BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH

The Lords and Ladies of the last century walked with me
along the overgrown paths, and picked the old fashioned flowers
among the box and rose hedges of the garden."
-- "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter (19020

Think of this as a Smile Column. We missed World Smile Day. It was March 10.  But why quibble.  When one reads about Beatrix Potter, cute little bugs and spectacular roses, how can one help but smile?

ROSES FIRST:  When a city brags the largest Rose Society in the nation, news of members' gardens open for public viewing is something to celebrate! Even more important, it's a chance to see how pros handle roses.

Take a pad & pencil.  Ooh and ahh over entire vistas. Then look more closely.  Notice how raised gardens are, how spaced plants are, which other plants are used -- and how -- around beds. Notice how beds are spaced, with grass/paving walking areas, so  bushes can be easily reached from different directions.

When you have as many roses as these folks have, little grooming and other chore tricks make a huge difference. Have questions, ask! Hosts are there to make sure you understand what you're seeing.

Can't wait for a "rose fix"? Get a jump start at the free Sat., April 16 Houston Rose Society Spring Show, Memorial City Mall, Gessner at I-10W.  Judged exhibits will open to public 1-4pm.

SPEAKING OF AWARD-WINNING ROSES, a tip of the trowel to Galveston County Master Gardener and hybridizer-extraordinaire John Jons, whose hybrid entry in the  "All American Center Trials" has been selected as a national award winner. It will be planted in the American Rose Society's winners' garden in Shreveport, LA. If you've never visited these gardens, they are so worth the trip, especially this time of year. A second Jons entry missed winning by .8 of a point!

--------

INSECTARY - DO YOU HAVE ONE?  In our Spotlight article below, Houston gardening guru Angela Chandler offers a great idea - and an extremely fun, educational one for gardeners of all ages.  Most of us spend far too much time trying to drive insects out of our yards -- a strange, counterproductive move when one considers that around 90% of these creatures are beneficials. Only 10% are harmful. Insecticides are not species-specific - they kill the good with the bad.

My own motto -- developed, I admit, as much out of laziness as out of ecological concern -- is this:
The key here is, of course, the word "unacceptable."  When monarch caterpillars turn butterflyweed leaves into lace doilies, we are thrilled.  But when something devours other leaves, we pull out the atomic bombs. 

This is due to (in addition to brilliant advertising) a lack of understanding about how the ecology of our yards actually work. The right plants, the right systems, are the solution.  We're getting there.  But it takes time.

And it takes folks like Angela to help guide us in the right ways.  Would love to hear followup from any of you who take Angela's advice to heart.  Angela's Garden Academy website is such a wealth of information and no wonder. Her credentials are too extensive to list her and her sense of humor and relaxed approach to Gulf Coast Gardening make her a lazy gardener's best friend.

You can learn how to create a pocket insectary for your garden at Angela's upcoming class at The Arbor Gate on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 10:00 am; 15635 Farm to Market Rd 2920, Tomball, TX 77377.  The class is free and open to the public, but reservations are appreciated.  Sign up at www.arborgate.com

----

MEA CULPA . . . Before we get to that, first, however, I have a couple of apologies on last week's column. Don't ever want to give you bad information and thanks to those who call misstatements to may attention. Apologies to:

* RANDY LEMMON. In his segment, I changed a picture at the last minute but forgot to change the caption, so pictures were misidentified.  Below are correct names of these flowers. Never let me miss-ID plants!

* INDIAN PAINTBRUSHES.  I called them Indian blankets. See below. Tsk. Tsk. I DO know better!  Failed to follow the extremely valuable advice from former editor extraordinaire Beverly Harris who has repeatedly warns me to read my columns out loud to myself before turning it in.  Bev rules!


Beatrix Potter's books, including "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," highlight 32 of our most popular herbs, according to Mother Earth Living.  Headlining this Beatrix Potter celebration is Helen Mann, former British vice council, now of "A Manor of Speaking" fame. Also speaking will be Henry Flowers of Festival Hill/Institute in Round Top's famous herb gardens and STU stalwart Linda Lain.