DON’T PLANT CHINESE TALLOWS! MORE BLOOMING SURVIVORS
“What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.”
JANE AUSTEN (1775-1817) From a Sept., 18, 1796 letter to her sister Cassandra.
By Brenda Beust Smith
Make that “Terrible Tallows” — as they are called by folks who garden for pollinators, love woodland diversities, want to protect our native wildlife and waterlife and fear for native prairie & woodland species. A Chinese tallow. . .
is a nectar-rich resource for non-native insects contributes significantly to wetland degradation
is “allelopathic,” ie, produces a toxin that spreads in soil to prevent other plants (like natives) from growing nearby, thus ensuring it’s own dynasty. can cause skin irritation and diarrhea in humans
may reach heights of +50′! spreads by root sprouts and seeds
is seldom permanently killed by herbicides, fire, bulldozer or other equipment because roots sprout so easily
You certainly won’t see Chinese tallows for sale in respectable nurseries, only in national box stores. In the South, tallows are illegal to move or distribute. “Estimated economic control costs in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi the past two decades: $200-400 million.”
Tallow seeds are spread by birds, wind, etc. Don’t throw dug-up plants over the fence, they’ll just return: How to get rid of Chinese tallow. It ain’t easy.
SO WHERE DOES ONE LEARN ABOUT GREAT FALL COLOR FOR
HOUSTON? Chinese tallows now does us yet another NO-favor. Its fall color usually starts earlier than our beneficial trees’ fall color, warping our expectations. This summer’s heat and drought is triggering even earlier-than- usual fall color on these trash trees.
Our “good” fall color starts anywhere from mid-October to mid-November and some years, depending on weather, not ’til December. Good sources to start your search:
Your LOCAL, independent nursery owner (your success is his success) Your closest Native Plant Society of Texas chapter
The fantastic fall plant sales listed in ourCalendar below John’s column.
PS. I know, folks . . . we raised bees. Tallows make wonderful honey. But we now have enough tallows already to insure this rapidly-expanding, difficult-to- kill species will be with us ad infinitum. Give native flora & fauna a helping hand. Don’t deliberately plant Chinese tallows. That said . . .
What’s your favorite NATIVE fall color tree? Do share and include your location in the Greater Houston area!!
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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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* BRENDA’S “LAZY GARDENER GUIDE” is no longer sold. However, free pdf copies available upon request at lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com
NOTE: When sending pictures for potential use in column, please make sure they are jpegs no larger than 10″ wide AND each is identified by its NAME.
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NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS # 254
Subject: wilding or regenerative landscaping
We hear a lot about regenerative agriculture, habitat restoration, butterfly or bird gardening, and related ideas. These are all about restoring our connection with nature and how it improves our lives. I recently finished a book that was very inspiring about a farm in England that was restored and the history of how they did it.
“WILDING – Returning Nature to Our Farm,” by Isabella Tree, New York Review of Books, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-68137-371-3
From the publisher – “An inspiring story about what happens when 3,500 acres of land, farmed for centuries, is left to return to the wild, and about the wilder, richer future a natural landscape can bring.
For years Charlie Burrell and his wife, Isabella Tree, farmed Knepp Castle Estate and struggled to turn a profit. By 2000, with the farm facing bankruptcy, they decided to try something radical. They would restore Knepp’s 3,500 acres to the wild. Using herds of free-roaming animals to mimic the actions of the megafauna of the past, they hoped to bring nature back to their depleted land. But what would the neighbors say in the manicured countryside of modern England where a blade of grass out of place is considered an affront?
In the face of considerable opposition, the couple persisted with their experiment and soon witnessed an extraordinary change. New life flooded into Knepp, now a breeding hotspot for rare and threatened species like turtle doves, peregrine falcons, and purple emperor butterflies.
The fabled English nightingale sings again.
At a time of looming environmental disaster, Wilding is an inspiring story of a farm, a couple, and a community transformed. Isabella Tree’s wonderful book “brings together science, natural history, a fair bit of drama, and—ultimately— hope.”
Another review can be found here.
For me this book was an encouragement as I have been working to retore my retirement property near La Grange. A lot of the property was clear cut for agriculture, then cotton farmed for decades until the soil was so poor even weeds had trouble growing, water wells and springs had gone dry, and most indigenous animals were missing from the land.
Over the last eight years I have seen the land start to heal, native grasses and wildflowers returning, animals from quail and doves to foxes and bobcats have returned. I have even seen evidence of a porcupine.
I only have a fraction of the land that Isabella Tree had to work with, but it made me remember a lecture by Dr. Doug Tallamy. He stated by working together from one lot or parcel of land at a time it would grow into an enormous restoration effort.
Doug’s book explains how this might happen and gives insight on how to transform one’s yard.
“Nature’s Best Hope- A New Approach to Conservation That Starts In your Yard” by Douglass W. Tallamy, Timber Press, 2019, ISBN-13: 978-1- 60469-900-5
This book picks up where Doug’s book “Bringing Nature Home” leaves off, which is a must read for all serious gardeners and nature lovers. This book is more of a “How To” book on using our yards as part of our ecological solution to many of society’s problems today. Not only does these techniques mentioned bring back life in our yards from bees and butterflies to birds, it saves money and resources.
He calls this concept “Homegrown National Park.” This a place where you can register your yard of farm to help make a database of properties that are being restored. To register your home or farm go to here.
The book below explains why this concept is so important to healthy living.
“Your Brain on Nature – The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness, and Vitality”, by Eva M. Selhub MD and Alan C. Logan ND, Collins Publishing, 2012, ISBN: 978-1-44342-808-8
This book is for anyone whom loves gardening or nature. On many occasions I have wrote about studies that show how gardening drastically improves one’s health and well-being. Numerous scientific studies have shown that natural environments can have remarkable benefits for human health. Natural environments are more likely to promote positive emotions, and viewing and walking in nature have been associated with heightened physical and mental energy. Nature has also been found to have a positive impact on children who have been diagnosed with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and attention-deficit disorder.
This book gives hundreds of additional ways that being exposed to nature helps reduce our risk of many health problems from dementia to heart attacks and strokes. “Physician Eva Selhub and naturopath Alan Logan examine not only the effects of nature on the brain, but the ubiquitous influence of everyday technology on the brain, and how IT overload and its many distractions may even be changing it. Offering an antidote for the technology-addicted, the book outlines emerging nature-based therapies including ecotherapy, as well as practical strategies for improving your (and your children’s) cognitive functioning, mental health, and physical well-being through ecotherapeutic, nutritional and behavioral means. A powerful wake-up call for our tech- immersed society, Your Brain on Nature examines the fascinating effects that exposure to nature can have on the brain.”
A statement from the book that I love is: “We are long past the time when the difference between soil and dirt should be a point of confusion: soil must no longer be confused with dirt. It is a living, breathing form of nature.”
If you are interested in getting started, Doug Tallamy’s first book is a good starting point on how to transform your yard.
“Bringing Nature Home – How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” by Douglass W. Tallamy, Timber Press, 2014, Edith Printing, ISBN-13: 978-0-88192-992-8
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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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