DAYLILIES CAN DELIGHT EVEN LONGER & MUSHROOMS ARE A’SPROUTIN’!
BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH
Fungi “celebrate” during some ideal (for them) heavy rainy seasons by shooting up spores that hopefully will only sprout in yards where folks delight in their presence. The mushrooms won’t last long, don’t do any harm to the yard
(DO NOT EAT THEM), and then — on their own — disappear until another just- right-condition brings them back to the surface make us (hopefully) smile again. Mowing will probably just spread the spores, triggering more mushrooms. Just wait, they’ll go away. But, repeat: don’t eat them unless you’re a qualified mycologist. (Ron Megow photos)
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SPEAKING OF MAY IN THE GARDEN . . .Below are some this tips from my
LAZY GARDENER’S GUIDE* — This month, you really should . . .
Remove flower buds from caladiums, coleus, copper plants for larger leaves.
Move potted orchids, bromeliads outside.
Pick tomatoes at first pink blush. Bright red attracts birds. Ripen on windowsill.
Replace spring annuals with summer flowers such as gaura, Mexican zinnia and scaevola.
Prune off any remaining freeze-damaged limbs and stalks. Buy Mother (or another lady) a pretty plant for Mother’s Day.
If the spirit moves . . .
Feed amaryllis (after blooming), caladiums, Louisiana iris with bulb food, bonemeal or superphosphate. If squirrels are a problem, don’t use bonemeal.
Feed crape myrtle, hummingbird bush, barlaria and other summer blooming shrubs.
Plant cantaloupe, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard and watermelon. Cage, rather than stake, tomatoes to keep the fruit from bruising.
Plant impatiens deeper than they were in pots for more drought tolerance in summer.
Plant new shrubs before it gets any hotter.
Watch hibiscus for yellow spots (spider mites). Hit leaves with strong water stream.
In the water garden, remove decaying water lily leaves and spent flowers.
If you’re really feeling energetic . . .
Mow, water often to encourage the grass to spread into thin areas.
In very hot, dry, sunny spots, try bulbine, Copper Canyon daisies, flame acanthus, rock rose, trailing lantana, scaevola and yarrow.
Remove early althaea buds and crape myrtle seeds to make flowers larger overall.
Prunesummer-blooming shrubs after flowers fade (only if they’re growing out of bounds or to improve shape).
Pinch nonblooming perennial and shrub tips to force bushier growth. Consider moving nonblooming roses and daylilies into more sun.
In shade, try barlaria, gingers, firespike, hosta, indigo, pigeonberry, Virginia sweetspire.
Great Don’t-Do tips for REALLY Lazy Gardeners . . .
Don’t disturb silky spider-like whitish webs covering tree trunks. These are bark lice — good insects — at work eating lichens, small fungi and cleaning up as they go, sort of like a “bark maid.” When their job is done, they and their webbing will slowly disappear.
Don’t take it personally if bluebonnets, calendula, dahlia, delphiniums, geraniums, gerberas, hollyhocks, larkspur, tuberose begonias, marigolds, nasturtiums, nicotiana, petunias, poppies, snapdragons and other spring bloomers fade. It’s the heat, not you. Some new varieties will last longer. Don’t cut back fading wildflowers if you want them to reseed. Let them die back naturally.
Don’t remove St. Augustine clippings. These replenish the soil, shade roots.
Don’t prune bridal wreath, azaleas or camellias unless absolutely necessary. They are setting next spring’s buds.
Don’t let anyone sell you “pink” or “blue” hydrangeas. Most hydrangeas usually bloom blue in slightly acidic soil, pink in alkaline soils. Rusty nails, pine needles or soil acidifiers may help turn pink blue.
* The Lazy Gardener’s Guide is no longer available in print. You can request a free pdf copy at lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com
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PLANT DYING, YOU KNOW NOT WHY? MAYBE AN ALLEOPATHIC
NEIGHBOR wreaking havoc? This a plant that, when it doesn’t like to be in proximity to a certain other plant, can kill it or interfere with healthy growth by releasing “unhealthy” allelochemicals. Black walnut, eg, is probably the best known allelopathic plant, pecans sometimes, and others with the ability — tho they may or may not use it — include asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, peas, soybeans, sunflowers, tomatoes. Google “alleopathic” for more info. Who else would tell you these things?
DAYLILIES ARE EXPLODING WITH SPRING COLOR.
WANT THEM ALL SUMMER LONG? Easy, if you’ll take the time to plant those that repeat bloom and/or normally bloom in summer or fall! ‘Moocho Ruffles’ (pictured) is a “late bloomer.” The trick is to learn from the pros, which you can do daylily society sales! We have 3 this month alone:
SAT., MAY 13: BRAZOSPORT DAYLILY SOCIETY FLOWER SHOW &
DAYLILY SALE, 1-4pm, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 200 Oyster Creek Dr., Lake Jackson. 832-922-573
SAT., MAY 13; HOUSTON HEMEROCALLIS SOCIETY DAYLILY SALE,
8am-12pm; 5705 Pinemont Dr, Free. ofts.com/hhs/plantsales.html
SAT., MAY 20: LONE STAR DAYLILY SOCIETY ANNUAL FLOWER
SHOW & PLANT SALE, Sale: 10am-4pm; Show: 1-4pm, Epiphany Lutheran Church,5515 Broadway, Pearland. lonestardaylilysociety.org
IN OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE BELOW, PAUL ESKINE, Lone Star Daylily
Society, gives us great pointers. All the daylilies pictured above and below were taken by Paul and will be available at the LSDC sale
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Brenda Beust Smith’s column is based on her 40+ years
as Houston Chronicle’s Lazy Gardener Email: lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com
— Note: This column’s gardening advice focuses ONLY on
the Greater Houston area. Personal reports MUST include your area.
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DAYLILIES — BLOOMING EARLY SPRING UNTIL FALL!
By PAUL ESKINE
LONE STAR DAYLILY SOCIETY
It has been said in the past that the daylily is a great pick for the Lazy Gardener. Today, there are over 80,000 cultivars that are registered.
So, how does one pick from all the different registered daylilies to grow in your garden? Well, there are those that like a certain color, height of bloom, size of bloom, or type of bloom. But we all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
But how does one find daylilies that begin blooming at different times of the year, not just one mass blooming in April and May.
For SE Texas, it is best to find daylilies that grow well in your area, normally evergreen and semi-evergreen daylilies in the SE Texas area, that are rebloomers. These are daylilies that bloom more than once during a single season. Then, pick daylilies that have their Initial Bloom at different times during the growing season.
The American Daylily Society has established general time frames, as Extra Early (EE), Early (E), Early Midseason (EM), Midseason (M), Late Midseason (ML), Late (L), and Very Late (VL).
As the seasonal warming of the weather is different each spring, the main bloom season fluctuates by a few weeks. But most Early-Mid daylilies start to bloom in the SE Texas area anywhere from Late April till Late May. Just remember . . .
. . . each cultivar name has an Initial Bloom time. There are Extra Early daylilies that will begin blooming in March or earlier, while Midseason do not start blooming until late May through late June, and then the Late Midseason, Late, and Very Late start their blooming in the later summer or early fall.
You can find this information in the Daylily Database at www.daylilies.org.
By having a selection of daylilies from different initial bloom times, and rebloomers, you can have daylilies blooming from Early Spring, throughout the Summer, and into the Fall.
* * * EDITOR’S NOTE: All daylilies
pictured will be available at the .
SAT., MAY 20, 2023 LONE STAR DAYLILY SOCIETY
ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW & PLANT SALE
10am-4pm; SHOW: 1-4pm, Epiphany Lutheran Church, 5515 Broadway, Pearland. lonestardaylilysociety.org
Lone Star Daylily Society’s Facebook page for Daylily Cultivar name
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NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS # 236
A growing problem in agriculture and gardening is the microplastics produced as plastic products degrade. The world produces 400 million tons of waste plastic each year. One study found that China alone used 1.5 million tons of plastic mulch in 2016. Even though the plastic mulch gets removed, what is left behind hurts the soil.
Other sources of microplastics in the soil include sewage sludge, compost made from sewage sludge (biosolids), and fertilizers that are made from sewage sludge and these products are used as fertilizer to grow our
food. Personal care products, chicken manure, and landfills are other sources.
As the material degrades its negative effects on the soil build up causing reduced yields, lower plant height and weight, increased water evaporation, reduced water infiltration, and reduced availability of nutrients. Global Change Biology 2022
Other studies have found that nano sized plastic particles adhere to root tips and accumulate in the epidermis and endodermis. This prevents several biological/microbial processes from occurring that benefit the plant.
Another study found that a plastic called polyamide which is used in clothing and textiles is showing up in our soils. The full impact of how this affects human health is unknown, but it is not good.
There are some biodegradable plastic mulches being developed however preliminary studies have shown it takes well over a year to decompose. As one writer stated, “let the farmer and gardener beware!”
Another reason to buy and grow organically. An article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2023) has found that the herbicide glyphosate introduces oxidative stress in animal and in vitro studies. Oxidative stress is behind many health problems and often an indicator of carcinogens. If one does not raise their own food or at least purchase organically, you are consuming this toxic chemical.
Many gardeners love to grow and cook with herbs. A study published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience (2023) has a research paper on the benefits of cinnamon from the Cinnamomum tree. It is well known that cinnamon is an
anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and can boost the immune system. The new study found that the bioactive compounds in cinnamon also boosted brain function, particularly memory and learning.
Many folks associate fungi with disease and plant issues. However, with millions of fungal species on Earth, the over whelming majority are beneficial and only a very few cause plant problems.
Most gardeners know about the white rot and brown rot fungi that break down organic matter and turn it into humus or the mycorrhizal fungi that colonize and protect a plant’s roots.
I recently read about another one that removes mercury (Hg) from the soil and prevents plants from absorbing mercury. Researchers at the University of Maryland found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from around a plant’s roots. It works for both freshwater and salt water species of plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022)
Previously this fungus was found to colonize a plant’s roots and protect them from herbivorous insects. We now know it is a multi-tasker.
When we apply a fungicide to our lawn or flowers, we are killing thousands of good guys for every bad one creating a dysfunctional soil system which leads to many gardening problems. In a good quality leaf mold compost, there are many species of good bacteria that only eat the bad fungi and leave the good guys alone.
A good example of this is when we top dress our lawns with a fine screened leaf mold compost to control the fungal pathogen called Brown Patch (Rhizoctonia solani). It works better than the fungicides as it gets rid of only the bad guy.
If you want to have a healthy lush green lawn and reduce water requirements by 80% or more after a couple of years:
top dress with a good quality fine screened leaf mold compost from Nature’s Way Resources. Note: Like all good products, there is a lot of knock offs of much lower quality in the Houston market.
only use a great organic fertilizer like Microlife apply Remineralizer every 3-5 years
mow St. Augustine high (4” or more) with a sharp blade
do not water till the grass wilts
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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.
JOHN FERGUSON John is a native Houstonian and has over 27 years of business experience. He owns Nature’s Way Resources, a composting company that specializes in high quality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. He holds a MS degree in Physics and Geology and is a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas. John has won many awards in horticulture and environmental issues. He represents the composting industry on the Houston-Galveston Area Council for solid waste. His personal garden has been featured in several horticultural books and “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. His business has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal for the quality and value of their products. He is a member of the Physics Honor Society and many other professional societies. John is is the co-author of the book Organic Management for the Professional. For this newsletter, John contributes articles regularly and is responsible for publishing it.
PABLO HERNANDEZ Pablo Hernandez is the special projects coordinator for Nature’s Way Resources. His realm of responsibilities include: serving as a webmaster, IT support, technical problem solving/troubleshooting, metrics management and quality control. Pablo helps this newsletter happen from a technical support standpoint.
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