January 3, 2019
Dealing with Drought: Flora Grubb
2018 took Texas weird weather over the top.
Starting with lengthy freezes and even a bit of snow on New Year’s Eve, we slammed into drought and 51 days of over-100°. Autumn brought record rains and a water boil mandate due to the rush of water from the Highland Lakes. On November 14, our hands were numb taping Shirley and Neal Fox’s water thrifty garden, unfazed even with a record early freeze (24°) on November 15. Watch their story on February 23!
It was one of the few years that CTG got rained out for location tapings (though we slogged through some anyway). We even conducted our first fireside interview indoors with Colleen Jamison and Bruce Baldwin. Their charming, drought-tough garden coming your way February 9.
And this week, record rains again! My coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) took it quite in stride, ready to ring in 2019 with blossoms.
Along a shady strip, native coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) didn’t get frazzled either. Birds will soon pluck those lavender-hued little berries.
So about that early freeze: Daphne explains why it can be especially damaging after growth spurts in rainy autumns. Find out more and why to wait to prune off damage, especially in these deceptively warm topsy-turvy days!
Native Texan Flora Grubb knows all about our wild hand-wringing weather. When she moved to San Francisco, she took along her drought-sensitive awareness to (eventually) her new garden.
To help gardeners and designers create stylishly gorgeous outdoor living and water-thrifty gardens,she opened her garden store and design center Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco’s Bayview area.
Since drought is definitely not off the radar, Flora joined us on a trip back to Texas last spring to explore design philosophy as water conservation crosses more borders.
Watch her fun and on-target philosophy right now to embrace drought with passion and grace.
And check out colleague Jason Dewees’ new book, Designing with Palms!
Soon, we’ll be pruning fruit trees (and other trees, too!). Zach Halfin, garden manager at Thigh High Gardens, a permaculture educational farm in San Marcos, picks the tools to make your job peachy keen.
On tour, Margie and Al McClurg don’t water much, thanks to adaptable plants on their rocky site and Stronger Than Dirt’s (woman-operated company headed by Julie Clark) yearly application of compost.
In their courtyard garden, they do get to watch wildlife every season (and harvest fresh vegetables) since garden designer Jackson Broussard of Sprout pulled together Margie’s plants and ideas into a cohesive, romantic design.
Watch their story now!
Thanks for stopping by! See you next week, Linda