March 31 , 2011
Luck, loss, plus lawns
For twelvemonth , I struggled to get poppy to come up . Do n’t recognize the magical formula , but now I have them , even in the grass . In the beds , some returned from last year , but I scratch in a few safety seeds last drop .
peradventure it ’s because now I do n’t comprehend them in . I scratch the soil , contrive them out , softly scrape a little soil back on top , and gently water . Plus , turn around three times , tap garden shoes , squash eye shut and think Judy Garland . Hey , you never hump !
I did n’t get around to collect seeds of Baby Blue Eyes last springtime , but some of my passalongs fromZanthan Gardensreturned on their own . This one is with Variegated Nipponese sedge ( Carex Morrowii‘Aurea - variegata ’ ) , which , by the fashion , did n’t abide from freeze at all .
Native BBB makes a wonderful combination with yellow aquilege , mine just begin to flower . There are many coinage , and I just bet you could pick up seeds at theLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Spring Sale April 9 – 10 .
aboriginal pink and lilac-colored spiderwort join this bed , along with the first passalong lavender iris .
One big doubt the preceding few weeks : are my industrial plant dead?Some may be , indeed , but every Clarence Day , I see a sprout on one that I thought was a goner . So hang in there a short longer !
We give thanks Kathleen Lorsbach for asking about frozen cactus plants and others . This week on CTG , Daphne explainsthat if your Opuntia cacti have healthy pads , gently cut back them off , let them dry for a few days , and replant in gritty dirt . That ’s what I ’ll do with my Santa Rita prickly pear .
Agaves may be idle or just have mushy leaf . Cut off the bad leaves . If the nerve centre is still firm , they ’ll be o.k. . In the case of Daphne ’s globe artichoke agave , it ’s still alert .
But my Echinopsis did n’t make it . After a few weeks , it simply collapsed .
I inquire Richard Blocker from theSan Antonio Cactus and Xerophyte Societyabout these industrial plant . “ mass can cut frozen region of cacti down to the level of full flesh if there ’s any left . If these plants are outside I cut them at an slant , then put rooting powder or sulphur on the angled cut , so that if water generate on the slash it does n’t ride on it . I ’ve had yuccas decompose to the solid ground and cut them off and have then regrow from priming level ! ”
Not sure what I ’ll do about my misshapenAgave celsii . It still has leaf , and now it looks like it ’s going to blossom !
The other top question is about lawn . So , this workweek on CTG , Tom take on with Mike Piwonka fromThe Grass Outlet , a family business over a few generations . He has mythologic estimation for youif you take to renovate or start over !
One is with drought - tough zoysia . I took this picture of Palisades zoysia last capitulation . It ’s a endearing option for sun and partial shade .
Here it is with the St. Augustine it ’s supervene upon .
Mike compares mythic zoysias to pick out , and also a good St. Augustine for you , Palmetto — more cold and drouth hardy than the one we most know . For hot Dominicus and gobs of dealings ( kids , frankfurter , gardeners ) check out 419 Tifway Bermuda ( if it can work at Zilker , it can put to work in your garden ) and Celebration . Mike say that these are not as trespassing to garden beds as the standard Bermuda .
And , when well - make out and with the right pick , supergrass does n’t require to be a hassle or water hog . Often , it ’s but the best option . The legerdemain is to treat it right .
So , here ’s my hazard AT LAST to ventilate on mowing practices!It just kills me that in saltation , people let weeds go to seed and do n’t mow . Then , in summertime , they are determined to mow the life out of their grass , cutting so poor that the roots get accentuate . That just opens things up for the weeds to germinate with the first coolheaded , declination pelting . Mow weed in spring ; take a break in summer ! Or at least , place that mower really high by June 1 .
On tour , we re - chaffer a garden : Kenneth Paynter in San Antonio and his blood brother , Michael Paynter , in San Marcos . They ’ve opt two different garden styles but what unite them is their dad ’s legacy of lawn and the felicitous tike who play on it .
John Dromgoole does Part One of make a peachy propagation box . This is so cool ! sure enough , you may do it in a dish goat god or other plastic container , but a pretty boxwood nabs every gardener with scrap lumber ! This technique makes it super easy to root many industrial plant , including love apple cuttings afterwards . Even when you ’re going to be out of townsfolk .
Until next week , Linda
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