Tag Archives: Dallas County Master Gardener Association

Flowers of Frost and Freezes

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

February 25, 2024

In our Zone 8 climate they are not only survivors of winter’s chill but soon after a January freeze, Hellebores lift their lovely heads and shower us with an abundance of February color. Starting now and continuing into late March and early April, refresh your home by selectively snipping and arranging their decorative blossoms. 

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If you aren’t already growing Hellebores in your garden, now is a really good time to give them a try. Many of our local garden centers currently have a wide selection of varieties with colors ranging from ivory and pale green to pink and dark burgundy. You might find comfort in knowing that the symbolic meaning of hellebores includes peace, serenity and tranquility.

My hellebores were planted three years ago and were used to make each of the featured arrangements. However, this was my first time to use hellebores as a cut flower, but it won’t be my last. It has been impressive to see how well their strong and sturdy stems hold up when anchored in a “frog-type” holder. 

Here are my top three reasons for growing hellebores:

  1. During the dreary backdrop of winter, hellebores bring joy to your garden with a rainbow of beautiful colors. 
  2. As a cut flower, hellebores hold up well and can be arranged in unique and beautiful ways.
  3. As you can see from the photos, hellebores provide honeybees with a much-needed nectar source when options are extremely limited.

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener class of 2008

Other Hellebore articles from our archives:

Hellebores

Lenten Rose

Helleborus, ‘Glenda’s Gloss’ will be planted
along the wavy wall in memory of Raincatcher’s volunteer
and dear friend, Glenda Nix. She was loved and is missed.

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Iris

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz


Who doesn’t love a beautiful iris plant? It’s one of the first plants to
bloom in the spring and it is rugged, reliable and very easy to grow.
The iris is named for Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbows and
personal messenger for the Gods. It is a long lived perennial that
needs a minimum amount of care.


There are almost 250 species of iris and they come in a multitude of
colors. With many different types and colors available, there is a
perfect iris for every garden. The most popular iris is the bearded iris.
Other popular varieties include Siberian and Japanese irises, Louisiana
irises (which are native to North America), and Dutch hybrids.
Bearded iris get their name from the “beard” that runs down the center
of the cascading petal.

The rhizomes need sun and air to keep them
dry. If they are covered with soil or mulch there is a chance the plant
will rot. Some say to plant the bearded iris rhizomes “with their face
in the sun” leaving the upper part of the rhizome exposed.
Iris plants need at least 6 hours but preferably 8 hours of direct sun.
The best time to plant iris is early fall. This will give the plant enough
time to settle into the ground and start rooting before the first frost.
They should be planted 12–18 inches apart. If you have different
types of iris cultivars, plant each type together in groups of 3 to 7
plants for a greater color impact.


After iris plants have finished blooming, cut the flower’s stem down to
the base but do not trim the leaves. The plant’s foliage carries on with
photosynthesis in order to generate energy for next year’s growth and
flowers. It is best to divide iris plants in the fall.


We are lucky at Raincatcher’s Garden to have the most beautiful
collection of iris so I hope you enjoy the photos taken at the garden.

Or better yet, visit the garden in the near future and see these beauties
in person! If you have iris in your garden, share them with friends and
neighbors and help spread the joy of iris!


Jackie James
Dallas Master Gardener Class of 1993

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FOREVER YOUNG,WITH HELP FROM THE GARDEN

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

February 13, 2024

This is the time of the year when everyone wants something to change and improve advertisements that didn’t attract a bit of concern a while ago now seem tempting–the newest skin treatments that absolutely promise “younger brighter fresher”  The poor child in the picture seems still a bit concerned but yet now doing better–well she should be concerned of course she is probably past Fourteen and knows its all downhill from here.  Now if you want to buy thats fine after all it won’t hurt–although the price might be a real surprise  and the bottle is so small and then there are two more things you absolutely must have if you really want “results”  But we will go no further with this.

Baby Larkspur with maybe a weed-don’t worry about the weed.
Baby poppy-same warning!
Winter Honeysuckle does not give up.

No because YOUNG honestly is a state of mind more than anything and at this time of the year–well we may have to work at realizing that–and most importantly acting on our knowledge.  

WE can’t let the season get us down.  Its absolutely true that the leaves lying about have totally lost their  charm –and how on earth did there get to be so many sticks and stalks everywhere.  We have to look at things closely–after we clean up a bit of course.  But take your time don’t be hasty, baby plants can be deceiving.  The last thing you want to do is accidentally “weed”  your precious spring  flowers when in doubt don’t pull it up.  Better to leave and weed than loose a poppy!  Let your imagination take you to the blooms that will be here soon  and you will be surprised at how much happier you will feel.  Anticipating good things to come–well that is a receipt for real joy.

This is nothing but pure potential and hope!

Try to see bare patches as “Potential” not “Problems”.  All  the fresh seeds are here–stop and look .  For some people this can be as much temptation as the five hundred dollar skin serum so do be careful.  READ the labels and remember that if it says avoid heat you must avoid buying no matter how chilly and misty the day is right now.  But maybe choose something new to try and  go home and plant it–nothing worse than buying seeds and forgetting them–that doesn’t lead to happiness.  But the choosing and preparing and planting–that can make a big difference for anyone.  Feelings of accomplishment and planning for the future and feeling hopeful–well that makes anyone feel younger and fresher  and its a feeling that lasts!  Just the work in the fresh air helps so much  even if you have to wrap up and use plastic shoes.

If it gets really cold take the time to protect your plants you will be glad you did–its work but it pays off and that makes us feel powerful. Just a little cover saved this lettuce.

If there are plants in the house don’t just pass them by they aren’t sofa cushions they really will respond to attention.  water them and clean their leaves look for changes and growth–if you are fortunate even flowers–its the natural time for orchids to send up flower spikes–look carefully.  Just noticing will brighten the whole day and who knows what tomorrow might bring .That is the key.

When we think about it–isn’t YOUNG really anticipating the future–the good exciting things to come?  That feeling may get a little harder to come by sometimes but if we really notice our plants and gardens and care for them that feeling just seems to catch us and carry us forward–and that is FOREVER YOUNG.

Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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Winter Savory Is Welcome In This Flavorful Wintertime Dish

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

January 20, 2024

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Winter Savory growing in the garden

Walking in the garden early this morning just as sunlight was spreading its glowing rays, I stopped for a moment to gently caress the winter savory. Dew had fallen softly upon it, leaving the cascading branches with a shimmery presence. It seemed to be saying…” use me please”. And that is exactly what happened!

My husband and I love a cozy wintertime dinner by the fire. Thankfully, my winter herb garden had supplied me with the three ingredients needed to infuse the marinade for Balsamic Herb Baked Chicken Thighs: fresh rosemary sprigs, sage leaves and winter savory. This herb-garden inspired recipe delivered a pleasing amount of comfort and flavor for the perfect fireside meal.

Balsamic Herb Baked Chicken Thighs prepped and ready to bake
Ready to serve!

Hopefully, you are growing a nice selection of herbs in your winter garden. If so, remember that they liked to be snipped, trimmed and used for culinary and decorative purposes in your home.

*For information about growing winter savory, click here. 

*All herbs were harvested just before the cold front and freezing temperatures arrived. They were kept in a damp paper towel lined plastic baggie for two days.

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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Old Plant Friends Cannot Be Forgotten

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

January 10, 2024

This is the time of the year when one things about past efforts and plans ahead for what’s to come—naturally the future must be vastly improved over what came before.  Its been that way for a long time.  After all January is named for Janus the god who is able to look to the past and the future.

All useful so far.  Evaluating past efforts and planning for the future is important for just about everything.

However this is also a time when one is most susceptible to promises of  perfection if only you buy something—well not just anything of course but the new and improved item currently on offer.  Let’s not consider the diets and health promoting supplements and the body that would be ours if only a new and improved fitness machine was ordered.  All available right now and payment can be easy—there is a plan available. 

Gardeners are not immune to these thoughts  by any means.  Emails seem to arrive daily to showcase the “must haves” for this years garden.  All involve buying the new and improved plants from all sorts of places.  Catalogues have pictures that are simply astonishing  The flowers in glorious colors.  Petals are now double and triple and maybe more.  Some seem to be very small “fit any space”  How can this be exactly.  Surely they would want to grow at least a little bit.

Even shrubs and trees are new and have amazing flowers and turn all sorts of colors.  Buy now”   really seems the only reasonable thing to do after all “supply may be limited”. 

But wait—take a deep breath and consider—where will all these new plants go?  Go back and look at your garden photos (you know they are right there)  and when you look you see that not only was the garden actually lovely it was pretty full.

Now there is nothing all wrong with buying new plants.  There are indeed new discoveries to be made.  Plus its just fun and adds excitement to the garden—and may be the key to the perfection everyone is looking for—this could happen.

Just think carefully about replacing the tried and true plants.  The ones you have counted on for years—that have stood the tests of time and weather.  Afterall they hold memories of past gardens—yours and so many others—and even of the gardeners who loved them before you and maybe even shared them.  It’s a lot to think about.

Tithonia requres a lot of dead heading but you can enjoy the butterflies that love it.
How could you resist this dusky purple color in a plant that loves to live no matter what.
Strawberry fields globe amaranth does seed out but appreciate it?
When zinnias reseed they are usually single pink. But is there something wrong with that?
Grasses aadd grace and stability so forgive a little mess.
Common mullein adds a sense of drama and plants itself.
Pothos is common but that’s okay there is nothing like it for brightening a dark corner. Why pay more?
Annual salvia is wonderful for late summer. Yes, it seeds but think what a virtue that can be in a hot dry summer. This is coral nymph salvia.

The little song children used to sing sums it up: 

Make new friends but keep the old— one is silver and the other gold.

Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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The Full Monty

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

January 6, 2024

How this
Became this

This past fall, I decided to try several different varieties of broccoli in my garden. A few are still growing and I’m hoping they reach the harvesting stage very soon. But, as you can see from the photo, this particular variety produced a beautiful head of broccoli just a few days ago. There are five or six smaller side shoots, but none will be as large as the original. 

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One definition of “monty” describes it as the whole thing; everything that is wanted or needed. 

The recipe I selected for ‘monty’ is from our family cookbook. We refer to it as Bethy’s Crunchy Broccoli Salad. It is delicious any time of year but bringing it in straight from the garden on a chilly winter morning was the best ever! It certainly met, and exceeded, our expectations.

*Johnny’s Seeds currently has packets of Broccoli, Monty seeds in stock. 

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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A Peachy Year Ahead!

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

January 3, 2024

A Chritmas gift from a dear friend tied up with a fuzzy peach ornament

      

How could we enter into the new year without knowing the big announcement from Pantone? In 1999, the Pantone Color Institute created the color of the year educational program to engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around color. Their hope is to inspire us to look at color in a different way. It is interesting to read about the process Pantone global color experts follow to arrive at the selection each year. You can do that by going directly to their website at pantone.com.

For 2024 we are encouraged to “Embrace the Warmth”. They suggest that we look for ways to nurture ourselves and others. To help guide us along in our yearning for closeness and connection, the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, made the following announcement on December 11, 2023.

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2024 is Peach Fuzz, a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul. Officially, the number you need to know is PANTONE 13-1023. For like-minded gardeners, it is gratifying to learn that they selected a perfectly peachy nature-inspired fruit.

As a Texas girl, my mind went quickly to a lifetime of memories revolving around fresh peaches. If you are like me, the thought of ripe summer peaches makes this color choice especially meaningful. Going forward you can expect to find Peach Fuzz making an appearance in the design industry, fashion industry and in home décor. Also, it appears that Peach Fuzz will open the door to a wide assortment of lipstick, blush and contouring options. Nail color options will be available, as well.

Just last week I embraced that fuzzy feeling by ordering a pair of Peach Fuzz tennis shoes from Cariuma. If all goes well, I’ll be wearing them on one of our summer trips to the Texas Hill Country where we hope to visit a ‘pick your own peaches’ roadside orchard.

If you feel inspired to start growing your own peach trees this year, go to aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu for a full list of varieties recommended for our area. Wishing you all the joys of a heartfelt peach hue that enriches mind, body and soul.

Here are a few of our favorite peach recipes from ‘A Year On The Plate’ 2016 Master Gardener Cookbook.

Number One Favorite Peach Recipe – Fresh Peach Pound Cake

Peach Tree Tea Room Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Peach, Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Mint and Basil

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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IN SEARCH OF PUMPKINS

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Dallas Garden Buzz

December 29, 2023

As composters for the Raincatcher’s Garden  of Midway Hills, we are continuously looking for ingredients to make compost.

During the spring through fall, we find green grass, leaves, coffee grounds, kitchen scraps, etc. to add to our compost piles.

In November we are blessed with the remains of Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations—PUMPKINS!  During bulk pick-up weeks we scrounge the neighborhoods looking for the elusive pumpkins and gourds.  Rather than allowing them to rot in the dump, we chop them up and add them as the GREEN (nitrogen source)ingredient of compost.  The BROWN (carbon source)ingredient of the recipe is, of course, are the dried leaves that are falling everywhere.  The BLUE ingredient is water.  The CLEAR ingredient is air.  The last is TIME.  

Result—BLACK GOLD—also known as compost.

This year we “harvested by the side of the road” six pickup loads of pumpkins, gourds, bags & bags of leaves, some grass, and even a bale of hay.

And, at our last stop—THE GREAT PUMPKIN!

Cindy and the great pumpkin!

As winter progresses, we will chop, grind with the mower, mix in water, turn piles as they heat up and cool down (temperatures up as high as 160°).  As we turn the piles, the chunks begin to change shape and color.  The unseen microbes and fungi consume and break down everything making pieces smaller and smaller, and of course,darker—hence , BLACK GOLD.  This process takes time—sometimes as long as 2-4 months, depending on how energetic the humans are in turning the piles.

When we add compost to our heavy clay soil, we lighten it, allowing the plants to absorb the nutrients in the compost, allowing better drainage, thus producing more healthy plants and feeding everything.

Cindy Bicking, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2006

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Season’s Greetings From Our Garden to Yours!

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Dallas Garden Buzz

First, an update on our new greenhouse!

Jon and Joe meticoulsly laying the floor for the greenhouse.We’re excited to be getting the space to start seeds for the north garden.  The other greenhouse gets extremely crowded in spring with the combination of north garden and plant sale seedlings. 
Tig said the brick floor is too nice to cover up with a greenhouse!

Here are a few pictures by Starla from our recent Christmas lunch.

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Gifts From the December Garden

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Dallas Garden Buzz

December 20, 2023

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The chill of winter, though not officially here according to the calendar, has arrived. Trees are now displaying their bare branches as each day swirling, gusty winds bring colorful autumn leaves to the ground. From the stately red oaks and maples to the stunning brilliance of Chinese Pistache, yard crews are struggling to keep up with the piles and piles of leaves covering grassy lawns and flower beds. 

What remains is winter’s gift to our yards and woodlands…the mighty evergreens. My Christmas decorating theme was simplified significantly this year as I took time to pause and contemplate this marvel of nature.  Suddenly, I was caught completely by surprise upon discovering a towering tree growing along the back side of our neighbor’s fence. After 17 ½ years of driving past their property to enter our back gate, a large evergreen tree bursting with clusters of small blue berries caught my eye. I had never even noticed this tree until two weeks ago. Unsure of its name, a quick plant search on my iPhone gave me the correct answer. It was a JUNIPER. 

From that moment of discovery, I was smitten with the dreamy blue color of berries drooping from needle-like leaves with a delicate and aromatic pine scent. Thoughts of decorating my home with the greenery of winter were filling my head. And then a beloved old Christmas carol seemed to speak the words I needed to hear. My decorating theme for Christmas 2023 would be…” Let Heaven and Nature Sing”.

My sweet neighbor was so accommodating by giving me permission to ‘harvest’ as much as I wanted from her Juniper tree. That was the beginning of a foraging-type mission for evergreen material in our yard and along the alley ways and streets behind us. My goal was to respectfully select, then carefully cut, branches that would complement my decorating theme. 

The joy of using freshly cut evergreen branches for Christmas decor is their aromatic gift and profound color. Our home not only has the feel of a nature-inspired Christmas, but the air is filled with a calming heavenly scent, as well. 

Please enjoy a sampling of nature’s gifts in this short video featuring the evergreens used to adorn our home as we proudly proclaim…” Joy to the World!”

*Evergreens, and herbs, used from our yard (and a kind neighbor) are: Magnolia, Boxwood, Burford, Foster, Nellie R. Stevens, Savannah and Yaupon Hollies, Junipers, Cedar Trees, Japanese Plum Yew, Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme, Winter Savory and traditional English Ivy.

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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