It’s about this time of the year when many spring vegetable gardens start fizzling out. Most of the crops have produced to the best of their ability and are now getting leggy and nonproductive. It’s time to pull most of these plants out and get ready for the fall garden. Nonproductive plants…

Colorful, dramatic leaf and flower combinations. Easy to grow and maintain. It likes most South Texas soils. It will produce leaves year-round and flowers in spring and summer in our area of Texas. What are you waiting for?

I realize that spending much time outdoors these days just isn’t very pleasant. It is hot, and the humidity just makes the outdoors so much more unpleasant. But those of us whow are passionate about our gardens and lawns know there are outdoor chores to be done almost every day of the year, …

Gardeners realize that most flowers and plants have a scent. This fact is probably something that most people never care to think about, but here are a few facts that some might find of interest.

When I first heard the name “standing cypress,” I thought it was a tree. I have since learned that it is a beautiful, flowering biennial herb and wildflower.

What’s in a name? To quote William Shakespeare, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Well, Bill, I’m not so sure about that.

In my gardens, I grow all kinds of plants plus a lot of other things. Things like birds, squirrels, raccoons, lizards, snakes, turtles and lots of assorted insects and butterflies. Someone commented the other day on all the lizards he had noticed as he was walking around. He seemed to find i…

Many times when people look at their landscapes, all they see is an area full of green plants. They might be called by different names, but to many, they are just plants. They don’t realize that not all plants are the same.

Have you ever wondered where the vegetables we eat came from? Well, I did – and decided to find out. To start with, I made a list of different vegetables. Then I started researching ones that were of interest to me.

The coral bean is a deciduous, lanky, small tree with beautiful dark red blooms making it a striking garden accent. You can find it growing in the xeriscape area at the Master Gardener Victoria Educational Gardens at Victoria Regional Airport. You might know the coral bean as cardinal spear,…

For several years, the end of May through the first of June has brought different varieties of unwanted worms and caterpillars to our landscapes. Recently, I have had a few reports of spring cankerworms being a problem. I usually don’t hear much about spring cankerworm problems, but periodic…

As production in the spring vegetable garden begins to wane with the approach of high summer temperatures, many gardeners assess what went well and what did not.

If you have paid any attention to your flower beds or vegetable gardens in the past few weeks, chances are you have noticed lots of small garden snails. You might have also noticed damage to some of your plants caused by these garden snails.

Have you ever longed for a plant that came up year after year, bloomed late spring to fall and was relatively trouble-free? Yarrow could be the plant for you.

Spring is here. Summer is right around the corner and before you know it, school will be out. Summer camps, swim teams, campouts and vacations will be on your list of things for you and your children to do. Among the camp selections for your children, consider the Victoria County Master Gard…

Herbs can be such a wonderful addition to all types of garden areas. The aromatherapy herbs can provide makes them a wonderful plant for any location. The wonderful herbal fragrances are not these plants only assets. Many herb plants attract hummingbirds and butterflies and, of course, herbs…

Living in today’s world, it’s safe to say we can all benefit from a little extra support from our family and friends. In the world of nature, there are numerous climbing plants that need support as well. In our gardens, that support comes in the form of a structure known as the trellis.

I am going to use this week’s column to answer some questions emailed to me.

The last freeze of the season has come and gone. The rains have subsided, and the soil temperatures have risen. All the excuses for putting off preparing a garden are gone. For those who didn’t get a chance to prepare a garden, there is still time before the blistering temperatures occur.

Trees are usually planted either for their looks, because a homeowners association requires it, or to provide shade. Today, let’s look at several other important reasons we should all plant trees on our properties.

Have you noticed that the “age of beige” has passed? We seem to be in a world of gray, which is the new fashion color for home furnishings, clothing and accessories. Perhaps now is the time to bring gray outside and into the landscape.

Many spring vegetable gardens are beginning to produce their crops. Along with the fresh production of delicious veggies usually come the pests. Most seasoned gardeners realize that garden pests have a magic ability of knowing just the right time to visit our gardens. Pests usually show up w…

Christmas cactus, Easter lily, Mayflower and autumn sage are just a few of the flowers and plants that are named after a season or are associated with a holiday. Another one, that is less common in this area, is the Lenten rose.

If you’ve spent anytime outdoors lately, you might have noticed monarch butterflies fluttering around. Throughout the past few years, the number of monarch butterflies has dropped. But this year, their numbers seem to be dramatically increasing.

You could call me a Golden Girl. For the last several articles I have been asked to write, they have all been about yellow – in my garden, in my home, in decorating – in my world. I prefer to think of myself as a child of the ’60s with thoughts of Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow” and Elton John’s “…

The arrival of spring brings many wonderful things, but it can also bring the influx of insects. Of course, all these insects are hungry and seem to know right where the tastiest tender plants are located in our vegetable gardens, flowerbeds, trees and lawns.

Did you know orchids can be grown in the ground in our area?

We have all heard about all sorts of animals that are now extinct, but who has heard of food extinctions? I guess the extinction of certain types of grains, apples or beans is not yet really newsworthy.

Spinach, kale, leaf lettuces: The leafy greens of spring salads that we are most familiar with tend to produce best in the Texas winter and the very early spring cooler weather.

One of the biggest pests gardeners have recently been battling has got to be all the weeds. Weeds in our gardens, weeds in our lawns, weeds in our flower beds even weeds in container grown plants. Why are we having such an outbreak of these unwanted plants in our landscapes?

With spring officially here this week, the Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday morning.

The past few months have been very cloudy, with times of light rain. Temperatures have certainly stayed cooler than most of us care for.