Hi!
I've lived in Mississippi and started a small 2-acre orchard/butterfly/hummingbird garden in the last 5 years. Jackson MS gets about 60 inches of rain. Prior to that I was in Peace Corps Ecuador Forestry; Ecuador gets about 3 meters of rain a year, and one year I was there (winter of 1983-4) El Nino dumped 4.5 METERS of rain. I've also lived in Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama, with plenty of rainfall.
What's it like to garden in such water-restricted areas as Dallas? It sure seems hard to garden when most of the native vegetation is full of thorns and spikes that break off in your leg like lechuguilla! Of course, cruising timber thru greenbriar, honeylocust and blackberry brambles in Mississippi is no picnic either.... ;-)
I never thought I could like the desert, but I did camp at Big Bend once and really loved it. It was beautiful.
I am just getting nervous about feeding my gardening addiction if we move to Dallas, especially with reading about those astronomical water bills under the 'black and blue' topic( I have 'black and blue' for my hummers- guess I'll let it invade...).
Thanks for any comments!
Susan Mc
Jackson Mississippi
May move to Dallas from 60" (Mississippi) and 3 meters rain
Your best bet to conserve water and yet feed your gardening addiction is to plant natives. I've lived in Texas all my life in various areas of the state and I've not seen many native plants that are thorn ridden. I would hazard to say that there are far fewer thorny natives than non-thorny natives. If you've only been to Big Bend, you've not seen terrain similar to that here in North Texas. It's vastly different, just like the terrain here in North Texas is vastly different from that of South Texas and the Valley, or the Coast, or East Texas, which is probably closer to what you're used to.
So, don't hesitate to move here if you can handle the heat and the wacky weather!
lol - Dallas is actually east of the 30" cutoff line - just be sure you don't accidentally move to Ft Worth...
A lot of the same techniques your african Peace Corps colleagues used - drip irrigation, shade cloth, rainwater capture. It is different - you can't just stick a seed in the ground and walk off. But it's not the dessert at all. Nothing close to Big Bend. Yeah, if you're going to try to recreate your MS plantings, the water bill can get out of hand, but there are fabulous mative and well-adapted plants. You probably even would have a broader range of fruit trees - it doesn't get horribly cold in the winter, so with a conducive location you can baby some warmer climate varieties, but you do get enough cold to set fruit for some of the more northern types.
The ecoregion for Dallas is actually blackland prairie - real similar to the NE of Mississippi, Starkville, up that way. Less rain, as you note, but comparable amounts of thorns and spikes.
http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/PrairieParklandSubtrp.rx3.pdf has some info on hummers and butterflies, and their favored plants.
http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?collection=TX_northcentral has all sorts of natives.
Some of the Dallas locals can point you to their favorite gardens.
Once you get here, you can attend a few roundups and get lots of low maintenance, low water native plants, plus lots of great advice. :)
I have a small city yard and my water bills are not that high. I probably don't have as many planted areas but I do have a good portion of my backyard in flowering plants. I agree, use native plants, I am not sure they use that much less water but they do survive and are less likely to die from neglect. I moved here from MI 7 years ago and it has been quite an adjustment. I can't quite get the lush look I enjoyed in an area that got good rainfall and gardening is more difficult in the heat. I think soil quality and planning are key here.
C
Definitely research mulching, water conservation, rainwater harvesting and plants suitable for the region. Water conservation is an issue that is brought to the forefront when Texas has had dry years like we have recently. In my part of east TX, there is much discussion about piping water from these reservoirs to serve the DFW metro area and building new reservoirs for that purpose. Water is necessary to life and if it is squandered, future generations will pay the price.
You can still enjoy butterflies and hummingbirds using different plantings than you may have had in your area. Follow Stephanies' advice and research the natives. After all, one of the major migration paths for butterflies is thru west Texas. Please let us know when we can say "Welcome to Texas!" pod
the joys/struggles of moving is the challenge of learning to enjoy a different look--when we moved here 20 years ago i thought the sky was just so blue--i couldn't figure out why--now i know it is because you can see so much horizon--no big trees blocking it ---
when going to midwest and looking out the plane window i am still amazed at the lush green visions-
-but i like the native and wild flowers of our area and i like the few tropicals that i can grow and enjoy
and i think that growing what works instead of fighting to grow what probably won't work is most of the battle
i do not like how hot it is to work but and i do envy how easy it seems it is to garden in other areas
I agree with all the comments. Dallas isn't a desert (although it feels like it when we're in a drought, like we were a few years ago). Our clay soil, when properly fed, is a wonderful growing medium. Native plants thrive and flourish here. Come on over, attend a RoundUp, pick up a book or two on native plants, and start growing. I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised.
Carla
Well down here in the southeast corner of Texas gets alot of rain..lol..glad I own my water rights where I live..along with a water well..
My entire backyard is covered with butterfly and hummer magnates. Last year I harvested and helped the Giant Swallowtail cats grow. Dale Clark's butterfly farm is less than 10 miles from my home.
www.dallasbutterflies.com/ don't know how to make a link.
He is the president of the Dallas County Lepidopterist Club.
Hope this helps.
Wow- Ya'll sure know how to welcome folks!!!! Thank you for the wonderful responses!!!
I just saw Rockwall was number one in a 'Best places for families' in a 2009 magazine at the orthopedic surgeon's office (I've been nursemaid to a bored 12-year-old in a cast, and haven't been able to get back to thank you until now ;-) Also Frisco looks beautiful.
High schools look better than here, and we have 12- and 14-year-old girls. Are bike paths available?
So now, thanks to your kind responses, I hope this job comes through- I would love to get to explore your part of the country, and meet such kind welcoming people at a roundup!
Jackson has no DG roundups, so I organized one here last summer, and made some good friends! Gardening folks are wonderful people!
I am a forester and do like to use native plants as much as possible, so I really like your mindsets! I have now gotten a passion for fruit trees and my favorite low-pest low-maintenance ones are blueberry persimmon pomegranate pear apple and fig. Peach and plum get plum curculio worms and have to be sprayed on schedule :-(
If only you could grow lychee and soursop that would be perfect; they're probably too tropical, but SO DIVINE....
I would miss our $50 water/sewage bill, tho... Are these bills really $250-300/month?!?!?!
Again, a BIG THANKS to everyone!!!!
Susan McIntosh
Susan, we do have a member who grows lychee in San Marcos, maybe he can tell you about it. Also if you use native plants and don't have a lot of grass you will save on water.
Josephine.
Just wait 'til you see the wildflowers every spring: bluebonnets, buttercups, and indian paintbrushes as far as the eye can see. Clear springtime lakes. Thunderstorms with clouds like stampeding bulls, and lightning that makes the sky turn to fire. Just wait...
Only problem with Frisco is that it is completely surrounded by turnpike, no local routes in or out for those living there, and the city is gradually moving north more than south- I think because of the OKLA casinos, chuckle, Yes. Ft Worth has a whole different eco system than Dallas, but FW is supported by agricultural businesses while Dallas is technical oriented, and has a few other nasty laws I dont care for- like personal property taxes. Research, and have fun.
I put in a plug for Grapevine, which is where I live. Very family friendly, and about 20-25 minutes from both Fort Worth and Dallas. :)
ok--i guess i will put in my vote for plano--
I put in my vote for Arlington, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, even though I don't watch sports that stadium is amazing.
i live in fate a few miles from rockwall. my kids go to rockwall schools.
my very best friend in all the world lives between florence and terry on the pearl.
Hi Mamajack- we talked before about you coming to visit! Maybe I'll come visit you!!!!
Kittriana, thanks for heads up on Frisco! Will check out Grapevine- sure like the name ;-)
Waaayyy past my bedtime!
Susan
When I visit a little brother in Arlington I see that stadium, its only a mile north of him, Arlington is ok, but the other 2 boys moved south to Venus and Midlothian, Grapevine IS a good city, so is Rockwell/Sachse/Fate area, but they are more plains-like than some of the areas. At LEAST they aren't like Richardson/Garland! Ms Plano, you live in a gorgeous city, of beautiful homes, and growing city limits, I know because I graduated in Bonham back in 1970, your city grew like a mushroom almost overnite. Grapevine grew when hwy121 got 'repaired' and Lewisville adjusted, a ton of stuff to do and visit for sure.
Hm, I would think you would want to move close to your job as commuting in traffic around here is awful. I know as I drive from Arlington to Carrollton for work. Stick close but make sure to check out the school district.
C
i think i'd feel pretty good if everyone wanted me to move to their city!--looks like you are going to have instant friends wherever you end up!
Zonkel,
Both Dallas and Ft Worth are east of the 30" line and there isn't a dramatic difference in weather or vegetation between the two. We actually average 32" of rain where I am which is very similar to what Chicago gets. The BIG difference is that we tend to get lots of rain fewer times - we average 79 days of rain here per year whereas 100-115 days is common in other atreas with similar rainfall totals.
TX natives are fine but if you properly amend your soil you will have no trouble growing lots of things you can grow easily in other areas of the country. Water-hungry plants of course will be high maintenance in summer here where you have the heat and periods of drought. In terms of temperature there is also not a significant difference between Jackson, MS and DFW and in fact will likely be more compfortable due to lower humidity, though those from the western US always comment about how humid it is here....relative to the southeast or even Houston is feels quite dry.
If you are expecting desert you will be sorely disappointed. You will have to travel several hundred miles farther west for that. About an hour or two west of FTW however you can start to see significant changes in the landscape. I moved here from IL 11 years ago and to be honest the landscape here isn't *dramatically* different from what one sees in many parts of the Midwest, though temps are hotter for longer periods of time and of course winters are not as cold.
Water bills? I have 2.5 acres...I do have some irrigation on a well but also water from the house (which is on city water) as the sprinklers' reach isn't that far and I average $90 per month off-summer to $110-$120 peak summer. Only about half of that is actual water usage - the rest is sewage, fees, etc. I imagine if you have a pool that you fill from city water that could cause a significant rise but water is not the main issue here, I would be more concerned about power (bills for large properties during summer can be hundreds of $$$ easily), thoguh I am sure to air-condition a comparable house in Jackson with all the humidity is no picnic either and in fact the AC might work harder due to the humidity.
Good luck in your move!
one difference in chicaago was that not everything was air conditioned--
when we moved here 20 years ago my husband would ask the realtor when we came to see each house was "is there central air?"-----after a few times of this she told us "EVERY house you look at will have central air"-------------and that goes for every building!
rockwall is the "new" plano. lots of people moving here. wherever you end up though we must meet at some point. are you a native mississippian? i can't remember now.
LOL the a/c. Growing up in MN but living all my adult life in the south, when we went back north for a visit, my sis commented on our car having a/c. I just assumed all newer vehicles had a/c!
Zonkel ~ as a forester, I am impressed there will be a job opening in that area. Not what we think of wooded land in that metro area.
Hey Podster- you caught me!
Right now I'm just a Mom, letting my husband stick his nose to the grindstone, while I plant fruit trees....
I did have to go from tropical forest inventory (kind of a limiting career direction there) to computerized mapping (Geographic Information Systems). Got my Masters using GIS and satellite imaging identifying deforestation. But cities need GIS. And there is such a thing as an urban forester ;-)
Susan
Multi talented! And you won't be far from forests to the east... Best wishes!
Urban forestry is the new, um, forest forestry...
I moved here (Red River County) from south Alabama where we had 60" of rain. A major difference in soil types, with TX being much better soil. With less rain, organic matter is easier to accumulate and re-mineralization is more cost effective. I've got a little over 100 acres here, and though I have an abundance of Honey Locusts I'm clearing, I see nothing but more opportunity here than anywhere in the rain belt. And with lots of rain in the winter, ponds become our storage for summer irrigation. Sandy soils in south AL were easy to work but when we had a dry summer, it took a lot more water to get the garden to prosper. Here, with the gray and black soils, if you treat the soil right, a dry spell is not as hard on you. Especially if you mulch, mulch, mulch. And in the vegetable plot, raised beds and mulch seem to work fine.
good to hear that our dry hot geography has advantages--this time of the year i need to try at least to remember that!
lajaw..........where is fulbright? i agree with everything you said. blackland gets hard as concrete but when it's right, it's right and it is rich dirt. in texas......you'll hear about the "window of time" after a rain. you have to time it right.
Red River County, SE of Paris.
i see. there are allison's in powderly that are my family. pretty country up that way.
We used to camp out at Pat Mayes Lake near Powderly and bass fish. The kids were 6 and 9 years old then. Now they are 44 and 47. wow. where did the time go?
pat mayes..........i don't know it. can you rent boats lou?
Gosh, Barbara, bet it has been 30 years since we were there last. Since Mike bass fished and had lures, we didn't even have to look for a bait shack. Too much water OVER my bridge to remember and in that length of time I'm sure it has all changed by now.
www.texassportfishing.com/Region_2/Pat_Mayes_Lake.htm
Maybe this can help you.
they do have a place for tents. wonder if i could get up from the ground if i took my son camping and fishing. lol.
Actually, when we went there last, we were in a tent with the kids. They were 6 and 9 so guess I was about 30 then. Oh My Lord! They are 44 and 47 now. Where did the time goooooo????