Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 70
Fallen leaves provide needed landscape nutrients and habitat for over-wintering pollinators (image courtesy TAMU AgriLife). As most gardeners know, many trees lose their leaves during the fall and winter months. This is a survival mechanism for the tree, in which going dormant allows the tree to conserve energy and water. Can we all agree that raking leaves is a chore? Using a lawn mower to corral leaves, or to shred them into pieces like mulch, does not provide this gardener...
We have all now experienced an extended hard freeze which radiated throughout the entire country. For us the extremely cold temperatures left our landscapes looking grotesque, tattered and predominantly brow! Gardeners, if your lawn and landscape looks even remotely like mine, let’s just say I’ve been a little mopey, because everything in my landscape was affected to some degree, though the most sensitive plants were thoroughly protected! Forcing myself (patience), I’ve chose...
Okay, winters here, and what a dramatic arrival! Gardeners let’s make good use of these bitterly cold weather days reviewing the litany of seed and gardening catalogues which have been piling up over the past few months. Seed catalogues are filled with detailed, useful information and reading them provides an opportunity to learn about new plant (seed) varieties available and will help you to determine if they are a good match for your gardens. Each Spring, I prefer to s...
Christmas is near at hand, and in case you haven't noticed this week, winter is no longer "tippy toeing" into Southeast TX, she's showering us with her frigid, icy kisses and just in time for many of you (fellow gardeners) have been hoping for more winter-like temperatures. I hope you're all happy, your wishes are coming true (I'm muttering derogatory yet inaudible comments about cold weather under my breath)! If you haven't already done so, prepare for the colder weather by...
Our weather has been great the past couple of weeks! That is if you like balmy, spring-like days with temperatures in the mid-80's. It's a bit unusual and somewhat disappointing if you're a gardener who enjoys colder weather for the holiday season, though for me exceptionally enjoyable, even though the mosquito population is growing exponentially! Amazingly, I found myself mowing the yard Friday evening. Turfgrass has begun growing thanks to warmer weather but it's also a...
The needled branches of Norfolk Island Pine trees (Araucaria heterophylla), look right at home during the holidays! They can be decorated as Christmas trees and once the holidays become pleasant memories, remove the decorations, and enjoy their classic look anywhere you have bright light in your home. Norfolk Island Pine trees are not deciduous, maintaining needles year-round, unless the trees become stressed. They are evergreen conifers and despite their resemblance, not...
Gardeners, many of you hosted neighbors, friends, and family (as did we) during the Thanksgiving holiday. Some family members drove considerable distances and others traveled greater distances, traveling from Europe to be with us. Thanksgiving 2022 is now a pleasant memory but one of pure enjoyment, as meaningful time spent with people in our lives who matter most! It's truly amazing how quickly this year is coming to an end, with the joy of Christmas a few short weeks away an...
Gardeners, we are once again experiencing brisk weather, though it’s cold to me and looks as though it’ll be “hanging around” for more than a week. In preparation of rainy, colder temperatures, my first step sent me scrambling into the vegetable garden, harvesting vegetables and herbs, a few which don’t enjoy cold weather, such as English cucumbers and basil. After harvesting more than a bushel of cucumbers, I phoned friends and neighbors who would be interested in a share o...
Last week, I wrote about transitioning houseplants back indoors or other areas, such as a porch, greenhouse, or garage, allowing plants to be protected from cooler nighttime temperatures. Our first “real” cold snap arrived this past week with day temperatures in the lower 60’s, and some areas experienced night temperatures below freezing, even dropping down into the low 30’s F. Uhm, I’m not sure how some of you feel about cooler weather, but to me that’s cold! Of course, liv...
While driving around different communities in SETX, you've probably noticed (I certainly have) Satsuma trees are displaying bright orange-yellow fruits which are ripening. Did you know after cycling through numerous names since its inception, the name of Orange was finally chosen due to the native orange groves which attracted the attention of boatmen navigating the Sabine River. Of course, the original orange groves are long gone, lost to history due to our ever-changing...
It's been another fantastic week of cooler temperatures with perfect weather! We've experienced a few chilly mornings, but temperatures have warmed nicely by midday, making garden work outside extremely gratifying. Now, if we could get some much-needed rainfall! While there are numerous plants which gardeners associate with Halloween and various sorts of pumpkins and gourds have been staples for Halloween decorations for years. The orange pumpkin is hands down, the symbol...
Another week of fantastic weather has ended and fortunately many of us welcomed much needed rainfall, though the amount will hardly reduce our rainfall deficit! Our first true cold snap of the season has also arrived, with evening temperatures dropping into to the low 40’s and upper 30’s in some areas. So, if you have not yet started, now is the time to determine what to do with your numerous ornamental plants placed outside on porches, patios, decks or scattered about the yar...
What a fantastic week, the temperature is finally moderating as autumn-like weather is slowly sneaking into our area! Now, let’s hope we get increased rain chances in the weather forecast, as I’m certain all of you (myself included) are watering lawns, vegetable beds and flower gardens once or twice weekly. The cooler morning temperatures are making garden work a much more pleasant experience, which means spending more time outdoors. Stay hydrated and wear sun protection. Las...
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, 2022 fall season has arrived (though it doesn’t feel like it to me), with a blistering start! Eventually, cooler temperatures will appear and if you’re like me, you can hardly wait and are ready for them…Now! As cooler days will slowly arrive, let’s take this opportunity to review turfgrass management techniques which can assist us in lawn weed control. Before “digging” into this week’s subject, let’s review the three basic weed groups, whic...
During a recent Orange County Master Gardener monthly meeting, fellow Master Gardener, Eddie Shaw, who counts himself a fan of the rain lily, surprised me with a gift of seeds. The zip top plastic bag he gave me contained a neatly folded paper towel, clutching hundreds of shiny, black, elongated, flat seeds. He called them rain lilies, explaining rain lilies are bulbous plants which enjoy our warm, humid environment. The information and seeds he provided me piqued my interest...
Fall is in the air…well almost! Autumn officially begins in a couple of weeks, on the 22nd of September to be exact. Soon lower humidity and cooler temperatures will be upon us. It’s a great time to begin fall cleanup and preparation for vegetable gardens. September is a swing month in the garden, or as I like to call it a “preparation month”, since many gardeners, including myself, consider fall to be the best time for planting cool season vegetables, trees, and shrubs....
Can you believe we are now more than halfway thru hurricane season 2022? Fortunately, there have been no tropical storm developments within the Gulf of Mexico so far and I'm going to "knock on wood", ancient superstition or not! Hurricanes not only damage homes, buildings, and other structures but severely damage plants, especially trees. Often, trees appear to weather tropical storms and hurricanes with minimal damage from high winds and excessive rainfall, then a year or...
Last week's article reviewed garlic (allium sativum) varieties which grow well in our climate. This week I want to share information on a wonderful companion plant to interplant with garlic: strawberries! Some gardeners would never consider companion planting strawberries with garlic because they plant strawberries in spring. But is spring really the best time of year to plant strawberries in Southeast, Texas? The short answer is no but let me provide a more detailed...
There are nearly 600 cultivars of garlic cultivated world-wide with Central Asia cultivating 120 varieties (Image courtesy Pinterest). Garlic offers several health benefits and is widely used in cooking as an herb, though technically it is a vegetable, a very pungent vegetable! Purchasing garlic, while convenient, doesn’t provide us the most flavorful experience possible. Commercially, garlic is held in cold storage before being placed into the produce section of our local m...
Gardeners, hopefully most of you received rain the past week as forecast by local meteorologist. It certainly is a welcome respite and truly needed. And with the rain comes another added benefit, reduced daily high temperatures (though slight). It was enjoyable walking out to the garden mid-morning, harvesting vegetables and deciding which raised beds to plant with fall vegetables. Making mental notes for planting (I jot down in a garden planner inside), is when I realized...
Gardeners, typically I refrain from being the harbinger of sad news but on July 21st, 2022, the IUCN classified one of our most majestic butterflies, as an endangered species and added them to the endangered species "red list." For me to understand exactly what this means, and to gain a better understanding of adding a species to the endangered species red list, I did some digging (pun intended), to find out more about the IUCN and what it is they do as an organization,...
So, you've noticed your spring flowers have endured as much of our Texas summer heat as they can stand and decided it's time to replace them with summer blooming annuals and perennials. After reading numerous plant labels, you've selected several perennial plants for your flower beds, or beautiful hanging baskets to enhance the front porch or found the perfect tree, to become the focal point of your landscape. Do you need fertilizer? What do the fertilizer label numbers mean?...
Gardeners, it's another beautiful summer morning here in Southeast Texas. Rather than moving from gardening task to task, as is typical most days, I took the time to slowly walk around my yard this morning (coffee cup in hand), stopping at each flower bed to view flowers in bloom, stopping long enough to smell a few of the blooms. Leaving the flower bed areas, I walked over the raised vegetable gardens, making mental notes of herbs and vegetables to harvest later in the day (e...
How quickly time passes us by! Another week has come and gone. Summer is going to be with us for several months, providing us ample opportunity to continue with our seasonal gardening tasks such as lawn maintenance, weeding flower beds, harvesting vegetables, replanting vegetable gardens and replacing faded spring flowers with summer plantings. Many gardeners also choose to undertake larger garden projects during the spring and summer months, often adding water features or...
Happy Independence Day everyone! I'm hoping each of you were able to spend time with family, friends and loved ones to celebrate the holiday. I spoke with my sister recently, who lives in North Alabama, and she asked several questions about watering plants during the summer months. During our conversation, she asked if I could write an article about the best watering technique for keeping lawns and flowering plants hydrated, growing, and looking their best without wasting our...
