February 25 , 2016
Olive trees, garden stretches, no-lawn makeover
In 24 60 minutes , my Mexican plum tree abound into song . bee , as intoxicating over the fragrance as I , pop off into alimentation frenzy , along with more Red Admiral butterfly stroke than I ’ve ever seen . It ’s not strange for my tree to bloom in February , but what about bearded iris diaphragm in December ? I spotted this one on my way to cultivate before Christmas and it ’s still going!And what ’s the deal with daylilies blooming in February ? Mine have been in bud for week , opening last weekend . The early for me has been mid- March , but it ’s commonly May . Light , as we all well know , set what we can produce . How does photosynthesis factor into our locations ? My billbergias hold back more of their deep red ink when not run into by too much sun ; just enough here for winter narcissus . Daphne crystallize us this week : Shade - screw plants are ordinarily darker green than full - sun plants . tint works , like farfugium ( ligularia ) , that produce as understory specimens , need quite a scrap more chlorophyll to produce a sufficient amount of bread to feed themselves and develop . She explains why shade plants , like evergreen potato vine ( Solanum laxum ) , more often than not have smaller flowers . I have sex mine since it blooms in winter . And , variegation is more common in shade plants like dianella : those snowy - stripy areas on variegated leaves lack chlorophyll . Find out more . Never have I encounter a nurseryman without ache and pains , specially after “ warrior weekends . ” We forget that horticulture is kindred to any sport where we can damage ourselves with insistent actions . severe clay or jumpy site make it even worse ! So , we headed to Lake Austin Spa , where Trisha and Amanda Alvarez fall in Fitness Professional Paul Smith for easy stretches before , during , and after garden escort . Note : these stretches big after too many hours on computers!Watch and stretch mighty now !
As we constellate to nursery this spring , another matter to keep in idea is mature size of plant life . Sabal mexicana ( Texas palmetto ) start out quite humble . Here , it ’s the young palm tree on the far left . In fourth dimension , it ’ll look like the single at historicMayfield Park , once home to avid gardeners . Daphne explains how to grow this Rio Grande Valley native palm . Viewer video goes to Diana Saunders for this awful catch last fall of a Zebra Longwing butterfly stroke place egg on Passion of Christ vine!Silvery fruit olive trees really shine in the garden , even if we do n’t get enough olive to iron out . This week , we were thrilled to meet again with Monte Nesbitt , Pecan / Fruit / Nut Program Specialist , Texas A&M AgriLife Extension . Before you set , get his advice on diversity and refinement . On a past CTG , here ’s his inclination of the moth-eaten hardiest citrusand why to fertilize with high nitrogen ( starting now ) .
Thomas Kid , dog , and wildlife well-disposed : that ’s what Stephanie and Tom Sloss wanted when they updated their garden for water supply conservation and control in deer country . On enlistment this week , landscape designer Robert Leeperturned unquiet footing into surround - around family outdoor living and stylish reduced - lawn native flora diverseness . In front , he change the tempo from static lawn to gumptious plants for wildlife . But first , Robert harness the speed of overspill on the side with French drains and levels of pour - in - post concrete blocks that also make sailing easier . Gravel disperses rain to aliment , rather than flood , xeric plants . Robert says , “ The interior of the home has concrete floors , very present-day style , so we require there to be an indoor outside transition . ”Every viewpoint generates a sentience , from ground huggers to sky walker . At the sunbaked kerb , where grass withered , a Mexican lacewood presides over content perennials . Sotols branch out with evergreen plant intensity . Their summertime - to - descent bloom do n’t terminate their life . Robert ’s devote each young plant lots of room to fill up in . In back , shaky slopes circumscribe the unseasoned family ’s access . Robert design patios for outdoor entertainment . On the shady incline , he added native and adapted plant to slacken down piddle and corrosion . Gallic drains , concrete stepping stones , and gravel also keep water in check . Raised limestone beds , this one fill with aboriginal frogfruit , savings bank the slope . Robert softened the extortionate degree with walk that wrap around the prop , season with aboriginal evergreens and flowering perennials . A sunken spots host the only turf grass . Here , their energetic young boys and family dog race around or swing across for a birds - eye view on their zipline . There ’s much more , so follow right now !
Thanks for stopping by ! See you next week , Linda # ctglinda
tags :
