Nature’s Way Resources is proud to bring you this free weekly newsletter. While we don’t run ads, generous sponsors help support this project as a public service. Their names are listed below, please consider showing your appreciation by supporting their businesses!
Nature’s Way Resources honors the contributions of our late owner, John Ferguson. “The Lazy Gardener” Brenda Beust Smith and Shelby Cassano welcome your feedback and remain grateful to the many horticulturists who share their expertise.
Published February 18, 2026
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty
years ago. The second best time is now.”
– Chinese Proverb
by Brenda Beust Smith | The Lazy Gardener
ARBOR DAY ISN’T UNTIL FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2026! But that just shows how little we line up with much of the rest of the country! Our best tree planting time is NOW! That’s why so many Greater Houston gardening groups are getting on the “Trees for Houston” bandwagon (many with TFH’s help) by scheduling “Free Tree Give-aways” throughout our area.
The best news, these organization-sponsored giveaways are sharing trees particularly good for OUR whole Greater Houston area, but aren’t publicized as much as they should be. Check out this list from Fort Bend Master Gardeners’ big “giveaway” lineup, Feb. 28, 9am until all-gone at Fulshear Farmers Market (9035 Bois d’Arc Lane, 77406, Fulshear).
Generally, giveaway trees are bare-root seedlings. Limit 3 per family. Other sale inventories (see below) may have different varieties and rules. Check their links if looking for something specific! Especially contact your county’s Master Gardener pages online.
- Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii): Native to Houston (up to zone 9a), well-suited to heat, humidity, and occasional cold snaps, drought-tolerant once established. Beautiful red-orange Fall color!
- Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda): A Southeastern Texas native, thrives in hot, humid summers, mild winters (USDA zones 6-9), and variable weather. One of the fastest-growing southern pines can reach 60-100′ rapidly, providing speedy shade, windbreaks, or privacy screens in larger yards or properties.
- Common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana): Once established, highly drought-resistant, minimal watering/care, resistance to pests/diseases, low-effort urban or suburban landscapes. Medium-sized trees (40-60 feet), rounded canopy/good shade, attractive dark blocky bark, vibrant orange fall foliage, tolerates partial shade under larger trees.
- Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia): Native to eastern Texas, thrives in hot, humid summers, mild winters, and variable weather. Small, May-June sweet red or yellow plums (great for fresh eating, jellies, or wine); fragrant spring blooms, salt tolerance for coastal proximity
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis): Native to Gulf Coast region (zones 5-9), thrives in hot, humid summers, mild winters, and high rainfall, low-risk choice for sustainable landscaping. Once established, drought-tolerant in wetter sites, prefers consistent moisture; adapts to various soil types (acidic to alkaline, except dry), full sun to partial shade, minimal care.
- Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis): Vivid pink-purple spring flowers before leaves emerge, heart-shaped foliage turns yellow in fall, flat seed pods in winter, visual appeal in landscapes, gardens, or as understory trees. Nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators in early spring; seeds and foliage provide food and habitat for birds, insects, and wildlife.
- Common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana): Once established, highly drought-resistant, minimal watering or care, natural resistance to pests/diseases, ideal for low-effort urban or suburban landscapes. These medium-sized trees (up to 40-60 feet) develop a rounded canopy for good shade in hot summers, with attractive dark blocky bark, vibrant orange fall foliage, and tolerance for partial shade under larger trees
- Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia): Native to USDA zones 5-9, thrives in Houston’s hot, humid summers, mild winters, and variable weather. Small, sweet red or yellow plums in early summer (ripe around May-June), they’re great for fresh eating, jellies, or wine; the fragrant spring blooms add visual appeal, and salt tolerance suits coastal proximity
These will be available (while they last!) at the SAT., Feb.28 at the FORT BEND MASTER GARDENERS TREE GIVEAWAY at the FULSHEAR FARMERS’ MARKET, 9am-while supplies last. 9035 Bois d’Arc Lane, 77406, Fulshear. fulshearfarmersmarket.com
Other upcoming Tree Giveaways include (Trees are bare root seedlings. Limit 3 per family.):
- FRI., FEB. 20: WALLER COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS TREE GIVEAWAY, Trees are bare-root seedlings. Limit 3 per family. Drive-through only at Waller County Extension Office. 11 am-2pm. 846 6th St, Hempstead, 979-826 7651, txmg.org/wallermg wallermgardener@gmail.com
- SAT., FEB. 28: TREE GIVEAWAY by FORT BEND MASTER GARDENERS, 9am-sellout, 9035 Bois d’Arc Lane, Fulshear. fulshearfarmersmarket.com
pictured, Loblolly pine
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EYES UP! Official word is Monarchs have left their wintering home and should be flying through Texas this month. Most take a more central Texas route north, but there is also a coastal one that takes them right through Houston. More choose this latter route when returning in the fall, usually late Oct. through mid-Nov., some even choosing to stay rather than moving on to Mexico.
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ATTN. GARDEN/PLANT GROUPS
— Nature’s Way Resources offers free guided tours of NWR’s extensive nursery/soil/mulch facilities for garden clubs, plant societies and other plant-oriented, organized groups. As usual, NWR’s now-expanded meeting site is free to above groups. Reservations a must for both. Great time to visit.
- GOOD NEWS FOR BUSY/LAZY GARDENERS: Curbside pickup is now available in the Nature’s Way Resources nursery, and we’re offering plant preorders for special requests. Call in your order, pick it up when it works for you, or let us try to source the plants you’re looking for on upcoming shipments. Find inventory sheet here.
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John’s Corner
NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS
Subject: Native Mulches Part Two
In theme with Brenda’s column this week, please take a moment to read a past article of John’s regarding Native Mulch. Native Mulch is gaining wide popularity in the local market due to its obvious results compared to highly processed alternatives that have traditionally been used. It is important to note that while “Native Mulch” might be a current buzzword, they are not all made the same. To find high-quality mulch made by Nature’s Way Resources, visit our facility in Conroe, TX, or our retailer map here.
Click below to learn more about all of the different types of mulch in detail.
Explore our article library to learn more information about various mulches and other topics.
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.
About her column, Brenda says: “I don’t consider myself a ‘garden writer.” I started out 50+ years ago as a very lazy “gardening reporter.” I still feel that way today. I hope my columns inspire/help newcomers, but I do not write to them. I write to very experienced gardeners who want to expand their horizons.
JOHN FERGUSON (1951-2025)
John was a native Houstonian with more than 35 years of business experience. He founded Nature’s Way Resources, a composting company known for producing high-quality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. He held an MS in Physics and Geology and was a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas.
Throughout his career, John received numerous awards in horticulture and environmental work. He represented the composting industry for many years on the Houston-Galveston Area Council for solid waste. His personal garden was featured in several horticultural books and in Better Homes and Gardens. His business was recognized by The Wall Street Journal for the quality and value of its products. He was a member of the Physics Honor Society and several professional organizations, and he co-authored Organic Management for the Professional.
John contributed articles regularly to this newsletter and oversaw its publication. We continue to share his past articles each week alongside The Lazy Gardener column to keep his passion, knowledge, and spirit alive for our readers.
SHELBY CASSANO is the communications and marketing lead for Nature’s Way Resources and the editor of The Lazy Gardener and Friends newsletter. Through her business, Leaf and Ledger, she exclusively partners with NWR to direct all marketing efforts, from campaign strategy and content planning to technical production of the newsletter. Shelby holds a B.S. in Agriculture with a concentration in Horticulture from Stephen F. Austin State University and previously managed the company’s nursery.
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