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 ~ 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.

In the Garden ~ Companion Planting

 

    This February weather has been pretty mild so far, but do not let it fool you into complacency, your plants are not yet ready to go outside.  What you can do instead is get ready to plant in the coming weeks by starting your plants early inside, if you have the space.  This could be anywhere you have good lighting or you can also use grow lights.  If you are really lucky, a green house.  To get some of the best yields you have ever had, we wanted to talk about companion planting.  

Companion planting is growing vegetables, herbs or flowers near each other to optimize the soil, bug deterrents and pollinators, for a stronger healthier plant and a larger yield.  Did you know that tomatoes love carrots?  While we usually plant basil with our tomatoes, they also love carrots.  Since carrots like cooler weather, start them first, then succession plant in tomatoes and basil, as the days go longer and the temperature increases.

Another favorite of ours to plant together is nasturtium and cucumbers.  Nastirtium is a flowering green, where everything it grows is edible.  The flower and leaves are a perfect addition to salads, and adds a bit of peppery spice to the dish.  Cucumbers thrive with nasturtium growing close by.  Ours took off and did not look back.  

Probably our most successful and favored planting companions is the “three sisters” combination of beans, squash and corn.  This triple threat works great together and produces wonderful yields when grown together.  With differing times of produce, you can have food all summer long with these companions.

We usually mix together our greens, in rows by and around each other.  Kale, spinach, arugula and chard all go well together and create bountiful yields when planted.  The cooler weather allows for greens to grow and thrive together early on in the season, and when planted next to each other, they all thrive.  

We have left the best for last, marigolds.  Marigolds are a garden staple and we plant these all around the edge of our beds to help keep away unwanted pests and to draw in pollinators.  Marigolds help tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce, and green beans.  These flowers are beautiful as well as beneficial for any garden.  

Do not be afraid to combine your plants this year for a stronger, healthy plant that produces more food for you and your family.  Companion planting is more than just planting next to each other, its a great way to ward off pests and optimize your garden to produce more.  Be sure to check out the chart from the Farmers Almanac website for more details and plants that we did not cover.  Happy planning and plating this Spring.