March Horticulture Report

Here are two pictures from the latest Horticulture Report for Norchester Garden Club which is on the subject of Verbenas. This is a picture of our white one on the cold morning of Feb 6, 2014.  A dusting of snow is on the deck.



 "Baby Verbena"  picture is just below.

 The link to the full report and past ones, is available just below the "Archives" section in the right hand column of the blog.

This month's report as well as any of the previous ones may be downloaded and viewed, printed, or saved from the index provided in the link.

Early Spring Cleaning

A water garden is a great attraction for a variety of plants and critters:  birds, herons, squirrels, frogs, turtles, coons... we have had all show up in addition to the few goldfish we provide to keep mosquitoes out.  Today we took advantage of the beautiful spring weather to tackle something that is very easy to put off... Otherwise known as a very "Dirty Job"...  


The first picture was a very early morning shot on Feb 6 to show the light dusting of snow on the deck behind the fish/lilly pond.   And the second is how the pond looked this afternoon about 5:00 pm.   Every few years we clean it totally... the worst part being the deep, fine, heavy, muck that accumulates on the bottom from years of decaying pine needles, and plant materials...   Would you believe a wet/dry shop vac sucks it up and then I have to figure what to do with gallons and gallons of slop.  I hope the compost piles like it.

Actually the dirty jobs guy stopped by with his TV crew to take a look and help, just as dear Master Gardner was ankle deep in the "mucking out" process... and he soon decided to leave after losing his lunch.

But we have enjoyed the pond, goldfish, and lilies for about 25 years and it doesn't require much else in the way of maintenance. So I think we are good for another 5 years or so.

Through Our Back Window

A cold (high 30's) cloudy day all day.  After filling the bird feeders,  the grocery store, and picking up the RV for it's monthly battery charge we have been sitting and reading in the chairs looking out at the back yard.














As you can see, the birds are enjoying our offering.... so I got my telephoto lens:

Well... they were enjoying themselves until THIS GUY showed up.

 I think it is a a crow sized accipiter called a Cooper's Hawk.  Which, if you are playing a trivia game, is almost identical to a "Sharp Shinned" Hawk.  See more HERE if you wish.








Well... the light was getting dim, but he looked guilty of something.   So I asked him to pose for some quick
mug shots...

What the...?????   Is that a small pile of feathers on the ground ?

"Freezy Cold"

Throughout January and February we have had spells of "Freezy Cold" as our kids used to say.  The Polar Vortex swooped in (from the Left of course... make that from our West) several times and dropped the temps into the 20s for a few hours every week or so and this morning we even got some real snow. The birds don't seem to mind and find our feeders even more attractive.



These pictures were taken this morning between 6:30 and 7:30

 






 













This white Verbena on the patio is one Carol has had for a very long time and has done well, even though we did not cover it.

Of course, compared to our loved ones in the rest of the U.S. our cold snaps are very mild.  But they still close schools and snarl traffic to an amazing degree.









                                                                                   

Horticulture Reports (Updated)

I have updated the following just a bit since some people have had a problem with my previous version.  This should be much more straightforward. 

Beginning today we feature a permanent link to a list of the Norchester Garden Club's 
Monthly Horticultural Reports since November 2013.  From this list, each issue can be viewed online, printed out, or downloaded.  Look in the Links We Like list in the column on the right side of the page. Although it says "Sign In" on the page that comes up, no sign in of any sort is required.

We welcome any questions, concerns, or feedback by email to  ABCS.Park@att.net

A Useful Herb

In January, Lois Sutton, PhD, presented "Winter Herbs for Houston Gardens" to the Norchester Garden Club.  She is a great speaker and shared cuttings from some of her herbs in her presentation.  I took several of the Rosemary's since I hadn't worked with herbs.  Your can view the Herb Society web site by CLICKING HERE 

 I learned that a green Rosemary twig will root very readily in water.  Here is my Rosemary Cream Cheese Eggs Recipe that is easy and quite different.

Rosemary Cream Cheese Eggs

From Star of Texas Bed and Breakfast in Brownwood Tx

4 eggs              ¼ cup cream                3 Tbsp. cream cheese

3 Sprigs fresh Rosemary (snip off small pieces)

In a bowl, whip eggs with cream.  In a greased skillet, scramble egg mixture with rosemary until slightly runny.  Add dollops of cream cheese and melt into eggs to make creamy.   Serve hot with                                                                                              fresh fruit and Canadian bacon..  Serves two.

If you get sprigs of fresh rosemary from the store.. strip off the lower leaves and place in a glass of water and they will root.  Then put in a pot to have your own supply

"Mom.. I'm Hungry"

If monarch caterpillars could speak... that is what they would be saying this past few weeks.  Even after the cold days of January we have found monarch caterpillars on the poor remains of our milkweed plants.  And when the day warms up... they are very busy scouring the stalks for anything they can nibble on.  If they can find something remaining of your milkweed plants, they will even grow from their 1/8th inch to about 1 1/2 inches where they will then form their cocoon.  We have several like this hanging on horizontal surfaces in our back yard.  Most have turned quite dark; a sign they have frozen or otherwise died.
Given that the only plants the caterpillars can eat are some varieties of milkweed, times are tough during Houston's winter months.

Of course the most dedicated of the "Friends of the Monarchs" will find ways to provide assistance wherever possible. The problem is finding and keeping a supply of the plants, without spending $$$ helping Plants for All seasons build another addition to their nursery..









This is where "growing your own" can help.  Starting milkweed plants from cuttings, or seed is possible but requires some dedication.

In the last Horticulture Report for Norchester Garden Club, our Master Gardner describes some of the trick to the process. If you have an interest you can find a COPY HERE where you can read or download its two pages.