Welcome to East Texas Gardening. Here you will find posts of weekly articles devoted to gardening in the northeastern part of Texas, plus links to other blogs and web pages I find interesting which I think you will too.
East Texas is a wonderful place to garden and grow stuff. Unlike most of Texas, we almost have 4 seasons, which increases the types of plants we can grow here. Our soils, rainfall and climate are conducive to growing a wide range of flora. Of course, we have our share of pests, including fungi, bacteria, insects, and critters – especially moles.
Posts include upcoming horticultural events in the region, interesting plants, current pest outbreaks, and other gardening-related stuff I hope you will find useful. Under LINKS, check out my main web page – East Texas Gardening which has many articles on a wide range of topics.
May Garden Blogger Bloom Day
Today is Garden Blogger Bloom Day (GBBD), a day when garden bloggers post what’s blooming in their garden. It is fun and interesting to see what is blooming in different parts of the country at different times of the year. To see what other bloggers are posting for GBBD, go to May Dreams Gardens – they’re the folks that started this great concept. I really didn’t have a lot of time to take photos today, but did manage to get a few snapped before taking care of business…. Read More →
Good Guys in the Garden
Insects rule! Or, so it seems. There are approximately 250,000 insect species in the U.S., with 30,000 of these living in Texas. That’s more insect species than all the kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles, fishes and plants combined. We are continually surrounded by insects, both in and around our homes. Insects have a bad rap since the most familiar ones are the ones that bug us. Some insects can do considerable damage to crops; others are vectors of serious diseases. But, did you know that only 3% of… Read More →
Gardening Tips for the Month of May
Garden centers are overflowing with new and fresh plants for the garden. Early May is a great time for setting out new annuals to take the place of winter color. And the number types and varieties of colorful perennials available for adding color and interest to the garden increases every year. In the flower garden, you have time to directly sow into the soil seeds of sunflower, zinnia, morning glory, portulaca, marigold, cosmos, periwinkles, and ornamental gourds. Achimenes, cannas, dahlias, and other summer-flowering bulbs and corms can… Read More →
The Fungus Among Us
It has been a great spring for plant growth, and also, if you were a fungal organism, for infecting plant leaves. Leaf spot diseases can vary in severity from year to year, from non-existent to severe – it all depends on the environment. Fireblight on ornamental pear (which has good resistance to this bacterial disease) is a good example – most years it is non-existent, but this year environmental conditions combined to cause an outbreak. Many plant leaf diseases need mild weather and prolonged rainy spells or heavy… Read More →
Tyler Rose Garden – It’s Time to Visit!
A couple of great events are coming up at the end of April. The 2012 Home Garden Tour, hosted by Smith County Master Gardeners, a volunteer organization supporting the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, has arranged for 5 different home gardens to be open to the public on Saturday, April 28, rain or shine. This is an opportunity to see and be inspired by a diversity of garden styles that you normally don’t get to see. The gardens selected for this year vary from a stunning backyard garden with… Read More →
Texas Gold Columbine – A Treasure for the Garden
One thing East Texans have plenty of is shade. If you live on a cleared lot, wait a few years, do nothing and you’ll have trees. Shade is a two-edged sword for the homeowner. On the one hand, it provides welcome relief from our long, hot summers, giving our bodies and our pocketbooks a break. On the other hand, too much shade can make it difficult to grow many of the outstanding, colorful landscape plants that can really liven up a yard. This is especially true for… Read More →
April Gardening Tips
What an interesting year, weather-wise, thus far. Mild winter, warm March, and thankfully enough rainfall to fill up lakes and replenish dried out soils. Spring gardening is at a fever pitch now, and nurseries are fully stocked with all kinds of plants and products for every purpose for the itchy green thumb. Here are a few gardening tips for the month of April that you might find helpful. Home Garden Tour. Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 28, when the Smith County Master Gardeners host their annual Home… Read More →
Sap Sucking Sapsucker
There’s just something about trees that inspire and create strong feelings towards these long-lived plants that give us shade, beauty and a sense of place. So, when strange things start showing up on our trees, the alarms start to sound. Every year we get inquiries concerning several different types of trees, all with similar symptoms. See if you have seen this around your place. Initially, you might think your tree has borers. Small holes, not too deep, in parallel lines ringing the trunk or large limb of a… Read More →
March Garden Bloggers Bloom Day
It’s March 15 and that means Garden Bloggers Bloom Day where garden writers and bloggers post what’s blooming in their (or others) gardens, so folks across this great land can enjoy blooms from north to south and east to west. To see what other bloggers are posting for GBBD, go to May Dreams Gardens. Spring has sprung in East Texas, and it was hard narrowing down some of the photos to show.
New USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
This mild winter and spring, along with welcome rainfall, is helping to push the drought and heat of 2011 out of the minds of gardeners. While we should remain cautious regarding the potential return of drought conditions, it is hard to resist the urge to plant the garden, or to replant and replace drought-damaged plants. In case you have not seen or heard, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just published an updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM). This is a map which graphically shows the… Read More →