RESOURCES TO HELP AUSTIN GARDENERS

One of the delights of being a gardener in Austin promoting environmentally friendly gardening practices and choices of native and adaptive plants is all the FREE help that is available to us, thanks to the City of Austin Grow Green program. Austin is truly unique in this regard, a leader and prime example of how cities around the country can help educate gardeners in making the right choices.

The absolute coup-d'etat of resources available to us is the 52 page “Native and Adaptive Landscape Plants – an earthwise guide for Central Texas”, fondly known to us in the gardening world as the “Grow Green Book or the Austin Gardening Bible”. A new 2010 edition was released in February which is more comprehensive than prior versions. This is FREE at any nursery within the City of Austin. I would gladly pay $10 to have this in my repertoire of gardening references. We have used this to guide us into greater use of xeriphytic, care free, plants to use in our landscape and ornamental gardens. It tells you everything you need to know about 225 perfect plant selections for our area with full color pictures of each for visual identification by categories of trees, small trees/large shrubs, shrubs, yuccas/agaves/succulents, perennials, ornamental grasses, vines, ground covers, and even includes specialty lists of good plants for rain gardens, bulbs, water plants and turf grasses. Furthermore, it includes a list of plants to avoid due to their invasiveness and harm to our native environment. The index is also outstanding.

Information on each of the 225+ plants listed includes common and botanical name, texas native by location, height, spread, light requirements, evergreen/deciduous, seasonal interest, color feature, water needs, availability, maintenance, wildlife attraction, deer resistance, and other valuable comments. What a litany of valuable information this is in selecting the right plant for any location. We recently did a curbside xeriscape and used this valuable resource to do just that. Every plant selected has thrived without any supplemental watering or care. Every homeowner who enjoys their landscapes and gardens should have a copy of this book! The price is right, the information is invaluable.


If that weren’t enough, the Grow Green program also introduces 8 new full color pamphlets showing actual landscape designs of public gardens in Austin using environmentally friendly plants and practices, plant selections for them including full color pictures of each plant, and the location of each so you can go by and see for yourself a demonstration garden in each category. The pamphlets include the following designs: Classic, Child Friendly, Pool Friendly, Drainage Solutions, Low Maintenance Shade, Sun and Color, Contemporary, and deer resistant. Locations for these demonstration gardens include Austin City Hall, Zilker Botanical Garden, One Texas Center, and Howson Library .


And if that weren’t enough, the City’s Grow Green program also produces informational "earth-wise guides" on over 40 gardening topics covering outdoor garden pests, diseases, lawn problems, how to diagnose problems, weeds, and miscellaneous topics.

 The Grow Green website also has these on line at www.growgreen.org . It is a wealth of information that any gardener can use whether a novice or experienced. So you too can be an environmentally friendly gardener with a little help from our environmentally conscience City government.  Isn’t living and gardening in Austin great!

Bonsai n the cat III

NATURES GARDEN – BETTER THAN OUR BEST EFFORTS

This spring in Texas has been one of the most outstanding years ever witnessed for wildflower bloom. The size and density of the blooms were literally jaw dropping to anyone who had the privilege of seeing nature’s garden at its finest in central Texas.

What led to this dazzling display were hard freezes this winter where temperatures dipped below 20 degrees followed and accompanied by above average rainfalls which made up the drought deficits accumulated during the summer of 2009. It was the perfect combination of climatic and environmental ingredients to produce the ideal recipe for wildflowers at their finest. We especially enjoyed a tour of Washington County and Brenham area but have noted that wildflowers in metro Austin and all surrounding roads and counties have had a proliferation of wildflower bloom like never seen in the past. In addition to Bluebonnet , Indian Paintbrush, and Indian Blanket/Firewheel, complimented by Phlox, Coreopsis, India Mustard beautiful but an introduced invasive non-native), Verbena, Winecups, Primrose, and a host of other native wildflowers were at their prime. It makes you proud to be in Texas!

Although we as ornamental gardeners are concentrated on our mini-spaces and choices of native, adaptive, and seasonal plants to create a beautiful palate of garden textures, colors, and designs, we must get out of that rut and admire what nature itself provides and take home lessons from what we see. Although the variety may not be as great as in our cultivated gardens, the indiscriminate blending of color, textures, and forms created by random dispersal of seed over vast areas can be just what a gardener needs. I learned this spring that our tendency to get too formal and perfect in our gardening designs and plantings deprives us of another dimension that is awesome – mass plantings. This can be done even in limited space. Also tolerance for native wildflowers that germinate in our yards and lawns would add to the gardening experience by allowing nature to have a say in what is planted. Our yard was filled with flowering blue-eyed grass and pink primroses which I allowed to flourish and enjoy rather than mow them down or kill them with a broad leafed herbicide. Other native wildflowers that infiltrate our lawns and gardens that have merit include wild anemone, wild garlic, verbena, and wood sorrel. We certainly can tolerate their presence during spring blooming period before they go to seed for the rest of the year.

 Invasive plants in the composite family tend to be our biggest weed problem (e.g. dandelion, sow thistle). Although we don’t want a wildscape in our limited residential yard areas, we have an inner need to get away to see what nature has planted on the acreage of the countryside . Take a day off each spring to clear your mind of gardening as we know it, travel some lonely road in Texas and take in the beauty of natures garden filled with wildflowers when in season.  You might even spot a genetic variation such a yellow Indian Paintbrush, or an all white Bluebonnet - something only nature's garden can create.