TEXAS
Fall-Blooming Annuals
Planting time is here for annuals such as pansies and violas. Visualize
flowerbeds with elongated masses of pansies in single colors of yellow,
blue, purple, orange, or white or in mixed hues. Prepare the soil by
adding several inches of organic material such as composted pine bark,
peat, or your own compost, and then add a fertilizer such as Osmocote
Vegetable & Bedding 14-14-14, cottonseed meal, or alfalfa meal. Apply
the commercial fertilizer according to label directions or the meals at
the rate of 5 pounds per 100 square feet of bed area. Be sure that soil
temperatures have cooled before planting pansies, and select robust
transplants in 4-inch containers or larger for quick results. Contrast
these prolific bloomers with cool-weather foliage plants such as
ornamental kales, cabbages, or Swiss chards. Violas are
smaller-flowering cousins of pansies but bloom prolifically and can make
impressive displays. These plants also work great in containers.
Entire State
Seeds--Save some seeds from your favorite
flowers of summer. Cut fading flower heads of zinnias, sunflowers,
black-eyes Susans, marigolds, cosmos, bachelor's buttons, and celosias.
Allow them to dry for a few days in a shady place before separating the
seeds by shaking or pulling the pods apart above a sheet of paper. Place
seeds in labeled envelopes, and store them in the lower part of the
refrigerator until its time to plant next year.
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Panhandle
Windbreaks--Add these plantings to reduce cold
damage in the garden and lower heating costs inside the home. Evergreens
such as Eastern red cedar and Arizona cypress are dependable and
long-lived. For quicker effects, space the plants 3 to 5 feet apart in
staggered rows. Mulch with hay, coastal Bermuda grass, or similar
material, and water well until established.
North, West, Central, and South
Dividing irises--Louisiana
and bearded irises should be divided when existing clumps are crowded
and not blooming well. Begin by digging the entire clump, and then
select firm growing tips with at least several inches of the rhizome
(enlarged root). Replant into prepared soil, and water well.
Central, East, and South
Vegetables--Cool-weather vegetables make
a great addition to our gardens and can be planted now. Cabbage, kale,
lettuce, arugula, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are usually available
as transplants. Turnips, spinach, and mustard are best when they are
seeded directly into prepared soil. Be sure to thin the seedlings 3 to 4
inches apart when several weeks old. All work well in raised beds.
South
Planting trees--Small-flowering trees bring color and
interest to South Texas gardens. Natives such as Texas olive (Cordia
Boissieri), Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora), and Texas
ebony (Pithecellobium flexicaule) add color while thriving with little
or no supplemental irrigation.
"Around Your Garden" is from the November 2007 issue of Southern Living.
