Henry Theodore Tuckerman (1813–1871), American writer, essayist, critic.
BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH
Ah, but you’re thinking, “What about this horrible heat?” This isn’t going to change, folks. I believed Al Gore when he said our climate challenges were going to get worse. Glad I did, because I’ve lost very few plants this spring and summer, mostly from the fact that all these years (turning 80 in September), I’ve been weeding out wimps. What I have now are I call my TOUGH BROADS!
What I have blooming now have survived our now prolonged freezing cold spells and summer heat spells at least from the point where we were forced 6 years ago by Harvey to find a new home. Most of what I planted were flowers, etc., that had survived for decades at our previous home which flooded many times, survived numerous freezes and heat spells — tho not often as hot as we have experienced this year.
It’s a Moy hibiscus, named for the late Dr.Ying Doon Moy, San Antonio Botanical Center research and development horticulturist. He hybridized this beauty from wild hibiscus (mallows) found in my native state of Louisiana (and other Gulf Coast regions). That’s my thumb in the closeup insert. Blooms can reach 12″ wide.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t take water or otherwise take care of your plants. Gardening is great for both our mental and physical health and our ecology as well. Endangered wildlife (pollinators in particular) are becoming more and more reliant on our gardens now that so many of our natural areas are being clearcut to make way for more housing, etc. On top of that, beautiful front yards (at least) are de rigueur for many area homeowners.
I’m just saying there are beautiful options out there (including wonderfully increasing native plant selections) that DON’T need constant watering and winter protection.
Especially: DON’T JUMP THE GUN! How do you know if a dead-looking plant is “REALLY dead”? Remember, plants can and do go dormant as self- protection whenever any danger threatens. This includes summer heat.
How do you know if it’s dead-dead or just dormant? Symptoms of dormancy or ‘really dead for both winter- and summer-tortured plants: are often identical:
- Leaves yellowing, brown, or falling off.
- Soft, mushy, stems
- When scratched, neither bark, nor roots, show any sign of green anywhere.
- Flaky, brittle, burned buds
The real test lies below ground: soft, pliable roots: probably still alive. Frayed or discolored roots, probably dead. What you do depends on how patient you are to see if that plant returns. It it has seeds, you can always collect those. (Thanks to BARBARA CANETTI who has detailed telling when a plant is dead several times for us)
We have hundreds of great garden flowers that are not only surviving all this heat, they’re blooming in spite of it. I’d like to know what yours are. Remember, I’m talking plants you have NOT WATERED, or protected from the sun.
I’m not being critical of watering right now. If you can, you should be. The right way, of course. Plants are investments, they need to be protected. But if you’re losing plants you’ll have to replace, maybe some readers can help you make smarter choices, given our predicted future weather extremes.
During our last truly disastrous winter cold spell, with readers’ help, I was able to share a lot of great plants that survived in spite of not even being covered. Let’s do the same for new-to-gardening-here readers.
We know it’s better to water. But what I want to share are those watered-only- by-Mother Nature-flowers that are blooming now in your landscapes (please add sun or shade location). Mine above are a start. Send a picture and plant age (if you know it) along with (very important!) your area of town to lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com
TIP: for potted and hanging basket plants, try Soil Moist granules or a similar product in pot or basket bottom. Each crystal will absorb water roots can access. Follow directions carefully! Don’t overuse! Follow directions!
FRIENDS OF MERCER BOTANIC GARDENS and THE MERCER
SOCIETY are hitting the nail on the head with a BEAT THE HEAT Plant Sale Sat., July 22, both virtual (starting 8am) and In-Person, 9am-5pm.Sale details.
Mercer folks spend a great deal of time experimenting with plants that will tolerate our specific heat, cold, floods, you name it. It’s an ideal place to learn and buy! friendsofmercer.com
* * *
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.
* * *
* BRENDA’S LAZY GARDENER GUIDE is no longer sold. However, free pdf copies available upon request at lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com
NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS # 247
Have you ever wondered why so many young athletes are having health problems like cardiovascular issues that we hear about in the news? A new study on glyphosate (used in products Like Round-Up) has been published and may offer a reason.
Researchers found that childhood exposure to glyphosate and its breakdown products (AMPA) may increase risk of liver disease and cardiovascular disorders in early adulthood. Environmental Health Perspectives (March 2023)
Many of our schools regularly spray everything from playgrounds, walkways, fence lines, etc. with this herbicide.
Reasons to grow our own fruits and vegetables organically increase every day (or at least buy local organic produce).
“The chemicals titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, red dye Np. 3, and propylparaben are estrogen disrupters in women, lower sperm counts in men, cause cancer in animals and humans, disrupt our gut microbes, damages our central nervous system, cause a loss of memory and muscle coordination, and are linked to hyperactivity in children. “
These chemicals have been banned in Europe but are allowed by the
FDA. California lawmakers have introduced a bill to make it illegal to use these chemicals. “If enacted, the bill would make prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of products containing these chemicals, such as Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, jellybeans, Pez candy, Campbell’s soup, and Trident gum to name a few.”
We have talked about how fluoride hurts plants on many occasions. One can see some of the past reports on the Nature’s Way Resource website at https://www.natureswayresources.com/gardenarticles.html and in the headers of archived newsletters.
The release of a new report from the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) systematic review of fluoride’s neurotoxicity was blocked by government officials and concealed from the public for over a year.
The Fluoride Action Network filed a lawsuit against the EPA to ban the deliberate addition of fluoridating chemicals to U.S. drinking water. The court ordered the report to be released.
The report showed out of 55 studies published in peer reviewed journals, 52 of them found that fluoride exposure was associated with a decrease in a child’s IQ.
A new study from Ohio Sate University has found a link between outdoor lighting in the evening and increased cases of the West Nile virus. It seems the light pollution changes the mosquito’s metabolism and extend their biting season increasing the transmittance of disease. Journal Insects (2023)
A major problem for society today is the die off of our pollinators like bumble bees. We know as gardeners that using modern organic methods, besides giving better results at lower cost, they helps protect our pollinators.
Several new studies have found that certain species of flowers can help pollinators resist disease infections, and that sunflowers (bumblebee super food) are very effective at combating a common pathogen, Crithidia bombi that lives in a bee’s gut.
When bees were fed sunflower pollen, they experienced 87% fewer infections. They found that pollen from other members of the sunflower family like ragweed, cocklebur, dandelion, and dog fennel also helped bees fight infection.
These pollinators contribute over $200 Billion in eco-system services each year. So maybe it is time to add more sunflowers to our flowerbeds and help reverse the pollinator die off.
Journals Functional Ecology (2023), and Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2023)
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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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