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December Gardening Tips

December 7, 2014 by lheideman

by Bonnah Boyd, Somervell County Master Gardener

*Cover flower and shrub beds with from 3 – 4 inches of mulch to prevent moisture evaporation and to modify soil temperatures.

*Clean out warm-season flower beds, add an inch or two of compost and mix it into the soil.

*Water the entire landscape at least once in December in the absence of significant rainfall to prevent freeze damage.

*If a hard, prolonged freeze (24 hours or more) is predicted, cover freeze-sensitive plants with cardboard boxes or blankets.

*Move tender container plants indoors near a very bright window to keep them healthy through the winter.

*Mow winter weeds to keep them in check.

*In areas of the vegetable or herb garden that are void of plants, pull winter weeds and plant a cover crop, such as cereal rye grain.

*Cover crops reduce weed establishment and can be tilled into the soil later to improve the soil.

*Use leaves from the trees to build a compost pile or as walkway materials. Continue to add leaves to the walkway as they press down with foot traffic.

*Remember to provide water for the birds during winter.

*This is a great time to plan next year’s gardens. Try some new things.  Add a new “feature” to your garden.

 

Filed Under: Current Newsletter, Gardening Tips, Newsletters

Community Horticultural Education Series

November 2, 2014 by lheideman

 

Sommervell County Master Gardeners proudly announce

Local Master Gardener, Virginia Reynolds,

will present the November Program

on Keyhole Gardening

Monday, November 10th, 6:30 pm

Citizens Center, 209 SW Barnard, Glen Rose

Free and open to the public

          8 detail_keyholeKeyhole gardening was introduced years ago by missionaries in several African countries, where they needed to produce more food in a small space under drought conditions.  This intensive gardening method was very successful, and the word has spread to the drought-stricken areas of our own country, especially here in Texas.

From personal experience with keyhole gardening, Virginia will share her knowledge of what works best in our area.  Don’t miss what promises to be a very interesting program.

Filed Under: CHES, Current Newsletter, Newsletters

The Tree

November 2, 2014 by lheideman

by Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Somervell County Master Gardener

DSCF2219One deciding factor in choosing my house in Glen Rose was the fact that “the tree” was on the property.  Being a tree-hugger/appreciator, it was love at first sight when I saw the old native pecan hugging the carport behind the house.  This sturdy tree has stood guard near the Paluxy River for well over a century—his girth will attest to that fact alone.

Old Man isn’t the only native pecan in my yard, but he is the biggest and has thrown his weight around (literally) more than once.  He has been known to shed some rather large limbs, seemingly at will, in some rather inconvenient places such as my neighbor’s driveway!

But, even with the surliness that comes with age, Old Man has his finer points.   For starters, he gives me much-needed shade from the Texas heat, puts off a lot of fresh oxygen, and looks good in the landscape.  The squirrels are especially fond of him and lie on his knotty (arthritis?) ledges for naps.  He also is a quiet companion when family or friends come over to sit around the fire pit beneath his branches—or maybe he’s just napping.

After living with Old Man for seven years now, I’ve gotten to know his habits fairly well.  For instance, he has only been generous with his pecan crop once in all this time—the year when even the acorns were abundant (2012). Given we’ve been in a drought for several years, I can’t fault him too much, but I would appreciate a little more effort on his part! Native pecans generally produce every other year, but they will adapt to survive.  I guess Old Man must be thinking of self-preservation.

Now I must tell you of the trick Old Man played the year of the big harvest (2012).  Between him and the other pecan trees, I had more nuts than the grandchildren and I felt like harvesting.  There were pecan pies, cookies, roasted pecans, and nuts in the freezer!  I’d give anything to have another year like that one.

One morning as I was kicking around the grass in search of yet more pecans, my eye zeroed in on a huge, round pecan—no not just one, there were two, three……then more.   Where did these come from?  Old Man’s tasty pecans were small, round natives.   I picked up the strange fruit and put them in my sack, the whole time looking over my shoulder for the trickster who tossed them out.  I even considered that a squirrel had carried them in from across the street and dropped them.       DSCF2220

Continuing my harvesting routine, I took a few more steps only to find oval-shaped pecans in the mix.  Okay, now I knew someone was messing with me.  This continued on/off for a couple of weeks until I consulted an expert who explained what was going on.

Apparently, an early settler grafted some other pecan wood onto Old Man when he was but a youngster.  Since these branches are on top of Old Man’s head, they are not easily seen from the ground (he’s very tall).   For some reason, the grafted branches had not produced fruit for me up until the big harvest year.

Yes, Old Man stymied and stumped (pun intended) me alright, but now I’m onto his tricks.  So far, I have found 2 of the large, round pecans that fell during the thunderstorm last week.  I expect he’ll toss me another one or two just to keep me interested, but it doesn’t look like we’ll have much pecan pie this year!

But, given his history and stamina, I must give Old Man his due respect.  After all, my relationship with him will be found in but a few tree rings that record his life here on earth.  He was here long before I was born and will likely surpass me by decades—I hope that is the case.  To your health, Old Man!

 

 

Filed Under: Current Newsletter, Favorite Plants, Newsletters

American BeautyBerry

November 2, 2014 by Donna Hagar

By Donna Hagar, Somervell County Master Gardener

Common Name: American Beautyberry – Botanical name: Callicara americana

beautyberryAmerican beautyberry is a fast growing native perennial shrub; growing five to eight feet tall and almost as wide. It has long, arching branches and yellow-green fall foliage, but its most striking feature is the clusters of glossy, iridescent – purple fruit (sometimes white) which hug the branches in clusters along the branches in the fall and winter.

The fruit is an important food source for more than forty species of songbirds. The berry clusters are eaten by armadillo, foxes, opossum, raccoon and squirrels. White tailed deer consume the fruit in the fall after leaf drop. They will also browse the leaves in summer when highly preferred foods are not available.

The roots, leaves, and branches were used by various Native American tribes for medicinal purposes to treat fevers and rheumatism. In the early 20th century, farmers would crush the leaves and place them under the harnesses of horses and mules to repel mosquitoes. The farmers rubbed the crushed leaves on themselves to repel mosquitoes and biting bugs.

American beautyberry is used as an ornamental shrub in mass plantings or borders or can stand alone as a speciman shrub. It is best suited to semi-shaded sites with some moisture. It is remarkably tolerant of various soils and habitats.

I can attest that this is one hardy shrub. I transplanted a sapling from a friend in the dead heat of August. It has been dug up by armadillos and my chickens several times, but hasn’t given up yet! Maybe next year the chickens will be able to eat the berries!

Filed Under: Current Newsletter, Favorite Plants, Newsletters

November Gardening Tips

November 2, 2014 by lheideman

by Linda Heideman, Somervell County Master Gardener

Ah!  November!  The weather is cool, flowers are blooming in season, the leaves on the trees are starting to turn.  It is truly fall!  Winter and Thanksgiving are on the way.  Time to get ready, but don’t forget there’s plenty to do in the garden!

1st week:  Finish dividing spring-blooming perennials.  Plant pansies (my favorite), ornamental cabbages, kale, snapdragons and dianthus.  Prepare to protect tender plants – average first freeze is November 21.  Pansies-150x150

2nd week:  Cut back fall-blooming perennials as they finish blooming, and finish mulching all beds.  Fallen leaves can be used in mulching your beds and/or added to your compost pile.

3rd week:   After a killing freeze, cut back freeze-damaged perennials such as chrysanthemums, lantana and cannas.

chrysanthemum

4th week:    After a hard freeze transplant established trees and shrubs.  Mulch and water them well.  Hardy, ornamental grasses can be cut back and divided after a hard freeze.

 

 

Filed Under: Gardening Tips, Newsletters

Community Horticultural Educational Series

October 5, 2014 by lheideman

Community Horticultural Educational Series (CHES)

Somervell County Master Gardeners are proud to announce 

Paul Dowlearn is coming back to Glen Rose!

Monday, October 13th, at 6:30 p.m.

Citizen’s Center, 209 SW Barnard, Glen Rose

Free and open to the public

IMG1             Paul Dowlearn is the co-owner of Wichita Valley Landscape, past president of the Red River Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, member of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Research Center, Riverbend Nature Center and Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association and several other non-profit organizations.

              Paul has lived in Wichita Falls, Texas since he was three years old and has been an avid gardener since childhood.  Paul does landscape design and installation through his nursery in Wichita Falls, and has focused on xeriscape and low maintenance landscapes for the last twenty years.

Paul has authored numerous articles on native and well-adapted plants, plus organic gardening methods for newspapers and magazines, as well as speaking to many organizations throughout Texas and Oklahoma.  He has hosted local radio and TV call-in shows and teaches landscaping courses at Vernon College.  His new book,  The Lazy Man’s Garden, will be available for sale and signing at the meeting!

Filed Under: CHES

Ahhhhh! October Gardening Tips

October 5, 2014 by Donna Hagar

by Donna Hagar

As the days get cooler and chances of rain return, we are all finding it to be far more enjoyable to be back in the garden. If you are like me, there are some chores that need to be done, as well as some fun things to get excited about!

First and foremost, if you haven’t cleaned up your summer veggie garden, now is the time to do so. Any dead or spent veggie plants can go straight to the compost, if they aren’t diseased.

chard

Colorful and Edible Swiss Chard

If you are wanting some fall crops, there is still time but you will need to get on it PDQ. Add compost to your garden and work it in the top few inches. There is still time for root veggies – beets, carrots, radishes, turnips and parsnips if you lean that way. Also greens such as collards, kale, lettuce, mustard, spinach and Swiss chard. Maybe now you will want to try some Chinese cabbage varieties, bok choi, tat soy or pak choi. And of course, get the garlic in! And as most people are unaware, cilantro is a cool season plant, so it goes in now, too.

Veggies not your thing? How about annuals for color? Pansies can go in, as well as pinks, dianthus, ornamental kale, snapdragons. Don’t forget, Swiss chard comes in many colors and withstands the winter quite well. If you haven’t eaten it before, give it a try! Mix some in with your landscape and save a trip or two to the grocery store for veggies! Spring flowering bulbs, daffodils and narcissus go in this month.

Fall is actually the ideal time for planting container grown trees and shrubs and many perennials. Getting them in now gives them several months head start to get their roots established before the spring growth and hot, dry summers next year.

Divide those perennials now, as well. Daylilies, iris, oxeye and Shasta daisies, coreopsis, purple coneflower all will handle a fall transplant or being passed along to some favorite friend. Leave ornamental grass inflorescence for fun winter color. Trim just before spring growth begins.

WildflowersThis is your last chance to get wildflower seeds out as well but get to it quick. Make sure there is good seed to soil contact for best germination. Fall rains and Mother Nature should take care of the rest.

And last but not least, mulch, mulch, mulch! Get a new 2-4” fresh layer of mulch on all those existing beds to protect it from potential early freezes! (Don’t cover seeds in the garden tho or they won’t sprout!) It also helps retain moisture thru the winter and prevents weed seeds from germinating. Just be sure to water those beds good before adding the mulch.

Filed Under: Gardening Tips, Newsletters

Cowitch Plant (Mucuna pruriens)

October 5, 2014 by lheideman

by Merilyn Cranford, Somervell County Master Gardener

         Mucunaprurien Have you ever seen a plant called Cowitch?  Actually, I haven’t either, but due to some quick research I’ve come up with the following that might be helpful in identifying this very prolific and hardy southern plant.

          Cowitch or Mucuna Pruriens is a member of the legume family.  It likes to climb or vine and grows up to 30 feet in length.  Its flowers are typically dull purple, lavender or even white in color, and the plant forms compound leaves that grow 4-10 inches long.  Additionally, it produces pods which contain 3-6 large black seeds.  These pods have barbed hairs that cause an intense stinging irritation to the skin. mucuna_pruriens

          Research reveals that the Cowitch plant has many traditional and medicinal usages including the easing of abdominal pain, diabetes, in-fertility, and treatment for snake and scorpion bites.  Due to the large amount of levo-dopa in the seed, it is used for treating Parkinson’s disease. 

          Unless you want to grow this plant for its medicinal properties, it is probably something you do not want in your garden.  Once planted, it is extremely difficult to get rid of.  Trying to dig it up is similar to trying to get rid of nut grass, but much worse.  BEWARE !!!

Filed Under: Current Newsletter, Favorite Plants, Newsletters

Fall Lawn Fertilizing

October 5, 2014 by lheideman

by Bonnah Boyd, Somervell County Master Gardener

Fall lawn fertilization is equally as important as spring fertilization.  It prolongs fall color, increases winter hardiness, promotes earlier spring green-up and helps maintain a dense turf that resists winter weeds.

 The best way to pinpoint the time to fertilize is by monitoring your mowing frequency.  When you don’t need to mow for 2 weeks, the time to fertilize is at hand.  In general, fall fertilization of warm-season grasses should occur between October 1 and 15 in this area.

 Fertilizers used in the fall should be high in nitrogen and potassium and low in phosphorus (or no phosphorus).  A 2-1-2 or 1-0-1 ratio of nutrients is preferred. The fertilizer should be a combination of quick-and slow-release nitrogen portion of the forms to encourage production of carbohydrates.  These carbohydrates are then stored in the roots for use in earlier spring greening of the lawn and as an energy source for the grass during winter stress.

 The amount of fertilizer to apply is 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.  Look on the fertilizer bag for guidance on how much area the bag will cover. (Some organic fertilizers contain less than half the nitrogen of “conventional” or chemical fertilizers.  Be sure to apply enough organic fertilizer to gain the results you expect.)

 The easiest way to broadcast lawn fertilizer is by using a walk-behind spreader on wheels.  To spread the calculated amount of fertilizer evenly across the entire lawn, follow these guidelines:

  • Determine how many sections you have in the lawn that you can easily walk the spreader around without stopping, going across driveways, or through gates.
  • Divide the amount of fertilizer proportionally based on the number and size of sections.
  • Divide each section’s fertilizer amount in half, and pour half into the spreader.
  • Cut back the spreader setting to the smallest opening that still lets the fertilizer pellets flow out of the hopper easily.  Be careful not to apply too much fertilizer too fast.
  • Turn the spreader on, and walk it north to south across the lawn and keep going back and forth until the spreader is empty.
  • Fill the spreader with the other half of the section’s fertilizer, and walk the spreader east to west, back and forth, until the spreader is empty.
  • Water the lawn thoroughly to activate the fertilizer and prevent fertilizer burn on the grass.

 Try not to fertilize prior to a predicted heavy rain.  Nitrogen, and other fertilizer nutrients, can easily run off in heavy rains into the storm sewers and into creeks and streams.  Nitrogen can cause an “algae bloom” that consumes oxygen in the water to the point of killing fish. 

Reference: Doug Welch’s TEXAS GARDEN ALMANAC

 

Filed Under: Current Newsletter, Gardening, Newsletters

Community Horticultural Education Series

August 31, 2014 by lheideman

Somervell County Master Gardeners Present

The Community Horticultural Education Series

A Special “Back To School” Program

“Ask A Master Gardener”

Monday, September 8th at 6:30 pm

Citizens Center, 209 SW Barnard, Glen Rose

  • A panel discussion lead by Master Gardeners will answer your questions about what to do in the garden this time of year, and try to find the answers to any other gardening questions you might have.  Bring a picture or a cutting, and we will help you identify that “mystery plant” you’ve been wondering about.  Come and enjoy a lively and informative conversation.
  • Bring your questions to the meeting, or better yet, email them ahead of time to Shirley Smith, ssmith7003@gmail.com
  • We always have great door prizes, handouts and refreshments.
  • Remember, this program is free and open to the public.  See you on the 8th of September!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: CHES, Newsletters

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