December 26, 2017
Broken Pipes & CTG’s New Season
So, you’ve always heard that winter is ideal for moving dormant plants. Well, it’s not such a great time to move cold-sensitive specimens or succulents, especially with super cold forecast for the weekend, but that’s what I had to do. There’s a lot more plants than visible here and scads of bulbs, spring and fall.
Our “gift” to each other this year was new drainage pipes under the slab which conveniently broke right before the holidays, flooding the laundry room. Santa plumber was delayed with other deliveries and tunneled in the day after Christmas. By then, the reindeer were too tired to fly.
Greg and I excavated some plants into pots to join the patio crew.
I moved a few to new locales. Geez, I never realized how many bulbs I had until I had to dig them up! Since we managed to extract entire soil clumps of some, I deposited them in a shady spot and simply mounded more soil on top for now.
Once the soil’s back in place, I’ll amend with homemade compost, a needed chore that I kept putting off. Hey, sometimes we need the ultimate incentive!
My big concern was my Yucca rupicola x pallida that’s nicely matured and would resent re-planting during cold, wet conditions.
The guys helped me unearth this one. Since the roots need to harden off a few days anyway, it won’t mind hanging out in the trug until I can re-plant. I’ll move it into a patio spot before the cold front hits.
Watch Daphne’s tips on how to move yuccas.
Now is actually the best time to move trees, hardy evergreen shrubs—including Salvia greggii—and roses. January and early February is when I divide evergreen perennials, along with asters, coneflowers, and others that rosette in winter. I’ll also move that rock rose that sneaked in.
Late January is prime time to plant fruit trees. To lead off CTG’s new season on January 6, Texas A&M Associate Professor & Extension Fruit Specialist Jim Kamas answers your top questions.
January 13, tree advocate Zach Haflin shows how to prune young fruit trees for productive futures.
Also in January: ISA Certified arborist Mark Mann from The Davey Tree Expert Company answers your questions about oak wilt, fertilizing, and animal damage. Susanne Harm from Austin Resource Recovery explains what you can learn from a soil test, including any toxic metals hiding underground. And Trisha Shirey shows how to prune crape myrtles for health and beauty.
Old roses are easy-care wonders that brightened dusty homesteads for many an adventurous settler. Texas A&M Professor and Extension Horticulturist William C. Welch spins a few true tall tales behind rose rustling and how to propagate beauties like ‘Maggie,’ one of his sentimental finds.
On tour, find out what prompted artist Valerie Fowler’s switch to botanicals and where she gets her inspiration to tell stories on canvas and paper.
In La Grange, the charming Bernsen family walks us through their tips for year-long abundant harvests, including sage advice from the younger-than-10 crew.
Don Iden and Jana Beckham turned a standard backyard into a delicious experiment where they grow over 100 species, many from seed, for culinary and visual feasting.
And discover how Syd Teague turned rocky, flooding land into an exciting botanical adventure and captivating destinations.
Thanks for stopping by! See you next week for CTG’s new season!
Linda
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