Texas Style Fall Color

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Fall Gardens in Dallas trump summer gardens!   Remember this instead of  falling into discouragement in our 100° plus days with hardly a drop of rain. The Dallas County Master Gardeners who garden at the Demonstration Garden on Joe Field Road all agree we  love our version of fall color!

Bottle Tree Framing a view of Maximillian Sunflower, Desert Sage, Lantana, and Salvia Blue Spires

This area of the garden is relatively carefree after amending the soil, careful plant selection, and mulch, mulch, mulch!

Rosy Creek Abelia, Salvia Blue Spires, Muhly Grass, Papyrus On The Right In Our Pond

We do have an agonizing  bind weed issue that keeps us humble, but we will save that part of the story for another time. 

 Enjoy the mellow quality of Autumn in Texas. Temperatures are less and color is more!

Ann

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Yaupon Holly, Full Of Fruit In The Fall

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

 We have three female Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) trees in the Wildlife Habitat of the Raincatcher’s Garden.  The fruit ripens in the fall and will attract Northern Mockingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, and other fruit-eating birds.  The evergreen foliage provides good cover and sometimes nesting sites, for songbirds.  Although the the foliage will be more dense in full sun than in part-shade, this species is well adapted to both.  Pruning practices also affect the density of the cover it provides.

When buying yaupon trees, the easiest way to be sure you will get fruiting trees is to select them in the late summer or fall, when you should be able to see fruits on a female tree.  Because yaupons are dioecious, pollination by a male tree is required for the female tree to produce fruit, so you may want to plant a male (non-fruiting) tree among your females.  However, Dallas has many yaupons, and female trees often seem to be pollinated by males from other gardens.   Fortunately, fall is our best season for planting trees. 

'Pride of Houston' Yaupon Holly At The Demonstration Garden

The beautiful fruits are properly called drupes rather than berries, because there is a single seed in the center of the fruit, surrounded by an outer skin and a fleshy middle layer.

Deirdre

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Fall Herbs

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Paula taught a class at our garden last week about fall herbs.  She gave us the name of a new sage: New’re Year’re Sage and gave it the thumbs up for taste.  We will all have to look at Dallas garden centers to try to find it.

She reminded us to plant Cutting Celery, which smells and tastes like celery.  Chop up the slender stalks and leaves of Cutting Celery for tuna and  in any dish that call for celery.  I’ll bet she uses it in Bloody Mary’s too!

Fall Herbs For Texas Gardens

We talked about Bay which Paula uses fresh in her recipes and doubles the amount of leaves.  For instance using 4 when her soup recipe says 2.  When purchasing Bay, you want to make sure you are buying the culinary version.

Bay Leaf

Paula says hold a leaf up to the light; if you can see the veins of the leaf, you have the correct Bay.

Mexican Mint Marigold

 Texans use the licorice flavored leaves of Mexican Mint Marigold as a Tarragon substitute and the flowers as an edible garnish.  It is blooming now in our Demonstration Garden.

It’s not too late to harvest Basil to make a few batches of Basil Butter for the holidays or Basil Ice Cubes.  Use your Basil now because it will be gone after the first frost.  
 
Basil Ice Cubes: Wash and dry your Basil and remove the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems. Finely chop the leaves. Fill an ice-cube tray with chopped Basil, scooping one tablespoon of the Basil into each cube. Fill the cubes with vegetable or chicken broth. When they freeze, pop them out of your tray and into a Ziploc bag in your freezer.  Yum-Basil all winter to be added to soups and vegetables!
 
We can also rely on Rosemary, Hot and Spicy Oregano in salsa and enchiladas, Lemon Verbena, and Italian Parsley to perk up our fall menus.

Ann

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Pomegranate Jelly

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Pomegranate harvested from our tree, pottery by Lisa's daughterWe are wild about pomegranates at the Demonstration Garden.  Our three year old tree produced enough pomegranates to fill 12 quart bags of pomegranate seeds and make two dozen jars of jelly. 

Pomegranate Jelly Making-First Step

Sarah provided the recipe and tutelage. You should have been in our kitchen last week! Extracting Juice From The Pomegranates Seeds

The pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and sure jell was brought to a rolling boil, sugar was added and more boiling.  This was carefully poured into sterilized jars and processed in a boiling water canner.

Processed Jars of Pomegranate Jelly

Last step-refuse goes to the compost pile!

Pomegranate Hulls Will Be Composted

Actually, you can help us with one more step! Please purchase a jar of Pomegranate Jelly at the October 25th Master Gardener meeting at Winfrey Point, Dallas, Texas. The proceeds will provide a little  for the upkeep of our gardens!

Ann

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Garden Based Education

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Benefits of Garden-Based Learning
“Gardening enhances our quality of life in numerous ways: providing fresh food, exercise and health benefits, opportunities for multi-generational and life-long learning, creating pleasing landscapes and improved environment, and bringing people together.

Garden-based learning programs result in increased nutrition and environmental awareness, higher learning achievements, and increased life skills for our students. They are also an effective and engaging way to integrate curriculum and meet learning standards, giving young people the chance to develop a wide range of academic and social skills.

Garden experiences foster ecological literacy and stewardship skills, enhancing an awareness of the link between plants in the landscape and our clothing, food, shelter, and well-being. They also provide children and youth with the time and space to explore the natural world–something that can occur rarely in today’s era of indoor living.” (excerpted from Cornell University, the garden based education blog.)

Last week we had 54 kindergarten students from Providence Christian Academy in our gardens learning about chickens and eggs, veggies and herbs, compost, and observing our gardens full of Monarch butterflies, ladybugs, and bees.

SIlky Hen At The Demonstration Garden Field TripMeet Opal, named for Judy’s Aunt Opal. 

 Opal is a Silkie with black skin and bones and 5 toes instead of the normal 4. She is a wonderful brooder and mother.

Moms And Children FromProvidence Christian School Enjoying Our Visiting Chickens

Eat your veggies! We let the children take home the radishes they picked and they fed the radish tops to the chickens. 

Radish Harvest For A Kindergarten Boy From Providence Christian School

Enthusiastic future vermi-composters!

Red Wriggler Worms and Providence Christian School Students

We are still booking fall field trips.  The Gardens and our Dallas County Master Gardeners are always ready to teach in the garden!

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Fall At The Demonstration Garden

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

This fall we have been busy preparing new garden areas.  Aadil Khambati built this arbor as part of his Eagle Scout project.  Our Master Gardeners are planting ornamental grasses to rim the walk circling The Color Wheel. We love working in the cooler fall weather and our plants  thank us for giving them a better start before summer’s high temperatures hit!

New Arbor Leading Into The Raincatcher's Garden, Susan, Jan, Abbe, Hans

As you walk through the new arbor, you will see The Color Wheel  blooming  riotously. This was planted in late spring to give gardener’s ideas for color contrasts and harmonies in their own gardens.  Don’t we all wish for the “eye of an artist” in our gardens?  Start here at our garden and learn the principles of the color wheel.

The Blues Of The Color Wheel, Salvia leucantha, Salvia farinacea, Purple Heart Next Door

Examine the reds of our color wheel. Are you pulled towards exciting, warm colors?  Lisa has planted several red Salvias, Lantana, and even Mexican Poinsettia with splashes of an orangey red on green leaves. 

Dallas Red Lantana, Salvia, Canna, Rosemary In The Background

At the Earth-Kind® WaterWise Demonstration Garden on Joe Field Road we are making the most of Fall Gardening in Texas!

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Thanksgiving’s Coming, Plant Sage Now!

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Have you ever thought of putting a bit of sage in your spaghetti sauce? Hmmm. I’ll pass on that one. The beloved herb Salvia officinalis actually is a Mediterranean native that has migrated around the world and now lends its woodsy flavoring to our Thanksgiving table.

Classic Green Sage

If you want to have a patch of sage ready for holiday picking, now is a great time to tuck it in the herb garden. Marian Buchanan, the Dallas herb expert, suggests planting herbs in a generous half day of sunlight, preferably morning light with some afternoon protection.  Good drainage is critical with herbs; Marian says to add at least 2-3 inches of organic compost and expanded shale before planting. Like rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and fennel, sage is sensitive to overwatering.  Marian suggests watering thoroughly, then let the soil dry a bit.

I visited the herb section of our local nursery last week and like jelly beans at the mall candy store, I wanted a variety of each color.  The classic green garden sage is perfect for turkey stuffing and flavoring stock.  Try this sage blended into mild cheese or minced with other herbs in a delectable melted butter. 

Berggarten SageThe ‘Berggarten’ sage leaves are quite a bit larger and more rounded than oval-leafed garden sage.  If dried, this sage can lose its flavor and taste more medicinal after awhile.  Try freezing the fresh leaves for better flavor.  ‘Berggarten’ translates to ‘mountain garden’ in German.  The name comes from the gardening plots of the Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover, Germany, built in 1666 to supply produce for the Herrenhauser Castle in Lower Saxony.

On your herb buying trip, you also might see the adorable ‘Tricolor’ sage. The pink, white and green leaves have the classic sage taste and are popular asTricolor Sage a garnish for roasted turkeys.  Crushed or chopped leaves add a wonderful flavor to soups, teas, vegetables, salmon or tilapia fillets.  If you want to keep the lovely pink edge on this sage, be sure to plant it in sufficient sunlight.  Otherwise, the leaves will fade to just green and white. 

Linda has tempted our blog readers with so many of her recipes.  She’s culling her holiday files now for Thanksgiving classics, many featuring sage. 

In my kitchen, I’m like the Chinese in the 17th century who so admired sage from the Dutch merchants that they would trade three chests of Chinese tea for one chest of sage. 

Elizabeth

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A September Garden Field Trip

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Our Garden is certified as a Wildlife Habitat. When  children are interested in  nature; they  learn about protecting habitats and become engaged with their environment.  Being outside in an area that provides food, water, and cover for wildlife, gives them the chance to observe frogs, fish, rabbits, birds, butterflies,  dragonflies, and the occasional visit from our Mr.Cottontail. 

Teaching In The Wildlife Habitat At The Demonstration Garden

We teach the virtues of vermicomposting.  Red wriggler worms easily hold the attention of these students. 

Vermicomposting Taught By Dallas County Master Gardeners For Kids

Kids that visit our gardens like to take home something they can grow.  The Grace Academy kids learned about seeds and planted them in  “Root Viewers”, made out of  recycled rinsed out milk cartons with a plastic window made of tape.

Gardening With Grace Academy Kids

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Cotton: From Plant To Fabric

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

“Cotton is family.  We sweat in cotton.  It breathes with us.  We wrap our newborns in it.  In fact, we pay cotton the highest compliment of all, we don’t go out of our way to be nice to it.  Look in your closet.  The crumpled things on the floor are most probably cotton- soiled shirts and khakis, dirty housework clothes and muddied socks that rise up in dank mounds ready to be baptized with detergent and reborn in the washer, fresh and clean as new snow.  ……Cotton is the fabric wool would be if it were light enough for summer and didn’t shrink to toddler-size in the dryer; it’s what silk would be if it gracefully absorbed sweat; and what linen might aspire to if it didn’t wrinkle on sight.”

                            —–Cotton The Biography of a Revolutionary Fiber  by Stephen Yafa (Penguin Books, 2005)

       Twenty Five children from  Grace Academy  and their parents learned how cotton goes from plant to fabric.  Under the shade of the Gardens’ white and brown cotton plants, they saw cotton growing on an actual plant, removed some seeds from the cotton bolls by hand, and watched a demonstration on how cotton is spun on both a tahkli hand spindle and a book charkha cotton spinning wheel from India.  Each child got to pick and take home their own cotton boll from the Garden’s plants and were reminded that as recently as 105 years ago sharecropper children, no older than themselves, worked in Dallas County’s cotton fields from dawn to dusk, enduring hardships that we can not imagine today.  

Grace Academy Students Learning About Cotton At The Demonstration Garden

 

Cotton Spinning Demonstration

Cotton Spinning Demonstration For Field Trip

Left to right:

      • Cardboard box that the book charkha spinning wheel came in from India.  It is covered with khadi cloth, a handspun, hand woven cotton cloth, and sewn with handspun cotton thread.  The address label is written on the fabric.
      • Bowl with tahkli hand spindle
      • Cotton carders (red) to comb the cotton to straighten the fibers
      • Book charkha cotton spinning wheel from India.   In 1947 Mahatma Gandhi in his non-violent campaign for India’s independence from England said “Take to spinning to find peace of mind.  The music of the wheel will be as balm to our soul.  I believe that the yarn we spin is capable of mending the broken warp and woof of our life.  The charkha (spinning wheel) is the symbol for non-violence on which all life, if it is to be real life, must be based.”

Carolyn

This was one of four learning stations visited by our Grace Academy visitors on September 11, 2012.  Keep following our blog to see more pictures and descriptions of this field trip to our Demonstration Garden.

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The Oxblood Lily

Posted on September 22, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

On New York runways this fall, the trendy color is oxblood.  You will see leather jackets, wool pants, purses, and boots drenched in oxblood.   Last spring the color was tangerine tango, next year it might be beechnut  green.

Not to be out done by the fashion world, Texans have been enjoying Oxblood Lilies (Rhodophiala bifida) for over 150 years. Think back in Texas history to the 1840’s when German settlers immigrated to Central Texas for the early cultivation of this bulb.  Like these settlers, Oxblood Lilies are tough and tenacious and thrive all over the Central Texas area on old farms and abandoned homesteads.

Oxblood Lily Close Up

Unlike fashion dictates for 2012, the oxblood lily will endure for generations and mulitply.  Plant them in part shade or full sun. The red blooms are short lived but will last a little longer with afternoon shade.  They bloom in early September following rain and are also known as School House Lilies.  After the flower dies; thin, deep green leaves will continue until early summer.

For a small investment, your garden can enjoy the bright hues of the Oxblood Lily.  Plant them in the fall through December 1.  Next year what people are wearing will change but your garden will always be in style.

Oxblood Lilies At The Demonstration Garden With Dwarf Yaupon

Ann

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