Today, I decided to write about bark — tree bark that is. You know the skin of trees. I imagine this probably doesn’t seem like a very interesting topic to many people but I’m going to put it out there anyway. Maybe, someone may find the topic of tree bark to be interesting. I find it to be …

Just a reminder for anyone growing poinsettia plants that would like for them to be blooming this Christmas season — now would be the time to start providing them with short days and long nights. Poinsettia plants will need to have increasingly longer periods of darkness each night to encour…

Do you remember having sleepovers with friends and telling ghost stories? Then you would be so frightened you couldn’t sleep? When my favorite teacher, Mr. Philip Anthony Bianco, would read Edgar Allan Poe stories to us seventh-graders, such an atmosphere was created. I still use the lessons…

Fall zinnias are multicolored Superstar beauties and make a wonderful mixed border or a mass bed of color in your landscape. They also work well in containers.

September is typically when most die-hard tomato growers have to have their tomatoes in the ground. Hot temperatures or not, they are already busy planting and hoping this season will produce big, beefy, delicious tomatoes for them to eat and brag about.

In today’s world, artificial intelligence and computers are a huge part of our lives. Every day, it seems, we become more and more dependent on corporations and the government to provide for us.

The Texas Master Gardener program is one of educational volunteer instruction conducted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of the Texas A&M University System. Victoria County Master Gardeners are residents of Victoria and surrounding counties who take an active interest in lawns…

I imagine most gardeners are well aware of the fact the number of home gardeners has skyrocketed this year. Being homebound because of COVID-19 has certainly encouraged more people to garden.

Oh my goodness; it is so hot. Perhaps, you are reading this from Quebec. Perhaps, you own a bubble suit with a personal cooling system. Perhaps you have not ventured out of your home in the last few months. If not, you will most likely agree with me on the overly hot temperatures we are havi…

When discussing plant or lawn problems with some people, I often ask how often they feed that plant or lawn. Once in a while, the answer is, “I water every other day” or “I sometimes only water when the soil gets dry.”

At the end of school years, students are recognized for their achievements over the past nine months. This is always an exciting time for students, parents and teachers. The winners and leaders are identified for their academic success and for their contributions in other areas. Sadly, award…

I think we all realize how important water is for all living things, including our plants. Without water, we would not be able to grow plants.

A recent, newly announced 2020 Texas Superstar is blue daze (Evolvulus glomeratus). This plant was not familiar to me, so I asked gardener friends how to describe blue daze.

Now is a time of the year when many of us begin seeing small twig-sized tree limbs accumulating on the ground under some of our trees. This is usually the sign that twig girdlers are in the area. Twig girdlers are beetles, they are about three-fourths of an inch in length, grayish-brown in c…

In the 1970s, my husband and I and our then 8-month-old daughter traded the rolling, sometimes snow-covered hills of Pennsylvania to the hot, humid coastal plains of Texas. We knew we were off on an adventure, and little did I know what a wealth of knowledge I would be learning surrounding t…

Charles Darwin once said, “It has often been vaguely asserted that plants are distinguished from animals by not having the power of movement. It should rather be said that plants acquire and display this power only when it is of some advantage to them, this being of comparatively rare occurr…

Gardening is an engaging hobby that can provide a host of benefits, some of which may surprise even the most devoted gardeners.

Successful gardening in the shade requires using the available light or creating the illusion of light to make something that pleases the eye and achieves the desired effects.

Being a gardener you have more than likely heard the words “topsoil” and “potting soil” many times. But have you ever really considered what these two words mean and which one is what you might be needing for your particular garden jobs?

My eyes are attracted to colorful variegated plants, from the simple white-trimmed hosta, the green and pink polka-dot plant, frilly-leafed caladiums to the numerous coleus varieties.

I first encountered osteospermum at a local nursery about seven years ago. The daisy-like flowers were pure white on top of the petal with a true purple underside.

Happy Pollinators month to all of you wonderful gardeners.

Crape myrtles are popular plants, especially this time of year while they’re blooming.

Unprecedented times this spring like never experienced before by most of us has brought change in and around our communities, state and country. And while many could not go to work or socialize, and most had to change routines for meaningful gatherings or observances for loved ones or in wor…

I doubt many of you know this week is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week. It’s a week declared by the American Mosquito Control Association to educate us about the dangers of these pests and how to control them.

It is that time of year, when people are out in the garden, but with COVID-19, many people who have never gardened before are starting a garden. Those who live in town or in apartments may not have room for a garden but can still grow plants. One such way is to use a growing bag.

This is the time of year is when I get lots of questions about ways to eliminate fleas. Not just on pets, but also in yards and indoors.

“Let me tell you ‘bout the birds and the bees. And the flowers and the trees. The moon up above. And a thing called love.” If you are like me, you can’t help but remember and sing the tune along with these words.

Well, it appears that it’s time again to release some of the beneficial Trickogramma wasp.

Because of the state of the world we are having to change the way we normally do things. The Victoria County Master Gardener Association chose to have our monthly meeting via Zoom.

This past week, I’ve had reports of some “very nervous black wasps” quickly flying all around outdoor areas and indoor areas.

It’s gonna get hot out there. Those late cool fronts that came through in May are just a fond memory now. The heat is ramping up, but with some care, your gardens and you can avoid the heat-related stress.

Our son knows I love plants. When he visits, we go to the nursery to find a new plant to add to my collection. Last summer we found a unique and appealing plant called the money tree plant, Pachira aquatica. It has been a delightful, easy-care addition to my plant family.