Tuesday

PRESERVING YOUR CHRISTMAS OR HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS


After the extensive Texas heat, some people have found this season that their Christmas and/or holiday ornaments have not survived. To help preserve your ornaments after this year's festivities you can wrap them in acid free paper to protect them. White acid free tissue paper can be found at Amazon.

Wednesday

FRUGAL FALL DECORATING TIPS

Fill clear containers, baskets or a colorful plate that you have around the house with varieties of colorful miniature pumpkins and gourds, colorful leaves etc.

Cover various colorful leaves that have fallen outside with a moisturizer.Let the leaves dry completely and scatter them around the house.
You can use all shapes and sizes of pumpkins as vases for flowers. Clean out the pumpkin's flesh and seeds, then arrange your flowers inside. Just cut the stems of the flowers to fit the size of your pumpkin. Of course, florists are always full of ideas and have ready made bouquets that you could use.

Glue a variety of branches, acorns, walnuts, pinecones and other natural things found outdoors to make a topiary out of a foam forms that you can find at your local Dollar Store. 

SAVE MONEY-COUPONS

Target offers many coupons on-line. To find their offers, click on the link below.

http://coupons.target.com/

DEAL OF THE DAY WAL MART CHRISTMAS TREE BUNDLE

This deal of day includes an artificial Christmas Tree and ornaments for $40.00.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Artificial-Christmas-Tree-Value-Bundle/17656887

Holiday Time Unlit 6' Wesley Pine Artificial Christmas Tree

Sunday

OAK WILT


According to the USDA Forest Service. In Texas and 20 other states, Oak Wilt is becoming a serious problem. Oak wilt, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum (Bretz) Hunt, kills oak trees. There has been serious damage occurring in the Midwest. It was first recognized as an important disease in 1944 in Wisconsin (fig. 1) where, in localized areas (less than 100 acres (40.4 ha)), over half the oaks have been killed. Surveys in eight Wisconsin counties showed that about 11 percent of the annual growth increase of oak forests was offset by mortality caused by oak wilt.

To learn more about Oak Wilt click on the links  below.

http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/oakwilt/oakwilt.htm

http://www.texasoakwilt.org/Documents/Stewardship/OakWilt_English.pdf

http://oakwilt.com/spanish/english.html

Wednesday

COFFEE GROUNDS IN THE GARDEN

Coffee grounds can be beneficial to your garden as compost. Add them in by sprinkling the onto the soil. You can rake them into the soil, if you wish. Its that simple. Coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen and additionally contain potassium, magnesium, calcium and other minerals.
Coffee grounds can also be used to keep slugs away. Sprinkle around plants you wish to protect.
You can get used coffee grounds at Starbucks for free.

Monday

FOR THE BIRDS

Take care of your little winged friends this winter. Your feeders should be cleaned out and filled. Provide water by adding a water feature. Winter is approaching and keeping birds in your garden and yard can be very helpful. Birds are pollinators and eat unwanted insects. Cardinals seem to crowd around my house in the winter. I enjoy watching them. What types of birds do you see?

 The photo was found at http://www.weforanimals.com/.

Friday

Would like to take the time today to thank all of those veterans out there who have sacrificed so much for us, thank you and GOD BLESS YOU!

TIME TO WINTERIZE YOUR GARDEN

After the freeze this morning, now is definitely the time to start winterizing your garden. Now is the time to clean the beds and put new mulch down. By doing this you will avoid the necessity of heavy weeding in the Spring and will help protect plants from a deep freeze. Preserve tender plants by covering them with old sheets before a freeze.

Thursday

NOVEMBER TASKS

Iris-It's a great time to divide!
Plant cool-season color using snapdraggons, pansies, primroses, chrysanthemums, Iceland poppies and assorted annuals. Plant new shrubs and trees. Sow wildflower seeds now for a spring show. Plant spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, narcissus.Transplant and divide crowded perennials. Plant them in another part of your garden or give them away as gifts. You can transplant bulbs, rhizomes, chives, garlic and multiplying onions. Clean out beds. Remove leaves and dead plant material.Mulch beds after the first frost.Cut back shrubs. Remove broken and dead wood. Cover frost sensitive plants.Amend soil.Take care of your trees by watering before a freeze and replacing damaged stakes.Wrap pipes, faucets and sprinkler valves.
           

SURVIVING THE TEXAS DROUGHT

These plants stood up to the Texas drought this summer in my garden! Lantanas: They've come back with an abundance of flowers! This is my favorite plant and I highly recommend it for your Texas garden. They come in a variety of colors and outshine any plant I have. They bloom from spring to the first freeze. Knockout Roses: These disease resistant roses are resilient with green foliage in winter and a must have in any Texas garden. Bearded Irises: Rhizomes that bloom in the Spring. Their foliage add color and interest all year long.Crepe Myrtle: A beautiful shrub that comes in many colors and many sizes. Salvia commonly referred to as Sage: Come in a large variety of plants which belong to the mint family. The list is endless with up to 700-900 species of shrubs, herbaceous perrenials, and annuals to choose from.

Wednesday

Regional Gardening Reports :: National Gardening Association

Asters--Love 'Em and Leave 'Em Regional Gardening Reports :: National Gardening Association

FALL IS IN THE AIR



After the exhausting summer heat we’ve had, now is a great time to take advantage of the cooler weather in Texas. It’s a great time for planting spring bulbs, trees and shrubs. Plant Pansies, Ornamental Cabbage, Dianthus and Mums. Don’t forget to supplement your soil to replenish it from the drought before planting! Additionally, now is the time to be on the lookout for cabbageworms and aphids. Cabbageworms can be controlled with a worm killer. Ladybugs can aid in the fight against aphids or you can soak them with a concoction of 2 tablespoons of dish soap to a gallon of water. Don’t pull up clover and vetch because they are great attractants for lady bugs. Other insects can be controlled by handpicking, by spraying them with water, or by attracting birds. By attracting birds you get to enjoy their singing and babies in the Spring, but you’ll get the benefit of insect control. Purple Martins, Scissortail, Mockingbirds and Bluebirds are great insect eaters.