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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.
Published September 16, 2026
I’ve never had hummingbirds nesting so close to our front picture window and visible so often at our nearby feeders. What an incredible gift from nature!!!!
AND I’m not alone. Frankie in San Felipe reports she “had to purchase two more feeders” to her already large collection that she’s been “…cleaning, refilling twice daily”! That’s what I call real love!
My first experience with hummingbirds was back in the 1960s with Etha Mae Dubuisson, who lived down the street from my then soon-to-be husband Bill in Rose City, TX (Southwest of Vidor). From her 3-sided back patio roof hung dozens of hummingbird feeders, all always visited by dozens of these native delights, and I tried for decades without success to at least attract one of them!
The International Hummingbird Society (IHS), based in Sedona, AZ, has already hosted this year’s celebration. The 2027 13th Annual Sedona Hummingbird Festival will be July 23–27, 2027 (in case you’re interested), a great place to get experts’ take on hummingbird “houses.”
From all I can discover, these are fine as decorative pieces for your yard. But don’t get your hopes up; they’ll create a destination point for our delightful little friends. Has anyone seen actual hummers using them? Not likely.
To quote the experts: Hummers like “tiny, stretchy, cup-shaped” nests, made out of spiders’ silk and fibers from plants and attached to open tree branches or shrubs. Enclosed spaces don’t appeal.
My hummers are roosting in a tree near our hummer feeders (positioned in front of our picture window). We’re seeing more of them this year than we have ever seen in our 61-year-old marriage. Not sure why. But certainly not complaining!
Which brings us to hummingbird houses. They’re a fairly new promo and — despite the fact they’re now available everywhere and “ain’t cheap!” — hummer experts say NO! Not if your goal is to attract hummingbirds. Turns out, no one except sellers are in favor of these. They are cute. Just Google: “Are hummingbird houses worth the price?” Answers from experts are unanimous: NO! But they are pretty if nothing else! To make sure, went to the top of the tree, the International Hummingbird Society (IHS) in Sedona (perfect location!) for confirmation.
Their take: Hummingbirds don’t use “birdhouses” for their nests, because they are not cavity nesters.” Ah, but with typical commercial cleverness, someone has come up with “Hummer Helper®”, said to be a practical nesting material (available at many bird stores and garden centers).
International Hummingbird Society: Walk-in office: 2756 W State Rte 89A, Suite 1, Sedona AZ 86336; Mail: PO Box 4222, Sedona AZ 86340
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Love it when readers send in tips. Usually, the best ones come from experienced LOCAL gardeners who are accustomed to our unique climate that never exactly fits any of Texas’ 4-5 other growing climates! Thanks to El Niño, our first cold spell is expected in early December. But don’t bet money on it.
Good example: Lake Jackson Garden Club president SUSAN CHAPPELL is particularly generous in sharing her successful “tricks”: Plants watered by her soaker hoses down her fence, now recipients of water that runs from her rain barrels (which collect not only rainwater but water from AC drains), reach plants. Thinking ahead, Susan also already . . .
- Once our snapdragons start blooming . . . “I always enjoy showing parents and children how snapdragons actually ‘snap'”.
- Been doing it for years, and most of the younger generation doesn’t know the trick.
- I tell the kids to put their finger in front of the bloom to see if the dragon is hungry enough to try to take a bite, then I squeeze the base and the flower “snaps” at the finger. The kids love it and say, “do it again”.
- My grandmother taught me about snapdragons, along with making clover chain jewelry, hollyhock or hibiscus dolls, checking persimmon seeds for forks or knives, making whistles out of a blade of grass, making wishes and blowing dandelion puffs, and more. I would be interested to hear what the grandparents of your readers taught them about having fun with plants.
- ME TOO!
NOTE TO READERS: I really appreciate your sharing successful gardening tips. But must ask that you do not text them. Always email them to lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com.
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ATTN:
— 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.
- GOOD NEWS FOR BUSY/LAZY GARDENERS: Curbside pickup is now available in the Nature’s Way Resources nursery, and we’re offering plant preorders for special requests. Call in your order, pick it up when it works for you, or let us try to source the plants you’re looking for on upcoming shipments. Find inventory sheet here.
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John’s Corner
NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS
Taking a break this week to share details for our annual
Fall Garden Festival at Nature’s Way Resources
Join us on-site at Nature’s Way Resources in Conroe on
Saturday, September 19, from 8 AM-2 PM for a day of gardening, shopping, education, live music, and family fun!
Gardening & Education
9-10 AM – Organic Bonsai Growing and Care in South Texas
Join Ashley Smith of Windward Gardens for a demonstration on growing and caring for bonsai in our South Texas climate.
12-2 PM – Live Q&A with GardenLine’s Skip Richter
Bring your gardening questions and get advice from Skip on everything from fall planting and soil to lawns, trees, shrubs, and vegetables.
Throughout the Day
- Large local vendor market
- Fall plant sales
- Soils, composts & mulches
- Complimentary wine & coffee during our Sip & Shop
- Live music
- Vendor Bingo – collect stamps from participating vendors and receive a free plant
- Kids’ scavenger hunt, free face painting + giant sandbox
Fall is one of the best planting seasons in Texas, so come get inspired, shop local, learn something new, and get your garden ready for the season ahead.
Saturday, September 19
8 AM-2 PM
Nature’s Way Resources
101 Sherbrook Circle, Conroe, TX 77304
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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 the boards of many Greater Houston area horticulture organizations. She hosted local radio and TV shows, most notably Lazy Gardener specialty fundraisers 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 Shelby Cassano 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 had 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.
NATURE’S WAY RESOURCES
101 Sherbrook Cir.
Conroe, TX 77385
Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday: 8AM to 5PM
Saturday: 8AM to 2PM
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