.   But dry cold fronts, high winds, and low humidity can dry your plants quickly so check them regularly.   Water an established lawn only every 10 days or two weeks.    
• Be prepared to protect your tender vegetation from any freezing temperatures that we may get. Go here to read more about this. 

PLANT: 

• Trees and Shrubs:   All trees, including fruit, with the exception of citrus.   This is also a good time to plant non-tropical shrubs.  
• Vegetables:  broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, collards, kale, leaf lettuce, leeks, onion (plants, not seeds), parsley, potato, radish, spinach, and turnips.  
• Herbs:  basil, dill, fennel, mint (in a pot to contain the roots), rosemary, rue, thyme.   A frost will harm  your basil so it is best in a pot which can be brought in during inclement weather.  
• Flowers from Seed or Bulbs:  alyssum, amaryllis bulbs, calendulas, calla lillies, petunia, larkspur, poppy, stock, calendulas.     Some say you can still plant bluebonnets and nasturtium seed but, in my experience, those are best planted in October.
• Flowers from Transplants:   pansies, petunias, alyssum, dianthus, snapdragons, and violets
• Rose bushes

Vegetable Planting Date Sources:  Texas Extension Service and the Old Farmers Almanac . 

FERTILIZE:   Citrus trees that are at least 3 years old, your annuals and vegetables.  Do not fertilize tropicals right now; let them rest. 

PRUNE: 

• Landscape trees.  Most established landscape trees will require a certified arborist to properly and safely prune. 
• Peaches, figs, and other fruit trees.  I prune to remove dead wood, to shape the tree. and to keep it a size where I can reach the fruit.   We are going to plant a mango and an avocado tree and I am going to try to prune them shorter so their fruit is accessible.   I never wanted to grow them before because they get so tall, I felt like I'd be growing the fruit for the possoms, racoons, and other vermin.   
• Do not prune your shrubs yet.   Some of our worst cold snaps (and ice storms) have arrived in February.     

Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years.         

Desert Willow

For the past decade, gardeners everywhere are looking for water-wise plants and Desert Willow is one that I want to add to my home landscape.    This Texas native is considered a small tree or large shrub.   We have been growing it at the nursery for the past 4 years and really like how it performs.   We are just now selling our first crop.  They are a little lankier than we would like but we've begun a pruning program that has added fullness to the trees.    

Now, more about Desert Willow.   It's not a willow at all - but a catalpa, if that means anything to you.    This small tree has willow-shaped leaves and blooms from June through October.   The blossoms look like miniature orchids and may be pink, purple, or white.  I've read that there is also a yellow variety but have never seen it.    I'm picturing a flower that's more cream-colored than yellow.

Desert Willow 'Bubba'

There are a couple of patented Desert Willows on the market:  Bubba which blooms a vibrant hot pink and Timeless Beauty which has burgundy and lavender bi-colored flowers.  If the color is important to you, purchase from a reputable nursery or buy when the tree is in bloom.  They begin blooming at a fairly young age - even in a 5 gallon container.


Desert Willow is fast growing and it tends to be a bit leggy.  It may be hard to do, but until your tree is 5 or 6 feet tall, prune it severely.   By that, I mean cut it back by a third.   Do it in late winter.   These trees are deciduous and experience a bit of die back each winter so you'll really feel like you're trimming bare sticks.    Your tree will thank you with a much fuller canopy.    As a bonus, it  flowers on new growth so you'll get more flowers too!   Because it flowers on new growth, you can prune it for the shape you want and not sacrifice any blooms.

Desert Willow is fairly new in nurseries but, they should be available throughout Texas.   Speaking of Texas, Desert Willow grows just about everywhere in Texas except east Texas.   They just get too much rain there - poor people.  It grows in a variety of soil types as long as it is well drained.  

Tree Groupings

Recently I've noticed that the birds seem to prefer  groups of trees over one lone tree in the middle of lawn.   Or, maybe it's me that prefers to hang out there, so I notice more birds.   Anyhow, it has changed how I am thinking about the tree cover in our yard.   We are focusing on tree groupings.   We already have two groupings established - by that, I mean that the canopy is continuous from tree to tree.  This is our next area to work on.  

If you look really, really hard, you can see six teeny-tiny trees that I got my sweet hubby to plant.   I finally gave up on bringing in some big trees.   I mean, we grow them professionally, we sell them all over the state, I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could get a few installed in  our yard  . . . .  it's like the cobbler's kids who have no shoes.   But, I regress . . . .  

This grouping contains Texas red oak, eucalyptus, and cedar elm.   There are some gorgeous eucalyptus trees on the King Ranch and I've been wanting to try a few.    Surely if they grow there strictly on rainfall, they will grow here.   I love the height (a good 40 or 50 feet tall) and the mottled, flakey trunks.   They are flanked by established huische and mesquite.   In another 10 or 15 years, this should be a nice spot for our feathered friends to hang out.  

I wasn't quick enough to get a picture, but yesterday morning, a cardinal was perched in one of these tiny trees.   As I watched, it fluttered over and checked out two others.  Maybe we won't have to wait another 10 or 15 years after all.  

Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden

This morning we visited my sister-in-law at her new home and soon-to-open B&B.   The M-T Nest is going to be geared to birders and naturalists.   In under an hour, we saw cardinals, green jays, banded kiskadees, a Harris hawk and, of course, Texas' state bird, mockingbirds.   She told tales of the hunting habits of their resident barn owls.    And that was just on our drive up the drive and from inside the house.   It kinda reminded me of Chevy Chase's movie, Animal Farm.  Remember it?   They're trying to sell their New England country home and have enlisted all the townsfolk to help   When the prospective buyers approach the house, someone releases deer to scamper across the law - what a pastoral scene - well, unless you have first-hand experience with deer in your yard

Anyhow, it got me thinking about what our landscapes need to include if we want to attract wildlife to our little piece of paradise.   Some good general guidelines are the requirements to certify a yard as a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat.   It's a Texas Parks and Wildlife program.   You can find the application here 

   

Basically, you need food sources, water sources, cover from preditors, and nesting sites.  I had assumed that I'd have to have an almost completely native landscape but the certification only requires that at 50% of the planting a be native.    

Sometimes you will want to get more specific.   We've planted a pecan tree to appeal to the local parrots and leave our sabal and Washingtonia palms untrimmed so the orioles a nice nesting place.  We've left a gnarly old Ashe tree with lots of trunk rot for the Eastern screech owls   We plant fennel, dill, and parsley for the caterpillars to munch on.   And we have lots of red blooming plants to appeal to the hummingbirds.     Frogs find refuge in overturned clay pots and we definitely want some frogs around.  They are voracious mosquito eaters.   

In this new year, I challenge you to plant with a purpose.  Do a little research before you go to your local garden center.   Choose items both for their beauty and for what they will draw into your garden.  Happy gardening! 

October in the Garden

October finds south Texas in the middle of its second growing season.  It's a great month for planting!

If you are planting spring wildflower seed, you will want to get it into the ground before November 15th.   A bluebonnets hard seed coating breaks down slowly with rain and heat.   When purchasing bluebonnet seed, look for “scarified” or treated seed to ensure quick germination.  Bluebonnet seed germinates in the fall, grows a rosette of leaves and lots of roots during the winter, and blooms in the spring.  Natural rainfall is usually sufficient to grow wildflowers.    Nastursiums should be treated much like bluebonnets.  I never could grow this lovely bright annual until a friend told me to plant it by Halloween.  Like magic, we had an abundance of nastursiums the following spring.   Both the leaves and flowers are edible.   The leaves have a peppery flavor and are a good substitute for watercress.   Use them on sandwiches or in salads.  

Back to gardening . . . .   Divide your spring-blooming perennials (Shasta daisy, daylily, amaryllis and iris). When clumps grow thick and don’t bloom well, it’s time to divide them – about every 2 to 4 years. Large clumps can be divided with a shovel. Add organic matter and compost to the planting bed before replanting your newly divided perennials. 

Your shrubs will benefit from a light pruning and fertilizing right now.   In particular all lantanas are probably pretty overgrown and leggy.   Mine were covered with mealy bugs so I trimmed them WAY back to remove the pest - probably overdid it a bit, but at least I don't have to mess with the mealybugs . . . .

Cold weather crops can still be added to your planting beds:  broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, eggplant, lettuce, onions, and spinach are some staples in our winter vegetable garden.  Carrots are the only thing I'll plant with seed -  Tomatoes aren't considered a cool season crop, but we should have enough warm days ahead that we've added some new plants.  We've also kept three tomatoes and a couple of bell peppers from the spring garden and have pruned them back.   We'll see how they do. 

Pick your vegetables and flowers to keep the plants producing. Likewise, trim your herbs will keep them growing. Encourage leaf growth by removing the flowers. Plants won’t use as much water during cooler months so reduce your watering.

The fall is the best time to plant trees.  We've FINALLY planted a lime tree this morning and have spots picked out for six new live oaks to line the back of our yard. 

Don't you love Fall?   Get out there and grow something!

Anacua

Anacua is a Texas native tree whose range is the southern half of the state. Its flowers are as fragrant as they are pretty. In a couple of months they will be followed by golden-orange berries. You can expect your anacua tree to bloom 2-3 times each year. I had a multi-trunked one whose trunks bloomed a few weeks apart one year. Talk about your inner struggle!

Cedar Elm

Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia) is a Texas native that is greatly underutilized as a landscape tree.   It comes to mind this time of year because it is just about the only tree in deep south Texas with any realiable Autumn color.   Its small, dark green leaves turn yellow and orange with cooler temperatures.   According to the Texas Forest Service, it is tollerant to salty soil, sea spray, drought, and poorly drained sites.   It grows naturally in alkaline soil and is a tidy little tree

Desert Willow 'Bubba'

This is a tree I think we're going to see alot more of -  Desert Willow 'Bubba'  Watch for it!

The Value of Trees

While the preferred trees and types of soils are different, Tom Spencer of Soul of the Garden says it so much better than I ever could.   Click here for his thoughts on slow-growing, long lived, hardwood trees.  

And remember, Fall is the perfect time to plant trees in Deep South Texas.  Which tree are you adding to your landscape this year?

Same song, second verse

Royal Poinciana, Flamboyant Tree, Flame of the Forest, Peacock Flower - exotic names for a most exotic looking tree! I know that I just posted pictures of this very tree BUT I am mesmerized - plus I've been waiting SEVEN LONG YEARS for her to bloom so humor me.

What a wonderful welcome home!

The Royal Poinciana Blooms!

In February 2002, we planted this Royal Poinciana, Delonix regia, tree in our Shade Garden. Each spring, when these tropical beauties are sporting vibrant orange-red flowers, ours has let me down - until this year! I think it's already pretty beautiful - but there are LOTS more buds to open. Royal Poinciana, native to Madagascar, is deciduous. It's one of the last trees to leaf-out. A freeze and Christmas Eve snow in 2004 nipped it back some. But this is a fast growing tree - you can expect it to put on about 5 feet a year. Mature height is 30-40 feet. Many trees I notice are wider than they are tall.

The blooms are so high up, it's hard to get a good picture of the flowers - but you can see all the dark round buds on these clusters.

I never realized how large each individual flower is - about 3 inches in length. This tree is grown from seed - and the seed pods are quite impressive too - it's a hard dark seed pod that I would guess measures at least nine inches. If you look close you can see some pods on this picture. Our Royal Poinciana is putting on such a beautiful show that I've forgiven her for making us wait seven long years for our first flower.

Mystery Solved!

Well, the identity of the Mystery Tree has been solved, I think. My friend, Gordon, called right after I posted to say it's a Shaving Brush Tree, Pachira fastuosa (according to Successful Gardening in The Magic Valley of Texas) or Bombax ellipticum (according to just about every other website).

Native to Mexico, this deciduous tree will grow to about 30 feet. I would have guessed that it is very tender but one website claims it is hardy to 18 degrees. Although it is coveted for it's flashy pink brush-like flowers, the leaves are also very ornamental. I will be watching for them this spring. It is said that the new leaves are a bright red turning light green as they age. Another bonus is that Shaving Brush Tree needs little water.

SamiG did suggest that it could be a Pink Powder Puff, Calliandra surinaemensis. I couldn't find much info on Pink Powder Puff but the Forest Service has a good fact sheet. They mention that Pink Powder Puff blooms throughout the year - and I don't think this one does. But I'll keep an eye on it and let you know if I've changed my mind.

Mystery Tree

I've been admiring this tree for the past month - and each time I pass, I wonder what in the world it is - but promptly forget to do the research - so I thought I would "research" the easy way by tossing it out to the cyber-world. What is this tree???It bloomed all of March and its puff-ball blossoms are about 4 inches in diameter. The trunk is smooth and currently the tree has not got a single leaf.

We picked up a fairly fresh bloom that the tree had shed. It had a bit of a rubbery feel. What I think may be the sepal felt a bit like chenile twine (if that makes any sense to you).

Okay now, be a friend and share your knowledge - or even your best guess.

Texas Mountain Laurel (Mescal Bean)

During much of the year, Texas Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundaflora, is easily overlooked. But in March, this small accent tree is a show stopper. That's when you will find them covered with huge clusters of purple flowers.

Native to Central Texas, this member of the Pea family tends to be a multi trunked, somewhat slow growing plant. Although I've seen some larger, most Texas Mountain Laurels will grow to about 12 -15 feet. It has dark green, glossy leaves.

Native to the alkaline hills of Central Texas, this is a drought tolerant plant. It will tolerate the heavy clays of the lower Rio Grande Valley but make sure that you plant it in an area that drains well. It doesn't like wet feet. It's root structure is very sparce - with very few fibrous roots. (guess that's why it grows well in the Hill Country) This makes transplanting a little bit difficult. If you break the root ball while planting, you may lose your tree.

Oh, but what a reward this tree gives in March! The wisteria-like blooms smell like grape soda and attract bees and butterflies alike!

But beware. Most parts of this plant are poisonous - especially the claret red seeds in the seed pods. Another common name for Sophora secundaflora is Mescal Bean. Indians used the seeds as hallucinogenics - and I have read of deaths from this practice.

You can see why this tree is often overlooked when not in bloom. This one looks a little starved for nitrogen - the leaves tend to be much darker green.

Mountain Laurel is deer resistant - but the webworms love the one in my yard. My hubbie is pretty good about checking it a few times a week and squishing all the little worms that are munching on it. We have never needed to apply any chemical, but if squishing the worms is not your cup of tea, a BT product to take care of the worms.

This tree is just beginning to bloom. Mountain Laurel will produce its bloom stem many months before it's time to bloom. Some people mistakenly think they are from last years blossoms and remove them - then they wonder why their tree didn't flower!

First Signs of Spring

When I see Texas Huisache trees beginning to bloom, I know Spring is right around the corner. Not only is the golden pom-pom pleasing to the eye, the aroma is sweet, sweet, sweet. This small-leafed tree is a member of the mimosa family. It's considered a large shrub or medium tree but my experience leads me to give it lots of room to spread. A word of warning - this is a thorned tree and around my yard the saw bugs LOVE it - thus I feel like I am forever dragging those thorny branches to the brush pile. Huisache is very drought tolerant making it beloved addition to an arid spot in my yard.

Up close, I think the buds are every bit as pretty as the blooms.

Huisache is a Valley native. If you observe a field that has been left fallow for a few years, it seems to be one of the first trees to sprout.

It is an important nesting site for white-wing - guess there's a reason for those thorns. We almost always have a nest in one of our Huisache trees. The day I took these pictures there was a Goldenfinch (American or Lesser, who knows) flitting from blossom to blossom. We've put out two thistle feeders for them - and have not seen a single one feeding there. Guess they're well fed by nature. According to the Native Plant Project, bees are attracted to the pollen of the Huisache tree, not the nectar. I wonder if it's the same for that Goldenfinch.

Hello, Dolly

Although you couldn't tell it from this shot, we are in clean-up mode from Hurricane Dolly. For a Category 2 storm, she sure packed a punch! The second side of a hurricane is supposed to have less rain and lower winds - but Dolly didn't follow those rules! Back to the photo above - this is a shot of our lawn which slopes down to the resaca (a.k.a. bayou or stream). See the line that runs across the middle of the water? The right side of it is where the resaca usually begins.

We had lowered the purple martin house - and it stayed above water! In the mornings and evenings, the martins will still perch on top of their waterfront home.

Most of the damage seems to be with large Mesquites (above) and Ash trees. I'm left trying to decide the best places to trim the damaged limbs.


Through the past years, we have slowly removed the old, diseased, and poorly formed Ash trees from our yard. My removal list was down to three - all of which came through the storm with very little damage. Ironically, the tree at the left is one I would have kept forever - but now is so damaged there is no way to save it.
Two days before the storm, I spent the morning trimming up this formerly overgrown Frangipani - Man, did it look gorgeous before Dolly did her thing!




Hurricane Dolly did reinforce the watering theory of "Water deeply but infrequently". Every tree that was uprooted in my yard or at our nursery got frequent irrigation - This one was located next to commercial material that receives daily irrigation. Another was beside a leaking irrigation valve. The exposed roots were just too shallow to hold the trees in place.

In spite of the hassle, we have spent fun days with our hurricane refuges (who still lack electricity at their homes) - and exploring our deeper and larger resaca in the canoes.

Favorite Summertime Scene

Just wanted to share a favorite summertime view - it's best taken in when just opening your eyes from an afternoon nap.

Royal Poinciana

Don't the Royal Poinciana, Delix regia add to the Valley's tropical flair! Driving down the expressway, these orange beauties can be spotted throughout each town. This particular one has both this year's blooms and last year's large, dark seed pods. At least I think those seed pods are from last year. Royal Poinciana will take 5 or 6 years to bloom. Mine bloomed on ONE branch this year - I think it's taunting me!

They are beginning to lose their blossoms and I, for one, will sorely miss their beauty - but we can begin to look forward to the the next showy tree to bloom. That's the Kapok or Silk tree. Look for its pale pink flowers sometime in August.

Remove those tight ties!

Do you like to stake your trees at planting? Some say it's good and some say it's not so good. Many trees even come already staked in their pot. I don't know what the case was here but . . . . . . . these ties and stakes should have been removed long ago. This is one of three Jatropha integerrima that were planted 10 or 11 months ago. You can see the damage done by the ties.
And that's nothing compared to the damage done by being tied so close to the stake for months and months and months. I'm not saying don't stake - just be sure to check your staked trees on a regular basis!

How Do I Water My Trees?

We're nearing summer and our temperatures are rising to Hotter than Hades levels. This time of year can really harm a landscape that is either new or in marginal to poor health. And with trees, we often don't see potential damage until it's been done.

High winds, high temperatures, and low humidity all contribute to an accelerated rate of transpiration (or the plant losing moisture through its leaves). So how best to replace that water lost? Well, it depends (don't you love that answer?)

It depends on how established your tree is and the type of soil it is planted in. Sandy soils need watering more often. Generally, you should water a newly planted tree deeply every three days - then twice a week - then weekly. Heavier clay soils will hang on to the moisture a bit longer so you'll begin by watering twice a week, then once a week then every other week as needed.

So just what is "as needed"? Dig under the tree's drip line a shovel depth. Feel the soil - if it's damp, wait to water. If it's dry, give your tree a nice long drink.

Place a slow running hose in the tree's bed and water deeply. I keep my tree beds clear of grass as far out as the drip line and form up a little border so the bed can fill with water. Turn your hose on so that the water runs at about the width of your pinky finger. Let it run for about one hour to fill the bed. This should be enough water to irrigate the tree to a depth of a foot or more.

Letting the soil dry out in between waterings is equally important! The bed will dry out from the top down. That means the roots will grow DEEP into the moist soil. Having your roots grow deep will make your tree more drought tolerant.

Many people think that their sprinkler system is going to water everything amply. If your system treats the lawn that same as the planting beds the same as the trees, your trees will need some supplemental irrigation the first couple of years.

Another wonderful thing you can do for your trees is to mulch the beds 2-4 inches deep. This will lower the ground temperature and retain moisture.

There is nothing that cleans the air or lowers the temperature as well as shade trees. You have invested alot of time and money on your landscape trees. Treat them well.