Gardeners, had enough of winter? Dreaming of Spring? It’s not all that far away even though snow smothered a big part of the country two days ago. Sending warm wishes to everyone from Philadelphia to Boston and beyond. To help you through the February blahs (and mind-numbing politics) along with seed catalogs and a curled up sleeping cat, here are a few hopeful, bright and colorful photos from the start of Spring in north central Texas two years ago.
My property is located in the north/south strip of the Northern Blackland Prairie renowned for it superb top soil known as Ecoregion 32a that runs from San Antonio to Sherman. Below the 18 inches of top soil is clay, locally referred to as ‘gumbo.’ (You need two shovels to dig in it: one to dig, the other to get the sticky mess off the first). The property is in a micro-climate of about 3 square miles, with a slightly higher elevation producing more rain and slightly cooler temps than surrounding areas.
I’ve worked this garden haven for 28 years and know every inch of it intimately. The process of rearranging Fall perennials begins anew next month. Vegetation along the fence line was removed to allow a new fence to be built last November. Although the yard is just over 1200 sq ft including some St. Augustine grass it produces an ever expanding variety of perennial/xeriscape plants every year.
Iris and peonies are the first big color to show up in March/early April along with penstemon, roses and lavender. The colors are invigorating and the fragrances make me giddy. Stick your nose into an iris bloom and you’ll be amazed at the delicate scent. The deep purple ones smell like fruit candy; the lavender ones like almond macaroons. The lavender are a natural cross-pollination of the standard white and the deep purple, serendipity created through Mother Nature’s magic of hybridization.
The organic flower beds have been rearranged since these pictures were taken. Four very large beds were dug out of the center of the lawn more than 21 years ago to create a sunny area for flower propagation. Five large/sick/old ‘trash’ trees — Hackberry, Arizona Ash, Mimosa, Bradford Pear, Willow — were removed 10 years later allowing sunlight to flood the heavily shaded back yard. To make up for the loss of shade, 56 solar panels were installed on the east/south facing roofs 2-1/2 years ago. Best investment ever — no electricity bill from mid-March thru October and unused generated electricity gets sold to the power company.
Abundant sunlight caused bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) to grow like the damnable weed it is and choke everything. It’s impossible to get all the rhizomes — even after stripping the grass, digging out every visible root above and 8” below ground, ‘solarizing’ and layering cardboard/fabric to prevent any new growth. This stuff comes back with a vengeance. It produces millions of seeds. Two of the four beds were overridden with it no matter how much daily weeding was done.
The only way was to begin again in October 2014. Dig it all out, replace soil and replant. Ah, the joys of gardening. Whoever said, “To be a gardener is to have a soiled reputation,” certainly understood.
Penstemon (beardtongue) below.
Brazos River Penstemon (Penstemon tenuis) is a perennial native Texas plant classified as an herb that grows exceptionally well in north central Texas. It’s included in Lady Bird Johnson’s http://www.wildflower.org. Blooms March through June, regularly re-flowering in October. Height: 3-5 feet. Does well in clay, clay loam, medium loam, sandy loam, moist sand. Poor drainage OK. Low water usage. Sun or part shade. Perfect xeriscape plant. Honey bees and monarchs flock to it. Reseeds freely and is easily transplanted.
The first scientific description of penstemon was published in 1748. Look for P. Laevigatus Linnaeus in your seed catalogs for your area. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find more than 250 varieties covering the contiguous 48 states. Buy some seeds (you won’t need more than a packet’s worth), exercise your imagination and, like Ryan Gainey, drop them in an unexpected place in the garden. Be prepared to be astonished.
Flowering quince (shrub) blooms in early January despite freezing temps. Fruit bearing. Nothing quite like quince jam. In Greek legend, Helen of Troy bribed Paris to give Aphrodite quince as the prize in a beauty contest.
Peonies in the bed shown remain in their original south/west-facing location, shaded in the hot summer by the much taller perennial hardy Texas Star hibiscus that blooms in June.
Recurring drought/flood cycles and spring storms are notorious for their destructive nature in Texas, especially in my northeast Dallas neighborhood of early 1950’s ranch style homes with enormous red oaks, sycamores, elms, maples, magnolias. The two remaining trees — American Elm and Sycamore — were removed in 2015 after being struck by Spring lightning, completely changing the sunlight patterns once again. That same year a mighty gust of summer wind sent a neighbor’s neglected 60 yr old 40 ft hackberry tree crashing into the yard, destroying a large part of the fence. Considering investing in Arbor Vitae (Thuja occidentalis). Gardening in north central Texas is like no other place in the country.
Life began in a garden...and hope springs eternal there.
“My rule of thumb for mulch: double the initial estimate of bags needed, and add three. Then I’ll only be two bags short”. ~ Author Unknown