March 27, 2015

Dear Friends,

Here is the 100th issue of our weekly gardening newsletter for Houston, the Gulf Coast and beyond. We really appreciate all of our readers hanging in there with us, sharing stories and inspring us in so may ways. 
Thanks so much!

Just for fun, to celebrate our 100th issue, we will give away one bag of Nature's Way Leaf Mold Compost to the first 5 readers who click reply with the message "compost happens" in the subject line.

This newsletter is a project of The Lazy Gardener, Brenda Beust Smith, John Ferguson and Mark Bowen (both John and Mark are with Nature's Way Resources). We also have a great supporting cast of contributing writers and technical specialists who will chime in and tweak away regularly. We would love to keep receiving your input on this newsletter . . . . comments . . . . suggestions . . . . questions. . . .Email your thoughts to: lazygardenerandfriends@gmail.com. Thanks so much for your interest.
 
Please  or sign yourself up to receive this newsletter by clicking the "Join Our Mailing List" link just below. We will never sell or share our mailing list to protect the privacy of our subscribers.

Enjoy!


Get out and see the wildflowers including, l to r, bluebonnets (insert :Indian paintbrush), 
black-eyed Susans, Indian blankets and coreopsis.


WILDFLOWER FEAST AHEAD . . . AN ACORN TO TORTURE 
SQUIRRELS (YEH!) . . . BUTTERFLY COUNTS NEED VOLUNTEERS

BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH

I wanted to do something special for our 100th Edition, and can't think of anything more appropriate (for me, anyway) than to write about wildflowers. 

It was marveling at the wildflowers blooming in fields around Aldine that helped formulate my approach to gardening. No one watered, pruned or fertilized them.  My kind of plants! From those observations came my lifelong motto:

If a plant has unacceptable levels of insect/disease problems, don't treat!  

Get rid of it.  Replace it with a plant that doesn't have unacceptable levels 

of insect/disease problems in your area!    

 

Thank you, wildflowers!

All predictions are that with the extraordinary rains we've had lately, the wildflowers will be more beautiful than ever, especially in North, Central and East Texas, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 

So I was delighted when Della Rising wrote asking for help in finding wildflower treks for her visitors coming in from Mobile. We too are planning to take off in search of blooming fields, so I've been checking these websites:

I also hear the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), who seeds our highways, will started providing sightings in mid-March at 1-800-452-9292. They hadn't as of this writing, but hopefully they will soon.

Remember, most wildflower seed should be planted here in the late fall and winter. Our soil, which never really gets "cold," is already warming up. Most seeds need some cold to germinate properly.

Fortunately most better nurseries carry already-started good-for-us wildflower plants - including bluebonnets. These can be planted now, enjoyed and hopefully will drop enough seed to reappear next year. Caution: almost all wildflowers need excessively good drainage. That's why they grow on sides of hills or upsides of ditches. Plant them HIGH, on slopes or in raised beds.

Among wildflowers that like our gardens are coreopsis, Indian blankets (Gaillardia), penstemons, black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckias) and coneflowers, to name just a few. Be careful transplanting wildflowers out of fields. Sometimes this works. Other times you'll end up like I did, in my stupid youth, with rapidly-multiplying goldenrod which I'm still pulling out 40 years later.

* LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC WILDFLOWERS? The entire plant list for Sat., Mar. 28, Cockrell Butterfly Center Native Plant Sale (http://www.hmns.org) is posted online. Click link for list and details. All these are good for attracting butterflies. But get there early. Plants go quickly

In fact, talk about a great weekend for plant sales! Look what's happening Saturday:

* Sat., Mar. 28: Memorial Northwest Ladybugs Garden Club Plant and Tree Sale, 9am-2pm, Memorial Northwest Community Center Parking lot, 17440 Theiss Mail Route, Rd., Spring

* Sat., Mar. 28: Nottingham Country Garden Club Plant Sale, 10am-1pm, Villagio Courtyard, Westheimer Pkwy. @ Peek Rd. Details: http://nottinghamgardenclub.org.

* Sat., Mar. 28: Garden Villas Garden Club Plant & Garden Accessories Sale, 9am-1pm, Garden Villas Paetk Community Center, 6720 S. Haywood. Free. Details: bburns50@aol.com or 713-545-2926.

* Sat.,Mar.28: Herb Festival and Coushatta Camellia Society camellia tea plant sale, 8am-2pm, Wynne Home, 1428 Eleventh St., Huntsville. Free. Details funny-farm2@sbcglobal.net

See CALENDAR below for more sales.


Left: coming to Mercer: baseball size acorns! (Guy Sternberg/Starhill Forest Nursery photo). Center:
Butterflies need counting! Right: a little song to help you prune roses.

TWO FUN NOTES FROM MERCER:

* One of the best places to see great-for-us wildflowers is Mercer Botanic Gardens, where bluebonnets are putting on a great show now.  A bonus if you couldn't make it to March Mart - remaining sale plants are now available at the Gift Shop, including the swallowtail-loving wildflower pipevine (Aristolochia fimbriata) - a great vine or groundcover. 
 
I asked if any of their "leftovers" would make good under-plantings for roses and other shrubs. At the big upcoming May 16 Texas Rose Rustler Spring Symposium, Mark Bowen will be speaking on interplanting vegetables and other edibles in our regular gardens (rather than having a separate "Vegetable Garden"). 

Mercer's Suzzanne Chapman says among plants at Mercer's Gift shop, edibles that would work for this include  oreganos (Greek, Cretan and 'Hot & Spicy) and tricolor sages. Thyme (English and Silver) would be neat for slightly open niches, and curled parsley for semi-shady spots. 

 

For more open, sunny spots in-between shrubs, they have tomatoes (Yellow Pear, Paul Robeson and Super Sioux) as well as always colorful peppers (Anaheim, Big Jim, Florina Greek and Como Di Toro Red). Not sure how long those will last tho!


*  MAKE A SQUIRREL GO BALLISTIC! Mercer Director Darrin Dulling says they've been given a Mexican/Central American oak tree, Quercus insignis, which produces baseball-size acorns, the largest of any known oaks on Earth.

Although the donated tree is only 2' tall now, and may take 15-10 years to produce acorns, won't it be fun for our children to watch the "Goliath Oak" (as Mercer has named it) grow into a stately silhouette? There is no common name, so Mercer named it "Goliath Oak." They're deciding now on a spot large enough to ensure falling acorns won't bonk visitors on the head. Stay tuned for the official planting. Think what a wonderful "watching" legacy this will be for your children and grandchildren!

---

* COUNTING BUTTERFLIES - Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas (BEST) can use more volunteers for butterfly counts. Contact listed leaders for details, future counts and to make sure the recent rains haven't triggered date changes:
-  Sat., April 4 - Houston Lakes Butterfly Count. Sheldon Lake State Park, 14140 Garrett Rd. Leader: Wally Ward, 713-869-6856
-  Sat., April 11 - Conroe Butterfly Count. The Woodlands. Leader: Hugh Wedgeworth, 936-648-9550 or hewedge@yahoo.com

* * *

IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT  . . . PRUNE A ROSE!
Painful as it may be, sometimes we just have to prune roses growing out of bounds (or to boost bloom production). The biggest problem here may well be finding a time when they're NOT in bloom! 

How you prune does make a difference, however, as this fun lyrical leechdom from our rosarian extraordinaire Baxter Williams shows. Sing to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands."

Smaller Than a Pencil
by Baxter Williams

If it's smaller than a pencil, cut it off.
It makes no difference whether hard or soft.
      If the stems are sized like straws,
      They all must have their flaws.
They're just too flippin' small, cut 'em off.

(For Baxter's whole "song, "click here: http://www.rose.org)

Brenda's GROUP LECTURES include: "How to Reduce the Size of Your Front Lawn to Save Water Without Infuriating Your Neighbors," "Landscaping for Security," "10 Commandments of Lazy Gardening," and "What's Blooming in the Lazy Gardener's Garden." Details: lazygardener@sbcglobal.net. *
 

 
 
JOHN'S CORNER 


 

Organic Fertilizers and Nutrients - 31


 


 

FEATHER MEAL


 

Feather meal as one might guess comes from the poultry industry, primarily chickens and turkeys and occasionally from ducks.  Feathers have a lot of keratin in them which is a natural fiber resistant to decomposition. They are naturally very high in nitrogen (N) and one of the richest nitrogen sources found in nature. The nutritional content of the meal varies between 10-1-0 to 13-0-0 (N-P-K) depending on what else is included such as heads, feet, skin, etc.

 

To produce feather meal the feathers are cooked, a process called rendering. This is generally done under high pressure and heat that sterilizes the feathers and hydrolyzes the complex proteins. They are then dried and ground into a powder. Depending on the final usage from animal feeds to organic fertilizers they may be sold as a meal, granules or pellets.

 

Feather meal is a natural slow release organic fertilizer. It must be worked into the soil for best results and often takes up to a week before the microbes start slowly releasing the nitrogen. Over the first three months around 75% of the nitrogen will be released and the final 25%  over the next few months.  The majority of nitrogen in feather meal is not water soluble hence it does not leach and pollute our waterways as artificial fertilizers do. As a result almost all the nitrogen is used by the plant or stored in the soil till needed.

 

Usage varies based on need but 12 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 1/3 cup per nitrogen loving plant is typical.

 

 

 

SUMMARY: 

 

Feather meal is another tool in a gardeners arsenal of nutrient sources. Best usage is when a soil test shows only nitrogen is required to balance the soil fertility. Other uses is a nitrogen source for plants that have a above average nitrogen requirement such as corn.

 

 

PROS:

 

- excellent source of slow release nitrogen

- often used as an ingredient in organic fertilizers

- renewable resource

- many brands available

- moderate cost

- slow release nitrogen source for a compost pile

- does not pollute

 

CONS:

- nitrogen slowly available

- does not contain other nutrients

- may be dusty

- limited availability in some areas

- may attract animals


 


 


 

  
   WEEKLY GARDENING EVENTS &
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
CALENDAR

TO SUBMIT EVENTS: Find a similar event in our calendar below and copy the format EXACTLY. 

Then you can add additional information. Email to lazy gardener@sbcglobal.net

Any other formatting will result in a delay in publication. Events will not be picked up from newsletters.


 


 

Sat., March 28:  Cockrell Butterfly Center Spring Plant Sale, 9am-Noon.  Houston Museum of Natural Science, top floor of parking garage.  5555 Hermann Circle Drive, 77030. Details:  www.hmns.org

 

Sat., Mar. 28: Birthday Party for Jerry Seymore (Jerry's Jungle Gardens), 1pm, Baker's Back Yard, 417A Gentry St., Spring. Free. Details: www.bakersbackyard.com 

 

Sat., Mar. 28: Nottingham Country Garden Club Annual Plant Sale, 10am-1pm, Villagio Courtyard, Westheimer Pkwy. @ Peek Rd. Details: nottinghamgardenclub.org; 713-870-5915 or 979-885-6199.  

  

Sat., Mar. 28: Secrets to Spectacular Roses, 10:15am, Cornelius Nursery, 2233 S. Voss. Details: corneliusnurseries.com/events.

 

Sat., Mar. 28: Memorial Northwest Ladybugs Garden Club Plant and Tree Sale, 9am-2pm, Memorial Northwest Community Center Parking lot, 17440 Theiss Mail Route, Rd., Spring 

 

Sat., Mar. 28: Roses and Companion Plants by Gaye Hammond, 10am and 2pm, The Enchanted Gardens, 6420 FM 359, Richmond, and Enchanted Forest Nursery, 10611 FM 2759, Richmond. Free. Details: www.myenchanted.com  

 

Sat, Mar. 28: Urban Harvest's Starting a Community or School Garden, Class #2 of 2, 9-11:30am. $20. University of St. Thomas, Welder Hall. Room TBD, 3800 Montrose Blvd. Details: 713-880-5540  or  www.urbanharvest.org. 

  

Sat., Mar. 28:  Garden Villas Garden Club Annual Plant & Garden Accessories Sale, 9am-1pm, Garden Villas Paetk Community Center, 6720 S. Haywood. Free.  Details:  bburns50@aol.com or 713-545-2926.  

  

Sat.,Mar.28: Herb Festival and Coushatta Camellia Society Camellia Tea Plant Sale, 8am-2pm, Wynne Home, 1428 Eleventh St., Huntsville.  Free. Details funny-farm2@sbcglobal.net

  

Sat., Mar. 28: Documenting Peckerwood Garden Plants by Sue Howard, noon, Peckerwood Gardens, 20559 FM 359, Hempstead. Free but reservations required: info@peckerwoodgarden.org; 979-826-3232

 

Sat., Mar. 29: Open Days at Peckerwood Gardens, Hempstead. Garden Conservancy event. Tours 11am & 1pm. $10. Details: peckerwoodgarden.org,  979-826-3232; info@peckerwoodgarden.org 

  

Sun, Mar. 29: Urban Harvest's Restoring Nature Through Permaculture Class 1 of 4, 1-6pm. $238. U of Houston Central Campus, 4800 Calhoun, McElhinney Hall, Room 106.Details: 713-880-5540  or  www.urbanharvest.org.

  

Tues., Mar. 31: Vegetable Container Gardening by Robert "Skip" Ritcher, 1-2pm, Thomas A. Glazier Senior Education Center, 16600 Pine Forest Lane. Details: 713-274-3250; www.pct3.hctx.net/senior/glaziersec.aspx 

  

Tues., Mar. 31: Tool Care by Tim Jahnke and Henry Harrison III, 6:30-8:30pm, Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main, La Marque. Free. Galveston County Master Gardener event. Details www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston

. 

Wed., Apr. 1: Orchid Gardening by John Stubbing, 11am-noon, Thomas A. Glazier Senior Education Center, 16600 Pine Forest Lane. Details: 713-274 -3250;  www.pct3.hctx.net/senior/glaziersec.aspx

  

Thurs., April 2: Planting for Bees and Butterflies by Fort Bend Master Gardeners Entomology Group, 9:30 am, Municipal Utility Building, 805 Hidden Canyon Drive, Katy.  Free.  Nottingham Country Garden Club Program. Details: nottinghamgardenclub.org; 713-870-5915.

 

Sat., Apr. 4: Perennials - Best Picks for Texas, 10:15am, Cornelius Nursery, 2233 S. Voss Rd. Free. Details: www.corneliusnurseries.com/events

  

Sat., April 4: Basic Grafting & Roostock Propagation with James Britt, 1:30-3 p.m., Wabash Feed & Garden Store, 5701 Washington Ave., Houston, TX 77007, Free. Details:  wabashfeed.com/eventcalendar.html or  713-863-8322.

 

Sat., Apr. 4: Tomball Garden Club's Annual Plant Sale. 9am-2pm, Granny's Korner, 201 Market St, Tomball. Details: tomballgardenclub@gmail.com

 

Tues., April 7: Natural History of Odonata - Damselflies and Dragonflies by Al Barr, 7:30pm, Museum of Natural Science's Cockrell Butterfly Center's lower floor. Free. Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas (BEST) event. Details: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nababest/

 

Wed., Apr. 8: Hibiscus gardening by Marti Graves, 2-3pm, Thomas A. Glazier Senior Education Center, 16600 Pine Forest Lane. Details: 713-274-3250; www.pct3.hctx.net/senior/glaziersec.aspx

  

Thurs., Apr. 9: Basic Irrigation & Rainwater Harvesting by Harris County Master Gardeners. 6:30-8:30pm. Barbara Bush Library, 6817 Cypresswood Dr., Spring. Free. Details:  http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

  

Thurs., Apr. 9 : Roses in the West - A Must See, 7:30pm, St. Andrews Episcopal Church parish hall, 1819 Heights Blvd. Free. Houston Rose Society event. Details: www.houstonrose.org 

   

Thurs., Apr. 9: Purple Martins: Aerial Insectivores with Mary Anne Weber, 7:30 p.m., L.G.I. Lecture Hall, McCullough Jr. High School, 3800 S. Panther Creek Dr., The Woodlands.  Free. Co-sponsors The Woodlands Township, The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N., Nature's Way Resources & Waste Management. Details:  in the Woods Nature Lecture or 281-201-3800.

 

Sat., Apr. 11: White Oak Garden Spring Plant Sale, 9-10am "Featured Plants" by Heidi Sheesley, 10am-2pm Sale; White Oak Conference Center, 7603 Antoine Dr. Details: www.nnmd.org 

  

Sat., Apr. 11: Open Days at Peckerwood Gardens, Hempstead. Garden Conservancy event. Tours 11am & 1pm. $10. Details: peckerwoodgarden.org, 979-826-3232; info@peckerwoodgarden.org 

 

Sat., Apr. 11: Plants for Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardens, 10:15am, Cornelius Nursery, 2233 S. Voss Rd. Free. Details: www.corneliusnurseries.com/events 

  

Sat, Apr. 11: Urban Harvest's Constructing the Home Vegetable and Fruit Garden. 9-11:30 am. $45. University of St. Thomas, Welder Hall. Room TBD, 3800 Montrose Blvd. Details: 713-880-5540  or www.urbanharvest.org.

  

Sat., Apr 11: Bromeliad Society/Houston Spring Sale. 9am-3pm, Metropolitan Multi-Services Center 1475 W. Gray. Details:  www.bromeliadsocietyhouston.org or 713-858-3047

 

Wed., April 15: Bromeliads by Jimbo and Joanna Woolsey, 10am, Clear Lake Park Meeting Room, 5001 NASA Parkway, Seabrook.  Harris County Master Gardeners at Precinct 2 event. Details:https://hcmga.tamu.edu

  

Thurs., Apr. 16: Basic Irrigation & Rainwater Harvesting by Harris County Master Gardeners. 6:30-8:30pm. Freeman Branch Library, 16616 Diana Lane. Free. Details: 

http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

   

Sat., Apr. 18: Basic Irrigation & Rainwater Harvesting by Harris County Master Gardeners. 10am-Noon. Maude Smith Marks Library, 1815 Westgreen Blvd., Katy.  Free. Details: http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

  

Sat., Apr. 18: Colorful Sun & Shade Plants from Burpee Home Garden, 10:15am, Cornelius Nursery, 2233 S. Voss Rd. Free. Details: www.corneliusnurseries.com/events  

 

Sat., Apr. 18 : Houston Rose Society Rose Show, 12:30 pm, St. Andrews Episcopal Church parish hall, 1819 Heights Blvd. Free. Houston Rose Society event. Details: www.houstonrose.org.

 

Sat., Apr. 18: Sat., Apr. 18: Earth Day Celebration and Native Plant Sale, 10am-2pm, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, 4501 (Woodway. Free. Details: houstonarboretum.org

 

Sat., Apr. 18: Peckerwood Gardens Open Garden Day, 10am-4pm, 20559 FM 359, Hempstead. $7. The Garden Conservancy event. Details: https://www.gardenconservancy.org/events/all-events/houston-tx-open-day

 

Mon., April 20: Open Garden Day with Harris County Master Gardeners at Precinct 2. 8:30-11am, Genoa Friendship Garden,1202 Genoa Red Bluff Rd. Details:https://hcmga.tamu.edu

 

Mon., April 21: What's Blooming in the Lazy Gardener's Garden by Brenda Beust Smith, 10am, Walden on Lake Houston Clubhouse. Lake Houston Ladies Club event. Non-member reservations required: Carol Dandeneau, 832-671-4475 

 

Tues., Apr. 21: Basic Irrigation & Rainwater Harvesting by Harris County Master Gardeners. 6:30-8:30pm. Spring Branch Memorial Library, 930 Corbindale. Free. Details: http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

 

Tues., April 21: Plants to Enjoy After the Sun Goes Down by Judy Jones, 10am, Knights of Columbus Hall, 702 Burney Road, Sugar Land. Sugar Land Garden Club event. Details:

sugarlandgardenclub.org 

 

Thurs., Apr. 23: Plants of the Bible by Jean Fefer Ph.D.1-2pm, Thomas A. Glazier Senior Education Center, 16600 Pine Forest Lane. Details: 713-274-3250; www.pct3.hctx.net/senior/g laziersec.aspx 

 

Fri-Sun., Apr. 24-26: Heritage Gardeners Spring Garden Tour, Flower and Horticulture Show, Marie Workman Garden Center and Briscoe Gardens, 112 W. Spreading Oaks for details call 281 992-4438 or go to www.heritagegardener.org

  

Sat., Apr. 25: Easy Care Flowers, Top Picks from Proven Winners,10:15am, Cornelius Nursery, 2233 S. Voss Rd. Free. Details: www.corneliusnurseries.com/events 

   

Sat., Apr. 25: Urban Harvest's Organic Pest Control, 9-11:30am. $45. University of St. Thomas, Welder Hall. Room TBD, 3800 Montrose Blvd. Details: 713-880-5540  or  www.urbanharvest.org.

  

Sat. April. 25: Spring Sale by Harris County Master Gardeners. 9am-1pm, County Extension Office, 3033 Bear Creek Dr. Details: http://hcmga.tamu.edu/Public/pubSales.aspx

  

Sat. Apr. 25: 32nd Annual Herb Day by The Herb Society of America, South Texas Unit, 9am-2pm, Fondren Hall, St. Paul's Methodist Church, 5501 Main St. at Bissonnett. $45 (box lunch). Registration deadline: April 15. Details: www.herbsociety-stu.org  

 

Tues., Apr. 28: Harris County Master Gardener Open Garden Day and Irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting Workshop, 9-11:30am, 3033 Bear Creek Drive. Free. Details: harris.agrilife.org/hort; 281-855-5600   

  

Tues.-Wed., Apr. 28-29: Florescence Illusions Flower Show, 10am-5pm, Museum of Fine Arts' Audrey Jones Beck Building, 5601 Main. Regular museum admission. River Oaks Garden Club, The Garden Club of Houston and Museum of Fine Arts event. Details: www.flohouston.org/

 

Sat., May 2: Spring Garden Tour, 9am-3pm, Venetian Estates; rain date May 9;Sugar Land Garden Club event. Details:sugarlandgardenclub.org

 

Sat., May 9: Cypress Creek Daylily Club Flower Show.1-4pm. Mercer Arboretum & Botanical Barden, 22306 Aldine-Westfield Rd., Humble.  Free. Details. 281-356-2543 billyandjeanlewis@sbcglobal.net

  

Sun., May 10: Open Days at Peckerwood Gardens, Hempstead. Garden Conservancy event. Tours 11am & 1pm. $10. Details: peckerwoodgarden.org, 979-826-3232; info@peckerwoodgarden.org 

  

Tues., May 12: Plumeria Society of America quarterly meet, 7pm, Garden Center, 1500 Hermann Drive in Hermann Park. Details: www.theplumeriasociety.org

 

Thurs., May 14: Basic Pest Control for Gardeners by Harris County Master Gardeners. 6:30-8:30pm. Barbara Bush Library, 6817 Cypresswood Dr., Spring. Free. Details: http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

 

Thurs., May 14-Sun, May 17: Master Composter Program, City of Houston Green Building Resource Center, 1002 Washington Ave. $40. Details: http://www.greenhoustontx.gov/gbrceducation-2015spring.pdf

 

Fri.- Sun., May 15-17 Bromeliad Society/Houston 44th Annual Standard Show & Sale, Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens 22306 Aldine Westfield, Humble. Hours and details:  www.bromeliadsocietyhouston.org. 713-858-3047

 

Sat., May 16: Basic Pest Control for Gardeners by Harris County Master Gardeners. 10am-Noon. Maude Smith Marks Library, 1815 Westgreen Blvd., Katy.  Free. Details: http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

 

Tues., May 19: Basic Pest Control for Gardeners by Harris County Master Gardeners. 6:30-8:30pm. Spring Branch Memorial Library, 930 Corbindale. Free. Details: http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register: 281-855-5600

 

Sun., May 17: Payne's in the Grass Daylily Farm Open Garden, 9am-5pm, 2130 O'Day Road, Pearland.  Free. Details: 281-485-3821, 713-419-6661,paynesinthegrassdaylilyfarm.com

 

Sun., May 17: Shimek's Open Daylily Gardens, 8am-6pm, 3122 Country Road 237, Alvin. Details: 281-331-4395 or 832-489-4395; www.cityscope.net/~neshimek (under Open Gardens)

 

Thur., May 21: Basic Pest Control for Gardeners by Harris County Master Gardeners. 6:30-8:30pm. Freeman Branch Library, 16616 Diana Lane. Free. Details:  http://harris.agrilife.org/hort. Register 281-855-5600. 

  

Sat., May 23: Open Days at Peckerwood Gardens, Hempstead. Garden Conservancy event. Tours 11am & 1pm. $10. Details: peckerwoodgarden.org, 979-826-3232; info@peckerwoodgarden.org

 

Sat., Mar. 28: Documenting Peckerwood Garden Plants by Sue Howard, noon, Peckerwood Gardens, 20559 FM 359, Hempstead. Free but reservations required: info@peckerwoodgarden.org; peckerwoodgarden.org, 979-826-3232

 

Sat., June 13: Plumeria Society of America Sale, 9:30am-3pm, Bay Area Community Center, 5002 NASA Parkway, Seabrook. Details: theplumeriasociety.org

 

Tues., July 14: Plumeria Society of America quarterly meet, 7pm, Garden Center, 1500 Hermann Drive in Hermann Park. Details: www.theplumeriasociety.org

 

Sat., July 25: Plumeria Society of America Sale, 9:30am-3pm, Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, Richmond.  Details: www.theplumeriasociety.org

 

Tues., Oct. 13: Plumeria Society of America quarterly meet, 7pm, Garden Center, 1500 Hermann Drive in Hermann Park. Details: www.theplumeriasociety.org

  

 

If we inspire you to attend any of these events, please let them know you heard about it in

 

THE LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS NEWSLETTER!

 

 

TO SUBMIT EVENTS: Find a similar event in our calendar below and copy the format EXACTLY.

Then you can add additional information. Email to lazy gardener@sbcglobal.net

Any other formatting will result in a delay in publication. Events will not be picked up from newsletters.

 


 

 

 

GREEN JOBS

 

 

Name of Company
- Green Pro.

Located
in Tomball, Texas.


Type of work
-Residential lawn fertilization. No mowing or landscaping.


Schedule
- Monday thru Friday. Average work week 35-40 hours.


Experience
- None, willingness to learn.


Compensation
- Hourly wage competitive with the industry.


Advancement
- We are a fast growing company with opportunities for the right person to advance.


Work Requirements

- Perform routine maintenance to clients' lawns on a scheduled basis. Work as a team to complete lawn care fertilization to our customers' lawns. Must deliver outstanding customer service in order to maintain customer retention. A qualified candidate must also maintain a professional image throughout the day, work well on a team, and show an attention to detail.

 

Must be able to prove legal to work in United States. 
Must have valid driver's license.
Must have reliable transportation.
We will perform a background check.
Pre-employment drug screening.

Must be able to speak and read English.



Contact-Jim@greenprotexas.com


.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIS NEWSLETTER IS MADE
POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS






                                             


                                                ABOUT US



 
BRENDA BEUST SMITH
 
WE KNOW HER BEST AS THE LAZY GARDENER . . . 

. . . but Brenda Beust Smith is also:

   * a national award-winning writer & editor
   * a nationally-published writer & photographer 
   * a national horticultural speaker
   * a former Houston Chronicle reporter
   
When the Chronicle discontinued Brenda's 45-year-old Lazy Gardener" print column a couple of years ago, it ranked as the longest-running, continuously-published local newspaper column in the Greater Houston area.

Brenda's gradual sideways step from Chronicle reporter into gardening writing led first to an 18-year series of when-to-do-what Lazy Gardener Calendars, then to her Lazy Gardener's Guide book and now to her Lazy Gardener's Guide on CD (which retails for $20. However, $5 of every sale is returned to the sponsoring group at her speaking engagements).

A Harris County Master Gardener, Brenda has served on the boards of many Greater Houston area horticulture organizations and has hosted local radio and TV shows, most notably a 10+-year Lazy Gardener run on HoustonPBS (Ch. 8) and her call-in "EcoGardening" show on KPFT-FM. 

Brenda recently ended her decades-long stint as Production Manager of the Garden Club of America's BULLETIN magazine. Although still an active horticulture lecturer and broad-based freelance writer,  Brenda's main focus now is  THE LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS HOUSTON GARDEN NEWSLETTER with John Ferguson and Mark Bowen of Nature's Way Resources.

A native of New Orleans and graduate of St. Agnes Academy and the University of Houston, Brenda lives in Aldine and is married to the now retired Aldine High School Coach Bill Smith. They have one son, Blake.

Regarding this newsletter, Brenda is the lead writer, originator of it and the daily inspiration for it. We so appreciate the way she has made gardening such a fun way to celebrate life together for such a long time.
 
 
JOHN FERGUSON
 
John is a native Houstonian and has over 27 years of business experience. He owns Nature's Way Resources, a composting company that specializes in high quality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. He holds a MS degree in Physics and Geology and is a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas. 
 
John has won many awards in horticulture and environmental issues. He represents the composting industry on the Houston-Galveston Area Council for solid waste. His personal garden has been featured in several horticultural books and "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine. His business has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal for the quality and value of their products. He is a member of the Physics Honor Society and many other professional societies.  John is is the co-author of the book Organic Management for the Professional. 
 
For this newsletter, John contributes articles regularly and is responsible for publishing it.


MARK BOWEN
 
Mark is a native Houstonian, a horticulturist, certified permaculturist and organic specialist with a background in garden design, land restoration and organic project management. He is currently the general manager of Nature's Way Resources. Mark is also the co-author of the book Habitat Gardening for Houston and Southeast Texas, the author of the book Naturalistic Landscaping for the Gulf Coast, co-author of the Bayou Planting Guide and contributing landscape designer for the book Landscaping Homes: Texas. 
 
With respect to this newsletter, Mark serves as a co-editor and periodic article contributor.


PABLO HERNANDEZ
 
Pablo Hernandez is the special projects coordinator for Nature's Way Resources. His realm of responsibilities include: serving as a webmaster, IT support, technical problem solving/troubleshooting, metrics management, quality control, and he is a certified compost facility operator.
 
Pablo helps this newsletter happen from a technical support standpoint. 
 
 
 
 
 
COUPON: Nature's Way Resources. 20% off Garden Mix Light Plus. http://natureswayresources.com/products.html 
. (Offer good for retail purchases of this product by the cubic yard at Nature's Way Resources (101 Sherbrook Circle, Conroe TX). Expires 04/05/15.
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