PLANT INFORMATION
Surviving a Continued Dry Spell.
The largest measure of land in the Arlington, Dallas area is black gumbo. Our black gumbo is sticky when wet and hard as a charcoal briquette when dry. Prepping beds and choosing the right plant for the right place are keys to water conservation and surviving. Diggin’ black gumbo just seems to make it worse, not mention the hard work. I take the “no dig, no till” approach. I follow mother nature’s example and mulch the heck out of the soil. On prepared beds, grass removed or smothered with card board and news papers, start by top dressing with 50lbs of greensand per 1000 sq. ft. and lava sand at 40 lbs per 1000 sq. ft.. Add 1 inch of compost and cover with 3 inches of shredded hardwood mulch. Although hardwood mulch is primo, you can use leaves, grass clippings, shredded newspaper and paper bags or some of all of these. Renew the mulch with 1 inch every 6 months and at the bottom you will soon find sweet smellin’ black earth.
Plants that thrive in black clay.
Aster, butterflyweed, blackeyed susan, bee balm, cannas, columbine, coneflower, coreopsis, coral bells, crinums, daylily, fire bush, golden rod, heliopsis, hibiscus, honeysuckle, hosta, knock out rose, liatris, moneywort, nandina, obedient plant, phlox, red hot poker, sedum, vitex, yarrow and yuccas.
Here’s to happy gardening and surviving another dry spell.
Sharon A. Martin
Growing a Butterfly Sanctuary
The easiest and most impactful way to help the diminishing butterfly population is to set aside a piece of your garden to plant a butterfly sanctuary. It also creates a beautiful space to sit and watch your new colorful visitors. To start, pick a spot that is somewhat sheltered from the wind. You want to plant both nectar plants, and host plants, with host plants beside or close to the nectar plants as butterflies like to lay their eggs beside a food source for their young. Have several nectar plants that have varying blooming stages. Plant the taller plants behind the shorter ones. Remember never to use pesticides around your butterfly sanctuary. More information on butterfly gardening can be found at www.dallasbutterflies.com.
Joshua T. Hamilton
Drought Tolerant Plants.
Texas is no stranger to drought. 2010 marked the beginning of a three year drought that we are just now escaping. Many of the effects of which are still being felt. many of you have thought about a drought tolerant landscape but picture some sand, stones and a few prickly cacti in between. Let me paint you another picture.
Begin with a lovely mutabalis rose of buttery yellow with water color splashes of rosy pink and peach. Add salvia greggii with rose colored blooms loved by hummingbirds, together with another hummingbird attractor with peachy pink flowers on graceful arching wands, the red yucca . The mellow yellow of irish eyes rudbeckia, lavender with silvery leaves and purple blossoms, a spark of white blackfoot daisy, along with the low growing pink skull cap, punctuate this lovely statement with indiangrass and you have achieved your goal. All of these are drought tolerant plants that will help you conserve water, save on the water bill, and a design landscape filled with beauty.
Sharon A. Martin
Take a Walk on the Wild Side.
Make your landscape ‘user friendly.’ Then, like Alice through the looking glass, you will enter a world filled with wonder and endless surprises.
Nature requires very little assistance, but a lot of cooperation. Observing nature you see self-sufficiency. Leaves are designed large and flat to gather more light. Some are hairy or silver to protect from the sun. Others are thick and succulent to conserve water. Roots are engineered to survive in rocky soil and in bogs. The intricate shape, the color, no matter how subtle, the fragrance of even the tiniest blossom serves to attract pollinators and provide food for many insects, even bats. There are good bugs to control bad bugs. Microbes destroy disease and process plant material to return to the soil. Plants, from turf grass to the mighty oak, release oxygen and filter the air, removing carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and many other pollutants.
Wildscape encompasses other garden disciplines:
Natural gardening – absence of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides
Xeriscape – low maintenance, pest tolerant, drought tolerant, energy conserving plants
Native – plants that flourish with the altitude, water and weather conditions in your little part of the world.
Wildscaping requires food, water and shelter. Trees and shrubs producing berries provide food and shelter. Flowers, herbs and grasses provide nectar and seeds. Many of these provide larval food, such as the tender dill which hosts the caterpillar of the beautiful swallowtail.
A wildscape can become a refuge, not just for wildlife, but for their human benefactors as well.
Sharon Martin
Let's Plant Some Onions
Crystal wax white bermuda, red burgundy, Texas 1015 and yellow granex are considered to be the best varieties for growing in Texas. Onions grow best in 9 to 10 hours of sun, in loose, composted, well drained soil with a regular watering schedule. Not soak and dry, soak and dry. Dust a little all purpose organic plant food in the hole to get them off to a running start. Plant your transplants to cover all the white to the green leaves.You can pull the onions at any size that suits you. They should be mature when the tops begin to turn brown and droop.Stop watering at least one week before you pull them. Don't wash them, just brush off excess dirt and tie by the tops into small bunches and hang in a cool dry place to cure. Chives are just a tiny member of the onion family. When the chive patch gets too crowded, thin them by pulling the older ones and using the whole thing. Even the sprouted seeds taste great on sandwiches and in salads. A garden bonus, Chive’s put on pompoms of pretty white flowers that bring honeybees to your garden.
Growing Potatoes.
The flavor and texture of freshly dug potatoes are worth the work and the wait. Plant potatoes in late January thru February. Select certified seed potatoes. Cut in chunks with 2 to 3 eyes. Allow them to dry on paper towels for 4 or 5 days, and then dust with sulfur. Everything old is new again. Planting under straw or hay has been around for many years. This is a no dig, clean, easy way to plant potatoes. To build your potato pit you will need cinder blocks, cardboard, straw or hay and compost. Begin with one row of cinder blocks to make an inside measurement of 4 foot square. Lay the cardboard inside making sure not to leave gaps for weeds to grow thru. Wet the cardboard thoroughly. Place potatoes on cardboard, 4 rows of 6. Cover 8 inches deep with a 50/50 mix of straw, compost and water. Place two more rows of cinder blocks staggering the seams to compensate the walls of your pit. In three to four weeks you will see sprouts popping up. When the sprouts are eight to twelve inches tall, cover 2/3 of stem with 50/50 mix and water this layer. Repeat layering until mix is about two inches from the top of wall. Make sure tubers are well covered and not exposed to light. Exposure to the sun will cause them to turn green. The green part is toxic and not edible. Two to three weeks after plants have stopped blooming you will be able to collect ‘new’ potatoes. When the tops die down in July pull the whole plant to find a bounty of mature spuds. Bonus! The wall of your potato pit can be used for planting herbs and flowers that ward off the bad bugs and attract predators and pollinators. Just fill the holes in the top of you cinder blocks with organic potting soil and pop in the transplant. Alyssum attracts tiny predator wasps. Oregano deters white flies and flea beetles. Thyme attracts bees. There is room for chives, basil, mint and marigolds. Plant rue in the corners to keep the cats away.
Bougainvillea, Keep those spectacular, bouncy ruffles coming!
Whether screamin’ fuchsia or Green’s ‘White Hankie’, the beautiful, papery ruffles are attention getters. Keep them root bound in a five or ten gallon clay pot or in a twelve inch hanging basket. Feed them with “Buds and Blooms” every week and keep them a little on the dry side. If you keep them wet, you will have lots of greenery and few blooms. When they stop blooming, cut your plant back by one-third to one-half to encourage more blooms. Bougainvilleas seem to bloom best on new wood. Six hours of full sun should keep ’em blooming. If the plants are already in full bloom, they may be hung in high shade. When they have finished blooming move them back to full sun. Repot when it is time to bring your “boogies” inside. Trim an inch or two from the root ball and repot in the same size pot.
Ripe Juicy Tomatoes
In the ground, a raised bed, in a container right-side-up or upside down you can grow tomatoes. Find a spot with 6 hours of sun. Plant ’em with your roses, hang one on the porch or put a pot by the back door. My raised beds are ready. This has become my favorite method of gardening. The beds are easy to build using cinder blocks and no mortar. Size your raised bed can either four by four by three feet high or four by twelve by three feet high. Fill with garden soil by the yard or by the bag and add tomato/pepper food and top dress with mulch. You’re ready to plant, wet-to-wet. Soak the transplant in a seaweed solution for about thirty minutes, remove from pot and plant deep in a wet hole. Buying larger transplants will allow you to plant deeper, creating a larger root system. The tomato plant will make roots at each set of leaves below the soil. Now, put the tomato cage in place and you are on your way to a great tomato harvest. Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Top dress with tomato/pepper food every two weeks. Feed them at bud set and at the first sign of tiny green fruits. Keep the plants mulched to maintain soil temp and moisture even – then water soil deeply. Do not water the plants from the top, water the soil. Night temps of fifty-five up to ninety-five daytime are optimum temps for tomatoes. If you use bloom set make sure the blossoms are fully opened. Plant basil with your tomatoes to improve their flavor. Carrots,chives, marigolds, nasturtiums, onions, and parsley make good tomato neighbors.
Poinsettias are Dangerous?
POISONDEX says a 50 lb. kid would have to eat 500 lbs. of leaves to reach toxicity. Most kids won’t eat salad, much less graze on house plants. As with other euphorbias, the milky sap may cause a skin rash or give your cat a belly ache if it eats enough. If you want to take a shot at keeping your poinsettia for another year or two, here are some “how to “tips. Take care of your plant now. There is no need to feed the plant while in bloom (the little yellow flowers at the top of the plant). Give it plenty of natural light. Take care. Too much direct sun will cause your poinsettia to dry out and can cause fading. Too much water will drown your plant and or cause root rot. Water the soil when it becomes dry to the touch. Make sure the plant is well drained. Don’t allow water to stand in saucer or decorative sleeve. Bugs? If the plant is healthy and not stressed, bugs should not be a problem. If a mealy bug or aphid should show up, just spritz them with horticultural soap. If the edges of the leaves and the tips began to turn brown, it could be too hot and dry. If these symptoms are accompanied by yellowing of leaves between the veins, it may be lacking magnesium. A tablespoon of Epsom salts in a gallon of water should prevent further damage. Water the soil with solution two or three times. Poinsettias are sensitive to carbon monoxide. If your plant wilts as soon as you get it home, you may want to have the house checked for carbon monoxide levels. Continue to water through April. Cut back to 6 inches and water just enough to keep the stems from wilting. In July pinch an inch from each branch. In August cut back to 4 leaves. September, feed once a week with Rabbit Hill ‘Buds and Blooms’ and begin to give poinsettia total darkness from 5p to 8a until blooms begin to appear. Put the product of your patience in a place of honor and enjoy for another season. Sharon A. Martin
Tillandsia -The Magician
Tillandsias are plants that can survive years on nothing more than air and a good soak once a week plus 2 or 3 mistings if the atmosphere is very dry. Give them bright light. No direct sun, it will dry the plant and give it such a sun burn. Bonus – Tillandsias bloom neon purple, hot pink, bright red and yellow flashed with orange. Tillandsias are the display magician. Hang them from monofilament, glue them to a piece of wood(use hot glue), drop one in a martini glass, lay an assortment on a pretty dish or on rustic gravel in a a small box .You could just line up a few on the window sill in the kitchen or bath. Tillandsias may be thin and spiky or have wide silver leaves that curl this way and that. You can find teeny tiny ones or Tillandsias big enough to fill a Stetson hat. The style of your arrangement is limited only by your imagination and your level of craftiness. For inspiration fill a box with decorative ‘things’ such as jute twine, monofilament , rocks, moss, sea shells, mirror discs, tiny terra cotta pots and on and on. Here at Green’s Produce and Plants we have a great selection of Tillandsias, moss, grape vines, sea shells and orchid baskets. Come visit . We love to play show and tell.
Growing Your Own Fruit & Vegetables
You don't have a plot of land or you're just not that into tilling & weeding. But you would enjoy eating your own home grown fruits and veggies. Well, just put it in a pot. A clay pot, a plastic pot, a wooden ½ barrel, a wash tub with holes for drainage, a bucket, a raised bed small or large, pretty much anything that will hold dirt. No treated wood, please. Plant Your Favorite Things A large pot with a "Tumblin’ Tom Tomato", sweet basil, oregano & garlic chives. Make a lettuce bowl & add lemon thyme & curly parsley. Put a "Prolific" yellow squash in a BIG pot. Add a trellis for "burpless" cucumbers. How about a "Mojito" Pot—a drawf lime tree, Kentucky colonel spearmint + stevia for sweetener. Lemon, oranges, limes, peaches, blueberries and strawberries are some fruits that can be grown in containers. Even easier and less expensive; add fruit and vegetables to your existing landscape. Replace a large shrub with a fig tree. Train blackberry vines on fence to produce pale pink blossoms in spring, followed by large juicy berries in early summer. Grow lettuce and parsley in a border. Use rosemary as an evergreen hedge. Plant fragrant herbs such as thyme or lavender near a walkway. The possibilities are endless. You don’t have to plow an acre to have your own naturally grown food. A sustainable landscape can be beautiful, healthy, tasty and low maintenance. Whether you start with transplants or seeds, use found objects or fancy pots as containers or create a raised bed or begin by adding plants to your landscape.
