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Rose Care

It's Chop Back Your Rose Bush Day! Time to get out & prune back your roses and re-mulch your beds. Add some Rose Fertilizer or any plant food with a little extra nitrogen and iron in it. Do not be afraid to really prune them back. Leave at least 18 inches above the soil and cut all of the dead branches out. Do not smother the root knot with mulch if it is grafted. That graft needs to breath and get sun. Roses need 6 plus hrs of sun a day. Invest in the Bayer 3 in 1. A little price-y BUT good stuff to combat all the issues that may come up with roses. Roses can be high maintenance but well worth it! Keep your maintenance plan simple so it works for you! *Happy Valentine's Day!* 
Oh Yeah....Repeat this in August. =)

Mona Lavender Plectranthus

Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ is a beautiful plant that provides heavy blooms in the spring and fall, but sporadic blooms through the summer. The plant is a cousin of the Swedish Ivy and is in the mint family. It does not spread and take over like mint. It is a sturdy plant with thick, dark green leaves. It shows a pretty purple on the bottom side of the leaves. Mona Lavender likes to be moist but not over-watered. Bright light, but not full sun. It is a fast grower when it is happy! Mona Lavender will get about 16-18" tall and spreads approx. 12" wide. Feed after the heavy blooming cycle. You should be able to find Mona Lavender year round in some nurseries but definitely right now 

Golden Rain Tree- you should have one!

Golden Rain Trees are a beautiful medium sized blooming tree. Koelreuteria paniculata.  They are fast growing and deciduous in the winter. In the fall the tree gets a ton of large blooming pods at the ends of the branches! Beautiful YELLOW Blooms! After the blooms have been on the tree for about 2 weeks or so, the seed pods form and they are a lantern shaped, pink-ish colored carrier of the seed. Usually 3 seeds each pod... The Seeds usually fall with a good wind storm and you will have babies in the spring! The new seedlings are easy to pull up and move or just mow over them and they eventually die out... The Golden Rain Tree gives great shade with its nice canopy shape and Lush green leaves.

Drought Tolorant Plants

I just wanted to start a list of plants that grow well here in the Gulf coast Area of Texas. I will add more later.....
Lantana
Daylilies
Cannas
Pentas
Plumbago
Coreopsis
Echinacea
Salvias
Rosemary
Mexican Heather
Blue Daze
Cigar Plant
Perennial Verbena
Hamelia 'Firebush'
Butterfly Weed
Iris'
Gaillardia
Purple Fountain Grass
Pampas Grass
Carolina Jassmine
Confederate Jasmine
Pink Muhly Grass
Vitex
Yuccas
Succulents
Cacti
Agave
Honeysuckle
Junipers
Crepe Myrtles
Flowering Quince
Mountain Laurel
Bottle Brush
Eleagnus
Fig Ivy
Purple Passion Vine
Ginger
Aloe
Sweet Olive
Texas Sage
Have any Questions??? Feel Free to Ask!

xeriscaping

What is Xeriscaping?? Planting water-wise plants. Planting native plants for your area....like perennials and other plants that don't need a lot of watering. More information to come soon!

We need some Rain!

I know I have only seen it rain once since January and it wasn't at my house! My grass needs some rain! Some natural nitrogen and perfect Ph watering... No chlorinated hose water! Well I know...I should be happy I can at least water! Most areas around me are in mandatory water conservation modes. It just makes me sad though when I drive around and the grasses and trees are all brown. They are in shock or worse...dead already. I know this will pass and we will complain that we are getting too much rain someday. I just get a little passionate about plants and I wish it would rain!! So now some tips:
1. Mulch your plants, but not too deep on the trunks or plants.
2. Deep root watering! Very important...water longer and less often when possible.
3. Plants the kinds of plants that will thrive in dry/ hot conditions. (Natives)
4. Simplify
5.Don't use weed killers. They sit close to the surface and the thirsty roots of trees and shrubs will pull the herbicides in and cause damage or worse.
6. Insects look for healthy and distressed plants. Keep an eye out for aphids, spider mites, scale, etc....
Use insecticidal soap or just plain dish soap and water to spray as needed. Use something stronger when this doesn't work.
7. Never water plants when they are in the hot sun. Late afternoon watering is better. Water well...not just on the surface.
8. Remember if a plant is wilted from lack of water....don't over water to correct. This can suffocate the roots and kill the plant.
9. Sometimes a plant will look fine, but the soil looks dry....if in doubt, stick your finger in and feel the soil about 1-2 inches deep.
10. It is okay to fertilize your plants during a drought. All the watering is washing the nutrients away. Use organic fertilizers when possible. Use low doses of fertilizers often and look for one with micro nutrients like iron, sulfur and magnesium. Add compost to your soil.

Super Bloom

Super Bloom! 55 percent Phosphorus is the key to making your yard a Spring wonderland full of blossoms and blooms! Use this water soluble plant food on whatever blooms to get more flowers and bigger blooms!

Awesome Lawn Fertilizer! Great Green Up!

Looking for a good Lawn Food?? This stuff is great! 22 percent nitrogen and 6% Iron= GREEN! I love it and if you use a lot of Bonus S, try to use this 3-4 times a yr and see if you don't have to use the weed and feed anymore! Green Max can be used carefully under tree and shrub drip lines for green-up and growth on trees and shrubs..... Happy Gardening!

Spring Clean-up

Ahhhh....Spring is here! Hard to believe it but 14 days ago we were freezing and we have had nothing but warm weather since. But the grass is greening up and the birds are coming back. The butterflies are fluttering around and the ants are making mounds....  Yes, that means I must come out of my hibernation and weed-eat the dead overgrowth and mow the Rye grass I put out in December. As I was working out in the yard today I noticed the spider mites had gotten to my plants in the garage. I got all of them outside and sprayed them with insecticidal soap after a good watering. I cut back some of my plants that were damaged from the freeze. They should be okay but you have to get the top stuff off that froze. I have Red Tip Photinia that needed a trimming and Fig Ivy on my house that I shaved down with the hedge trimmers. Next Week: Crepe Myrtles need to be cut back. If you have Roses, you need to prune them. They need a heavy pruning in Feb and Aug. with deadheading through the year. If you have any questions about what to do to get your yard in shape for Spring, just ask! Send me a message..... Happy Gardening!