Which do you prefer: a flowerbed, or a show-stopping garden? Me, I want a little piece of paradise that captures the eye as well as the heart. I want the visitors to my garden to be just as spectacular as the flowers that live there. I want a thriving paradise that shelters some of the most beautiful of God’s creatures.
Dividing a Bearded Iris
Irises provide some of the earliest spring color in the garden, from white to purple too many other colors of the rainbow. Managed planting of individual irises, genetically programmed to bloom at different times of the year, can provide you with a succession of iris blooms over several months. The white irises usually start the parade.
If you think pansies are your only option for winter color, think again. Many Texas gardeners use a variety of plants to liven their gardens during colder times of the year. Master Gardeners use different strategies in their landscapes: evergreens add permanent color, annuals add short bursts of color, and perennials add color year after year. It is important to garden with freeze-tolerant shrubs, flowers and vines in mind. Though Texas gardening is difficult even in the best of times, the following plants are hardy varieties that add color to the Parker County winter landscape.
Just imagine… a huge live oak tree grows from an acorn no bigger than a nickel. A watermelon grows from a seed half the size of a dime. Seeds can be as big as a coconut or as small as the lead point of a pencil. But if the seed never finds a fertile spot in the soil, it will be wasted. What do you need to know about planting seeds in order to grow healthy plants yourself? Let’s find out.
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It is no secret that our natural resources have a precious limited supply. We live in Texas where summer watering restrictions have become the rule rather than the exception. If you’re looking at your landscape wondering how it can survive, you’re not alone. The Parker County Master Gardeners have been considering this dilemma for a good long while. In fact, many organizations across the state are considering alternatives and developing some innovative plans to deal with this problem.
Latin is not dead! It is alive and thriving in YOUR garden! While you won’t come face to face with a toga-clad centurion, greeting you with a friendly “Salve”; you just might use the Latin “Salve” to greet your plants and get to know them better.
Managing a Buffalograss Lawn introduces the reader to Buffalograss, its use as a lawn and describes its recommended care and management to include watering, fertilization, mowing and weed control, which differs from that for common, warmseason turfgrasses in north-central Texas.
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If there was something you could do in your own backyard to help a butterfly, would you do it? If it improved the look of your flowerbeds, attracted beneficial insects, and was good for the environment, would you think about it? It’s an important question, and worth your consideration because the monarch butterfly needs your help.
The beds featured here can be seen at the Extension Office; 604 North Main Street, Weatherford. Texas
Water conservation is no longer a topic for casual conversation, its mandatory education for drought weary Texans. In North Texas we are living in Stage 3 and planning for Stage 4 water restrictions. For most of us, that puts damage control at the top of the priority list. We aren?t just looking at the calendar to see if we can water today, we?re looking at our landscape and wondering what will survive the summer months ahead.
