Hello Everyone, I am interested in discussion, seed and plant trading
and learning in general about native plants and wildflowers. I am very dedicated to plant conservation and I love to demomstrate what can be done with the native plants that have been ignored by the nurseries in favor of the exotics. About 85 % of the plants in our yard are native and we are allways looking to improve.
I am sure there are others out there doing the same thing and loving it as much as we do.
Please let us talk about what you are doing and what you have accomplished.
We are on our 7th year of this type of gardening.
Hoping to hear from all you dedicated gardeners.
Sincerely, Josephine.
Gardening with Native plants and Wild flowers of Texas.
scooterbug
Twin Lakes, WI
Zone 5a
Dec 11, 2004
8:54 PM
Quote " native plants that have been ignored by the nurseries in favor of the exotics."
I think a lot of folks would not take kindly to commercializing native wildflowers.
JMO
=)
Dear Scooterbug, I don't understand why finding native plants and wildflowers at the nurseries would not be good. We have nurseries in Texas that specialize in native plants and we are very happy about it, because we want our beautiful native plants to be recognized and appreciated more in the home landscape, where people can see them on a regular basis and enjoy them.
Our beautiful state flower, the Bluebonnet is an example. The highway dept. plants bluebonnets and other wildflowers along our highways and it is a magnificent sight to see Texas in Spring.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife department also has an Urban Program to encourage home owners to use native plants in order to peserve our native flora, and provide shelter and food for wildlife. An information kit is sent to those who want to participate, and after their requirements are met, they award you a certificate and a plaque stating that your yard is a native plant and wild life habitat. We are proud members of this program and are trying to encourage others to participate in this and other similar programs.
We hope to bring the message to as many people as possible.
Sincerely, Josephine Keeney.
Do you have pics of what you are doing with natives, Josephine?
frostweed,
I remember reading what scooterbug said. I couldn't understand it and I don't know if I can explain it either.
Maybe I can provide a different point of view that might help. Although a native Texan by birth, I've lived in California most of my life — in the eastern and southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area. There are between 4 and 5 million people, packed like sardines, living there. You have to be filthy rich to own more than a quarter acre lot. With space at a premium, most people have other priorities privacy being on top of the list. This means something big and shruby. Most people want something with big flowers. I decided on an edible garden and planted accordingly. Local nurseries carter to those needs. Throw in a mediterranean climate — no rain from early May or late April until November — and there are few wildflowers growing. I remember getting very excited when I'd see a few California poppies growing wild. There is not much demand for wildflowers. If a person had any wildflowers, they were probably liberated from the wild. That could be what scooterbug meant. That someone is going out and depleting the wildflower population.
I now live on a ranch by the Colorado River here in central Texas. When we bought the ranch six years ago, it has been neglected and overgrazed. The wildflowers were gorgeous. We have been living on it for 3-1/2 years now and have something blooming year round. With acres instead of feet for a perspective garden, my aspirations for a garden have widened considerably also. We've started to 'improve' our pastures so we don't have as may wildflowers as we did. My husband and I are having to make compremises. We are leaving patches of spring blooming wildflowers here and there. Ultimately, what we hope to do is get rid of all the noxious weeds that are toxic to cattle or that compete with Burmuda grass, our main pasture grass. We have two burmuda pastures overplanted with annual rye. With that much demand on the soil, those two pastures will have to be as weed free as we can make it and that means wildflowers also, unfortunately. We have 1/2 a pasture (about 15 acres) that is not shredded until the sand bluebonnets have gone to seed. I wish I could get the regular bluebonnets to grow there. We shred around the few Indian paintbrush to encourage more to grow. Shredding is not really a threat to most of our wildflowers since the spring blooming flush is over before the Burmuda grass comes out of dormancy. It's the spraying with herbicides we have started and will continue to do until we have gotten rid of the really bad, really big patches of perennial weeds that are the threat. After that is accomplished, we can spot treat,. Then I would like to seed islands of wildflowers in our pastures. Long term dream here. We haven't done anything to the wooded areas so they still have whatever was growing there.
It's like being in school again. This city girl has had a lot to learn about cattle and grasses in 3 years. One disheartening one was that a beautiful sea of Drummond Verbena can disappear almost overnightl. Cattle love the flowers,too.
I've read about the Urban Program and would love to hear what you have done. Since we have had to get rid of some of our wildflowers in the pastures, I want a part of our garden devoted to wildflowers of Texas. Since I am new (3+ years and I still so much to learn) to Texas gardening, I'm hoping you won't mind conversing and sharing information with a newbie. I'm especially interested in wildflowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. As another compromise, we haven't 'improved' the pastures surrounding the house so we can enjoy all the beautiful butterflies that visit us during the year.
Sorry about bending you ear, but I had so much to share initially. I'll try to keep it short from now on.
BettyDee
Thank you both for your reply and questions.
In answer to the first question, yes, we do have pictures. Please tell me your name,
I just hate call you Imway2dumb.
of course this sort of thing is never finished, just like gardening.
We are still working on adding the trees and shrubs, which we have to do as time permits.
On the drop down menu to the left of the screen there are links to articles about composting and soil inprovement, my philosophy of gardening, and one called, Get Certified, which explains about the Urban Program with a link to their website so you can get all the information you need.
Bettydee, thank you for all that you told me about yourself, I loved it, and I envy you all that space, we just have a quarter acre lot in town, so we are limited in what we can do, but we have crammed a lot of plants in a small space.
If you need seeds or plants to get your wildflower garden started, I can supply you with some,
Texas Native plants are a passion of mine.
Sincerely, Josephine.
Absolutely, landscaping & gardening with natives has been really catching on in TX. One explanation I heard is that most of Texas' climate is so severe, we can't easily grow what most of the world grows (because for many years, it was the British & Europeans, and then the "transplanted" British & Europeans, who were doing all the gardening) which is what most of the seed companies, etc, offer (plants that grow well in those climates.) But Texans aren't that stupid, we've (finally!) figured out it's EASIER, less expensive, and, gee whiz, even better for the environment if we use natives! I suspect TX is leading the march in local nurseries that carry mostly natives. Homeowners in The Woodlands, just 8 miles south of me, are REQUIRED to use no less than 60 or 70% (I'm not sure which) natives in their landscapes. They have free seminars available to teach people about natives. My favorite nursery has classes in the Sring and again in the Fall about different gardening issues, the emphasis always on natives. The master gardeners from our local Extension Service are all about natives and organic gardening.
Frostweed, I would love to see some pics of what you're doing!
Hello Maggiemoo, this is so thrilling! I am finally getting a response.
You are right, we have wonderful plants on this beautiful land, that many people have never
seen. We live on a corner lot, and we have wildflowers planted on the outside of the fence.
The neighbors love to come by and admire all the plants as they change through the season.
We have raised the awareness about native plants in our neighborhood and we feel very
blessed to be part of this movement.
Sincerely, Josephine.
Interesting site! Way to go Josephine! The name is John.
You are likely using the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin as a resource......?
I am trying to figure out why so many native Texans feel the climate here in TX is so "severe", or more inhospitable to plant life than anywhere else. I am not a native Texan...have lonly lived here six years. just wondering - I hear that a lot and don't agree. I have seen much more extreme in many regards elsewhere.
Thats true in terms of absolutes but, don't you think the combination of temperature and humidity is a bit much? I do and I've lived in other severe climates, too. Hot, cold, wet, dry you name it. Its that combination. Summers from D/FW to Ok City take the cake!!!
John
John,
Nahhh..our summers in the Midwest were more humid than here......the only good thing was that we would get breaks in the heat with regular cold fronts, whereas in TX the high pressure system sits on the state for 2 or 3 months solid. Our winters up there in Illinois were much worse than here.
Steve, I guess we call it "severe" only because it is severe in comparison with the weather most plant/seed/nursery companies assume that their plants are being grown in. Certainly it is not inhospitable to plant life- there are lots and lots of natives, so plant life surely does grow in these conditions. But an example is that when most plant descriptions that say a plant needs full sun, full sun in TX will often fry the plant in summer. In TX, those plants probably need afternoon shade. Also, many plants described as "hardy" mean that they will survive the cold winters and snow. Any of those plants in central to south TX will never survive the severe heat of summer to even get to the winter, so are treated as annuals here. In the Gulf coast area, we have such high humidity and periods of drought folowed by flooding w/standing water, followed by drought again, most plants that do well in OK and north have a terrible time here. That's why natives are so great, in ANY part of the country. They are already "hard-wired" to not just survive, but to thrive in the local conditions.
Oh yeah, the winters arn't much here for sure! But, the summers..... Not having lived in Illinois, I can't personally compare the two other than looking at summer dew point and temperature maps. My recollection of them is that it is 'rarely' more humid or hotter (ambient temperatures) in the midwest than Texas (or the South). I always figured the only place that might be worse would be SE Asia.
John
Yeah, but Texas is not a monolith...there are wide variations in humidity in different parts of the state. I can for sure say that Houston/Galveston is infinitely more humid than the DFW area, having experienced both. Humidity levels in my area in the evening in summer average around 35% or so - not bad.
Absolutely. And when I visit my sister in Austin I'm miserable due to the dryness. And west TX!!
Of course, the good thing about our high humidity is that it keeps our skin from drying out and aging as fast as in dry areas. For instance, I look like I'm only 12 yrs old. :-)
Ha, ha! 35% of what? For me, humidity is better expressed as dew point. Gives me a better idea of how much moisture is in the air. Houston is much more humid than is Lubbock, for example. However, the ambient air temperature along the gulf coast is usually less than the rest of the state. Its that 'combination' of temp & humidty that makes N Central Texas so nasty in July and August. Day and night, day after day!! Heck man, I know you know I'm right. You live here, too!
John
We'll just have to disagree, John. Ambient temps in parts of the midwest and south may be somewhat lower than here, but trust me, Memphis TN and St Louis MO are pretty miserable. Your clothes stick to you as soon as you walk out the door. Sunglasses steam up walking out the door. A/C can't keep up nearly as well as it can here because the air is so soggy. I don't think it's all that miserable here in comparison.
I don't know that we disagree since I haven't lived in those places as you have. I learn as I go. :-)
John
Hello Maggie, John and Steve, I have lived in Arlington Texas for 37 years, we moved here
from Chicago, and I must say that it can get quite hot up there too, although it doesn't stay for
long, however, not every home has central air conditioning over there, and beleive me
it sure can make a difference. At least here we can be comfortable through the worst parts
of the day and enjoy the mornings and afternoons.
Another thing that is not so good there, are the long cold winters. The night that my daughter
was born it was 20 below, and it can stay that way for days at a time,
At least here it doesn't get very cold, and if it dips down, it never lasts long.
One thing we can always count on in Texas is that the weather will change, so if you don't
like the temperature one day, just stick around, it will change for sure.
To make a long story short, I like it here in Texas!
Josephine.
Hello Yuska, yes I am a member of the Wildflower Center, but I am also using a few books,
especially, Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest, by George o. Miller.
Also Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller.
Wildflowers of Texas, by Geyata Ajilvsgi
Plants of the Metroplex, by John Howard Garret.
All the pictures on the website are our pictures, but we took some, not many, some place
other than our yard.
We have tried to only feature the plants that we are growing and have experience with.
Thank you for your interest in our site, my husband Frank, built it and we are still working
on it, I did the research and the writting and he put in the web expertise.
Sincerely, Josephine.
I remember years ago taking a trip to Jamaica in the summer. A group from Illinois was already on the plane when the rest of the seats filled up with Houston-area folks. It stayed in the mid-eighties the whole time, and there was a short rain shower every afternoon. It was easy to spot who was from where- all the Ill folks were sweating and having a tough time with the heat, while the Houston folks were all enjoying the "cool" weather! Guess it's all relative.
It is.
Thank you, Josephine, I will take you up on your offer of seeds or plants. Let me give it some thought. I looked up your website. You've done a great job. You know, I've visited that site before. Last summer, I bought a Texas Star hibiscus, did a web search on it and your site popped up. I was being a little single minded back then concentrating on the hibiscus. I took a better look at it tonight. I hadn't noticed that photo of Carolina Snailseed. We have one growing by our front gate and have been wondering what it might be ever since it got those beautiful red berries. It was obviously planted by a bird.
Do your passionflowers produce fruit? We have three areas where these grow. I've been meaning to transplant one of the plants to a protected area so I can see a ripe fruit. Everytime one develops, it disappears before ripening. I'm not sure what animal is eating them. I love the flowers. Early on, the color is a clear pale blue. Later in the season, the color takes on a lavender hue.
I lived 2 miles north of the Ohio River near Cincinnati for four years. That area can be very hot and humid during the summer and it was no picnic shoveling snow in -5º weather. We'd get cabin fever by February and would welcome 40º weather for a romp outside. I don't think there's an ideal spot anywhere. The closest I've come to one was in Key West, but then they have to worry about hurricanes.
Maggie, I don't think I would like to live in the Woodlands. To have to plant by a strict formula would kill me. I enjoy gardening too much to have someone tell me what I can and cannot plant.
Veronica
Amen, Veronica. Gardening is all about experimentation and having fun. Every area has its climactic pluses and minuses
Antartica, too? LOL
We also have a vital interest in Native Texas plants. We have a half acre on a hot, dry, flat texas corner. A former cottonfield turned development. We practice organics totally, and follow a lot of Howard Garretts teachings. The best plants to grow in this tough clay, are of course Natives.
We water our yard and gardens conservatively, as our neighbors are watering either daily or every other day (GASP)! Who's yard is going strong in August and September when we are on rationing...? Those with the deepest roots!
We have our own little backyard habitat, and had planned on applying for certification, but just didn't get around to it... so thanks for the link frostweed.
You can check out a few pix of our oasis:
http://journals.aol.com/melharris5/HarrisGardenandsuch/
mel
Hello Melanie, Wow! that is a gorgeous yard you have, much more refined than ours.
I sure would love to see it in person, you have some wonderdul pictures ( and features) on your property. One thing that happened was that we could'nt enlarge your pictures, because they are only viewable on Netscape, but they are absolutely lovely. Thank you for posting them, and we are looking forward to meeting you one of these days.
I love the fact that you garden organically, that is really the best way to go.
Sincerely, Josephine.
Do you have to be on AOL to see the pictures? I can't see anything but a big white box.
Melanie, your photos were beautiful. I especially liked the pond. Did you put it in yourselves? I am not familiar with Howard Garretts. Who is he?
Maggie, I'm not on AOL and was able to see the photos by logging on as a guest.
Betty Dee
Love this thread! Mel, I too, am unable to enlarge your pictures but from what I can see, you have a gorgeous yard.
Bettydee, Howard Garrett is a contributor to the Dallas Morning News Home & Garden section on Fridays. Big into organics.
And Mel, I am one of those people who water every other day during our hottest months! LOL
Thanks. I will check into why the pictures do not enlarge. When I am back at the other computer, I will post a picture here for ya'll.
Terri, as you can tell by our yard, you don't HAVE to water that much. Makes you feel better, but given the right soil conditioning and mulch situations, the roots will dig deep and take their moisture from deeper reserves.
Howard Garrett can be found on www.dirtdoctor.com for those interested in texas organics.
Yes. We did the pond ourselves. It is an aquascape pond, totally organic too. We have koi, goldfish and gambuzia fish for mosquito control. The pond is now 4 years old, and we enjoy it alot. We will never live anywhere without a water feature... it's so calming and stress relieving.
Josephine... refined? Not our yard. I feel it is a jumble of hodgepodge... but developing every season. I truly enjoy walking the trails and seeing what is new... almost every day.
Thank you for the comments. We truly love doing the work, and the reward is for others to enjoy it too!
mel
Try this picture and let me know!
thanks-
Mel
Thanks Mel, now I can see what everyone has been complimenting you about! I wish some of you guys would come down here and help me figure out what to put where, as you have definitely got it down right!
Thank you Mellanie, yes the picture worked just great and it did enlarge. You do have a beautiful yard, and all organic besides, wow! it makes my heart sing.
Maggiemoo, it might help if you try drawing a garden plan on paper. Do you garden the organic way too? The book" Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest" by George O. Miller, would be a great help. You can order it on line from Wallmart and save $6.00 from the bookstore price. I just love that book because it is so easy to use.
Our granddaughter lives in Humble, Texas and we usually come to visit her in August for her birthday, so may be when we come to see her, we will be able to stop on the way there, and see you too. Josephine.
I have updated the photos on my journal page, so you might check those out if they did not load before. There are some new ones too!
Thanks,
Mel
http://journals.aol.com/melharris5/HarrisGardenandsuch/
Josephine,
I've already got my beds built as per the plans I drew up, last Spring was the first that I was actually planting in them. Not all the plants have worked out the way I'd hoped, and there are still a couple of areas I haven't figured out what to do yet. Your beds look so full, I would really appreciate some input. It would be great to meet you when you come this direction in August. By that time I'll have a better idea what is and isn't working (I have pulled some stuff, have some more stuff yet to do right now.) I'm sure my impatience also is showing, as I realize that some things that are coming back right now seem better than they were last year (I guess the old rule of "1st yr they sleep, 2nd yr they creep, & 3rd yr they leap.")
I do garden organically, and I also use "Naturalistic Landscaping for the Gulf Coast" by Mark Bowen as a reference. He is really pushing the landscaping industry down here - and gardeners - to go native as much as possible, and to plant "watersmart" gardens. (Xeriscaping is really for dry climates, but we have a lot of rain also, and the idea is to catch as much as possible in our landscapes, rather than letting it all run off into drainage/sewer systems. It still incorporates a lot of drought tolerant plants, and teaches watering less often but more deeply.)
Mark Bowen and our local "Lazy Gardener", Brenda Beust Smith, will have a class at the Arbor Gate nursery in Tomball, 4/2/05, which I will attend (I go to anything I can that he is involved in.)
Anyway, I'll certainly look forward to meeting you.
Maggie
Hello Maggie, It looks like you are doing a good job and are very active in many aspects of gardening. As for your beds not being as full as you would like, it does take time, don't forget this is my eighth year of native plant gardening. It takes time and patience but you will get there. I can send you some seeds now, and later when we come to Humble, I can bring some plants too. Let me know which seeds you would like, and I'll see what I can do.
Josephine.
Great pictures, Mel. I love your Koi pond.