Gardenwright

Hand painted porcelain, is an art that is slowly dying. These fabulous pieces are by Pauline Jones.

Begonia robustia
Easy to grow, mannerly and what a cool leaf!

Hatiora salicornioides
AKA Drunkard’s Dream
A unique epiphytic cactus that can be mounted on a piece of driftwood, a cork slab or grown in a pot. As it matures, each segment looks like an old school coke bottle. Dozens of yellow flowers, some time between January and April, make this a great addition to your collection.

Hamelia patens aka Firebush
Is a fast growing, hardy shrub, that may freeze to the ground, but reliably comes back. Firebush is a great source of nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. The black berries are eaten by several bird species and people, although the birds will find it tastier than you will. You can grow this in full sun to full shade, but it’s prettiest with some sun. If it doesn’t freeze to the ground, it can get 10 foot tall and 6 feet wide. Keeping this stunning bush smaller just takes a little pruning. They are available in the nursery.

After all this rain your Bougainvillea have probably dropped most of their flowers. This is the perfect time to give them a trim and a good feeding. Cut off the old blooming ends. They should start growing and blooming, within a few weeks. See captions for more information.

I know it’s hot…but, it’s a great time to start thinking about our fall/winter vegetable gardens. Fall tomato and pepper plants will start being available in just a few weeks. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce will be available in mid September. Whether you’re a veteran gardener or a newbie, advance planning is fun and there are a ton of local resources to help you. Locally owned nurseries, the Agricultural Extension Agency (your tax dollars at work) and Master Gardeners all want you to be successful. Buying locally grown vegetable plants, is your best bet. They are already acclimated to our weather and varieties are proven to do well in our area.

Plant what you will eat. Every square foot of your garden is valuable. Learning how to use your space, doesn’t have to be hard. If you like radishes (which are easy to grow), how many do you need in a week? 5 or 6? Plant 5 or 6 seeds every week! Planting the whole seed pack at once, is crazy. If you don’t like radishes, don’t plant them…even if your cousin’s best friend’s husband loves them…they can grow their own. Same with broccoli…how many can you eat in a week? Do you have the ability (or desire) to freeze or can the extra? Do you have friends and family to share with? Donating fresh produce to food pantries can be hit and miss. Many don’t have a way to store perishables, or are open limited days and times. Will you be able to drop off extras, when they first open? If this is your goal, contact the pantry in advance and get all the info you need to make it easy for everyone.

Planting seeds is a great cost saving measure. Don’t be intimidated! The only plants that go in my garden are tomatoes, peppers, parsley and onions. My other herbs and asparagus went in years ago as plants. I seed everything else and keep my extra seeds in my refrigerator. Seeds will continue to be viable for up to 10 years, if kept cold…not frozen. Why do people fail at planting seeds? There are 2 common mistakes. Planting them too deep, is probably the most common problem. If the package says plant at 1/2 inch deep…that’s what you do. More depth, is not better. Next, is over or under watering. Carrots need to be watered every day, for 21 days, to sprout. Beans sprout in about a week. Seeds need water to sprout, but too much water and they rot. You can use seed trays, but often they stay too wet, leading to damping off disease. If you’re not vigilant, seed trays can get too dry and that’s just as deadly. If you don’t have enough sun on your seed trays, the seedlings are not healthy. I always recommend planting straight in the garden, it’s just less work.

Use great soil! Cheap soil is a waste of money and time, unfortunately there is a lot of worthless soil out there. A major consideration in getting the right soil, is whether you tend to over or under water. Some soil drains really well, others do not. I always rely on well draining soil, it will dry out faster. Dense soil that stays wet for a long time, leads to rot and disease. Locally produced soils are more environmentally friendly. They keep resources out of landfills and use less fuel during transportation. Peat moss is shipped half way across our continent and most coir is from the other side of the globe. A large percentage of the cost of these is freight.

If you want to talk about your garden or need help planning it out and supplies, stop in at
512 N 2nd Street
Conroe 77301
M-S 9-5
Sunday 10-5

What a 50 day difference makes! The ready to pupate on the left, compared to the hatchling on the right. I thought the big guy had gone off to make a chrysalis last week!

Put your Staghorn ferns out in the rain!

Cardinal Jumping Spider! This ambush predator doesn’t make a web and is covered in red hairs that look like velvet. It is not poisonous. Don’t mistake these for Red Velvet Ants, which are actually a type of wasp, much bigger and have a painful sting.

What a stunning combo! Sundown Bougainvillea and Imperial Blue Plumbago! Is it ever too rainy to buy plants on sale?