ECHO - ccmgatx.org · Elaine decided that transferring plants into pots could be a profitable business to pursue. She did just that. She began a business of sell-ing outdoor container

Dear Master Gardeners, The new year is starting off with great promise. I was so

proud and excited at our class of 2007 graduating class of new Master Gardeners. It was great to see to many new faces join us, and also very energizing to see how many of our “seasoned” MGs are still actively involved.

Being actively involved is vital for our group. As you new Master Gardeners continue your work without the thought of having to log so many hours, look back on all the wonderful things you did last year by meeting your requirements. That’s a good exercise for all of us — to think of how we contributed to the beauty of Collin County, using sound principles and envi-ronmentally friendly practices. So, look toward 2008 with the same energy. Think of how much more we can do and how we leave a trail of grateful people in our wake.

We can look forward to helping more people through all our various projects, both new and ongoing: Speaker’s Bureau, Phone Helpline, Junior Master Gardeners, Horticultural Ther-apy, Information Booths, Annual Plant Sales, Design Commit-tee, and many more hands-on opportunities to talk with the citizens of our area. I wish you could each walk with me for a day after we’ve had a big event. I hear so many positive com-ments about what we do, about how great you are, and how much people have learned from us. It’s humbling but exciting all at the same time.

So I urge you to pick a few (or many) favorite things you’d like to do with Master Gardeners this year. It makes a huge difference, and … it makes you feel good about what you’ve accomplished!

Rene Mahoney CCMGA President

ECHO

January-February 2008 Educational programs of Texas

Cooperative Extension serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or

national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, and the County

In this issue:

Message from Rene Mahoney, President ………………….………………………Page 1

Plant in the Spotlight: Texas Madrone

.…..…..……….….……………………Page 2 Master Gardener Profile: Elaine Taylor ………….…………………………..Pages 3-4

Book Review …….……………………………..……..Page 5

Case of the Too-Tall Plants, Update on the Mexican Buckeye …………………………………..…..Pages 6-7 This n That

……………………………………....….Page 7 Growing Tomatoes in Texas ………………………….…...…..…..….Page 8 CCMG 2007 Interns Prune and Learn ………………………………………….Page 9 Renner Middle School Student Tree Farm …………………………………...Pages 10-11 Green Elementary Green Club ……………………………………….Page 11 New MGs, Award Winners ……………………………………….Page 12 Garden Journal: New Year Resolutions ………………………………….Pages 13-14

Garden Checklist for January/February ……………………………………….Page 15

Extension’s Community Horticultural Outreach

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ECHO Newsletter January-February 2008

What is it about this small, uncommon tree that evokes such a passionate following among native plant aficionados? Is it the creamy, bell-shaped flowers in spring? Is it the peeling, sienna bark or the berries, matur-ing in late fall and winter? Or is it that this decorative native of dryland hillsides is just lovely, but has a reputation for being rather finicky about its growing conditions?

Whatever the reason, those who adore this multi-trunked small tree love to have it in their landscapes and brag on their success in seeing it survive outside of its native range, such as in Collin County! Our own Janet Smith has a nice-sized specimen in her yard in Prosper, shown in bloom in the top photo at right. A large specimen that I was able to see on a golf course, certified as an Audubon Signature Sanctuary, in Austin is shown in the photo below. Birds love the fruit and compete with seed collectors for the ripe ber-ries. Deer also find the tree great snacking, so protecting the tree is required if you have such four-legged visitors to your property. Some of the common names like Naked In-dian and Lady’s Leg describe the color and smooth feel of the bark on the trunks.

Janet recalls that her madrone was pur-chased at the Heard native plant sale on April 18, 2000. It was a mere 18 inches high and although she admitted knowing it was not found in the Blackland prairie, she wanted to give it a try anyway since she had been so charmed by its beauty when vacationing in the Guadalupe and Chisos Mountains. She loves the exfoliating bark and the spring blos-soms and unusual, red-edged leaves. Janet feels confident the tree will survive now since it has been doing well in Prosper for more than seven years. At the advice of well-known author Sally Wasowski, Janet planted her madrone next to an Ashe Juniper, known as a “nurse-maid” plant to arbutus.

In Jill Nokes’ book, How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the South-west, young seedlings are described as needing partial shade to thrive, but apparently the roots’ rela-tionship with soil-borne mi-croorganisms probably ac-counts for the uncommon oc-currence of mad-rone even in the wide range where it is found. The juni-per connection may explain why Janet suc-ceeded where others have failed since that evergreen seems to provide soil conditions madrone need. Arbutus is not a plant for the “quick and dirty” gardener (like me) who sticks something in the ground and expects it to grow and now! But if you want a special native plant that could benefit from propagation and protection and you have the time to “nurse” it along, you too may be rewarded with a beautiful tree that you can brag about.

Plant in the Spotlight: Texas Madrone By Candace Fountoulakis

Arbutus xalapensis (var. “Texana”)

About the Author: Specializing in learning about native trees of North Texas, Candace (class of 2002) loves plants, birds, photography and talking about it all. If you ask her a question, be prepared for a 10-minute answer.

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Elaine Taylor is more than a Master Gar-dener with a special interest in herbs and na-tives. She makes a commitment to her pas-sions—gardening, quilting, sewing for U.S. soldiers, children in need, and her family’s activities. According to Dr. Landry Lockett’s research, sharing friendships and interests is a leading factor for Master Gardeners to stay involved. Elaine, with her commitments to serving people, is living proof that Lockett’s research is true.

Elaine’s gardening experience began when she moved to Texas. Her husband worked long hours and gave her time for hobbies. Af-ter purchasing three asparagus ferns from North Haven Gardens, she saw how easy it was to transfer these plants into hanging pots. Elaine decided that transferring plants into pots could be a profitable business to pursue. She did just that. She began a business of sell-ing outdoor container plants while also doing seasonal landscaping. She even bought a kiln to fire her own pots. After several years, her business turned back to a hobby. A busy mother and quilter, Elaine then turned from entrepreneur to gardener.

The garden is Elaine’s well-deserved re-treat from her many activities. Her gardening passion is obvious in her home landscape. One can quickly identify this Master Gar-dener’s house by the interesting array of flow-ers and butterflies in her front yard, which is alive with activity. You cross a wooden bridge to enter this garden filled predominately with flowering natives.

The soil was improved with additives of green sand, lava sand, dried molasses, com-post and mulch which Elaine thinks, “does the most good at turning clay into manageable soil. “I moved to this house in 1999 and I could hardly dig in the soil when I started putting out flowers,” she says.

“Remembering how I amended the soil in my other house, I had to start over in my new house. After doing just a small amount of ad-ditions, the soil became easier to manage. I tore out grass and put in flowers and rocks.

(Continued on page 4)

Elaine Taylor: Bloom Where You are Planted By Susan Norton

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The next year, I amended again, making even larger beds. After amending the soil for sev-eral years, I was pleased how much easier it was to dig.” Obviously, the beds are a good home for these plants, since they are thriving even in this fall’s off-season, for many of the spring loving plants.

A member of Plano’s Heritage Herb Club and Dallas Organic Garden Club, Elaine has planted many non-traditional landscaping plants. She has some recommendations like planting an aromatic herb or one with grey leaves near a tender plant to ward-off pests. Some combinations that she suggests are Lou-isiana Phlox and Oenothera speciosa or Showy Evening-primrose in pink with Lan-tanas in the middle. When the Phlox and primrose are through blooming, the lantana is taking over. There never is a “bald spot” in the landscape.

Her side yard (photo on page 3) is a com-bination of pleasing colors and scents with a rock border including (front to back) gray-leafed Bush Morning Glory, Ipomoea lepto-phylla, which blooms in the spring and seems to thrive even without water; trailing Rose-mary with its blue flowers; Purple Fall Aster with its darker purple blooms; lavender; and Powis Castle Artemesia. The red blooms in the back right are Salvia greggi. “I have found that of all of the lavenders, Spanish lavender one of the most reliable here in North Texas.”

Another recommendation from Elaine is Lamb’s Ear which grows without much care as long as it doesn’t sit in wet soil. It’s on a slope that lets the water drain off when we get rain like we had this year. Elaine noted that rosemary and others are great “pass-along plants”—easy to cut and transplant for your friends. Other favorites are many of the Sal-vias, Thyme, Calliopsis, Pavonia, pink Oxalis, Tuscan Rosemary, Horse Herb, Skullcap, sev-eral sedums, several Verbenas, Veronica, and yellow, pink and red Yarrow. This is only a partial list of her extensive plants. Elaine’s

requirements are that “a plant has to bloom and be almost maintenance free to make it in this garden. It does not matter how large or for how long. I like something to be blooming as many months of the year as possible. I also like fragrant plants and am planting as many as I can. It’s such a joy to come out and sit in the glider in spring when the Louisiana Phlox are blooming and fragrant.”

In visiting Elaine, you will find a new friend with shared interests, who works whole-heartedly on her passions.

(Continued from page 3)

About the Author: Susan Norton, Master Gardener Class of 2005, is a Rainwater Harvesting Specialist and Master Composter, and is interested in holistic and community gardens.

Cabbage White butterfly, Pieris rapae, beautiful nuisance is a lover of cabbages, radishes, and Nasturtiums and this Rosemary.

Blue Mist Hardy Ageratum or Eupatorium coelestinum is very attrac-tive to the Monarch, Danaus plexippus.

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Border planting seems to be a hot subject in the press with these two authors suggesting we rethink traditional styles. The cover story in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Fine Gardening is titled “Learn the Secrets to an Abun-dant Bor-der.”

Debra Prinzing wants us to “break free of the tradi-tional way of layering plants by relying on a relaxed ap-proach.” This gardener suggests we break out of the traditional borders with: “tall plants should not be relegated to the back row. Stag-gering tall plants throughout the border cre-ates depth and develops rhythm, increasing the overall look of abundance.” The photos of mounding masses, drifts of grasses and flowering per-ennials inter-spersed with vertical ac-cents do sug-gest that this practice adds depth.

But Debra Prinzing pro-poses you add delphiniums

or foxgloves for ver-tical accents.

These plants re-quire too much “work” for Peter Thompson, author of The Self-Sustaining Garden the Guide to Matrix Planting. He suggests, “Tall plants to the back, short to the front is the general rule, but one which may be broken in the interests of added excite-ment.”

With matrix planting Thompson advocates taking the relaxed approach a step further by “encouraging the plants you do want and dis-couraging the plants you do not want.”

In his garden he rates plants on a nine-point scale with number one being the ”out-and-out weeds with vigorous powers of re-generation.” Number nine is “plants unable to persist without frequently repeated, time-consuming attention.” He mentions delphini-ums as being a nine and has a section called “choose your weeds.”

Thompson wants us to choose plants that are compatible with each other and their set-ting in hopes of building a weed-free matrix with little effort by the gardener. Sounds like a utopian garden!

On the lighter side, the catalog from the Plant Delights Nursery at Juniper Level Bo-tanic Gardens will make you LOL (or laugh out loud)! “The goal of Plant Delights Nurs-ery, Inc., is to change the way America gar-dens by offering the best, the newest, and the strangest in fun, garden-worthy perennials.” Just check it out www.plantdelights.com.

Book Review By Kathleen Brooks

About the Author: Kathleen Brooks, Class of 2005, lives to read, research and learn.

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Have you ever noticed landscaping that contains plants that seem oversized for the site? I first noticed this strange occurrence a few years after re-landscaping my front yard. One of the most reputable landscapers in the area was doing the work, and I ordered heav-enly bamboo (Nandina domestica) plants to be placed on either side of the entrance way. I inspected the plants before they were put in the ground, and they did indeed have tags, which stated their height would be four feet. Although some varieties top out at 8 feet, there are some smaller ones available, and this is what I had requested and seemed to have. Imagine my surprise a few years later when these plants had attained 8 feet and were still growing! Needless to say, the planned maintenance-free front yard had turned into a big trimming job. What went wrong? Was it just that everything grows big-ger in Texas? Or was the plant mislabeled?

In time I had other sobering experiences, supposed 4-foot holly plants that were soon reaching 12 feet, and a crape myrtle tagged to reach 6 feet that was up to about 15 feet and dropping seeds in the gutter. So I decided to investigate this problem more thoroughly. I found other gardeners had the same problem, especially with shrubs. Finally, I asked the question in the Master Gardeners’ training class on Crape Myrtles. The answer was not far from what I’d guessed: Many of the young plants sold in nurseries come from more northerly areas and what would be a 4 foot holly in the north increases dramatically in size given our Texas climate.

What’s interesting is that the plants I pur-chased did not come from chain stores, where you might expect standard merchandise across the country. They came from re-spected local landscapers, nurseries and gar-den stores. To avoid the problem, you would

have to make sure the plants you were pur-chasing came from Texas or at least the south, and this is not always possible. At least, be aware that you may have taller plants than you bargained for!

This made me look into other causes of too-tall plants in people’s yards. Another cause is the “instant landscape,” where a landscaper or a home gardener chooses plants that are a size that look good immediately. Two years later the garden is overwhelmed with oversized plants. I saw this in a neighbor’s yard where ornamental grasses were planted. They were attractive the first year, but now dominate the front yard and are still growing. The size is now inappropriate for the yard.

Yet another cause seems to be ignorance or failure to choose a variety that fits the space, which can result in enormous trees planted in tiny areas. An example I saw re-cently is a burr oak planted on a small strip of


The Case of the Too-Tall Plants By Nancy King

Oversized Nandinas threaten to cut off the front porch of this home.

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land between two driveways. It looks fine for now, since it’s only 15 feet tall, but in 10 more years it will overpower both driveways.

Lack of real knowledge is not restricted to homeowners. Authors of garden and landscap-ing books sometimes publish information when little is known about a particular variety. Later we learn more, but the plant in question is now in your yard.

Bottom line: Garden wisely and mentally picture bigger plants than what the tag says.

Update on the Mexican Buckeye

Earlier this year, I wrote an article about the Mexican Buckeye. After the article was published, I began to notice indications of stress in the tree: very early signs of fall, yel-lowing and dropping of leaves. Our arborist attributes this to the unusually wet conditions earlier in the year and notes that the Mexican Buckeye is a dry-area tree. Normally it does well in North Central Texas but conditions this year were unusually wet. Although our Mexican Buckeye is planted in an area that drains well, the soil stayed wet because of fre-quent rains. Continually wet soil can affect a tree’s roots. We’ll have to see how extensive the damage is when it leafs out again in spring.


About the Author: Nancy King is a 2003 CCMG and a writer busy with multiple professionally published works.

This n That Design Website By Kathleen Brooks

In the past year CCMGA received many inquiries about landscape design and appro-priate plants for our area. A Design Commit-tee was formed to answer these requests. The goal of this committee is to provide informa-tion to the public on the principles of land-scape design and provide templates for plant-ing beds with specific plants selections. Lists have been revised, templates have been drawn and this information will be available on our website early this year.

The Design Committee worked with Dotty Woodson, Extension Program specialist-Water Resources, on demonstration gardens for the Gabe Nesbitt Park in McKinney. These six waterwise gardens were planned

around the following themes: butterfly, cot-tage, rock, wildlife, native and moon gardens. A student at the University of Arlington’s Ar-chitecture School designed the overall park setting. Eight CCMGAs participated in the design process of this project. Progress reports on this project will appear in future newslet-ters.

Mark Your Calendars The General Business meeting will be held

on January 24, 2008 at the Heard Museum in the Laughlin Hall. This meeting will provide information regarding current projects. Pro-ject leaders will present an overview of their project and answer questions after the conclu-sion of the meeting.

The next meeting will be February 21, 2008.

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You’ve heard it said before: we do things a little differently here in Texas.

For example, experienced southern vegeta-ble gardeners know the right way for us to grow tomatoes is completely foreign to our tomato enthusiast friends in, say, New York. Northern gardeners envy our mild climate, as well they should.

But don’t assume you can just stick a to-mato plant into the Texas soil on April 1 and then experience bountiful fruiting from spring through fall. One of the most common mid-summer questions asked of Texas Master Gar-deners is: Why are my tomato plants not bear-ing fruit? The answer: tomatoes shut down fruit production when it’s too hot. And around Dallas, that generally means all of July and August.

Because of this, successful tomato growing takes planning, especially if you grow your own plants from seed…and that planning starts now.

Due to our regularly scorching, dry sum-mers, we actually have two relatively short tomato growing seasons in the spring and fall. So, if you’ve got a tomato variety that takes 100 days to mature, you need to plan around those two months of desert-like weather.

For the spring crop, I like to start seeds as early as mid-January and keep them under grow lights for about 6-8 weeks, potting up when necessary. By March 15 (average last frost date) your plants should be around one foot tall, sturdy, and ready to go in the garden.

Of course, March always brings its share of surprises weather-wise, so have your frost cloth ready. Giving your tomato plants a jump start in spring will put you ahead of the game as far as optimum fruit production goes.

And now…my Top Five Tomato Tips: 1.Plant tomatoes deeply in the soil – they

are one of the very few veggies that can and will grow roots along their stem, thus resulting in a thicker, stronger plant. When you’re ready to plant, remove all the leaves except for the top pair and sink it all the way up to the leaves. Or, dig a trench and lay the plant sideways, bending it upwards to expose just the top few inches above the soil.

2.Prune liberally and often. Remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. Also remove the branches and leaves of the bottom one-third of the plant when it reaches about three feet tall. This will improve aeration around and within the plant, discouraging fungus diseases.

3.Use a cage large enough to accommodate your particular tomato plant. Flopping, crowded plants invite pests and disease. Keep your tomatoes upright, and they’ll be healthier.

4.Water often, and do it at soil level. With our intense heat, ripening fruit is prone to cracking due to uneven moisture levels in the soil. As mentioned previously, toma-toes are very susceptible to fungal diseases too, so use drip irrigation whenever possi-ble to water them.

5. Be patient. Sure, your tomatoes will most likely shut down in July and August, but keep up your regimen of watering regu-larly and cleaning the area, and you’ll likely be rewarded with another, smaller crop in October or early November.

As I write this on December 2, there are several tomatoes still ripening on my few remaining plants. Ask your gardening friends in New York when the last time was they could say that!

Growing Tomatoes … in Texas Terms By Tamara Galbraith

Tamara Galbraith, Class of 2005, is the CCMGATX.org Webmaster and an avid organic gardener.

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The Collin County Master Gardener class of 2007 spent the afternoon of November 6 at the historic Pecan Grove Cemetery in McKin-ney. Gardening guru Neil Sperry saw a win-win: the crape myrtles along McDonald Street of the Pecan Grove Cemetery needed pruning and the intern class needed hands-on experi-ence. As Neil pointed out before we started, crape myrtles are shrubs at heart and will try to revert if given a chance. The specimens along the fence have had about two years to do so.

It must have been odd for passersby to see a group of people in the cemetery having lunch.

With the whole group we were able to prune all the crape myrtles along the fence in about 2 hours. It just exemplifies the point that with good weather and full stomachs (motivation), it takes no time at all.

CCMG 2007 Intern class Prunes and Learns By Tony Dennis

About the Author: Tony Dennis is a class of 2005 CCMG, EarthKind Specialist, rosarian and speakers bureau member.

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Renner Middle School in Plano had something green to be thankful for in the few days leading up to Thanksgiving when they received the generous donation of 150 tree saplings from the Arbor Day/Frito Lay Foundation.

Joni Strobel-McLean, the Environ-mental Chairperson for the PTA, and the adult sponsor of the Renner Middle School student environmental group called the Evergreen Team, immediately began making plans for what would soon be a small, student-managed tree farm.

Joni, a Master Naturalist, contacted the Collin County Master Gardeners to gain advice on the best method for planting and caring for these healthy young tree whips. A veteran Master Gardener, very knowl-edgeable concerning trees, gave her excel-lent advice on the type and mix of soil, planting methods, and continued care for the 100 Arizona Cypress and the 50 Bald Cypress.

Joni then contacted the City of Plano and ordered Texas Pure Soil Blend Mix and arranged for its delivery on planting day. A Collin County Master Gardener Intern and Texas Licensed Irrigator volun-teered to design and install a drip irriga-tion system that would automate a precise watering schedule.

When the planting day arrived, thirty-five students and several adult volunteers were infused with excitement and eager to dig into the soil and handle the young trees. The donated pots were quickly filled with the planting mix and arranged in rows. With obvious enthusiasm the chil-dren began planting the trees, and in no time at all, the trees were planted and the students gave them a long, cool drink. The irrigation system was put in place and a

tree farm was born! The Evergreen Club will nurture

the trees for two years at which time the trees’ future will be determined. Perhaps they will be given to graduating students, donated to and planted in the city, or maybe they will give rise to a fundraiser. No matter the final disposition of the trees it will be certain that, for their initial years, they will have been cared for by the loving, caring, and curious hands of bud-ding nature lovers and the trees, in turn, will have provided a wealth of educational opportunities for the children.


Renner Middle School Student Tree Farm By Beth Mortensen

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When given the opportunity, children re-spond so well to being close to nature. Being in the middle of the city, it is often difficult to present these opportunities to the youngsters. Thank goodness for volunteer adults like Joni and for the Junior Master Gardener Program

with their grand efforts to bring nature to the children.


About the Author: Beth Mortenson, class of 2006, is a local business owner with products focusing on rainwater harvesting.

Green Elementary is becoming true to its name and getting more “green.” An environ-mental club comprised of 3rd-5th grade stu-dents who have a keen interest in nature and the environment has been formed to bring en-vironmental awareness and stewardship to the school. Through a joint project with the City of Allen, the GEC has adopted a city garden at Green Park, located near the school campus. As a Collin County Master Gardener and par-ent at Green, I initiated the club with the goal of having the students complete the Junior Master Gardener program. Twelve students, Mrs. Melissa Blume (2nd grade teacher), and Susan Campbell (City of Allen arborist) par-ticipated in the first clean-up session at the park on November 12th. The next steps will be to design, plant, and maintain the garden.

The students enjoyed working in the gar-den, and are so enthusiastic about the various activities and projects. The work that the stu-dents do at Green Park will count toward their community service work in completing the JMG requirements.

About the Author: Adele Bourget is a class of 2004 Master Gardener and editor of eMinders.

Green Elementary Forms "Green Environmental Club"

By Adele Bourget

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Graduates Frances Almanzo Gigi Brookshire Becky Cavender Joyce Cleary Judy Ewoldsen Linda French Ralph French Fran Goldman Marie Hansen Janet Kirklen Daniele Lackie Sara Long John Martin Theresa Merritt Beth Mortenson Judy Neil Pat O’Neal Kathryn Phillips Kirsten Radford Allie Ray Mary Jayne Ringham Claudia Ross Mary Rylant Elaine Taylor Lynn Walters 100+ hours Linda Bolton Kathleen Brooks Gigi Brookshire Janet Bura Pam Burnette Tony Dennis Judy Ewoldsen Renee Ferguson Linda French Ralph French Nancy Furth Cindy Graham Janet Kirklen

John Krause Sara Long Rene Mahoney Mary Means Theresa Merritt Janice Miller Beth Mortenson Susan Norton Kathleen Roberson Claudia Ross Mary Rylant Sara Shaffer Diane Sharp Elaine Taylor Carl Thiele Kathy Ward 10-year pins Cindy Adams Maribeth Flowers Edith Hiett Mary Nell Jackson 5-year pins Belynda Apley Scherle Barth Marge Bryan Vicki Burk Amelia Chappel Beth DiGioia Renee Ferguson Candace Fountoulakis Sara Garretson Jan Gregg Linda Hornbaker Helen Housley JoAnn Huff Nancy Joslin Kristen Kerwin Jan Madden Mary Means

Maria Pedde Cathy Phillips Michelle Schwibinger Michelle Shook Carolyn Skei Carolyn Snyder Judy Toole Debbie Tschetter Beverly Vickers

Congratulations, Collin County Master Gardeners!

Reap What

You Sow.

Plant what You

Love.

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The New Year brings Resolutions to every-one. Those of us in the gardening world re-solve to ‘get it right’ in the coming season or on second thought, we resolve to get it right every season.

I seem to attempt to get it right at the be-ginning of every season’s change. I make lists, run errands to purchase seeds and plants, clean areas of the garden that have been ne-glected and almost everything the books tell you to do to be a successful gardener. For some reason, after all these years of trying, I never succeed in ‘getting it totally right.’

A few years ago, while attending The Herbal Forum in Round Top, Texas, I had the pleasure of meeting author Sharon Lovejoy. She has authored many books on gardening, is a contributing editor to County Living GAR-DENER, and her columns are distributed by the New York Times Syndicate. In addition to being an author she is also an illustrator. Her life is full and busy. She is a frequent guest on HGTV, PBS and the Discovery Channel and lectures at conferences all over the country. She lives in California and on an island in Maine. It goes without stating that this very active garden writer has lots of help. As I shared a conversation with her at dinner, she spoke of her love of gardening in a way that convinced me she was involved and present in her gardens with whatever times she was al-lowed to give them.

I find myself coming back again and again to one of her recent books titled Trowel and Error over 700 Shortcuts, Tips & Remedies for the Gardener. She is quick to say that her readers sent in many of the tips that she pub-lished, and I can believe it since some of the suggestions are tried and true to most garden-

ers. After spending time with her and hearing her address our Forum, I am sure she uses most of these hints and has tested them all. The reason this little book is a favorite of mine is that all these great short cuts are bound together for easy reference.

This might be the year that I ‘get it right’ using Trowel and Error to help me make my garden tasks easy. Should I dare to make gar-den resolutions in 2008?

First of all, Sharon loves to garden in her p.j.’s. (I found a comrade immediately.) She walks the garden in the early a.m. to check out Mother Nature’s progress~ sound familiar? She says that the shelves of her potting shed will never hold ingredients bearing the suffix- “cide”, from the Latin cadeo, “to kill.” This is a choice, of course, for all gardeners but un-fortunately, we find that most of these prod-ucts kill the good bugs as well as the bad. In her chapter on “Getting the Best of Pesky Pests” she suggests using adhesive tape to re-move aphids from plant leaves- wrap a long piece of tape around your fingers (sticky side out) and blot off the aphids. She cautions that readers who tried this say it can become habit-forming.

Sharon’s research isn’t all ‘University’ based but it works for many of us. The author does list facts from scientists at Texas A&M University stating that 90 percent of problems with aphids, mites, and spittlebug nymphs can be cured with a strong squirt of water from your hose nozzle. Cost factors for expensive products affect most gardeners; she lists com-mon household items in her chapter titled ‘The Indispensary Dispensary.’ She describes what each will accomplish, and it is up to you


Gardener’s Journal: Resolutions for the 2008 Gardener By Mary Nell Jackson

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to decide if that is something you want to ex-periment with. Many of her suggestions work for me.

In her chapter ‘Genius of the Ground’ she writes that Dr. Makota Kawase of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Cen-ter discovered that fresh rose cuttings root faster if they are kept in total darkness for the first four to five days. Sharon suggests stick-ing the potted cuttings into a brown bag along with a ripening apple. The ethylene gas from the apple speeds up the process.

One of her hints for encouraging cuttings (especially rosemary) to root is placing them in green glass bottles filled with water. The process usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks. I learned this trick long ago and have been pre-senting young gardeners who visit my garden with a green glass water bottle and a cutting as a gift that hopefully will produce a plant.

This author has a great sense of humor. In her chapter on house plants she suggests shar-ing a shower with your plants.

I continue to enjoy this book and will keep it in my bedtime reading stack. I am sure of

one thing: I resolve in 2008 to stock my pot-ting shed with aspirin, baking soda, Epsom salts, cinnamon powder, chili powder, vine-gar, liquid soap, essential oils, mineral oil and fish emulsion to name a few items she sug-gests.

This spring I may attempt the outdoor cin-der block worm bin, listed in the appendix, if I can lift the 64 cinder blocks into the truck, out of the truck and place them. If I don’t, there is always next season. I have learned that ‘getting it right’ is just part of the ritual of gar-dening.

Trowel and Error Over 700 Shortcuts,

Tips & Remedies for the Gardener by Sharon Lovejoy, Workman Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN O-7611-2632-5

www.workman.com www.sharonlovejoy.com


About the Author: Mary Nell Jackson, class of 1997, is a herb lover and discovered her love for writing about the garden a few years ago when she penned an arti-cle about gardening in her p.j.'s.

The Dirty Dozen The Texas Forestry Association has identified these plants as being the most common non-native (yet well-established) plants in Texas. Think twice and three times before you add these to your landscape or pass-along any that you already have. 1. Chinese Tallow

2. Mimosa

3. English Ivy

4. Paulownia

5. Chinaberry

6. Chinese Privet

7. Chinese Wisteria

8. Bamboos

9. Non-native Pines (Slash pine, Afghan pine, and Virginia pine. 10. Japanese Honeysuckle

11. Russian Olive

12. Tree of Heaven

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Garden Checklist for January-February By: Dr. William C. Welch, Professor & Landscape Horticulturist, Texas A&M University, College

Station, TX. The following information was compiled from the 2006 updates available at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/newsletters/hortupdate/.

• Now is an excellent time to transplant mature or established trees and shrubs while they are dor-mant.

• Make flower and vegetable garden plans now before the rush of spring planting. Time spent in armchair gardening before the fireplace will pay off in improved plant selection. Besides, it is fun to page through the garden catalogs.

• Sow seeds in flats or containers to get a jump on plant growth before hot weather arrives. Petu-nias, begonias, and impatiens should be sown in early January. Warm temperature plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, and periwinkles, should be sown in late January or early February.

• Apply a light application of fertilizer to established pansy plantings. Use one-half pound of am-monium sulfate per 100 square feet of bed area. Repeat the application every 4 to 6 weeks, de-pending on rainfall. Dried blood meal is also an excellent source of fertilizer for pansies.

• Prepare beds and garden area for spring planting. • Select and order gladiolus corms for February/March planting. Plant at two-week intervals to

prolong flowering period. • Check junipers and other narrow-leaf evergreens for bagworm pouches. The insect eggs overwin-

ter in the pouch, and start the cycle again by emerging in the spring to begin feeding on the foli-age. Hand removal and burning of the pouches are ways of reducing the potential damage next spring.

• The life of the plant received as a Christmas gift can be prolonged with proper care. Keep the soil moist, but provide drainage so that excess moisture can flow from the pot. Keep the plant out of range of heating ducts and away from heating units. Keep in a cool room at night, preferably at 60 to 65 degrees F.

• Don’t fertilize newly set out trees or shrubs until after they have started to grow, and then only very lightly the first year.

• When buying plants, the biggest is not always the best, especially when dealing with bare-root plants. The medium to small sizes (4 to 6 feet) are usually faster to become established and more effective in the landscape than the large sizes.

• Hold off on pruning bush roses until February or early March. Use good shears that will make clean cuts. Remove dead, dying, and weak canes. Leave 4 to 8 healthy canes, and remove ap-proximately one-half of the top growth and height of the plant.

• Now is an excellent time to select and plant container-grown roses to fill in those bare spots in your rose garden.

• When pruning shrubs, first prune out any dead or damaged branches; then thin out by removing about one-third of the canes or stems at ground level, removing the oldest canes only; and last, shape the rest of the plant, but do not cut everything back to the same height.

• Water foliage plants as well as other containerized plants only when needed and not by the calen-dar.

• Climbing roses should be trained but not pruned. Weave long canes through openings in trellises or arbors and tie them with jute twine or plastic/wire plant ties. Securing canes now prevents damage from winter winds, and contributes toward a more refined look to the garden when roses are blooming. Wait until after the spring flowering period to prune climbing or once-blooming shrub roses.

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CCMGA Texas Cooperative Extension Office 825 N. MacDonald Street Suite 150 McKinney, TX 75069

Thanks to ECHO Newsletter contributors: Adele Bourget Kathleen Brooks Tony Dennis Candace Fountoulakis Tamara Galbraith Nancy Harmon Mary Nell Jackson Nancy King Rene Mahoney Janice Miller Beth Mortenson Susan Norton Katherine Ponder Claudia Ross Dr. William C. Welch

The submission deadline for the March/April 2008 issue of the Echo Newsletter is February 5, 2008. Send submissions, comments and suggestions to: Editor, Katherine Ponder at: [email protected]

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ECHO - ccmgatx.org · Elaine decided that transferring plants into pots could be a profitable business to pursue. She did just that. She began a business of sell-ing outdoor container