Nature’s Way Resources is proud to bring you this free weekly newsletter. While we don’t run ads, generous sponsors help support this project as a public service. Their names are listed below, please consider showing your appreciation by supporting their businesses!
Nature’s Way Resources honors the contributions of our late owner, John Ferguson. “The Lazy Gardener” Brenda Beust Smith and Shelby Cassano welcome your feedback and remain grateful to the many horticulturists who share their expertise.
Rosa ‘Gaye Hammond’, a shrub rose hybrid named for former Houston Rose Society President, grows 59: tall and 55 inches wide!
by Brenda Beust Smith | The Lazy Gardener
NORMALLY, our Spotlight Articles (usually written by local, treasured resources) are primarily aimed at experienced Greater Houston area gardeners wanting to expand gardening horizons. Given our yo-yo-ing weather, today moving Gaye’s Spotlight below up to column lede to be sure also seen by new, less-experienced gardeners who too-often are misled by advice not applicable with our often-unique challenges!
GAYE HAMMOND, former Houston Rose Society President (among many other notable achievements), addresses readers worried about possible damage to their roses during our area’s recent below freezing dip. Should they have been covered? Gaye’s assurances and recommendations . . .
PREPARING ROSES IN ADVANCE . . .
By GAYE HAMMOND
Houston Rose Society
In the last couple of years, Houston has experienced extreme winter weather conditions – including last year’s 8” of snow. While roses can tolerate temperatures down to 28 degrees for short periods of time, getting them prepared in advance for these conditions will help them get through eventual freezes with reduced damage. Some things you can do:
- Increase the mulch layer in rose beds to 3 – 4 inches. This puts an “extra blanket on the bed” and moderates the soil temperature and that of the roots underneath the soil.
- Pile leaves up in a mound around the base of plants and over the bud union (if plants are grafted). This insulates the heart of the bush and protects the bud union and base of the plant from freezing.
- For tree roses, (1) wad up newspaper into balls and pack them between the canes, (2) cover the entire canopy with burlap or a sheet and tie in place under the canes (3) use foam pipe wrap to encircle the “tree” trunk and tape in place with duct tape. Tree roses are easily damaged from freezing winds and require special attention.
- Roses grown in containers should be moved into a protected location. If moving the container is not possible, insulate the outside of the container with bubble-wrap, and add extra mulch.
- Newly planted or immature roses may need to be covered with freeze cloth or an old sheet when temperatures are predicted to be below 28 degrees.
ROSE LOVERS’ LOSS: Memorial City Mall’s long tradition of hosting an annual HOUSTON ROSE SOCIETY SHOW—- has ended..Wanted to make special note of this since it has been a Houston tradition for as long as –at least for me — as I can remember! It will be very missed!
* * *
Ingrid Hamilton’s Photo
“The beauty of a rose is matched only by the grace of a butterfly in flight.”
(Original author unknown)
by Brenda Beust Smith | The Lazy Gardener
A TREAT FOR THE EYES! INGRID HAMILTON sent in these beautiful pictures of monarchs in The Woodlands. We are lucky in that our area naturally supplies a lot of essentials such as habitats, milkweed and other nectar sources for butterflies, especially the second wave which usually runs along the Texas coast starting in early September and extending throughout the fall. These zinnias are in Ingrid’s Sts. Simon & Jude at Glenloch Woodlands church.
If you’ve never visited the Texas-based National Butterfly Center in Mission, TX, now’s a good time. Why is it in far South Texas? The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) explains: “The Rio Grande Valley is home to the greatest volume and variety of butterfly species in the United States.”
DON’T make the mistake of assuming this is a tourist-delight “butterfly house,” (altho it is this too!) Rather, this is “the largest botanical garden in the USA focused on propagating native plants for pollinators in formal gardens and wildscapes.” Texas A&M’s recently-completed report was made with the goal of “supporting the recovery of monarch populations, which studies show have declined by more than 80% since 1990. Stay in touch on NBC’s HOW CAN I HELP webpage.
PS: PLANTING TREES NOW? INGRID HAMILTON’S 10′ tall, very healthy Ginkgo Biloba tree was accidentally cut down! When to replant? While not positive about that tree (ALWAYS double-check sources), MOST trees should be planted in winter when dormant, so can focus on underground growth. Our soil seldom (if ever) freezes as far down as tree roots want to grow.
Mulch well (NOT flush up against the tree base, that always needs to be open) a foot or so outside the base to protect developing roots and encourage them to spread out. Always water at the ‘dripline’ (line on which rain water rolls of the leaf canopy and hits the ground where the roots that need water most.)
* * *
ATTN. GARDEN/PLANT GROUPS
— Nature’s Way Resources offers free guided tours of NWR’s extensive nursery/soil/mulch facilities for garden clubs, plant societies and other plant-oriented, organized groups. As usual, NWR’s now-expanded meeting site is free to above groups. Reservations a must for both. Great time to visit.
Want to receive The Lazy Gardener & Friends weekly newsletter?
John’s Corner
NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS
Subject: Organic Waste Recycling
Please take a moment to honor John’s legacy by revisiting his words and sharing in the passion that guided his life’s work.
We encourage readers to request their favorite past articles from John’s Corner to be republished.
Click below to learn more about all of the different types of mulch in detail.
Explore our article library to learn more information about various mulches and other topics.
Calender Submittal Rules
WANT EVENT IN RIGHT AWAY? FOLLOW RULES!— ONLY GREATER HOUSTON AREA NONPROFIT GROUP EVENTS —
Expect delay if we must reformat: 3-LINE (max) EXACT FORMAT:
DAY, DATE: TITLE (by NAME if talk), time, site. Sponsor (if not in title). website/phone (NOTE CAPITALS VS lower case)
- Gardening events ONLY! No harvest, cooking, arranging, etc.
- ONLY events sent SPECIFICALLY TO US FOR CALENDAR are used!
- NO events picked up from flyers — NO PDFS! TYPE IN EMAIL ONLY.
- Don’t add city unless not “Houston.” (Don’t add “Houston”)
- Submit to: lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com. Check published entry!
Sponsorship
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact us at 936-273-1200 or send an e-mail to: lazygardenerandfriends@gmail.com
About Us
BRENDA BEUST SMITH
WE KNOW HER BEST AS THE LAZY GARDENER . . .
but Brenda Beust Smith is also:
- a national award-winning writer & editor
- a nationally-published writer & photographer
- a national horticultural speaker
- a former Houston Chronicle reporter
When the Chronicle discontinued Brenda’s 45-year-old Lazy Gardener” print column — started in the early ’70s as a fun side-project to reporting, it then ranked as the longestrunning, continuously-published local newspaper column in the Greater Houston area. The name, she says, is not just fun, it’s true.
Brenda’s gradual sideways step from reporter into gardening writing led first to an 18-year series of when-to-do-what Lazy Gardener Calendars, then to her Lazy Gardener’s Guide book which morphed into her Lazy Gardener’s Guide on CD, which she now emails free upon request.
Brenda became a Harris County Master Gardener and, over the years, served on theboards of many Greater Houston area horticulture organizations. She hosted local radio and TV shows, most notably a 10+-year Lazy Gardener specialty shows on HoustonPBS (Ch. 8) and her call-in “EcoGardening” show on KPFT-FM.
For over three decades, Brenda served as Assistant Production Manager of the GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA’S “BULLETIN” magazine. Although still an active broad-based freelance writer, Brenda’s main focus now is THE LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS HOUSTON GARDEN NEWSLETTER with John Ferguson and Pablo Hernandez of Nature’s Way Resources.
A native of New Orleans and graduate of St. Agnes Academy and the University of Houston, Brenda lives in Humble, TX, and is married to the retired Aldine High School Coach Bill Smith. They have one son, Blake.
Regarding this newsletter, Brenda is the lead writer, originator of it and the daily inspiration for it. We so appreciate the way she has made gardening such a fun way to celebrate life together for such a long time.
About her column, Brenda says: “I don’t consider myself a ‘garden writer.” I started out 50+ years ago as a very lazy “gardening reporter.” I still feel that way today. I hope my columns inspire/help newcomers, but I do not write to them. I write to very experienced gardeners who want to expand their horizons.
JOHN FERGUSON (1951-2025)
John was a native Houstonian with more than 35 years of business experience. He founded Nature’s Way Resources, a composting company known for producing high-quality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. He held an MS in Physics and Geology and was a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas.
Throughout his career, John received numerous awards in horticulture and environmental work. He represented the composting industry for many years on the Houston-Galveston Area Council for solid waste. His personal garden was featured in several horticultural books and in Better Homes and Gardens. His business was recognized by The Wall Street Journal for the quality and value of its products. He was a member of the Physics Honor Society and several professional organizations, and he co-authored Organic Management for the Professional.
John contributed articles regularly to this newsletter and oversaw its publication. We continue to share his past articles each week alongside The Lazy Gardener column to keep his passion, knowledge, and spirit alive for our readers.
SHELBY CASSANO is the communications and marketing lead for Nature’s Way Resources and the editor of The Lazy Gardener and Friends newsletter. Through her business, Leaf and Ledger, she exclusively partners with NWR to direct all marketing efforts, from campaign strategy and content planning to technical production of the newsletter. Shelby holds a B.S. in Agriculture with a concentration in Horticulture from Stephen F. Austin State University and previously managed the company’s nursery.
Download the Newsletter with Our Events Calendar Below!
NATURE’S WAY RESOURCES
101 Sherbrook Cir.
Conroe, TX 77385
Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday: 8AM to 5PM
Saturday: 8AM to 2PM
Copyright © 2024 Nature’s Way Resources | All rights reserved.
