Xeriscape Corpus Christi and the City Water Department hosted the 2014 Xeriscape Garden Symposium on Saturday. This was held at the  South Texas Botanical Gardens Nature Center. The local experts discussed several topics including plant selections, landscaping design, irrigation and mulches.

Posted: Friday, January 24, 2014 6:00 pm

Harris County Master Gardeners release schedule of upcoming February events

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The Harris County Master Gardeners are gearing up to host several local events in February.

Mike Shoup presents his monthly “Hamburger Tuesday” lecture at noon on Feb. 4, speaking on “Empress of the Garden- Old Garden Roses-The Ultimate Plant.”

Shoup earned a master’s degree in horticulture from Texas AM. He founded the Antique Rose Emporium in 1984 and is a past president of the Heritage Rose Foundation. Shoup is the author of two books: Roses in the Southern Garden and Landscaping with Antique Roses, as well as co-author with Liz Druitt of the book, Empress of the Garden, released in October. 

The talk is open to the public and all visitors are welcome to enjoy a hamburger lunch at 11:30 a.m. for a $5 donation.

The Green Thumb Gardening Series of free lectures continues with talks on ”Spring Vegetable Gardening,” on tap from 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 15 at Maude Smith Marks Library, located at 1815 Westgreen Blvd. in Katy.

On Feb. 19, Master Gardener Jean Fefer will provide a preview talk about varieties of plants being offered at the annual Tomato Pepper Sale. The talk will begin  at 7 p.m. in the Extension Office auditorium, located at 3033 Bear Creek Drive. The sale will be held March 1 and March 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and features 21 varieties of tomato plants and 17 kinds of pepper plants, plus basil, green eggplant and a bookstore featuring selections for local gardeners. The organization’s monthly Fourth Tuesday Open Garden Day will be held Feb. 25  in the Demonstration Gardens at the Bear Creek Extension office. A hands-on talk on ”Spring Vegetable Gardens” will take place at 10 a.m. in the raised vegetable garden bed area for adults. Activities will also be available  for children. 

Visitors will also be able to tour the gardens before and after the demonstration. In addition, Harris County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer any  horticulture questions from attendees.

© 2014 Katy Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Friday, January 24, 2014 6:00 pm.

Roberta Walker didn’t need a drought declaration to know people are worried about water. She sees it every day in her work as a Sacramento landscape designer.

“Absolutely, the message is getting through,” said Walker. “Almost all I do anymore is take out lawns and put in water-wise landscapes.”

Walker will be among the most popular speakers today at the Northern California Home and Landscape Expo at Cal Expo. Her 1 p.m. presentation – “Designing a Lush Yet Water-Wise Landscape” – hits home with many gardeners.

“Years ago, people got rid of the lawn because they didn’t want to mow anymore,” she said. “Now, it’s all about water. They know they have to do something different to save water. It looks like we’re headed for our driest year ever.”

In light of last week’s state drought declaration, new restrictions will limit landscapes to once-a-week irrigation – or less if it doesn’t start raining. In warmer months, most lawns need watering three times a week – or more.

“If you can only water once a week, what’s going to happen to your landscape?” Walker said. “That’s the question everybody is asking themselves. Some people say they’ll just let the lawn turn brown, but how fun is that to live with? Most people leave the lawn dead because they don’t know what else to do.”

I’m trying to educate people; there are alternatives to dead lawns that look beautiful.”

Landscapes and garden design have always been a highlight of this huge expo. Including Walker, several experts pack this weekend’s speaker schedule. The idea is to inspire and help homeowners visualize the results. For example, Sacramento garden designer and author Michael Glassman will show plenty of before-and-after examples in his Sunday talk, “Plain Jane to Wow! Solving Landscape Problems One Yard at a Time.”

Right now, too much lawn may be the No. 1 issue. But the solution doesn’t mean going without plants.

“The biggest misconception: People hear ‘drought-tolerant’ or ‘water-efficient,’ they think ‘Arizona’ – all rocks and cactus,” Walker said. “But there are plants that grow with very little water – even no water (some months of the year). They don’t know there are ways to have a beautiful garden with less water.”

Over the past 17 years, Walker has created more than a thousand water-wise landscapes. She’s also heard hundreds of questions about lawn conversion. The most common among Sacramento gardeners may be surprising.

“What about the leaves?” Walker said. “Most people have established trees in their yards. Those leaves used to fall on the lawn. If the lawn’s not there, how do you deal with all those leaves? There’s no flat surface to rake them off.”

In recent landscapes, Walker dealt with that issue by substituting crushed lava rock or river cobblestones for bark as mulch under drought-tolerant shrubs and perennials. “When you blow, the leaves go, but the rocks stay put,” she said. “Unlike bark, they don’t break down, either.”

Water-wise landscaping is shaping a new paradigm for Sacramento gardeners: a lush look with less water.

“We have this romantic idea of English gardens,” Walker said. “But I can create that look with plants that exist on very low water. Maybe they’re not all totally drought-tolerant, but part of this (strategy) is switching to drip irrigation. You cut your water use down to one-third of what you use with a spray system because the water goes to the roots and is not lost to evaporation.”

Another key to this strategy is using plants that can grow here without much effort – or water.

“During the building boom, it looked like every house became Mediterranean,” she said. “All these palms and bougainvillea; no matter what you do, you struggle to get them to survive here. There are many alternatives – cannas, clumping bamboo, flax, purple potato bush, geraniums – that give a lush tropical look with less water.

“There are so many options with low-water,” she added. “Actually, it excites me.”

A cleaning tornado?

Inspired by our recent story on getting organized in the new year, reader Charles Tatter offered this perspective:

“Many of my decisions as to whether to keep or throw away household or office items are based on the simple idea, ‘If a tornado or hurricane were to hit my house and my things were scattered about, what would I want other people to find, pick up and know about me?’ ”

It’s a good thought to hold as I scan my desk, which looks like it got caught in a landslide of paper, books and magazines.

Added Tatter, “And I try to heed noted clean-up author, Don Aslett’s advice, ‘Don’t love something that can’t love you back.’ ”

It makes breaking up with that mess a little easier to do.

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Call The Bee’s Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075. Follow her on Twitter @debarrington.

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Purposeful gardens — habitat, edible and sustainable — have been on the rise and 2014 promises more of the same.

Chemical-free gardens for birds, butterflies and bees remain high on the gardener’s to-do list, and organically grown edibles play their own harvest-to-table role with health-conscious backyard gardeners.

Gardeners are also more cost conscious, turning discarded items like packing pallets into planters, planting from seed and composting kitchen scraps. In fact, composting is the new recycling, according to Peggy Krapf, a member of the Virginia Society of Landscape Designers and owner of Hearts Ease Landscape and Garden Design.

“Garden supply companies sell attractive containers to pre-compost on the kitchen counter and you can purchase worm composters that do the job in a box in a closet or basement,” she says.

People in general want to restore balance to their lives, so frivolous spending on more “things” is out, according to Susan McCoy, president of the Garden Media Group and a national garden trends spotter.

“They are beginning to truly understand the relationship between gardening and connecting with nature — and how this can lead to a fully satisfied, purposeful life,” says Susan.

10 Gardening trends for 2014

Here, more garden gurus forecast their own idea of fun and purpose in the garden for 2014:

· Manly moves. More masculine colors and styles in home and garden decor are showing up at markets and in stores because there’s a “role reversal of fortune,” where 40 percent of women are the sole or primary income earner for the household and the number of stay-at-home dads continues to increase.

In addition, fairy gardening is a trend that’s morphed into miniature gardening with expanded product and plant selections for both indoor and outdoor gardening. With the name change alone, there’s an increase in men taking up the hobby. — Tish Llaneza, owner of Countryside Gardens and just back from a buying spree at the markets in Atlanta.

· Garden journals. Master gardeners across the United States are using Nature’s Notebook to help track bloom times on sentinel species to make bloom calendars, which, in turn, gives scientists data on climate change. Gardeners can also use phenology (seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year) information (and recording) to understand the relationships between garden pest outbreaks and timing of the plant phenology to know when best to apply Integrated Pest Management strategies. And, having it become part of the National Phenology Database also furthers scientific research, not only regarding a changing environment, but also for horticulturists and land managers to make management decisions. — LoriAnne Barnett, education coordinator Nature’s Notebook and USA National Phenology Network

· Edibles and more. Several things come to mind: Integrating edibles into woody ornamental and perennial gardens — a cultural shift, not a trend; planting native species to benefit bees and other insects; recycling objects into creative plant containers; and using Pinterest to share ideas and inspire others to garden. — Nicholas Staddon, director of new plants for Monrovia, a plant brand sold at garden centers nationally.

· Bees matter. Saving our pollinators is big and getting bigger. Organic farmers have been all about this for a while, but now that the public is becoming aware of the desperate state of affairs, it’s spreading like fire — thank goodness. Everyone needs to read the Aug. 19, 2013, Time magazine with the cover that spotlights “A World Without Bees: The price we’ll pay if we don’t figure out what’s killing the honeybee.”

Home gardeners really need to learn about: keeping blooms coming; easy and quick-growing cover crops that can fill a space to provide excellent habitat; and how to let go of chemicals, even certified organic pesticides can be harmful to bees. — Lisa Ziegler of The Gardener’s Workshop, an online garden shop.

· Container craze. Containers can spice up a yard without a lot of cost and effort. For instance, bamboo stems, upside down brooms or even twisting, turning branches can be painted colors to match the season, celebration or your home’s exterior palette and then inserted decoratively into pots that may already contain evergreens or annuals like winter pansies or summer petunias. For easy-use containers, Smart Pots are lighter and cheaper than ceramic containers; the large, raised-bed size acts as its own weed-block when placed on the ground and provides a temporary garden space if you can’t install a garden bed where you live. The weave of the fabric allows a dense root system because you can air prune roots that come to the surface. Reviews for the Big Bag Bed version are good on Amazon, where they can be ordered, as well as www.smartpots.com. The manly gardener may like the look of ammo boxes mounted on ladders, an idea seen in a Denver boutique. — Marie Butler, horticulture curator at the Virginia Zoo, where she specializes in creative containers

· Repurpose, reuse. There’s a continued focus on using recycled building materials. I was surfing the net, looking for compost bin designs and came across a wide range of recycled indoor and outdoor garden furniture using repurposed pallets. People are staining and painting them or leaving them natural and creating some really beautiful stuff! I’ve also seen new ways of vertical gardening using recycled materials such as pallets, felt pockets and even things like two-liter bottles hung from strings. — Grace Chapman, director of horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Va.

· Keep it simple. Classic elegance in colors and landscaping will be popular in 2014. Plant drifts of similar or blending colors and mix a single color with white in containers, outdoor fabrics, or furnishings. Buy quality products which will last for years — and eco-friendly products with a smaller carbon footprint. Use slow-growing plants like boxwoods which live for many years and natural materials like stone or brick that get more beautiful with age. — Peggy Krapf

· Perfect plants. Re-blooming and extended bloom plants are hot. Color is paramount. Dwarf and compact plants are in demand. Plants that are less likely to become maintenance nightmares are dominating the market, therefore “low maintenance” is less of a buzz word and more of a reality. Plants that can provide color or interest in multiple seasons enable customers to enjoy their landscape all year. — Allan Hull, nursery manager at Peninsula Hardwood Mulch

· Imperfect OK. Increasingly, homeowners are relaxing their notions of what’s “right” in their landscapes to embrace seasonal drama and its disorder. In spring, weeks of bright daffodil flowers are worth weeks of un-mown bulb foliage recharging for next year’s display. In summer gardens, sequential pockets of bloom are enjoyed with no effort to achieve all-over-bloom all of the time. In fall, brilliant fallen leaves are savored with no rush to clean up. Winter landscapes are dotted with dried grasses and seed heads left for the birds. These arewell-maintained properties kept with a different mindset. — Sally Ferguson, a Pawlett, Vt., master gardener and gardening and outdoor living communicator

· Chicken chic. Chicken keeping continues to attract more who want fresh eggs for their table and cute chickens for backyard buddies. The Peninsula Chicken Keepers had 30 people at its first meeting in September 2010 and now include about 320 backyard chicken enthusiasts, some of whom now open their coops for an annual Coops of the Peninsula tour. — Carol Bartam, chicken keeper in Yorktown, Va.

By Maureen Gilmer
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services


Posted Jan. 14, 2014 @ 7:17 pm
Jan 14, 2014 at 7:18 PM

GHNS

A new Global Garden Report says gardens can substantially increase what buyers are prepared to pay for a property. Picture: Thinkstock

Source: HWT Image Library

A WELL-maintained garden can substantially increase what buyers are prepared to pay for a property.

Husqvarna Group’s most recent Global Garden Report, which surveyed 5000 homeowners from nine different countries, revealed it could add up to 12 per cent to an Australian property’s price.

The report also surveyed a global panel of 44 real estate agents who estimated the value increase for such a garden was about eight or nine per cent.

Place Estate Agents’ chief executive Damian Hackett said vendors who maintained their gardens could experience a five to ten per cent increase in their home’s value.

“Gardens are definitely a key factor when selling a home and are an important part of a home’s presentation,” he said.

“When people pull up to look at a property, the garden is the first thing they see.”

Dean Handsaker and Susan Jackson’s home at 12 Agnew St, Sandgate, which is on the market for $429,000, offers a prime example of a simple yet appealing garden.

With four children and a six-day working week, the couple were on a tight financial and time budget when they bought the three-bedroom home five years ago.

The house was framed only by red dirt potted with holes and a chain wire fence.

“I wanted to do things the old-fashioned way and propagate plants,” Mr Handsaker said.

“I also stayed away from expensive palm trees and stuck with mostly Australian natives and other tough survivors.

“As a result, I only spent about $200 on plants as many friends gave cuttings to me.

“Landscaping cost a little more but only amounted to about $1000.”

The result of Mr Handsaker’s labour of love are lush lawns, garden beds filled with bromeliads, cordylines and tree ferns, and a mock orange hedge concealing the chain wire fence.

“The garden has added indefinite value to the property,” Mr Handsaker said.

“It’s now a house that people will stop and look at.”

Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) chief executive Donald Scotts said a stylish garden could result in a 14 per cent jump in the realisable value of a home.

“Gardens will improve a home’s aesthetics as well as its energy efficiency,” he said.

Mr Scotts said resident could pay $5000 to $6000 for a landscape designer or head to a nursery.

“Obtain good advice before planting a garden as you will need to know what plants grow best in your area,” he said.

Read more at Perth Now

The timing could not have been better. In the middle of an unprecedented heat wave and a severe drought, Corona last week hosted a class on creating water-efficient gardens.

The instructor, Paula Henson, a landscape designer who has appeared on HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge,” did a good job informing and inspiring about 30 of us at the Corona Public Library.

She will repeat her free class on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the library. The event is sponsored by the city’s Department of Water and Power.

Henson began with a comment that put things in perspective: Corona should have 10 inches of rain by now. (The rainy season began July 1.) So far, we’ve had a half inch of rain, and sources such as the Colorado River are drying up.

In declaring a drought emergency last week, Gov. Jerry Brown warned that restrictions on water use may be tightened. He urged residents and businesses in the state to immediately cut water use by 20 percent.

So what are we to do? A rain dance? No, that’s silly.

Before I attended the class, I would have suggested we change our shopping habits. That’s right, instead of buying plants at 7 Oaks Nursery, let’s go to Michael’s! I actually know someone who would tape fake roses on the plants in front of her house. She’d be out pretending to trim the plants and people would drive by and compliment her on the beautiful roses.

What’s really terrible is that I didn’t think of it first.

One of Henson’s recurring themes was a strong dislike for lawns. They take a lot of water and maintenance, as we all know. But did you know that a lawn requires four feet of water a year to stay healthy, and most of us use twice that amount?

Here’s another eye-opening statistic. For those of us in single-family homes, 60 percent of the water bill is for outdoor landscaping.

But enough negativity. I took notes on ways to use less water in our garden without compromising its appearance. Nothing about Henson’s advice was earth-shattering, but all of it bears repeating.

In fact, we’ve already implemented one of her ideas. Years ago, we dug up the lawn on the side of our home and replaced it with California native plants that use very little water once established. We added plenty of bark to improve the appearance and discourage weeds, and our water bill went way down.

Yet another statistic from Henson: Native plants use 20 percent of what a lawn needs.

The day after class, I took her advice about irrigation, and checked our sprinkler lines. Three were leaking, and now they’re not. My next move was to plant some agapanthus on the same irrigation line as plants with the same watering needs.

Simple, right? Well, most of this is.

Henson is big on using rainwater as a resource. It will rain again some day, probably when the Cubs win the World Series. And when that happens, redirecting downspouts to a garden will make sense. Yet another statistic: For a house with a 1,000-square-foot roof, one inch of rain can mean 600 gallons of water for the garden.

Compost can do wonders for improving the soil, she said. And here’s great news: Just last week, the city council approved an ordinance that allows hens in Corona, and quoting Henson, “Chicken manure is a great fertilizer.”

There’s much more, and I believe it will be worth your time to attend the class on Saturday. Reservations are necessary as space is limited. Send an email to stopthedrop@discovercorona.com or call 951-736-2234. The library is at 650 South Main St.

Riverside County residents have several resources to assist in creating water-wise landscaping.

The Western Municipal Water District (www.wmwd.org) offers online tips as well as its Conservation Garden in Riverside. The Eastern Municipal Water District website (www.emwd.org) has a neat portfolio of photos showcasing residents’ water-efficient landscaping.

And the Metropolitan Water District will offer a class, similar to the one I attended, on Saturday, March 15, from 9 a.m. to noon in Temecula. Visit www.ranchowater.com to sign up.

Contact Peter Fischetti at pfischetti@pe.com.

Charlotte, N.C.: The curtain is soon to go up for the 54th annual Southern Spring Home Garden Show, and organizers are planning for one spectacular show – and betting on rave audience reviews.

For the first time ever, the event will be spread over two big weekends – the equivalent of a Broadway show’s run being extended. This year’s theme, “Better Living: Home. Garden. Life,” will be woven throughout all the exhibitions and presentations on Feb. 21 through 23 and again on Feb. 28, March 1 and 2.

“Charlotte is fortunate to have lots of local experts in the home and garden arena, and those folks will be among our exhibiting companies,” said Mardee Woodward, the show’s manager. “We’re also bringing in nationally known gardening pros – a garden editor with Southern Living Magazine and a garden scout for Better Home and Gardens, and stars from HGTV, DIY and the Cooking Channel, for instance. Our talent line-up is truly impressive.”

Gardening Stage, including special guests

The Renegade Gardener, also known as Don Engebretson, is one of the big stars. A landscape designer, editor, author and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens, Engebretson also spent four seasons as gardening guru on HGTV’s show, TIPical Mary Ellen. The Minnesota-based gardening expert speaks – often humorously – all over the country about how to become a better gardener. He believes irreverence is essential in gardening.

Carmen Johnston is a garden designer, garden lifestyle expert and founder of the garden event company, Nectar and Company. In her work as garden lifestyle expert for The Southern Living Plant Collection, Johnston demonstrates how to incorporate the love of gardening into daily life.

The Fabulous Beekman Boys will take the stage twice. Their popular documentary series on The Cooking Channel features their adventures as professionals (Brent Ridge is a Manhattan doctor and Josh Kilmer-Purcell is an award-winning journalist) as they make the transition from urban to country living. Before becoming lifestyle gurus, they won the 21st season of TV’s The Amazing Race. The “Boys” have recently published their first cookbook, The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Desserts Cookbook.

Robert “Buddy” Lee invented the Encore Azalea®, the only azalea to bloom in spring, summer and fall. He has more than 30 years’ experience in nursery management, breeding, propagation and new plant development. He is past president of The Azalea Society of America.

Local experts at the Gardening Stage will offer sessions on composting; how to create an edible and drinkable landscape; how to attract butterflies and other beneficial insects; how to make healthy, kid-friendly snacks from the garden and much more.

Cooking Stage

Every hour of every day during the show will feature prominent chefs sharing their tricks of the trade. From Italian to Southern and from gourmet to grilled cheese, the Southern Spring Home Garden Show covers the full spectrum of the culinary arts. Guests will leave with new recipes, new techniques and renewed enthusiasm for cooking.

Highway to Health Stage

Sponsored by heart surgeon and Emmy-winning host Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife, Lisa, this intimate stage offers sessions geared to combating childhood obesity. In 2003, the Ozes founded HealthCorps®, a nonprofit aimed at implementing an innovative in-school model that inspires teens to make healthier food choices. Experts will lead sessions on topics ranging from team sports for all ages to empowering students to eat healthy, be active and make a difference.

Home Ideas Stage

Bring pad and pencil, and pull up a front seat to absorb all the expert advice on home improvement and design you could hope for – and it’s FREE! An impressive array of skilled authorities to instruct, demonstrate and counsel will be there and they’ll be eager to talk to you about all kinds of special projects: from keeping your landscaping equipment maintained, to finding the perfect rug for any room to organizing, decorating and everything in between. This must see schedule is brought to you by The Home Mag of Charlotte.

For further information, visit www.southernspringhomeandgardenshow.com

 Sponsors: The Charlotte Observer, Belgard Hardscapes and The Carolina Chevy Dealers

Although I started out as a rose collector, and then a collector of plants in general, it was not long before I began to accumulate books on the subject of gardening. My library now includes perhaps 500 volumes gathered over 40 years, but there are a number of books that I use over and over working with design clients here in Central Texas.

“Native Texas Gardens” by Sally and Andy Wasowski is the best book I’ve found on designing a beautiful and yet practical landscape in our locale. It has wonderful photos of gardens, including both built features and planting styles, and is appropriate for all three of the ecosystems that converge here. The Hill Country, Blackland Prairies and Post Oak Savannah are all addressed within, as well as other ecosystems further north, east, west, and south of us. Because the Piney Woods region is overlaid on the Post Oak Savannah here in the Lost Pines of Texas, that area is also relevant to integrated design principles. There are lists of nurseries specializing in native plants, and also native plants lists included.

A companion volume, “Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region,” is also very useful. It includes a region-by-region discussion of all 12 or more ecosystems and shows photos of native landscapes within those areas. Soils, precipitation, major native trees and their companions are all described in the first third of the book, followed by photos and descriptions of various plants grouped into groundcovers, grasses, annuals/biennials/perennials, shrubs, ornamental trees, conifers, shade trees, vines and water and bog plants. Finally, some significant people and organizations that have contributed to the renewed use of native plants are listed, along with native public landscapes you can visit in each area.

The soft-cover “Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: An Earthwise Guide for Central Texas” is the most complete reference I’ve found on plants suitable to the areas both west and east of Austin. The booklet is organized into trees, small trees/large shrubs, perennials, yuccas and other succulents, ornamental grasses, vines, groundcover, bulbs/water plant, turf and invasive plants. Photos are included, along with descriptions including height, spread, light needs, whether evergreen or deciduous, seasonal interest, color, water needs, maintenance tips, what the plants offer to wildlife, and finally deer resistance. These guides are available for free at most nurseries in Austin and I share one with each client when we begin the design process.

A more general reference for gardening in Texas is “Easy Gardens for North Central Texas” by Steve Huddleston and Pamela Crawford. It was written for areas from Wichita Falls and south to Dallas, and includes areas south and east all the way to Waco, Temple and Killeen. Those regions include Horticultural Zones 7a, 7b and 8a, with minimum temperatures from 0 degrees to 15 degrees. Those areas can get as hot as our Central Texas, so plants included are appropriate in that respect. It may leave out some varieties that are less hardy and can be generally used here, but in these days of wildly fluctuating temperatures, that may assure some extra safety in terms of cold hardiness. Our zone here is 8b. General planting and gardening advice is included at first, but the book is primarily a compilation of suitable plants and their photographs, along with required growing conditions (light, water, soil, pests) and planting and maintenance suggestions. Plants are organized into annuals, perennials, shrubs and vines, and trees.

I always encourage my clients to think about including edible plants in the landscape. Two different books are favorites for illustrating both plants and growing techniques. The first is “Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening” by J. Howard Garrett and C. Malcolm Beck. It begins by describing the basic tenants of organic gardening and then offers suggestions for soil testing, preparation of beds, mulching, plant supports and protecting crops from cold and pests. Natural fertilizers are discussed, along with methods of controlling insects. The last two thirds of the book is dedicated to listing Texas appropriate vegetables and other food crops including fruits, herbs, and nuts.

A more recent publication is “Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening” by Greg Grant. The material is somewhat similar, but Greg’s wonderful sense of humor is present throughout. Information about starting an edible garden, including information on seeds, soil, watering, pest control, harvest and storage are addressed first, and then an alphabetical list of appropriate plants are included. Categories for discussion of each plant include when/where/how to plant each type, followed by care and maintenance and finally harvesting the results. His photographs are excellent and he offers advice about different varieties suitable to our soils and climate. Charts of frost dates and planting times are provided at the end of the book.

(To be continued next week)

Please address any questions or suggestions you might have for me by visiting my website www.thefragrantgarden.com and clicking on the “CONTACT” tab.”

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Three master gardeners will give a free workshop on Edible Landscaping followed by a brief presentation on composting and a visit to the Central Coast Green Team’s Edible Landscaping Demonstration Garden on Saturday, January 25.

The workshop and presentations will be from 10 a.m. to noon on at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center, 510 Park Ave., Santa Maria.

The Central Coast Green Team invited the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Santa Barbara County to put on the workshop as a way to encourage local residents to create edible landscaping gardens in their homes. The Green Team also invites participation in their demonstration garden, which is located behind the Mussell Center in the Santa Maria Community Garden.

The presentation is cosponsored by the Central Coast Green Team, UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Barbara County, Central Coast Gardeners, Central Coast Geranium Society and Engel Gray, Inc.

Master Gardeners Diane Galvan, Karen McConaghy and Katy Renner will define edible landscaping, provide guidelines for a good edible landscape plan, and discuss planting, maintaining, harvesting and storing edible landscape foods safely. The workshop will help persons transform their landscapes into ones which are sustainable and provide fresh, healthy produce, herbs and fruit year-round.

A representative from Engel Gray will give a brief presentation on the city’s composting program and how using compost is beneficial to gardens.

The Green Team invites participation in their demonstration garden, which is located behind the Mussell Center. Jeanne Sparks, Green Team executive director, will give a brief presentation about the demonstration garden at the end of the meeting then will invite attendees to visit the garden and become involved in it.

“We hope people will be inspired by what they learn at the workshop and start their own edible landscaping gardens,” Sparks said. “Growing food at home is rewarding. The vegetables are not only healthy, but tasty, since they can be harvested at their peak ripeness the same day they are eaten. We hope to promote more healthy lifestyles by getting people to grow some of their food at home. And they can do it in an aesthetically pleasing manner. They can have a beautiful garden and eat it, too!”

For more information, contact Jeanne Sparks at Jeanne@jeannesparks.com, or visit www.centralcoastgreenteam.org.

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