Somervell County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Wild Clematis (Clematis vitalba)

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 by Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Somervell County Master Gardener

Wild Clematis Vine, pictureMother Nature has surprised me once again.  Just when I think I’ve seen it all, she displays another species right under my nose and sticks out her tongue to say, “Nanny-nanny boo-boo— look what I can do!”

This time it was the wild clematis.  I discovered it growing on the old barn behind my house about a week ago as I walked up the driveway to my truck.  Thinking I was seeing things, I quickly walked closer to observe an abundance of creamy-white blossoms trailing down from a height of about 15 feet.

Having lived in the same location for six years, this is the first time I’ve seen the clematis in bloom and assume the seeds either blew in or were dropped by birds last year.  I took a small cutting to a very knowledgeable neighbor who identified it for me and I began researching the plant.  It was confusing at first due to the large number of varieties—some wild, some not (there are hundreds).

After close examination, I discovered that the variety growing behind my house is the Clematis vitalba.  It is described as a fast-growing woody vine that can climb up to 30’ (sometimes taller) and has an undetermined amount of ground spread.

The wild clematis is known by many common names such as Old Man’s Beard, Traveler’s Joy, Devil’s Darning Needle, Virgin’s Bower and Woodbine.  Its bright green leaves make a great backdrop for large masses of white flowers which bloom late summer to autumn.  It is an import from Europe and southwestern Asia — not native to America.  Maybe that accounts for it not being affected by many pests here.

Once done flowering, the lingering style remains with long, silky hairs trailing down on all sides—thus the name Old Man’s Beard.  When dried, the seeds are propagated by wind and animals, much like milkweed is spread.Wild Clematis old mans beard seed pod

The wild clematis is a very adaptable plant and is viable in Zones 4-8.  It will grow in shade or sun but does prefer afternoon shade.  It will tolerate most soil types and can do quite well in drought situations.  However, given the opportunity and lots of moisture, it will “go to town”.

Some of our northwestern states (Washington, Oregon) consider the wild clematis to be an invasive plant as their cooler, wetter climate is conducive to vigorous growth.  There, it has been seen to grow as tall as 100 feet into the treetops smothering many old-growth native trees.  It is also prolific under bridges, in wood margins and hedgerows.  Actually, it has become such a nuisance that the nurseries no longer keep it in stock as a garden plant.

The vines behind my house are welcome, however, and have a wonderful, sweet scent that attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  As a matter of fact, I intend to take some cuttings  and will watch in anticipation of the bearded seeds this fall.

Until then, I’ll just enjoy the view…………

Looking For Horny Toads?

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horned Lizard

 

Somervell County Master Gardeners will not be holding monthly CHES (Community Horticulture Education Session) programs during the summer months this year.  In lieu of those programs, we would like to invite you to attend the Native Plant Society’s programs on the first Tuesday of each month.  The next Native Plant Society meeting will be on Tuesday, August 5th, at 6:30 pm in the Somervell County Citizens Center, 205 SW Barnard, Glen Rose.  The speaker will be Nathan Rains, Wildlife Diversity Biologist, from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.  He is an authority on the Texas Horned Lizard.

 Everyone loves horny toads, but for many Texans, the fierce-looking, yet amiable, reptiles are only a fond childhood memory. Once common through-out most of the state, horned lizards have disappeared from many parts of their former range.

Come visit with the Prairie Rose Chapter of the NPSOT on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 to learn what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has learned and what is being done to help preserve the horny toad and its habitat. And maybe, just maybe, there are things we can do to bring this childhood memory back to the present so we can share with our children and grandchildren!
This program is free and open to the public! 

The Texas Lilac Vitex or Chaste Tree

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by Merilyn Cranford, Somervell County Master Gardener

vitex6One of my favorite plants I look for in spring is the vitex or chaste tree.  It has beautiful purple/lavender cone-shaped blooms and exudes a fragrance that no other tree has.  It’s name is derived from the Latin “vieo” meaning to weave or tie up, a reference to the use of Vitex agnus-castus in basketry.   It is known in both Greek and Latin as “Chaste” since in ancient times it was thought to be an aphrodisiac.

The plant is widely cultivated in warm, temperate climates for its foliage and butterfly/bee-attracting spikes of lavender flowers.  I am told it will grow to a height of 12 feet or more and requires full sun or partial shade along with well-drained soil.  Also, it is hearty to Zone 7.

Additionally, it is a traditional plant of Africa and has a potential to improve nutrition and support sustainable landcare.  It’s flowers and ripening seeds are harvested for medicinal purposes.

For anyone searching for a drought-tolerate tree, this one is for you.  It is also suitable for xeriscaping, and very easily grown.  So, when you happen to be out and about in our area, look for this beauty.  You will find it everywhere, especially in early summer when the beautiful purple flowers are sure to catch your eye.

Here’s a tip:  After the tree produces its flowers, let them die, then clip them off and the tree will produce more flowers.

HAPPY GARDENING !

Let’s Go To Agaritaville

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Agarita 3By Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Master Gardener

I don’t know whether or not Jimmy Buffett ever went to Agaritaville, but if he’d ever tasted the wine, I’m sure he’d return and play his six-string for us!

The first time I can remember seeing agarita (Berberis trifoliate), was at my great uncle’s ranch down in south Texas on the Nueces River.  The landscape there reminds me a lot of Somervell County except there are no hills—it’s as flat as a pancake.  The caliche soil there lends itself to the proliferation of agarita just as the shallow limestone soil does here.

Uncle Louis was an old-time rancher who lived off the land as much as possible.  I can remember being intrigued by some of the things he would show and tell me from time to time when I visited him.  Once he showed me the agarita shrubs and told me that he and his family had always collected the little, red berries by placing an old sheet under the bushes and beating them with a stick.  But, it was a game of cat and mouse to get to the berries before the birds ate them all!

His family would then either make homemade jelly or wine, which they coveted.  It took a lot of those tiny berries to make enough juice for either.

Agarita grows 3’-6’ tall with a spread about the same size.  Its foliage is bluish-green and resembles holly.   Small yellow flowers begin to develop some time around February attracting honeybees and butterflies alike.  The red fruit sets not long thereafter.

Being a Texas native, agarita requires little water.  The deer do not like its prickly leaves, but they make a good habitat for nesting birds.

If you are fortunate enough to have agarita on your property (or a friend’s) you might develop a real palate for either the wine or the jelly.  Below is a recipe for agarita jelly which is stored in the freezer rather than put into a water bath and canned.

AGARITA JELLY

Gather enough berries to make two quarts.  Wash thoroughly, removing any debris such as leaves, stems, etc.  Put berries into a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and steep until the berries begin to pop open.  Remove from the heat.  Using a potato masher, squash the juice out of the berries.

In another pot, bring 4 cups agarita juice to a boil.  Add 3 cups of sugar, let it come to a boil again, then add one box of No-Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin.  Boil for one minute, cool and pour into freezer containers.  Keep frozen til needed.

~****~

“Wasted away in Agaritaville,

Searchin’ for my last spoonful of jel-ly….”

 

Tips for August

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by Linda Heideman, Somervell County Master Gardener

For the lawn and beds:

  • Make sure the lawn is getting about 1-1.5 inches of water every week, watering between 2a.m.-6a.m. is ideal.
  • Keep lawn mowed and landscaping weeded to prevent an infestation of chiggers.
  • purslane-01-300x225
  • Plant heat loving plants such as salvia, purslane, and portulaca.
  • Water potted plants and baskets often – twice a day on triple digit days.
  • Give plants a summer boost by fertilizing throughout lawn and beds.

For the garden:

  • Check the garden daily and harvest veggies regularly for the best tasting and tender vegetables.
  • All month long: Sow black-eyed peas, parsley, Swiss chard, and collards.
  • Beginning of the month: Sow bush and pole beans, Irish potatoes
  • Middle of the month: Sow cabbage and head lettuce.
  • End of the month: Sow kale, spinach, and turnip seeds.
  • Turn your compost pile.

Copied from the website of Ideal Partners Landscapes, Fort Worth

Dog Days of Summer

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by Bonnah Boyd, Somervell County Master Gardener

This phrase refers to the sultry days of summer.  In the Northern Hemisphere the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August.

The phrase has an ancient astrological origin.  The Romans noted that the brightest star, Sirius in the Big Dog constellation (Canis Major) was lined up with the sun during the hottest time of the year.  This conjunction was believed to cause the peak heat of summer.  The Old Farmers’ Almanac lists the traditional period as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11.

Many events are often planned during the “Dog Days”.  These include dog contests and pictures, parties, sports tournaments at the beach, baseball games and tours, with or without your dog.

If you plan a summer vacation during this time, don’t forget the plants, both indoors and out.  Below is a checklist of activities to do for your garden and plants prior to leaving.

Water:   Irrigate landscape and garden thoroughly.  If you have a vegetable garden, have a neighbor water, as needed.  Many containerized plants need watering at least every third day to survive the heat.  Group containers together in easy reach of the water hose. 

Mow:    Mow and trim your lawn the day before you leave.  The lawn may need to be mowed a week later, so either be home then or make arrangements for weekly mowing.

Weed:   Pull, spray or mulch over existing weeds in the garden and landscape.

Prune:   Check roses, perennials and annual flowers to determine if they need deadheading.

Mulch:   Mulching preserves water in the soil, reduces soil temperatures, reduces weed populations and gives a fresh look to the garden.

Do a pest check:   Check for insects and diseases.  Take action to control populations of insects pests that are present.  Diseases are less prevalent in the summer, but check for fungal diseases, such as black spot and blight.  Apply a fungal spray as needed.

Harvest:   In the vegetable garden, harvest all ripe and nearly ripe fruit.  Call a neighbor to come harvest for you, if you are going to be gone for more than a week.

Reference:  Doug Welch’s Texas Garden Almanac     

The Beginning of Paper

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by Katie Hunholz, Somervell County Master Gardener Intern 

With the current trend of viewing documents on the internet, writing letters via email, and reading books on ipads or Kindles, paper is slowly becoming a thing of the past.  However, I believe that paper will never completely disappear, due to people who prefer being able to feel the paper in their hands rather than read it on a screen (I, myself, am one of those old-fashioned readers).  I wouldn’t call myself a ‘tree-hugger’, but I do value trees for all the amazing materials they provide us, and for their beauty, and the part they play in the ecosystem.  However, paper wasn’t always dependent on trees; it originally came from Cyperus papyrus.

The word ‘paper’ is derived from the Egyptian word ‘papyrus’.  Paper- a thin, flexible material in sheets, made from rags, wood, etc., and used for printing or writing on (Webster’s New World Dictionary)– was first made from the papyrus plant, which originates from Ethiopia and Egypt.  Papyrus, also known as Nile grass, or paper reed, can reach up to 15 feet tall, growing in water depths up to 3 feet.  Despite its willowy appearance, the stem of papyrus was often woven into baskets, or even boats.  With both strength and flexibility, papyrus was valued as a building material and a writing medium.

The use of papyrus as a paper originated with the Egyptians, about 4000 years ago.  Paper made from papyrus comes from the pith, or core, of the plant.  The pith is gently peeled into strips, which are then laid out in two layers, with the second layer being laid on top of the first layer, but at a 90 degree angle.  The sugary sap from the plant acts as a natural glue, combining the two layers as they dry.  The front side of the paper was always the side with the horizontal strips, not the side with the vertical strips.  As other nations began to desire a way to transcribe their written language, the use of papyrus quickly spread; it was especially popular with the Greeks and Romans.   Even after parchment was developed (a type of paper made from animal skin), papyrus was still desirable.  However, the use of papyrus slowly began to fade beginning around 800 AD.  

The creation of paper, beginning with papyrus, allowed countries to advance in culture and technology.  Previously people had no way of communicating except through their spoken language.  It’s difficult to imagine a world with no written documents, but without papyrus that would be our world.  Unfortunately, papyrus is now rarely used as a paper, or as a building material.  Its lack of use has led to papyrus being an endangered plant; perhaps it is time to begin the cultivation of papyrus once again.  It would be a shame to lose such a significant plant with its historical, cultural, and technological value. 

Sources:

Laws, Bill. 2010. Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History.  Quid Publishing. pp. 62-63. 

Seid, Timothy. (2004). Papyrus. Interpeting Ancient Manuscripts.[Online]. Available: http://legacy.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/papyrus.html.[7/14] 

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

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by Katie Hunholz, Somervell County Master Gardener16699scr_470fc6201335fb5

The nursery rhyme, “Here we go round the mulberry bush”, first published in 1840, can produce a little confusion since mulberries do not grow on bushes, but rather on trees.  The mulberry is from the family Moraceae, and the genus Morus.  There are many different species of Mulberry, but the 3 most well- known are black, red, and white.  But, other than being found in 2 popular nursery rhymes (“Pop goes the weasel” being the second), what makes mulberry so important?

The primary value of the mulberry is that the white mulberry is the sole food source for silkworms.  To make a single silk blouse about 8,800 pounds of leaves were required.  In case you are not familiar with silkworms, let me give you a brief overview of this famous insect.  Silk- which is still used today in the finest of clothing, sheets, and scarves- is best known for its incredibly smooth, soft, and silky texture.  Silk is made using the cocoon of the silkworm moth, which is created by the larvae of the moth as it enters the pupal stage.  Silkworms, the larval stage of the lifecycle of the silkworm moth, are not actually worms, but rather caterpillars.  Silk was first used in ancient Chinese cultures, but quickly became a coveted product by the rest of the world, traveling along what is referred to as the ‘silk road’.   White mulberry is now considered an exotic invasive species, since it is taking over the territory of the red mulberry.  It was first brought to Europe, then to the United States, in an attempt to establish the silk industry in those places.

Not only is mulberry critical for the silk industry, but it has also been influential in the areas of food, nutrition, livestock fodder, building materials, crafts, and ecology.  Here is a summary of its many other uses:

  • Food: The fruit of the mulberry can be eaten either cooked, or raw.  Black and red mulberry have the strongest flavor, but the berries of the white mulberry can be eaten as well.  Mulberries are well known for their use in wines, cordials, teas, tarts, and pies.
  • Nutrition: The fruit of the mulberry contains several powerful antioxidants and vitamins, including anthocyanins, resveratrol, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A.  Native Americans used red mulberry to treat dysentery, as well as using it as a laxative.  Anthocyanins are being researched as a treatment for cancer, inflammation, diabetes, and the effects of aging.  Resveratrol can help combat the risk of strokes.  And, of course, all vitamins are necessary for our bodies to function correctly.
  • Livestock: The leaves of white mulberry are used not only as a food source for silkworms, but they can also be fed to livestock.  It is believed that cattle fed white mulberry leaves have a higher milk yield.
  • Building materials:  The wood of the mulberry tree is known for its flexibility and durability.  These characteristics make it an ideal material for sporting goods such as hockey sticks, tennis rackets, and cricket bats.  The wood is also used in fence posts, home building materials, and furniture.
  • Crafts: The twigs of the mulberry tree are often used to weave baskets, while the stems are used for making paper.
  • Ecology: For those desiring to attract wildlife, the berries are enjoyed by wild birds, game birds, and hogs.  If wildlife is not desirable, mulberry trees can serve as buffers which attract the pests away from crops or fruit trees.

As has been illustrated, mulberry trees have an abundance of uses.  Such an amazing plant should be known for more than its appearance in children’s nursery rhymes.

 

Sources:

Laws, Bill. 2012.  Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History.  New York. Firefly Books, Inc. p. 130-33.

Purdue horticultural department, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Morus_alba.html.

 

 

A News Blast!!!

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Somervell County Master Gardeners will NOT be holding monthly CHES (Community Horticulture Education Session) programs during the summer months this year.  In lieu of those programs, we would like to invite you to attend the Native Plant Society’s programs on the first Tuesday of each month. 

 

June’s program will be “The Lazy Man’s Garden: Maximum Return/Minimum Input” by Paul Dowlearn, co-owner of Wichita Valley Landscape in Wichita Falls, TX.  Paul will be speaking at Somervell County Citizen Center, 205 SW Barnard here in Glen Rose on Tuesday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m.

 

Hope to see you there!

Community Horticulture Education Series

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Somervell County Master Gardeners

Community Horticulture Education Series (CHES)

Area Winemaker Speaks in Glen Rose

Monday, May 12th, 6:30 pm

209 SW Barnard St., Glen Rose

Free and Open to the Public

grapes-on-the-vineOn Monday, May 12, Red Caboose Winery’s own Evan McKibben will speak at the Community Horticulture Education Session about wine and growing grapes in our area.  Red Caboose Winery is located in Meridian and was the brain-child of Evan’s father, Gary, over a decade ago.

Evan calls himself a farmer, but his official title is winemaker and vineyard manager.  Most of the varieties of grapes grown out at the vineyard are the old, Mediterranean varieties.

If you are interested in winemaking, or learning more about growing grapes, come join us at 6:30 p.m. at the Somervell County Citizens’ Center at 209 SW Barnard.  As always, this session is free to the public.