In the Garden ~ Gardening in the Texas Heat

Summer is rapidly approaching and you want to make a garden that your neighbors will be envious of and that is low maintenance.  Which can mean many different things in Texas but the main one is going to be something that can survive the Texas heat!  We all know how hot it can get in Texas, with very little to no rain, during those late summer months.  Here are our top five suggestions to keep your garden in color, and not break the bank on watering.

One of our favorite plants is Lantana.  We happen to have five planted right in front of the breakfast room window, which is perfect for early morning bird watching during the season.  Hummingbirds, butterflies and all sorts of pollinators love this bunch of flowers, and can be seen gathering pollen from the plants, once flowers start to bloom until the first freeze.  Our secret, we do not water these beauties at all.  They keep growing and supplying lovely color, from April until about December, when we cut them back to rest until next year.  Nature keeps our lantana in water when it rains, and they seem to be thriving.

Second on our list is Salvia.  We typically have the blue variety planted in our garden and this year we added a red and dark purple.  This native plant thrives in the Texas heat and can grow to be fairly substantial if given the space to spread it’s foliage.  The beautiful blooms give color the whole season, and come back year after year.  Of course it attracts pollinators of all kinds.  The bees really love the flowers and return every year.

Third, is the Red Yucca.  While we just added our first one to our garden this year. This popular plant can be seen along road sides, in multiple businesses around town and even along the freeway in larger cities.  Native to West Texas, the Red Yucca thrives in rocky soil and tends to be a little drier.   If you are trying to get away from having a yard full of grass and want to add a little xeriscaping, this should be your top pick.

Fourth, is Texas Sage.  The silvery foliage gives color and interest all year round and has a profusion of purple blooms during the rainy season.  Be sure to have enough space for this beauty to spread out, it can grow up to 6 feet if that is your desire.  A great benefit besides being good for those hot Texas summer days, if you have deer, this plant is deer resistant.  Add them along the edge of your beds to form a wall of sorts to protect your garden while adding interest and color throughout the year.

Fifth but definitely not the end, Rudbeckia, loves the sun and Texas heat.  You can find these flowers blooming in hay fields, along roadsides, and in many gardens.  The seeds spread with the wind, so if you only want them in certain locations be sure to move them early before blooming.  If you like a little chaos in your garden then let the seeds fall where they may and see just how far mother nature's hand will go.   These lovely yellow flowers add great color to any garden and of course the pollinators love them.  Be sure to add some to your garden for added color and interest.

While these are some of our favorite plants and flowers to have on hand to combat the Texas heat, there are many more you can find that you might enjoy more.  After all your garden is what you make of it and can be as full or as sporadic as  you like.  We prefer to have our’s be a little chaotic and colorful, with the least amount of maintenance possible.  Stop by anytime to explore our garden or ask questions to discover how easy it is to grow heat and sun tolerant plants. 

Around Town ~ KJ's Boutique

     

    Just over a year ago, KJ's Boutique opened its doors at 214 Main Street, bringing children's fashion to downtown. The sister store to Marlene's Sass and Class, KJ's was named after owner Marlene's first granddaughter's nickname — a sweet tribute that turned into a thriving business. Shoppers can visit in person Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or browse anytime at www.shopkjsboutique.com.

The idea for KJ's took root years earlier. Shortly after Marlene's opened more than eight years ago, customers kept asking for children's and tween clothing. When Marlene's first grandbaby was on the way, and the building next door happened to come available, KJ's Boutique was born. Today the store carries girls' sizes from newborn through tween (14/16) and boys' sizes from newborn through 7/8, with newborn items quickly becoming customer favorites.

Clothing is only part of the story. KJ's also stocks toys and squishies, including Discovery Toys; a popular educational brand you won't find in big department stores. Whether you're looking for a thoughtful gift or a cute new outfit, it's an easy stop for the kids in your life.

Marlene has also made sure shopping with little ones in tow is easy. A dedicated play area with books, toys, and movies keeps kids entertained while parents browse. That attention to experience extends to the staff, personal shoppers are on hand to help customers find just the right piece for any occasion.

Many of the items at KJ's are one-of-a-kind finds you won't see at corporate retailers, including matching outfit sets for moms and their kids that are especially popular for holidays and family photos, and tend to sell out fast, so it pays to shop early.

KJ's also hosts a regular lineup of community events, many of them free. Storytime with Kate is a favorite, along with craft and painting projects for tweens led by Babrae McFarlin (a small fee covers supplies). Seasonal events have included Valentine's bath bomb making, egg decorating, ornament decorating, and visits from the Easter Bunny and Santa. Follow KJ's on Facebook and Instagram for the full event schedule.

Kids who love the spotlight can stop by to "model" new outfits for the shop, while parents can head to the Hat Bar to personalize their own trucker hat.

As football season approaches, KJ's is the place to find cheer outfits, not just in Sulphur Springs colors, but for surrounding area schools too. Check back this fall for costumes and "make-believe" play outfits, and watch for holiday pajama sets arriving in September.

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Blueberry Basil Margarita

 

Summer is coming in hot this year! Pun intended! The weather has been erratic at best and those temps are creeping up quickly so that your outside time should be from 5 a. m. to 8 a. m. or late evening hours. If only that worked in the real world.  At least, we have the perfect cocktail to help cool you down, after working in the garden, or just for sipping on the back deck.  

What is a better way to cool down, than with some favorite summer flavors of blueberry and basil?  Toss in an extra mint leaf and you have a drink worth sipping, to cool you down, or to enjoy with friends.  The white tequila and fresh lime give it a great flavor while being refreshing and cooling over ice.

Blueberry Basil Margarita

1.5 ounce Tequila Blanco

½ ounce triple sec

¾ ounce fresh lime juice

½ ounce simple syrup

8-10 blueberries

3 fresh basil leaves

1 mint leaf

Salt and lime zest for the rim

Prep your glass by running the lime round the outside and partially down the side.  Roll in the salt and lime zest.  Muddle blueberries, mint and basil together, with the simple syrup.  Add in the tequila, triple sec, and lime.  Shake with ice until the shaker cup is cold.  Strain into your prepared glass over fresh ice.  Garnish with blueberries and basil.  

This simple drink is perfect to prepare for friends, for a dinner party or back yard barbeque.  Be sure to not over muddle the herbs, so they do not become bitter, just enough to release their flavor into the syrup and spread color into your glass from the berries.

We have three different types of basil and three different types of mint growing in our garden.  For this drink we use the standard green basil, you can find at your local grocer and any of the mint will work as well.  If you do not like mint, feel free to leave it out.  Make this drink your own with your favorite liquor and herbs.  

We think you will enjoy it no matter how you make it.  As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver. Cheers!

Travel ~ AI and planning

   

      For those of you who know, our two oldest children went about as far away from Texas, to college as they could possibly get and still be in the contiguous United States.  Our daughter was recruited to play soccer for an engineering school in Maine and loved it so much that she convinced her brother to attend the same school.  This summer both of our older kids are in the State of Texas for one reason or another.  Reach out if you want to hear the full story.  She wanted to have her car with her while in Texas, which means that I traveled to Maine to pick them up.

Our original trip was going to just be she and I, but  life happened and the boy came along as well.  To help us plan our road trip home, since it takes a few days and we were going to leisurely make our way back to Texas, I thought it would be entertaining to see how AI could plan our trip.  

If you have never used AI to plan a trip before, I highly recommend checking it out, and seeing what comes up.  Of course, do not take AI as gospel, verify the information and make sure it actually fits what it says and what you are looking for.  When you ask your AI of choice your question, be as specific as you can.  Give it lots of parameters to consider, and off it will go, scouring the internet way faster than you and Google could ever do in the past.  

I will say when we used this tool, I tried multiple different AI options to plan our travel.  Claude, Copilot, Chat GPT, and Gemini to name a few.  Each one gave me different information, and a different route to take based on how I asked it to go.  We usually like to leave out Tennessee, but since she wanted to visit her cousin, we ended up driving across the entire state.  But in our original query we had a route that would divert us away from Tennessee for the most part due to time constraints.

The best thing I liked about using AI was the data it pulled for places to stay.  I’m sure it won’t surprise anyone that we selected to stay at Bed and Breakfast locations along our route.  For each stop we requested, it pulled at least three options to select from.  After verifying the distance from point A to point B we made our choice and hoped it was going to be great.  

When I stay at a bed and breakfast I want to have the full experience, similar to what we give our guests.  A full breakfast, a beautifully appointed room, and that at home feeling, when you travel to help keep guests comfortable and willing to return.  I made sure to request locations that offered breakfast, with their stay.  I will say that a few of the choices AI gave us did not have a breakfast option or they charged extra for the breakfast meal.  I don’t know about you, but I like to see that cost included in my stay not an additional add on.  For whatever reason, I feel that breakfast is integral to a person’s stay at a bed and breakfast.  At The Oaks Bed and Breakfast, breakfast is always included in the price of your stay.

Needless to say, that is not always the case when using AI to help plan your travel.  I strongly recommend always checking the results of your AI query, and call to verify details before booking.  The other obstacle we ran into was the distance, that AI thought we were traveling.  The first day, we wanted to drive for about 3 hours.  In the first set of options, AI had us traveling only about 1.5 hours.  With better questions and a little more searching we finally landed in the correct location, and for a 30 hour drive, those first 3 hours made the difference when driving back to Texas. 

The moral of the story is that if you are using AI to plan your travel, yes absolutely do so, but be sure to check your results.  Call and ask questions of the establishments where you plan to stay, unless of course you are going with corporate lodging, they will always be the same.  If that is how you want to travel, go for it.  For those of you who want to experience travel, then staying at a boutique inn or bed and breakfast is the better way to go.  Check the mileage on a map before booking to make sure you are getting the most out of your travel days that you need or want to make.  

Most important is to enjoy the experience.  Hit the road with an end in mind or just hit the road to see what you can see.  AI can be most helpful right now with gas prices so high to help you plan travel around a single tank of gas.  Explore your “backyard” to discover something new, and experience your State, close by.  You never know what new adventure awaits. 

In the Garden ~ Natural Pest Control

 

    Every year, we are excited to start a new garden and every year we face the issues of dealing with common garden pests.  Since we garden organically, we do not use typical pest control items, so that our food could be consumed straight off the vine, or plant. 

Our number one pest removal is as simple as cooking oil and dish soap.  Two cups of oil, and 1 cup of dish soap combined.  Then take 1 tablespoon and mix it with a liter of water, to spray on plants.  This mixture helps to naturally remove pests such as aphids and mites.  These soft bodied insects absorb the mixture into their skin and die, and it’s safe to spray directly onto the leaves and stems of your plants.

Another great option that you can purchase from your favorite garden center is Neem Oil. Mix 100% cold pressed Neem Oil with some dish soap and the life cycle of the insect pest in your garden will no longer continue.  It’s just as easy to spray on the plants as the dish soap spray you just made.  

If you have slugs or snails in your garden; a lid filled with beer will draw them in and they will drown, consuming the liquid.  You don’t need a full can, unless you are placing more than one trap in your garden.  At least you know they will die happy, while moving around the beer trap. It is a more humane way of removing these pests than salt or a stronger pesticide.

Of course, there are natural deterrents that you can grow that will add safety to your garden area.   Nasturitium is a great plant to grow that also provides food.  The pepper scent will deter squash bugs, white flies and various beetles from eating away at your garden.  The flowers will attract beneficial insects as well, who might also feast on the pests you are trying to keep away from your harvest.  All parts of the nasturtium are edible, the flowers and the leaves. They make a great garnish for salads and other dishes. 

The most common plant around to help keep away garden pests of all sizes is the marigold.  Marigolds work wonders as a border flower at keeping out deer and rabbits along with a myriad of insects. The pungent smell repels the mammals while attracting those insects that will help to pollinate your garden for optimal growth. Companion planting marigolds works wonders on your garden at keeping it pest free.  

One more easy to use pest control is diatomaceous earth.  This fine ground power made from aquatic fossils works wonders on pests with hard exoskeletons.  The powder strips away the protective exoskeleton and causes the insects to dry out.  It makes for an easy to use deterrent that can be mixed into soil or spread around plants. Be sure to get the food grade diatomaceous earth and not the kind that goes in your pool. 

Inside your house, if your fruit is out on the counter or your trash cans are not covered, you might find that you have little gnats flying around. A jar filled with apple cider vinegar, and topped with plastic wrap with holes poked in it works amazing.  The smell attracts the gnats, and the plastic wrap traps them inside.  A safe and easy method to remove pesky gnats from your airspace.  

Organic pest removal is effective and easy to use, if you want to take the time to discover what works best for you and your garden.  There is no need to add chemicals to your body from the use of pesticides. After all you only have one body to live with, and this is your one chance to treat it the best.  You have already started by growing  a garden, continuing those good works in how you treat pests.

Around Town ~ Clemetine

 

        A long standing staple of Sulphur Springs, Yard by Yard, has successfully changed hands to become Clementine. Ready to celebrate their one year Anniversary on May 31st, Clementine has quickly become a local favorite for plants, coffee and community. Located at 612 Church Street, they are open 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday except for special events. To book your party or event call and speak to Hope at 903-885-5371. 

Hope and Steve have many years of experience in the garden and landscape world from having a landscape business in Dallas that they sold to make the jump to owning Clementine. Never fear, if you have any landscaping needs they can still help you out.  If you purchase a tree they will plant it for you as an install. Do you need landscape design services and lawn care? Look no further, they have become a one stop shop for all your outside gardening needs. 

The Cafe Market was developed as a way to draw in the community for a location to meet up and join with friends and family alike. The market is a great place for the community to hang out and experience the garden. Making it more shoppable. You can find indoor plants, garden essentials, and of course coffee. The market is the perfect setting for remote work space  in a different environment.

The garden center is set up for landscapers and the home gardener.  Bulk orders for landscaping needs as well as single plants to adorn your home garden are easily found and purchased when you visit.  You can stroll through the garden center that looks more like an arboretum than a traditional garden center.  Displays are set up for guests to determine if they like the look and feel of the placement of plants, to use in their own home garden.  

They even have a veggie patch that demonstrates great ways to add in a garden to your own home easily.  Of course, any veggies that they have grown can be purchased in the Cafe, while some will be used in the food that they make on site.  It’s really a great way to see and know where your food comes from or to discover new ways to grow the items you love. They also bake all their items on site, have seasonal soups, salads and specialty coffee. Breakfast and lunch items, with specific seasonal offerings. 

Hope stated that the “staff has been great, and working well with each other.” This has allowed them to offer parties and classes.  They can accommodate up to 40 people seated in the back room, and love to host on Sunday when it can be the whole location. Many of the classes they offer are for free on Saturdays on how to grow things.  You can find classes on the website clementinenursery.com or on Facebook and Instagram as well. 

They don’t plan to stop there.  They are expanding behind their property towards Houston Street.  Their goals are to expand the cafe garden to  grow a lot of their own veggies, for salads as well as selling over stock. All of their veggies are organic and they plan to add in chickens one day as well. 

Along with expanding their own business they are trying to pull in other businesses, they are also looking to help support local artists and others with hand crafted items.  Their space provides a great one to display unique art pieces in multiple forms.  They want you to know that everyone is welcome and it’s a place to experience new things.  Stop by for a visit soon.

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Elderflower Basil Martini

     

    After much deliberation for this month's cocktail, I finally settled on an Elderflower Martini.  Here at the Oaks Bed and Breakfast we happen to be big fans of all things Elderflower.  This French liqueur is smooth, and perfect to add a little elegance with a hit of floral to your cocktail.

A relatively new liqueur on the market, Elderflower has gained in popularity since hitting the bar top in 2001.  The flowers are handpicked in the early Spring and smashed within 24 hours of picking to contain their fragrance.  The Elderflower has a long history of folklore in protection and healing. 

The Elderflower Martini is simple and easy to make.  With the added herb of basil this drink is perfect for late Spring where the nights are still cool and the days warm.  Here is what you need to make your drink.

Cucumber Basil Elderflower Martini

1 ounce Elderflower Liqueur

2 ounces Vodka

½ cup chopped cucumber

½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

6 basil leaves

Muddle your basil and cucumber in the bottom of your shaker cup, until the flavors are well blended.  Add in the Elderflower, vodka and lime juice.  Add in Ice, then shake vigorously until the outside of the container is chilled.  Strain into a Martini glass.  Garnish with a cucumber ribbon and basil leaf.

        The glimpse of summer really comes out in this drink, with the cucumber and basil, muddled in the bottom of the shaker cup.  The more you press those flavors together the stronger the taste.  What a great way to welcome the changing seasons and enjoy a refreshing beverage while soaking in the cooler temps on the back deck at the Oaks.  

As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver.  Cheers!