Saving our Earth, one landscape at a time
BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH
First, how did your landscape survive the world’s(maybe) fastest cold spell? If all’s well, consider enrolling your landscape (if you haven’t already) in the Homegrown National Park, now 36,328-member-strong, representing 112,307+ (mostly homeowner-planted) acres nationwide.
Not bad for this barely 4-year-old, free membership national
movement started by Doug Tallamy, who has always generously contributed to our newsletter and will again address us in person at Houston Botanic Garden on Sat., Nov. 11. Doug’s plea to all us homeowners:
“ In the past we’ve asked our landscapes to do one thing: be pretty. Now we need to ask them to do two things:
be pretty and ecologically functional.”
Best Christmas present you could give your children this year might just be a
family membership in the Homegrown National Park. It’s free and will show children and grandchildren you care about this planet. Then, if you can, make a reservation to hear Doug expand on this now-36,328 private home & land owners nation-wide endeavor to make us all at least aware of, if not actively involved in, the environmental future of this planet.
SAT., NOV. 11: CELEBRATING CONSERVATION, with DOUG TALLAMY,
3-7 p.m., 1 Botanic Lane, $55. Houston Botanic Garden. hbg.org/events Tickets also include awareness/educational information from local schools, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Houston Zoo and others.
ATTN: CLUBS! Send a rep! This is a great potential future program report or backup program in case of cancellations!
* * *
USE ONLY LOCAL GARDENING PLANTING GUIDES!
We’re moving into a period where most areas (including Texas north of us) often have very different gardening planting timetables from our subtropical, coastal pocket. For example, Lone Star Daylily Society’s Paul Eskine reminds we are still into an even better time than spring to dig, divide and plant these true lazy gardener flowers.
Planting now gives daylilies time to produce stronger roots (during winter) and to produce more mature scapes and flowers in spring. Local daylily enthusiast are thinning out and potted-up their own (often not commercially available) hybridizations from their own gardens. Some will be available at the SAT., NOV. 11: LONE STAR DAYLILY SOCIEY PLANT SALE, 9am-4pm, 7124 Booth
Lane, Free, lonestardaylilysociety.org, 281-331-0162.
* * *
bring her in and won’t until an actual freeze is forecast
FOR HER AREA. (key word: HER). REMEMBER: Some areas do freeze here when other don’t! “Damage is done when there are freezing temperatures,” However, Loretta warns: “This is a ‘wake up’ call, to pay attention to the weather forecast!” (Pictured: Loretta’s ‘Lava flow’ plumeria) .
CAMELLIAS & HYDROPONICS — SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
We’re lucky to have two Spotlight Articles this week and both open doors for you to learn more about these great gardening adventures!
Winter came and, to my amazement, Mercer woods burst into bloom with ‘Thelma Mercer’s camellia “trees.” Some still exist. Everyone said start with ‘Yuletide’ (pictured) – perfect size for a front door planter, guaranteed to bloom on Christmas Day. And it does! In our first Spotlight Article below, Friends of Mercer Botanic Garden detail ‘Yuletide’ and other great camellias available at their upcoming virtual sale Fri.-Sat.,Nov. 10-11. Inventory posted:
friendsofmercer.com/Camellia-Winter-Color-Sale-PLANT-PREVIEW–NO-ONLINE-SALES_c_72.html
Brenda Beust Smith’s column is based on her 40+ years as
Houston Chronicle’s Lazy Gardener — Email: lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com Note: This column focuses ONLY on the Greater Houston area.
* BRENDA’S “LAZY GARDENER GUIDE” is no longer sold.
However, free pdf copies upon request at lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com
* * *
CAMELLIAS — QUEEN OF WINTER BLOOMERS!
by KITT BURNSIDES
FRIENDS OF MERCER BOTANIC GARDEN
Board Member & Tree & Shrub growing lead
friendsofmercer.com/
The camellia is a tough, durable plant, but it isn’t always hardy enough to tolerate the deep chill and harsh winds of winter. If your plant looks a little worse for wear by the time spring rolls around, you may be able to bring it back to radiant health.
Camellia cold tolerance is fairly high, especially if the plants are sheltered from cold winds. Hopefully, the weather will provide a few chilly spells to toughen up the plant before the weather does its worst.
Water camellias thoroughly before the first hard freeze. Be sure to saturate the root zone because moist soil will protect the roots. Otherwise, water evaporates through the leaves throughout the winter.
Tight buds will not generally be bothered by a short freeze and will continue to grow and bloom, Buds showing color can be protected in a frost by covering, however even this will not help in a full freeze, these buds like fully open blooms will fall off.
Of course you can bring the color inside in the case of a freeze. Cutting the blooms and floating them in a shallow bowl of water is a wonderful way to display camellias blossoms. Some of the most popular, pictured above l, to r:
Camellia sasanqua hybrid ‘Yuletide’ : upright habit with 3-inch wide, bright red, single flowers in early-mid season (November to December or later); best in partial sun; grows to 8–10 feet tall and wide
Camellia Non- reticulated Hybrid ‘Buttermint’: medium-sized shrub with formal double flowers that are creamy-white with yellow centers or soft yellow and a light fragrance (mint scented?!?); best in partial sun, blooms late winter to early spring; 6 feet tall by 4–5 feet wide late winter to early spring; 6 feet tall by 4–5 feet wide
Camellia japonica ‘Scentsation’: features large, silvery pink, peony- form blossoms, 4-5 inches wide, opening to reveal a
tantalizing glimpse of golden stamens. They produce over several months from January to March.
Camellia japonica ‘Kramer’s Supreme’: deep red double bloom with a peony form and a delightful fragrance; blooms January – February.
Camellia japonica ‘Nuccio’s Gem’: a formal to double sparkling white blooms; blooms January – February.
* * *
EDITOR’S NOTE: Camellias detailed above are just a few of many available at the Fri.-Sat., Nov. 10-11 Friends of Mercer Virtual (only) Camellia and Winter Color Sale. Online preview: friendsofmercer.com/Camellia-Winter-Color-Sale-PLANT– PREVIEW–NO-ONLINE-SALES_c_72.html
* * *
HYDROPONICS WORTH TRYING!
By Brandi Keller
HARRIS COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT – HORTICULTURE
Unlike traditional soil-based gardening, hydroponics involves growing plants without soil, utilizing water or other non-soil materials like gravel or sand.
This method is known for its ability to:
produce higher yields in a shorter time frame. control the growing environment.
optimize nutrient levels, pH, and lighting, resulting in faster and healthier plant growth.
conserve water, making it an environmentally-friendly choice.
For urban dwellers or those with limited outdoor space, hydroponics allows gardening on balconies, rooftops, or even indoors, breaking the constraints of traditional soil gardening.
Starting small then gradually expanding may be preferred for beginners. A simple setup can be a small hydroponic kit or a DIY system using readily available materials. It can be scaled up, adding more plants, and experimenting with different techniques. This scalability of hydroponics makes it accessible to hobbyists and commercial growers.
While initial costs of setting up a hydroponic system can be higher than traditional gardening, long-term benefits often outweigh the investment.
* * *
EDITOR’S NOTE: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Specialist Dr. Joe
Masabni will present a free virtual HYDROPONIC GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS program, 9am-noon. Hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Center. Register: https://bit.ly/3MaZkG9
* * *
NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS # 262
Subject: glyphosate fluoride & IQ tree sweat EMF and health
The reasons to grow more of our own food or only purchase organic, continue to grow. Independent testing has found that foods from Chili’s Grill & Bar, Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin’ Donuts, IHOP, Le Pain Quotidien, McDonald’s, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Pret a Manger, Subway, Taco Bell, and Whole Foods Market were tested and found contaminated with the weedkiller glyphosate. The full White Paper on the findings can be found at: www.toxinfreeusa.org
Research is finding exposure to this toxic chemical and its breakdown products are behind many human health problems.
Research from the UC Berkley School of Public Health has found that childhood exposure to glyphosate (the active ingredient in Round Up and other herbicides) is linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life. Journal Environmental Health Perspectives (2023)
We have talked about how fluoride hurts the growth of many species of plants and makes them susceptible to disease on several occasions. Fluoride also combines with other elements in the soil cementing soil particles together creating “hardpan” that is bad for plants (reduces oxygen and water absorption).
The Epoch Times newspaper recently had a multipage report on how new research has shown fluoride exposure is linked to reduced IQ and ADHD in children. The MIREC study (Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals) by Health Canada, was a multi-year study and one of the largest to date.
Many pesticides contain lots of fluoride as it is very toxic, in addition to what is in toothpaste and drinking water there are lots of ways to be exposed. Another reason to only purchase organic fruits and vegetables and at least avoid
exposure from pesticides.
The Epoch Times newspaper back in May also reported that many of the sources of fluoride used for treating our water supply is contaminated with arsenic which is poisonous and a strong carcinogen.
There was a short article in Nasa Science titled “Sweating Can Be Cool” that caught my attention. It was about how and why plants and trees sweat.
They cool the air through the process called transpiration. As the water is released into the atmosphere it absorbs a lot of heat energy to change its phase from a liquid to a gas.
As the water escape it pulls up more water from the root zone carrying nutrients to the plants stem and leaves. The water molecule then exits the plant through the leaf pores or what we call stomata.
This past summer with the extreme drought many trees and plants could not get enough water for this process to work which resulted in tree death.
The article was about new sensing technology that can be used from space to measure this process. It can record leaf temperature changes and other data to help understand how our climate affects us.
As a child growing up there was an electric powerline in an easement behind my parent’s house. There were all kinds of “danger” warning signs posted on them. I often wondered about the electrical towers and power lines and if they could affect my health.
A study recently published in the journal Science Advances (2023) has found these electric magnetic fields (EMF) do affect plants and animals living in the vicinity. The study found there was less flowering by plants growing around the towers. Next, they looked at honeybees since they use natural electromagnetic fields to navigate. There was an increase in stress hormones in bees living around the towers.
* * *
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 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.
Download the Newsletter with Our Events Calendar Below!
