I LOVE fabulous flowers and pretty plants and luscious landscaping!!!
Look at other Landscaping
I’m always on the lookout for what others have done. It can be done on a very small scale. Or, on a larger grand scale. I don’t care – it just needs to be marvelous!
Where Gardening Began for Me
I don’t remember when I began to love gardening. It could of been when my grandmother worked in her backyard on her cacti in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s a much drier climate, but I have seen Plumeria thrive there. I have a memory of living in Jasper, Texas as a little girl and eating the green beans fresh off of the bean stalk. Or, it could have been when I worked at the local K-Mart in the garden center. I began to read all of the plant stake labels, or ask my supervisor, or steal glances in the books that were sold there. It could also have been Ann encouraging me to buy plants when I was newly divorced in 1991. Or, Elizabeth, encouraging me to visit the Enchanted Forest or attend the annual Wildscapes Workshop.
County Annex
Fort Bend Master Gardeners – I was certified as a Fort Bend Master Gardener for a time; I’ve let my certification lapse. I learned so much in class and met numerous friends along the way. Their demonstration gardens are quite impressive and are open to the public.
Florida Panhandle
In Florida, there is the Panhandle Butterfly House. The Panhandle Butterfly House is in Navarre, Florida right before you get to our Condo on the beach (aka The Great Escape). Navarre, Florida and Houston, Texas are both in Zone 9. So most of the same plants will do well in both areas. I don’t keep live plants at the condo, but I will when we retire there.
County Extension Offices
Some are larger than others. Check out your local county extension office as it’s a fantastic resource. Each county within the United States has an extension office, which is staffed with agents who work closely with university-based extension specialists to deliver answers to your questions about gardening, agriculture, and pest control. You can find the website and phone number for your local county extension office by clicking here. Take note of when they are having plant and tree sales. It varies in each county. The sales are great because they only sell what grows well in your area. The box stores have gotten better at this in recent years, but the Fort Bend County tree and plant sales cannot be beat.
Houston Area Master Gardener Locations
These are in the Houston, Texas area and surrounding counties:
Fort Bend County Master Gardeners
Florida Panhandle Master Gardener Locations
These are in the Navarre Beach, Florida area and surrounding counties:
References
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In Douglas W. Tallamy’s Book, Bringing Nature Home, he states: “But now, for the first time in its history, gardening has taken on a role that transcends the needs to the gardener. Like it or not, gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife. It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to “make a difference.” In this case, the “difference” will be to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”
Plant More Native Plants
We must always try to plant native plants to our area. Give the wildlife something to nectar/feed on. Some folks like Crape Myrtles in the Houston area. I don’t like them. They bring nothing to the table for the wildlife. I say, dig them up and replace them with something native.
Like this:
Yellow Bells aka Esperanza:
These Yellow Bells grow spectacularly in Houston. Mine was at least 12′ tall. I trim it down to 18″ annually on or after Valentine’s Day.
Bottle Brush – Excellent plant. I grew the dwarf version of the Bottle Brush at my Cat Springs home. The tree version will grow to approximately 10-15′ high. Excellent source for hummingbirds and bees.
Duranta – This grows tall in Zone 9. I cut it down to approximately 18″ every year as it grows to about 5′ tall every year. The spread is about 3′.
Bur Oak – We have two in our front yard. I wanted something else besides the Live Oaks. We had Live Oaks at our last home and they grew to be over 20′ high within ten years.
Bluebonnets – Texas State flower. These were planted by seed in November and began to come up in February. They make me so happy.
Mountain Laurel – The purple flowers smell like grape kool-aid. Plant it where it will have space to grow as they grow huge here in the Lone Star State.
Tropical Milkweed – Fabulous for the Monarch Butterflies – Holly has a wonderful website that is all about Monarch Butterflies. (Holly Hearn’s site here)
Monarch Identification – Male/Female
The new Houston home is a work in progress. Eventually, every potted plant will be in the ground. In the background is a picture of Joseph’s Coat and in the foreground, is the Spider Lily. The Spider Lily is special as it came from our very first home on Fresno, flourished at the Cat Springs home, and is now thriving at the Sandhaven home. My friend, Elizabeth, took the time to dig up this plant from the Fresno home. She was out there digging in the dark. I finally had to tell her to stop. She may have dug until the sun rose the next morning. I like to think that I LOVE gardening almost as much as she does.
Joseph’s Coat – Ann, my beautiful friend, sent me this plant for my birthday. It has such a special meaning to me as she is no longer with us. But, also because my first born son’s name is Joseph. Ann was always so incredibly thoughtful!
Knock Out Roses – Texas Superstar website is a great resource to learn about plants in Zone 9.
A Fritillary butterfly in our front yard. I LOVE that the butterflies are visiting our new front garden. I always say that it’s DH’s Dad or Mom visiting. It could also be Ann. Or, my grandmother, Kay.
Agapanthus – Peter Pan variety. Saw these first in Gulf Breeze, Florida. I noticed them surrounding the caged pools as Ann and I drove around on her golf cart. Absolutely love them.
Lantana – Easy to grow. Purple, Red, or Gold. Butterflies love this plant and it’s native to our area.
Turks Cap – Beautiful flower. The hummingbirds and butterflies eat from this little red flower. It’s also edible for us mere humans. Add it to your salad for an unexpected touch. Love this little red flower! This plant does well in sun and partial shade. It grows 5′ tall and has a spread of about 3′ before I begin to cut it back.
Porterweed – Fast grower. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Rosemary – Take a sprig and rub it between your hands, then rub on your clothes/body to repel the mosquitoes. This is completely effective. They only attacked my back – you must get someone to do your back. Then, put the sprig in your pocket as an extra measure. Rosemary is also great on chicken, pizza and/or pork tenderloin.
I could talk about plants all day. It’s where I go to find peace. This was my happy place long before I found the Emerald Coast. A park, or a nature walk will bring me this joy as well. But, why not create your own piece of loveliness in your backyard or on your balcony?
Don’t worry – not all plants that come to live at my house survive. I had three on death row not too long ago.
Bees – “Has a bee ever landed on you, and instead of getting scared, you appreciate the possibility that you got confused for a flower?” -Author Unknown
Tools for the Trade
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There is no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for using my links to support this terrific website.
Shears – I have a pair in the garage and another pair hidden in the outdoor kitchen cabinet in our back garden. One of these days I will add a mailbox in the garden to store my shears and gloves. This will make it that much more easily accessible.
Gloves – A great idea that a master gardener taught me was to put on plastic disposable gloves before your actual gardening gloves. This will help protect your fingernails. I have tried this, but it makes my hands incredibly sweaty. I have also heard to scrape your nails on a bar of soap. That way the soap is in your nails and not the dirt.
Gardening Gloves w/leather – These are great for planting and holding items, but these can be too thick if you are trying to pull weeds.
Regular Gardening Gloves – These are great for pulling weeds as they are thinner. These are super inexpensive, so I don’t mind replacing them annually.
Dirt = inside of the home
Soil = outside of the home
Rubber Shoes Some call these wellies. These are great. They keep your feet from getting wet on those days when it’s rained heavily. The full size wellies are just too hot to wear in our Houston heat. Otherwise, I am in flip flops. These Rubber shoes are great for digging holes with a shovel as they have great treads on the soles.
Hat – Must always try to wear a hat and sunglasses. This keeps you cooler and protects your face from sun damage.
Wide Brim Hat – Lots of options with funny sayings. I LOVE all of them!
“Bad Hair Day” baseball cap – camo colored can be found in my shop.
“Beach Please” baseball cap – variety of colors can be found in my shop.
Resources
Find your local county extension office
Stay tuned for more updates.
