The Plant Ninja

The best time to sow bluebonnet seeds is between 1 September and 15 December, ideally around mid November. Commercial seed packets often come pre-scarified which increases your germination rate. If these seeds have not been scarified, they may germinate at a lower rate. Germination time frames may vary, but pre-scarified seeds often germinate within about a week. Once the seed leaves appear, this is a great time to move any plants that you feel may be too close together or in the wrong spot. Once the rosettes form (about 2 to 3 weeks after sowing), the plant begins to work on its root structure. Frost and freezes don’t bother these bluebonnets at all. They begin to grow again once the spring rains come, and around April or May should reward you with some beautiful blooms. 

Greenhouse repair that is easy and cheap! I used the following items: -4mil plastic sheeting (doubled over on itself) -garden clips -weather resistant tape -bubble wrap -ratchet straps 1.5 inch -greenhouse clips This is likely a short term solution until you find your next greenhouse setup.

Three tips for addressing rain runoff in the garden and around the home. To prevent washout of your mulch in your garden beds you can pile heavy rocks underneath a downspout. Make sure that they’re heavy enough that they’re not going to get washed out. To direct rain runoff along your garden beds you can use a Victorian trench as edging. To diffuse heavy runoff from your roof along the corner of your home stack large flat rocks underneath that corner. 

I have had several plants die during our summer drought. In this video I will be discussing what I replaced them with. I did use Turks cap, autumn sage, Mexican mint marigold, zexmenia, Rock rose, Texas Lantana, Mexican oregano, Texas kidneywood and pink skullcap. In most cases, I did amend my soil using expanded shale

How native versus nonnative perennials and annuals are doing in zone 8B during October after all of this triple digit heat! Spartan juniper, little gem boxwoods, rudbeckia, autumn sage, sunshine ligustrum, heatwave salvia, Angelonia,dwarf yaupon holly, fall aster, Gaura, mistflower, Esperanza, crossvine, nandina, chrysanthemum, podocarpus, flame acanthus, texas sage, Nelly R Stevens holly, Japanese maple, liriope, mealy sage, seagreen juniper,desert willow, texas redbud, eastern redbud, Mexican bush sage, gulf Muhly, skullcap, camellia, whale tongue agave, Turks cap, Bellini crape myrtle, little gem magnolia, red yucca, Cherokee sedge, texas Lantana, chili pequin, Damianita, goldenball lead tree, pink skullcap, Mexican oregano, Blackfoot daisy.

This is my central texas backyard garden in zone 8b that I took from builder grade lawn and fence to a more appealing and practical space. The goals for my backyard garden were to create an inviting space to relax, a dedicated area to grow food, and to minimize my lawn size. In this video I have several main points that helped me shape my garden area: Planning it out Hardscapes Remove existing grass Landscape edging Space plants Install plants Mulch

Saliva leucantha also know as Mexican bush sage is a beautiful mostly evergreen shrub native to Mexico and Central America. This shrub is well adapted to central Texas, tolerating our heat and droughts well. Salvia leucantha blooms spring and fall and reaches 4 feet by 4 feet roughly. It prefers full sun but can take light shade.

I have had several plants die during our summer drought. In this video I will be discussing what I replaced them with. I did use flame acanthus, Texas sage, autumn sage, blackfoot daisy, Mexican oregano, and pink skullcap. In most cases, I did amend my soil using expanded shale.

This zexmenia bush has recently been visited by this goldfinch and his mate in the early evenings. Zexmenia is a texas native and very drought tolerant. It has a compact growth habit reaching 3’x3’ height/spread.

This is we’re we started our landscape journey several years ago, and here is where we are now. Todays video is an update on our current landscape stage. I did solarize the bed to kill the grass(St Augustine). This likely works better with plastic sheeting, but I used landscape fabric because that’s what I had on hand. I had a lot of sedge establish itself and while I pulled up most of it, I did have to apply sedge Hammer herbicide. You have to order sedge hammer in dry form and mix with water because it apparently can’t be stored in solution for long. You have to use it with 24 hours of mixing as well. I tried to apply just to the sedge and not wide swaths in an effort to minimize the amount left behind on the soil, as this may negatively impact any future plants I’m putting in. I added a gutter with downspout that feeds a rain barrel. The rain barrel will have overflow, so I created a flagstone path in an effort to keep the runoff from washing out my mulch. The runoff will hopefully follow the path I’ve prepared towards an area with French drains. I edged the area with a half moon spade and will leave this as a natural border for now. I am preparing for fall planting in October and so I picked up some plants on seasonal discount. I’ll have to keep them for 4 weeks, so I up-potted them in old nursery pots, trimmed off dead steams/twigs, and watered/fertilized with liquid seaweed. For now I’ll keep them in morning sun exposure. I’m excited to keep you posted on updates as this area continues to come together.

We haven’t had rain for almost three months and so I decided to dig up my landscape bed and here comes the rain!

Variegated Fritillary on Tropical Milkweed(Asclepias curassavica) It is postulated that tropical milkweed may increase a certain type of parasitic infection in Monarchs and interferes with their migration. What should a gardener do? The best option is to use native milkweed which naturally dies back in cooler weather thus encouraging migration and minimizing parasitic spores. However, if growing tropical milkweed you could consider cutting it back twice a year with the second cut in October to minimize spore counts on the leaves and prevent Monarchs from overwintering on your tropical milkweed. https://texasbutterflyranch.com/2021/02/22/tropical-milkweed-impact-on-monarch-butterflies-vastly-overblownsays-longtime-butterfly-researcher/

Hummingbird Moth feeding on wright’s skullcap. This is a Texas native plant and very drought tolerant

Sunflower seeds, Mexican hat seeds, echinacea seeds, coreopsis seeds, zexmenia seeds. It's time to save wildflower seeds! Here's how…Find blooms where the petals have fallen off and have browned as these seeds are the loosest. However, many seeds may already be missing. In that case, find a spent bloom that may not have browned, that way you get the most seeds. Take those blooms and allow to dry until brown. Then place those dried blooms in a clear plastic container. Add a couple of rocks to the container and shake to release the seeds. Allow seeds to dry for a few days. Then remove non-seed material and store in cool dry place. You've got this!

Sunflower seeds, Mexican hat seeds, echinacea seeds, coreopsis seeds, zexmenia seeds. It’s time to save wildflower seeds! Here’s how…Find blooms where the petals have fallen off and have browned as these seeds are the loosest. However, many seeds may already be missing. In that case, find a spent bloom that may not have browned, that way you get the most seeds. Take those blooms and allow to dry until brown. Then place those dried blooms in a clear plastic container. Add a couple of rocks to the container and shake to release the seeds. Allow seeds to dry for a few days. Then remove non-seed material and store in cool dry place. You’ve got this!

How native versus nonnative perennials and annuals are doing in all of this triple digit heat!

The latest in the vegetable garden in this nonstop triple digit heat! keyhole garden tutorial: https://youtu.be/JevJZ1T8H_0 Shade canopy tutorial: https://youtu.be/fQ8O4hvxpKo

Creating a backyard garden area is rewarding but there are some important things to consider before moving forward. This video is the second part of a two part series and discusses four big priorities to consider: -in-ground vs raised beds -compost -greenhouse -pollinators and pests Sorry for all of the background noise! Mentioned videos: Keyhole garden https://youtu.be/JevJZ1T8H_0 Stone compost enclosure https://youtu.be/GTTf9K-JokE Mason bees https://youtube.com/shorts/VUe56OzQNp8?feature=share

Creating a backyard garden area is rewarding but there are some important things to consider before moving forward. This video discusses four big priorities to consider: -location -draining -water source -ground cover Sorry for all of the background noise!

#backyardgardening #sweetcorn #texasgardening

Backyard gardening and patio musings May 2023.

8 native texas plant for your garden! -purple coneflower -winecup -red yucca -mistflowers -firewheel -skullcap -prairie phlox -blackfoot daisy