by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
The Ten Most Common Mistakes in Installing and Maintaining a Pond BY DAN COOK Lone Star Koi Club and Houston Pond Society 1. Have a plan-don’t just dig a hole in the middle of the back yard and call it a pond. 2. A pond is part of the whole landscape...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
The Monarch’s Best Hope Is Still You Barbara Keller-Willy CPTMN, NPAT,HNPAT, Texas Monarch Gateway, SLGC http://youtu.be/qqKI_Ytl7gQ Last week, the federal government pledged $3.2 M to prevent further loss of Monarch butterflies. Of the $3.2M, $2M was...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
Mulch Corner By John Ferguson I will be on vacation this week so I thought I would share a humorous e-mail that someone sent me many years ago. The Lawn (from the Internet, source unknown) “Winterize your lawn,” the big sign outside the garden store...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
JOHN’S CORNER: The Story of our Incredible NATIVE HARDWOOD MULCH Composted (Aged) The story starts back in 1992 after I left the oil industry to start my own landscaping business. I started reading about the problems pine bark and hardwood bark mulches were causing in...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
By Brie Arthur www.briegrows.com/brie-arthur/ “Garden to Table” is the best way to describe my passion of Foodscaping. The idea is simple: add purpose to landscapes in developed areas such as suburban neighborhoods, office parks, school campuses and...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
By Dr. Dave Creech, Stephen A. Austin State I’ve been wandering around China since 1997 as part of several collaborative projects with the Nanjing Botanical Garden. I’ve been asked many times why are you going to China all the time? Well, that’s...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
The 10 Biggest Mistakes Newcomers Make Growing Bromeliads in the Greater Houston Area By Gene Powers, Bromeliad Society/Houston ‘Weed and Feed Fertilizers’ Now that makes sense, I can get rid of my weeds and have beautiful turfgrass at the same time. Very exciting...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
The 10 Biggest Mistakes Newcomers Make Growing Bromeliads in the Greater Houston Area By Gene Powers, Bromeliad Society/Houston Throwing it out after it blooms Almost all Bromeliads bloom and then they die. The good news is that many of these produce pups or...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
The 10 Biggest Mistakes Newcomers Make Growing Amaryllis/Hippeastrum in the Greater Houston Area By Charles Prasek of the Greater Houston Hippeastrum/Amaryllis Society 1. Over-watering! Containers must allow drainage or bulbs will rot. Use raised beds in the...
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THE WONDER OF TREES SIGNS TO WATCH & RECOVERY TIPS By Betty Bailey Harris County Master Gardeners This Trees are the oldest living organisms on earth. In Utah, an Aspen tree, dubbed Pando, is estimated to be at least 80,000 years old. The Angel Oak, that recently...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
By DR. JOE NOVAK Garden is defined as a place where we grow vegetables, fruits, herbs and ornamental plants. But it is much more than that. As we grow our gardens, the process of gardening provides an aerobic workout. This results in prevention from or reduction of...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
TEXAS TOUGH NATIVES LIFT COLLECTION TO NEXT LEVEL! By MARGARET PIERCE THE GARDEN CLUB OF HOUSTON Many of us understand the importance of incorporating native plants in our landscapes. The extreme heat and drought our region experienced this summer underscores this....
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TEN COMMON PLUMERIA GROWING MISTAKES By Paula Furtwangler Plumeria Society Of America Past President 1. Unless you have a greenhouse, don’t try to grow plumerias indoors. The only time they like to be indoors in during dormancy to protect them from freeze. They...
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TEN TIPS FOR CREATING A HOME WILDSCAPE By LAUREN SIMPSON Creater of St. Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat Back in 2015, my family started “wildscaping,” which is simply landscaping with the primary purpose of supporting wildlife. Because I didn’t know anything about...
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TO THE NEXT LEVEL By SUZZANN CHAPMAN Mercer Botanic Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Work with what you have. Expand on it! • Home gardens serve as green corridors through neighborhoods, a great way to increase habitats, major migratory flyways of birds and monarch...
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SURVIVED ONE GRUELING SUMMER? WHAT’S NEXT IN OUR GARDENING ADVENTURES? COMPILED BY KAREN GERLACH HOUSTON ROSE SOCIETY HOUSTONROSE.ORG As weather cools, Fall is a great time to get out in the garden and assess where we are and where we want to go for the...
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What’s Going On In John’s Garden By John Ferguson I was in the garden this morning and enjoying the flowers when I noticed bees visiting my Spigelia’s. I do not want Brenda to have all the fun showing photos of beautiful flowers so I grabbed my...
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SEED SWAP! By HARRIS COUNTYPRECINCT 4 Let’s face it: most of us are seed hoarders. Sifting through your collection of viable seeds and sharing them with a neighbor is a great way to grow your collection and help someone else do the same. A seed swap is a fun...
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NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS By John Ferguson SOIL TESTING LABORATORIES (With Good Reputations) I often get asked for recommendations for soil testing services, hence I compiled a list of laboratories I have used or at least familiar with,...
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Of Earth By Guest Columnist Bob Dailey, Master Gardener &Water Awareness/Public Education Coordinator The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency The soil in your garden and landscape should be a living layer of earth. That’s not a platitude – it’s a fact....
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SOME ROSE TIPS FROM BAXTER WILLIAMS Houston Rose Society – bxtwms@att.net Rose growing has been said to be relatively hard to do in the Houston/Galveston area, but such just isn’t true. Anyone can successfully grow our National Flower — “The...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
MAKE MOWED LAWNS MORE BUTTERFLY-FRIENDLY By HEATHER HOLM www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com PROBLEM: After feeding on native tree foliage, many moth and butterfly caterpillars spend their next life cycle stage (pupae) in the leaf litter or soil below the tree. Regularly...
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BUT WE CALL IT A PRAIRIE By Ahlene Shang Native Plant Society of Texas/Houston Chapter (http://npsot.org) So you think you want to put a pocket prairie on your school campus? So romantic, vast stretches of wildflowers nodding gently in the breeze, evoking...
by natureswayrdev | Additional Articles, Uncategorized
SO, ARE YOU A “SOPHISTICATED ROSE GROWER”? By Baxter Williams Houston Rose Society Many of us began growing roses years ago. I was so fascinated with their colors and fragrances, it was easy to fall in love with the “Queen of Flowers.” I...
