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Tag Archives: Austin Gardening
What’s Happening in the Austin January Vegetable Garden
The Austin January Vegetable Garden Checklist by Paula Wolfel Many in Austin saw at least one freeze by early December. With that occurrence, I picked the last of my summer eggplants and made Pasta alla Norma and Eggplant Parmigiana (both can be stored in the freezer if you have a lot of eggplant) and I pickled my jalepenos. And with that is the end of my summer garden—except my chard—and magically space in the garden is free for more winter vegetables like greens, lettuces, brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,… Read More →
Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Workshop January 24th, 2024
Please join us for a Healthy Lawns Healthy Waters (HLHW) workshop from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Shoal Creek Watershed on January 24th with a focus on Travis and Williamson Counties. This free in-person event from 9 am to 1 pm will be held at the Pflugerville Public Library. Please reserve your spot by registering here. The HLHW workshop is a residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training that aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for… Read More →
Woollybear Tiger Moth Caterpillars
Woollybear Caterpillars Common Right Now Woollybear caterpillars of the Tiger moth have been a common sight lately in the Central Texas area. These insects are native to the United States and are sometimes called “woollybear caterpillars”. “Woollybear caterpillar” is a more general term that refers to various species of caterpillars that are densely covered in hairs, called setae, and tend to wander. Common Color Variations While these caterpillars can be highly variable for individual species, the common ones seen lately are woollybear (Isabella tiger moth), saltmarsh caterpillar (saltmarsh… Read More →
What’s Happening in Austin’s December Vegetable Garden
December Vegetable Garden Checklist by Paula Wolfel The short lived cold front that passed through a few weeks ago definitely teased Austinites. My basil plants took a beating and my summer squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes that were already struggling from the drought did not survive. But my eggplant and peppers are still going strong, so I face the struggle of every Austin gardener: when do you call it quits and move on to the next season!? Hopefully by now you have your brassicas, root vegetables, and leafy greens… Read More →
What’s Happening In Austin’s November Vegetable Garden
November Vegetable Gardening Checklist from Paula Wolfel November is a beautiful time in the Austin garden: pests start to ease up or disappear and the heat and humidity are also gone. Gardens are filled with brassicas, leafy greens, and artichokes, while root vegetables are starting to pop out from the soil. There are also still so many flowers and pollinators. Summer Harvest and Seed Saving Summer plants that survived the harsh heat and drought of this summer will continue to grow until the first freeze, which the average… Read More →
How to Choose Vegetable Varieties
Have you ever found yourself at a garden center, staring at a rack of seeds or a table full of transplants and wondering how to choose vegetable varieties for your garden? The many selections at nurseries and online can seem a bit overwhelming, and ending up with plants you don’t need can be costly. The following tips may help with the decision making. Plan Before You Buy Assess your garden situation, considering the space you have, the time you can devote to tending plants, as well as the… Read More →
Opportunities to Grow as a Gardener in Weather Extremes
Meet “Frovid” On February 12-18, 2021, we thought we had met our garden demise with what we refer to around here as Frovid. After that freeze we felt like our gardens and landscape across our three acre property would forever be changed. We lost so many perennials, succulents, fruit trees, and branches and we thought things would never recover. March rolled around and the massive undertaking of the cleanup was behind us, and thankfully we did not meet our garden demise. Just like the many spring seasons before,… Read More →
Texas Superstar® – Trailing Lantana
Trailing Lantana is a ‘Go-To’ Plant In Central Texas, Lantana is a ‘go to’ garden specimen for continuous color from spring through fall. It survives our inconsistent freezes, drought, and periods of rain deluge and just keeps coming back. The purple variety of Trailing Lantana is slightly more hardy than the white, but both are plants you’ll want to have in your garden. The white variety can take more shade than the purple, but still flowers best with direct sun and heat. As with all lantanas, the foliage… Read More →
Texas Superstar® – Gold Star Esperanza
Give Yourself a ‘Gold Star’ Gold Star Esperanza (Tecoma stans ‘Gold Star’) is a subtropical Texas native. It’s a reliable perennial in USDA Hardiness Zone 9. You might also know this showy plant as ‘yellow bells’ or ‘hardy yellow trumpet. The ‘Gold Star’ variety is the most prolific flowering variety that is “a must” for a Central Texas gardener. It is a fast-growing shrub that can reach 4-5 feet tall with similar width. The actual size is responsive to the growing conditions and is a wonderful accent plant… Read More →
Tree Damage RX
Assisting our Dynamic Wonders The tree damage from the recent ice storm continues to plague Travis County, fueled by several high wind events. Branches are now falling or hanging when they looked fine right after the storm. Our challenge now is to continue to survey and review our trees for pruning, signs of life, or terminal damage. Let’s look at several examples to acclimate to detecting damage and how best to address. Mother Nature’s Stubs In my last post (Trees CODIT for Ice Storm Aftermath), I discussed pruning… Read More →