Somervell County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

American BeautyBerry

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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!

November Gardening Tips

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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.

 

 

Community Horticultural Educational Series

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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!

Ahhhhh! October Gardening Tips

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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.

Cowitch Plant (Mucuna pruriens)

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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 !!!

Fall Lawn Fertilizing

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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

 

Community Horticultural Education Series

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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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purple Passion Vine ( Passiflora incarnata)

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by Shirley Smith, Somervell County Master Gardener

Purple passion vine to me conjures up visions of exotic places, a rain forest perhaps or the sounds of the rolling surf.  But, thankfully, this beautiful plant resides in my side yard, and it’s extremely happy to be here.

The purple fashion-flower is an herbaceous vine growing up to 25 feet long and clings by way of axillary tendrils or sprawls along the ground. passion vine pic -22 It has intricate, 3” lavender flowers on a short stalk.  One common name is Maypop, which comes from the hollow, yellow fruits that “pop” loudly when crushed.  This unusual flower is distributed widely from Florida to Texas.  The plants were given the name Passionflower or Passion vine because the floral parts are said to represent aspects of the Christian crucifixion story, sometimes referred to as the Passion.  The 10 petal-like parts represent disciples of Jesus, excluding Peter and Judas; the 5 stamens the wounds Jesus received; the knob-like stigmas the nails used to hang Him on the cross; the fringe the crown of thorns.

passion vine pic -21My Passion vine is the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly.  And, oh my, do they love this plant!  This year seems to have been a particularly good year for the GF butterfly.  They (the butterflies) did not arrive until my Passion vine had really grown to a good size.  And when the GF got here, the females began at once to alight, touch their abdomens to a leaf and deposit a very passion vine pic-1tiny, yellow egg.  After a few days, the eggs began to hatch and the tiny ½” long caterpillar emerged.  And it was ravenous!   Because my Passion vine was so well established, all the hungry babies did not seem to phase it.  It grew faster than the GF caterpillars could eat it!  The vine is blooming now and the flowers are beautiful!

Not only is this plant the host to several other buttlerflies (Zebra Longwing, Crimson-patch Longwing, Red-banded Hairstreak, Julia Butterfly, Mexican Butterfly), but the American Indians consumed the fruit.  The Indians would poultice the roots for boils, cuts, earaches and inflammation.  A tea was brewed to sooth nerves and treat insomnia.

My plant dies back to the ground each winter.  This year, I had mulched it heavily so when those two freezes hit it was not harmed.  Can’t beat a good layer of mulch (think very warm blanket) for protecting plants during the winter as well as conserving moisture during our hot, dry summers.

passion vine pic -2The Purple passion plant may be propagated by seeds or cuttings.  I have had success in just digging up a piece that comes up where I don’t want it, burying it in the ground and then keeping it well watered for the next couple of weeks.  To have such delicate flowers, this plant is very hardy for our climate.  My plant is growing on a two-rail split rail fence in full sun.  I have had to add additional string for it to climb on.

So, if you have a chance (and a place) to grow this plant, don’t hesitate.  You will not be disappointed.

Source:  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Internet) (Native Plant Database)

 

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!