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A New Normal

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Georgette Recker

Somervell Master Gardener

It seems multiple times a day I hear someone refer to what is supposed to be “the new normal.”  Yet, I’m not really sure what that is.  I certainly hope the new normal includes being able to hug our friends or enjoy a coffee date.  If I had to define my normal at this time, it would have less to do with isolation and boredom and more to do with gardening.  For those of you who have been regularly reading this newsletter, you may notice that the gardening checklist is a little short.  This lack of information is due to the new normal in the garden this month.  May is all about the routine work of watering and weeding, watering and weeding, watering and weeding.  The routines this month will help to save and beautify our domestic landscapes. Funny-I truly enjoy the routine tasks.  They make me feel normal, and perhaps, a little more at peace.  What may seem like a lack of adventure right now just might save us and our gardens in the end.

May Checklist

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Planting

___ Clean out cool-season annual beds and replant warm-season annuals.

___ Plant warm-season turf grass.

___ Vegetable crops to plant this month: collards, eggplant, okra, peppers, peanut, pumpkin, sweet potato, cantaloupe, and watermelon.

___ Plant ornamental grasses.

 

Care

___ Topdress, dethatch, and/or aerate lawns.

___ Fill low spots in lawns.

___ Train and tie climbing roses.

___ Remove any tree branches that overhang streets of sidewalks to prevent them from being ripped away.

___ Prune unruly ground covers and vines.

 

  Watering

___ Deep water newly planted annual beds, bulbs, perennials, roses, shrubs, newly planted trees and ground covers as needed.

___ Water lawns to a depth of 1 inch when needed.

___ Water vegetables to a depth of 1-2 inches per week.

 

Problems

___ May is the month to keep a vigilant eye out for pests including, insects, weeds, and animals such as squirrels.

 

Mowing

___ Mow lawns regularly before the grass gets too high.  Mow no more than the top ⅓ of the grass blades each time.

 

Pruning

___   Deadhead and prune off suckers below graft union on roses.

___ Prune spring-flowering shrubs if needed.

___Month-By-Month Gardening in Texas by Dan Gill & Dale Groom

Sun Protection

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Mary Ann Steele

Somervell Master Gardener

 

Having fun in the sun is one of gardening’s major perks.  However, while you may never tire of watching flowers bloom, trees leaf out, and birds returning to their nests, doing so requires protection from ultraviolet rays.  Today’s gardening hats are up to the task.  Some boast breathability and basic sun protection, some promise wide-reaching shade and a durable chin strap.  Others combine all these features.  Before heading out to the great outdoors, regardless of the season, assess these attributes to pick the headgear for you.

 

Wearing the right hat is a key line of defense against the sun’s damaging rays.  According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) an estimated 9,500 people in the United States are diagnosed every day with skin cancer.  Most cases of skin cancer can be prevented by actively protecting yourself from exposure to UV rays.

 

The AAD recommends when you are outside pick sunglasses with 100% U V protection, a light weight long-sleeve shirt, and long pants to compliment your wide-brimmed hat.

 

Although sun hats shield your head from powerful UV rays they cannot protect your face from reflective light.  Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s directions, and wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, and apply every two hours.

 

Just like sunglasses, hats made from materials listed for sun protection have a label listing the UPF rating.  The highest rating, UPF 50, transmits less than 2.5 percent of ultraviolet radiation.  The lower the UPF rating the less protection.

 

Enjoy the outdoors, but protect yourself-skin cancer is no fun!

 

 

Armadillo (little armored one)

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Julie Conner

Somervell County Master Gardener

 

As I watched a little armored one scurry and dig, scurry and dig its way across my yard I begin to ponder its place in the universe.

 

Armadillos are a native of the Americas and part of the super order Xenarthra which includes anteaters and sloths. They are distinguished by the leather bands of armor and when frightened and roll into a ball.

 

In our yards and gardens they are digging for grubs, insects and other invertebrates. They are solitary mammals and hunt mainly at night. Because their digging is so disturbing to the gardens and flowerbeds we consider them vermin and pest.

 

I do bemoan when I see one has been killed on the road. It’s like a road runner or a bluebonnet- an icon of Texas. I myself consider the armadillo a burrowing nuisance and smile as the dogs worry it out of the yard.  But it doesn’t come around often so I feel no need to eliminate the critter.  We will just have an uneasy truce.

Get To Know Your Master Gardeners

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Shirley D. Smith

 

What year did you become a Master Gardener?

I certified as a Texas Master Gardener in 2009. However, I started coming to SCMGA in
June 2008.

Do you hold a position in the group (officer, chair, etc)?

At the present time, I do not hold an officer position but I am on the Heritage Paluxy Garden
Committee and the Plant Sale Committee. I have been Vice President (2009-2011) and
served 2 and a half terms as President. I was the Decorating Committee Chairperson for
the 2011Texas Master Gardener Conference held jointly with Somervell County Master
Gardeners and the Lake Granbury Master Gardeners.

 What are your gardening special interests?

My special gardening interests would have to be succulents and Texas natives.

Is there a particular gardening book you enjoy?

I love A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold! It is beautifully written and so peaceful.
Now, two practical gardening books I love are both by Sharon Lovejoy: Trowel & Error,
which is filled with tips, remedies and shortcuts for the garden. Her second book is
A Blessing of Toads (A Gardener’s Guide to Living with Nature). I have LOTS of books on
native plants and take them with me when I go out to identify plants. So, I really don’t have
just one particular book that I would have to pick as a favorite but several.

 Have you had a particular gardening success?

I have had many gardening successes such as with my Earth Kind roses. Also, many of the
sages have done really well for me here in Somervell County.

 What do you enjoy about being a Master Gardener?

I LOVE being a Master Gardener because of the opportunities I have to learn and increase
my knowledge of this most wonderful interest/hobby of mine. This is a wonderful program
and I would encourage anyone who has even a slight interest in gardening to become
involved. Our group is small but very close and we would welcome any who want to join.

Do you have a favorite plant?

Wow! This is hard. I did discover Cordyline a couple of years ago and love this plant. It is
NOT winter hardy here in our part of Texas. However, I overwinter it in my garage and then
when the weather warms up enough it goes out on my front porch when I lives there in the
shade. Also, I love my sedums, which even though they can be very delicate looking are actually very tough  little plants.

Paluxy Heritage Garden

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Georgette Recker

Somervell County Master Gardener

 

The weather is warming up, the birds are singing, the pollinators are taking care of business, and Paluxy Heritage Garden at Heritage Park is looking great.  The Master Gardeners have been finding time to pop over and show our latest project some love.  If you haven’t stopped by for awhile or have never seen the new garden in person (gasp!) make sure to take time for a visit.  And, if you see us out working, make sure to give a wave!

 

 

 

 

Anticipation

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“April Showers Bring May Flowers.”  The saying my mother taught me many years ago sure suggests we do indeed have something to anticipate this month.  Arbor Day, Earth Day, Administrative Professionals’ Day, and, as Google tells me, National Pretzel Day are all events you may be anticipating this month. Perhaps most notable is, this year, April is the month we celebrate Easter. For those of us who love our gardens, they are also likely offering anticipatory thoughts.  Being safe at home right now allows me ample time to wander about, observe, celebrate, and fret over past seasons’ efforts.  In particular, I anxiously scan young trees for signs of life.  I ask myself, “Is that bud swelling? Is that a leaf?  Can I bend a twig without it breaking?”  Happily, most all is well. I hope you can report the same, not only for your garden friends, but also for yourself and your loved ones.   Just as plants reach for the sun to sustain them, lets reach out to each other for comfort, support, and a little gardening inspiration.

Georgette Recker

Somervell County Master Gardener

April Checklist

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Planning

___ If you haven’t already ordered summer bulbs, do it now!

___ Houseplants may be moved outside.

___ Take a good look at lawns.  Do they need fertilizing or renovation?  If you are planting a new lawn, decide what kind of grass you will plant.

___ Make plans for which vegetables you will plant after cool-season vegetables are done.

Planting

___ Beware of buying cool-season annuals, particularly petunias that may not bloom through the heat of the summer.

Some good choices for summer bulbs are: agapanthus, canna, crinum, crocosmia dahlia, garlic chives, lilies, and garlic.

If needed, repot orchids.

April is the prime time to plant lawns.

Vegetables to plant now are: Cantaloupe, collards, corn, cucumber, honeydew, lima beans, luffa, Malabar spinach, okra, pumpkin, snap beans, Southern peas, squashes, and sweet potato slips, Swiss chard, and watermelon.    From transplants, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers.

___ Cucumber and squash are best directly son in the ground by seed.

___ Herbs to plant: basil, lemon balm, mints, and rosemary.

Care

___ Leave foliage on spring-flowering bulbs until it is mostly yellow.

___ Houseplants that have been moved outside should remain in a shady to partial sun location and may enjoy a shower from the garden hose to remove dust.

___ Deadhead perennials and keep the mulch level at least 3 inches thick.

___ Because flower clusters on tomatoes will all grow from the same side of the stem, stake tomatoes after the first cluster of flowers appear.

   Watering

___ Continue to water annuals in pots and beds as well as newly planted summer-flowering bulbs, and lawn.

___ Deep water perennials, including roses, as needed to develop a stronger, more drought resistant root system.

___ Houseplants that have been moved outside will probably need more water than when they were indoors.

Problems

___ Warmer weather brings increased pest problems.  Make sure to keep 3-4 of mulch in beds, and hand pull small weeds.

___ Be sure that insects you may find are not beneficial before treating.

Pruning

___ Dead head faded rose flowers, but do not cut the stems back.

___ Using sharp hand pruners, prune spring-flowering shrubs, vines, ground covers and ornamental  grasses as needed anytime after they finish flowering.

___Month-By-Month Gardening in Texas by Dan Gill & Dale Groom

What’s In Your Fridge?

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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Theodore Roosevelt

Kale, I have kale!  Our vegetable garden is supplying us with the most beautiful arm filling bouquet just about every day.  Mind you, I’m not complaining.  In fact, I’m naturally veggiecentric.  During this time of staying home, empty grocery shelves, and making due, I am thankful that we have our homegrown veggies and eggs from our chickens.  While we usually rely on food we can produce at home, the ease and convenience of a grocery store or restaurant is always appreciated.  However, the necessity to “make due” has become all too real lately.  With the current virus situation I have been doing more thinking about what I can put on the table with the least exposure to potential risk.  I’m using up, putting by, and doing with a little less.  This is not a new idea or something specific to me; the cultures of the world all have dishes that are meant to use what is at hand.  Think, paella, pot pies, fried rice, pizza, stock, and cobbler for something a little sweet!

There are many ideas and recipes on the internet, or you can use you imagination to create what may become a new family favorite.  I like to make quiche using eggs, a little milk or cream, cheese of your choice, and any leftover meats and veggies.  If you are growing a few vegetables, you’re ahead of the game.  If you’re not, this might be a good time to give it a try.   A large amount of vegetables can be grown in a small space, and many can be grown in a pot right on your porch!  If you need ideas, start with the link below.

Georgette Recker

Somervell County Master Gardener

 

Container Gardening

 

Paluxy Heritage Garden

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Just a quick update on the Somervell County Master Gardener’s Paluxy Heritage Garden at Heritage Park in Glen Rose.  Progress is slow right now, but the gardeners are ready to go as soon as we are able to meet again.  However, there have been some pretty major changes in the past couple of weeks.  The perimeter fence has been installed, and two roses bushes have been planted.  The Crepe Myrtles are leafing out, and a few other things have shown up!  If you find yourself out driving around to escape your own four walls, make sure to check out the PHG and the beautiful Texas wildflowers everywhere!