Category Archives: Masters of Horticulture

Texas Specialty Cut Flowers

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Beautiful Zinnia bunches at Texas Specialty Cut Flower's big blue barn

For quite some time I have been impressed by, and somewhat enamored with, Texas Specialty Cut Flowers outside of Blanco, Texas. Frank and Pamela Arnosky are the owners of one of the most successful field grown flower farms in the U.S. (and probably the whole world if the stats were checked). Starting with nothing but a chain saw and a dream, they built a business that now provides the absolute finest quality, locally grown, fresh cut flowers to companies like HEB, Central Market and Whole Foods. You can also buy direct, on the honor system, at their big blue barn.

Pamela working on the center pieces for the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society Gala

My wife and I got to meet Pamela last weekend. Pamela and Frank are both masters of horticulture in every sense of the word and it was truly a thrill for me to meet her. I have so much respect for the business they have built and I was very excited to get to see a bit of it in person. 

Anyone that knows Pamela will tell you that she is the hardest working person they have ever seen. Farming is a tough job and if you are going to be successful you just don’t have much idle time. Because of this, it was no surprise for us to find Pamela working when we pulled up. She was busy making arrangements for the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society Gala. Pamela donates her time and her products to this group. When we arrived she was in the process of turning old cowboy boots and her flowers into stunning center pieces for the gala tables.

The centerpieces are ready for delivery

Frank and Pamela are passionate about what they do. They rely on the science of horticulture to consistently turn out the best flowers possible. Through research, experimentation and strict adherence to some very basic horticultural principals, she and her husband have turned the thin, rocky soil of the Texas hill Country into a floral oasis that abundantly provides year after year.

Stunning red Cock's Comb straight from the field.

They are also evangelists of sorts for their industry. Even though they spend just about every waking hour working their business, they still find time to give back. In addition to their strong support of their local community, they are very active in the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. They have both served as regional directors for this organization.  They also wrote a monthly column for “Growing for Market” for almost 15 years.  Two books resulted from those articles; We’re Gonna Be Rich (out of print) and Local Color: Growing Specialty Cut Flowers for Market (click the link to buy it now).  Growing for Market is a great resource for those of us that want to learn more about growing flowers or other forms of produce for market.  The editor of “Growing for Market” is Lynn Byczynski.  Lynn is also a giant in this industry.  Her book, The Flower Farmer (published by Chelsea Green), is now in it’s second printing.

Two types of celosia and sunflowers that were used to make the center pieces.

Right now, the floral season is beginning to wind down.  However, the Arnoskys still have lots of flowers available.  They sell alot flowers for the annual Dia de los Muertos (or the Day of the Dead for all of you gringos) celebrations across our great land.  If you are in the area, drop by the big blue barn on the weekend before November 1.  They will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos with a large communal ofrenda (this is an altar that honors the ancestors during the Dia de los Muertos celebrations) and an open house.  The ofrenda is truly lovely and the celebration is something you won’t forget.

Fields of sunflowers at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers

The Arnoskys are a shining example of what I like to think of as the American dream. They started their business with almost nothing. Now, after 21 years of dedication, determination and sweat, they have built a thriving family business that provides them with a nice living, a ton of pride and the satisfaction that comes from doing something well.  Their efforrts bring joy to countless fans around the country. My hat is off to these two “Masters of Horticulture”.  May the horticultural gods continue to richly bless them!

Lone Star Gourd Festival

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One of Judy Richie's stunning art gourds. Photo by the artist

This past weekend, my lovely wife and I headed out for a much need mini-vacation.  For our “romantic get away” we decided to go to the Lone Star Gourd Festival in Fredericksberg, Texas.  We picked the Gourd Festival for several reasons.  First, I love gourds.  The gourd festival is a great place to see some really incredible art being made with gourds.  Second, I just submitted an article to Texas Gardener about gourds and I wanted to meet Judy Richie.  Judy is an incredibly talented gourd artist and her art will be featured in that article. 

A classic example of the finishes and deep front cuts with weavings that Judy has pioneered

Judy has been making gourd art for over ten years.  She is a pioneer in the gourd art world and many of her pieces are featured in several galleries through out the US.  Judy is a talented artist in every skill that can possibly be used to convert an ugly brown dried gourd into something that is truly museum quality art.  She is a master carver, engraver, weaver and finisher.  She was the first to deep cut into the side of a gourd and then adorn those openings with intricate weavings.  She has also developed several of her own finishes that make her art unique and instantly recognizable.

This vibrant piece shows all of things that Judy is famous for: incredible finishes, carving, weaving and inlay. the small piece inlayed in the bear is an ancient Native American pottery shard.

I first discovered Judy’s art at the “The Copper Shade Tree” in Round Top, Texas.  Gerald Tobolo and his wife are the owners of this gallery.  Gerald is a master coppersmith and he started this gallery to highlight his work and the work of other craftsmen working in Texas.  Judy’s art is one of the centerpieces of his collections and one of his better sellers.  According to Gerald, “Judy’s work is so versitile and varied.  Some of her pieces have a distinct Western flair while others resemble art pottery.  In fact, I recently had a customer buy one of her pieces for his craftsman style home.  This customer is a stickler for accuracy in his home.  Even though, no gourd was probably ever featured in a craftsman style home, he loved the fact that the Judy’s piece would “fool” his guests by making them think it was a very fine piece of hand thrown pottery.”

Judy’s business is called “Redcloud Originals”.  Please check it out.  Her website is full of great examples of her work and it also lists the galleries that she exhibits in and her show schedule.

Even though Judy was the main reason I went to the festival, she was not the only artist there.  Once again, I was amazed at the variety and quality of art being created out of gourds.  Scroll down for some pics of things that caught my eye at the 2011 Lone Star Gourd Festival.

The "Traveling Gourd". This is a HUGE gourd that was sent to each chapter in the Texas Gourd Society. There, artists from each chapter added to it to make a gourd that is truly representitive of all of the great things in the Great State of Texas.

 

I thought this was a cute and original treatment. Great for a child's room.

 

My favorite creation in the competition room

Great Deal on Daylilies

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, my friend Chris Von Kohn is a daylily breeder extrodinaire.  This past weekend he sold several of his creations at the Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens Fall Sale.  Chris is selling these beautiful and reliable flowers to finance his Masters of Horticulture degree at Texas A&M.  He has several plants left and he is selling them for the ridiculously low price of $7 per double fan.  If you are planning on adding some daylilies to your beds, why not contact him (his info is below). 

After the weekend rains, this is the perfect time to plant daylilies.  Please give Chris a call.  You will get some unique and beautiful plants that no one else has and he will get to go to grad school.  Everyone wins!

If you are in Arlington you can go by and pick them up.  If you are not in that area, he will be happy to ship them to you.  Chris’s cell is 817-269-7474 and his email address is Cvk007@earthlink.net.

Here are few pictures of some of the daylilies he has breed:

Tree Town USA

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Have you ever wondered what $100K worth of trees looked like? These trees are in 670 gallon containers and have been container grown their entire life.

Last week, I got to spend two very enjoyable days at a 1200 acre tree farm south of Houston.  This farm is owned and operated by Tree Town USA.  Tree Town USA is the largest tree farm in the US.  They have several farms and sales offices all over the country.  This one is located just south of Wharton in beautiful Glen Flora, Texas (Click on the link and you can see the farm from the air, pretty amazing).

A shipment of high quality oak trees leaving Tree Town USA

I was the guest of one of their salesmen named Morgan McBride.  Morgan and I have been friends for most of our lives.  He and I share a great sense of humor and a deep love of all things horticultural.  Morgan has worked in the green industry his entire life.  He is a Texas Certified Nursery Professional and a true master of horticulture.  Since I had never visited a tree farm of this magnitude, he thought I might enjoy getting up close and personal with the inner workings.  He was right.

To say I was amazed is an understatement.  Until you see a working 1200 acre tree farm you just cannot grasp the amount and the scale of the work that it encompasses.  To support this much intensive agricultural production, Tree Town USA employs a huge amount of infrastructure.  The watering system was truly an engineering marvel.

The water for all of the trees comes from a 1600' well. The well is that deep so that the water contains no salts or other minerals. The water is pumped into retaining tanks where it settles and then leaves through a 10" main. That main is then tapped by 4" irrigation tubes. Drip systems are then attached to the 4" lines.

Morgan and the other sales people regularly visit the farm to pick the best inventory for their top customers.  On this trip, He needed to pull several small quantities of oaks and then 120 30 gallon yaupons.  Helping him was going to be a very pleasant way to spend a Friday away from the office.  I arrived late Thursday afternoon.  He had just finished a lot of his work so he took me on a tour of the place.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the tree business.  This farm employs between 200 and 250 workers.  It takes all of their efforts, seven days a week, to keep an operation of this size moving.

Since it takes so long to grow a tree, tree farms are much different than a traditional nursery.  Their quickest crops typically take three years to develop.  Some of their larger trees have been grown for 3, 5 and even ten years before it is ready for sale.  I cannot even begin to imagine the management required to keep a plant alive for 3 to 10 years in a pot in the wildly variable Texas climate.

45 gallon Nellie R. Stevens hollies before the storm

This past month, Morgan was the top salesman in the company.  While I was happy for him I was a little confused.  I asked how he could sell so many trees in the middle of the worst drought in history.  Many of his biggest customers are landscape architects.  In order to get paid for a large commercial project, everything has to be complete.  That includes the landscape.  So, even though this has been the hottest AND driest year on record, these firms still have to install trees, shrubs, ground cover and turf.  Since there is a lot of building going on in the DFW metroplex, Morgan has been selling a lot of trees and shrubs.  He did tell me that the cities of Austin and San Antonio have been making some concessions to the builders because of the drought.  Trees and shrubs still have to be planted, but they are amending the contracts to allow the firms to come back later and plant the water sucking ground cover and turf.

These crepe myrtles are typical of how the winds affected much of the stock

Another very interesting thing happened on my trip.  Around 6:30 pm on Thursday night, a MASSIVE thunderstorm blew in.  This storm brought some much needed rain.  However, it was accompanied by 60 mph winds.  High winds are not the friend of a tree farm.  These high winds blew over an INCREDIBLE amount of stock.  Even though they were all well anchored, the wind pulled the anchors up.  Friday morning was a very sad day on the tree farm.  All 200 employees had to stop what they were doing and walk the property and stand up and re-anchor the stock.  The blow down was so massive that at the end of the day, 200 people did not finish standing everything back up.

The blow down caused problems for Morgan and I as well.  We still had 120 30 gallon yaupons to find and tag.  What was supposed to be a very enjoyable learning experience for me turned into an awful lot of work.  These yaupons were all six to eight feet tall and had a spread of six to eight feet as well.  Before we could find the best ones, we had to stand up a whole bunch of very heavy shrubs.  I do not know how many 30 gallon yaupons are on a two acre pad, but it is a bunch!

My friend Morgan tagging yaupons for his customer

Despite the hard work, this was truly the most enjoyable “field trip” that I have ever been on.  Thanks a ton to my buddy Morgan and to Tree Town USA for allowing me to visit.  Tree Town USA only sells to the trade.  So, while I wish I could make a product placement plug for them, you can’t buy from them directly.  However, you can request Tree Town USA trees from your local Home Depot or your independently owned nursery.  Since I have had this experience, I can tell you that if you buy Tree Town trees you will be getting a very high quality product that was grown with the best science possible by a whole lot of people who truly love trees!

Very interesting berry arrangement on one the yaupons we tagged

The 143rd Washington County Fair

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This weekend, I am going to be spending a lot of time at the Washington County Fair.  I absolutely love the fair.  Where else can you see a greased pig contest, eat a deep fried Snickers, watch a rodeo, get your picture made with a queen, sit on about a hundred antique tractors, milk a cow, see tons and tons of livestock, watch people pay tons and tons of money for that livestock, hear great country music, dance to that music and still be home before midnight?   There simply is no other place in all of America that offers this much good, wholesome family fun in a single place as a county fair.

Picture from http://leejsackett.com/projects.html

There are two kinds of fair people in the world; those that go and those that PARTICIPATE.  This last group is the one I throw my hat in with.  I did a lot of my growing up at the McLennan County fair.  Each year in high school, I proudly showed my polled Hereford heifers at the fair grounds in Waco.  The Heart of Texas (HOT) fair was the start of the show season for me.  It was also the culmination of a year’s worth of work that involved animal selection, halter training, fitting and grooming.  By the time the fair arrived, I could not wait to walk around that arena with my calf!  I was also lucky enough to have an outstanding Ag teacher who also loved to participate in the fair.  Each year our Ag (FFA) classes made individual and group projects to enter in the various competitions.  Through the years I got to help build countless pic nic tables, round bale feeders and even a complete cattle trailer completely from scratch.  Thanks to his efforts, I won a blue ribbon for my show box (if you are not familiar with livestock shows this is the box that contains all of grooming articles for your animal) in 1977.  That is the only blue ribbon I have ever won.  My Ag teacher was Donald Jones and I truly loved him (and I still do, he is the only teacher that I ever had that I still keep in contact with).  Mr. Jones taught me to weld, how to use a table saw and how to castrate just about any animal that might need castration.  He also taught me a lot about respect, teamwork, and pride in a job well done. 

Tatum Westerfield is the 2011 Washington County Fair Queen. This young lady sold over $68000 worth of fair tickets to earn this year's title. Photo from KWHI.com

I have visited many county fairs all across the country and in my humble opinion, this one is the best.  I can’t really put my finger on why, it just is. The Washington County Fair was the first county fair in Texas and still is the oldest running county fair in Texas.  The first one was held in 1868 and it has been held every year since.  After 143 years the people of Washington County have really learned how to throw a party. 

If you are not from a rural area you may not be aware of the significance that county fairs play in rural America.  County fairs are THE social event of the year in rural communities.  They are the culmination of a year’s worth of by parents, children, Ag teachers, county agents and countless other volunteers.  They are a time for friends to gather, and a time celebrate the traditions that make rural America what it is.  And it has been that way for at least 143 years.  I love knowing that my grandfather, my great-grandfather and my great-great grandfather looked forward to going to the fair as much as I do now.  So I guess that is really what makes the fair special: Tradition.  America is a place that honors hard work, self reliance, competition and community.  The fair allows us the opportunity to practice those values and celebrate those that cling to them.   Not too long ago, America was mostly rural and American agriculture and agriculturists gave our nation the resources that we needed to grow into what we are today.  The fair is an annual reminder of this.

Tonight, the weather is going to be great!  The temperature should be in the 70s after the sun goes down.  Perfect fair weather!  So, grab your sweetie, put on your boots, gas up the truck and meet me at the fair!

Tree Gators, Aggies and Wildfires

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Well, Mother Nature finally sent a little relief to all of us that have been suffering under the heat of the HOTTEST AUGUST ON RECORD.  This cool front was much appreciated by all of the fall gardeners who really needed to get their seeds and seedlings in the ground.  The milder weather encouraged me to tear up and haul off an old brick side walk.  I was also able to get the beds of the potager ready for a slightly late Fall planting.

I also got to install my latest “garden gadget”.  Because of the drought, all of our neighbors are watering much more than normal.  This leaves us almost 0 water pressure at our house.  Due to the low water pressure, our sprinklers are just not covering the same amount of area that they used to.  It has made it somewhat difficult to get enough water on our trees.  So, to help ensure that my trees make it, I bought five “Tree Gators” If you are not familiar with Tree Gators, they are basically a big ziplock baggie that wraps around the base of your tree.  You fill it with 20 gallons of water and then tiny holes in the bottom of the bags drain the 20 gallons over a five hour period.  I was very impressed with this little invention.  It has an incredibly simple design, is ridiculously easy to use, and entirely effective.  What more could you ask of a gadget?  You can check out the entire line of Tree Gator products at http://www.gardenhomedirect.com/Treegator-Original-Slow-Release-Watering-Bag-by-Spectrum-Products_p_3.html.

Over 80,000 Aggies showed up for Sunday’s game. It was the fourth largest crowd ever at Kyle Field.

Despite getting to watch A&M beat up on SMU, the weekend was not perfect.  The tropical depression that brought a ton of much needed rain to Louisiana, brought us extremely high winds for most of Saturday and Sunday.  These winds caused a small personal tragedy for me.  I lost my greenhouse to the winds.  I know that this is in no way comparable to losing one’s home.  However, to me it was pretty heart breaking.  I just bought my little greenhouse a month ago.  It was very disappointing to drive up my road on Sunday morning and see all of those dreams of fall and winter propagation wrapped around a barbed wire fence.

My little greenhouse fell victim to the high winds on Saturday

The Texas Wildfires

I would also like to take a minute and talk a little about the fires that seem to be consuming most of Texas.  Right now, there are 64 wildfires burning in Texas.  Things are so bad that on Saturday, I heard something I have never heard in all of my 49 years.  The Brenham radio stations were making public appeals for all volunteer firemen, regardless of where they lived, to grab their gear and head to Bastrop.  The fire in Bastrop is awful.  I heard this morning that Bastrop State Park is gone!  How can that be?  Bastrop State Park was a huge stand of ancient pines covering acres and acres of beautiful rolling hills.  I have spent many painful hours pedaling up and down those hills on my bicycle.  While my thighs hated the hills, the place was so beautiful that I gladly accepted the burning in my thighs as the small sacrifice that my body paid so my mind and soul could be invigorated by the scenery.  I will miss this place dearly.

While Brenham is still fairly safe, all of the counties around us are burning.  Two of my nephews that live close to Bastrop were forced to evacuate on Sunday.  I cannot imagine leaving your home and all of your possessions knowing there is a very good chance they will not be there when you return.  According to the news wires, between 600 and 1000 Texans have lost their homes to wildfires this summer.  Please keep these people in your thoughts and in your prayers.  Also pray for the men and women that are battling these fires.

If you would like to see where these wildfires are currently burning, the Texas A&M  Agrilife Extension site hosts a Google map with data provided by the Texas Forest Service.  Here is the link: http://ticc.tamu.edu/Response/FireActivity/.

Guara (Guara lendheimeri)

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Pink guara growing in my front bed

If you are looking for a plant that is tough as nails and blooms from spring through fall, then guara may be a fit for your garden.  Gaura is a Texas native that loves full sun and tolerates drought.  I have learned to appreciate its drought tolerance this summer.  Right now, I am pouring the water to my beds.  While it is keeping things alive, nothing is thriving.  Nothing that is, except the guara.

The guara that I have is a pink variety known as Onagraceae  Guara lindheimeri.  This variety grows natively in the Texas Hill country.  As the name implies, guara was first “discovered” by Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer.  Lindheimer is known as the father of Texas botany.  He worked as the first botanist in the state primarily between 1843 and 1852.  Because of his extensive life-long work with plants, his name has now been assigned to 48 species and sub species of plants.

The delicate pink flowers of my guara

There are 20 species of guara that are native to the United States.  This perennial can be found in Texas, Louisiana, and most of the Gulf South.  Gaura is an upright growing plant that grows in clumps that can be 2’ to 4’ high and just as wide.  The leaves are long and skinny with slightly serrated leaves.  The plant produces long, thin stalks that are often red to burgundy in color.  The inch long flowers have four petals and grow along these stems.  The flowers can range in color from white to deep magenta and they drop after full bloom.  Some varieties bloom white and then turn to pink in a single day.  Many times, the flowers grow on the ends of the stems.  When viewed from a distance, the flowers on the terminal ends of the stalks appear to be tiny butterflies “dancing” above the plant.  This gives rise to its common name; Whirling Butterflies.

Guara is very easy to grow from transplants.  Plant in early spring in full sun or partial shade.  It prefers rich, well drained soil and it will tolerate alkaline conditions.  It grows quickly and by early summer you will have a fairly large and attractive plant.  By fall, your guara will be a large full clump of “Whirling Butterflies”.

Guara can reseed but it is not an aggressive self seeder.  You can also divide guara once it has been established for several years.  However, it develops a deep tap root and this can make transplanting a bit of a challenge.

A lovely white form at the Spoetzel Home in Schulenberg, Texas.

Gaura is an attractive long blooming perennial that is perfect for the Texas border.  Its open, airy foliage is attractive even when not in bloom.  It flowers prolifically from spring through fall and butterflies and humming birds love the small flowers.  While it may not be the flashiest plant in the garden, it is tough and reliable.  The way it has continued to thrive in spite of the worst drought in our history has convinced me to use more of this survivor in my beds.  Why don’t you try some in yours?

Eight Ways to Stretch Your Garden Dollars

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Right now, times are tough and everyone is looking for ways to save money.  Gardeners are no exception.  Gardening is a lot of fun and almost 5 million Americans practice some sort of gardening at their homes.  However, if you are not careful, your little garden can wind up costing you a lot of money.  Whether you grow vegetables or ornamentals, these timely tips will allow you to get the most out of your garden without draining your bank account.

A bunch of narcissus and oxbloods given to me by a friend

Publicize – If you love to garden, tell people.  You will be surprised how much stuff people will give you once the word is out that you like to grow stuff.   I have a friend that inherited an old home.  The previous owners were avid gardeners and the abandoned yard is full of heirloom plants and bulbs.  When she found out that I love old fashioned plants, she told me I could have anything I could dig up.  So far I have harvested literally hundreds of daffodil, spider lily, oxblood lily and crinum bulbs.  I have also transplanted some yaupons.  I am going back this fall to get some flowering quince and crepe myrtles. 

My row garden with hay mulch

Mulch – If you have read much of my blog, you know I am a big fan of mulch.  Mulch reduces the amount of water you use, so lower water bills.  It also suppresses weeds, so less is spent on herbicides.  Mulch can be expensive if you buy it in bags.  That’s why I never do that.  I buy my mulch in bulk.  Each year I buy three different types of mulch.  I get hardwood mulch from my local landfill.  I drive up in my truck and they load me up.  I pay a very modest 1 cent per pound for this mulch.  I use this hardwood mulch in my flower beds in the early spring.  I buy it then because the “mulch” that is in the landfill has generally been sitting there composting since fall.  So, if you buy in early spring, you get mulch that already has a good percentage of it that has already turned to compost.

I also buy mushroom compost in bulk.  I get mine delivered from a local firm.  While it is a little pricey initially, it is the best money I spend all year.  My last load of mushroom compost cost me $320 for a ten cubic yard dump truck load.  While it is technically compost, I use it much like you would use mulch.  I practice no till gardening in my kitchen garden.  I simply put several inches of this on top of my beds either right before or after planting.  Even though it is pre-composted, it continues to break down in the garden and supply vital nitrogen and other essential nutrients to the plants.  It also suppresses weeds and conserves moisture. 

I also use a lot of hay as mulch in my vegetable gardens.  Hay can be expensive if you buy the little square bales.  However, you can usually find round bales for anywhere from $50 to $80 and the farmer will usually deliver.  A round bale contains as much hay as 10-12 square bales.  When you buy hay or straw to use as mulch, be sure to ask the farmer if it has been treated with any herbicides.  Some of the herbicides sprayed today can linger in the hay and will kill your vegetables if used as mulch.

Several trays of azelia cuttings that I helped a friend of mine prepare

Propagate – Propagation is by far the cheapest way to increase your plant material outside of someone giving you plants.  Propagation is generally pretty easy.  A quick Google search will provide you with very good instructions and very good videos to watch so you can see exactly how it is done.  Some plants are incredibly easy to propagate.  Roses are one of these.  Other plants that are very easy are coleus, sweet potato vine, lantana, coral honeysuckle and many more.  Also, all of the bulbs that naturalize here can be divided every two or three years.  Simply dig them up in the fall, pull them apart and replant.

An old "cowboy bathtub" repurposed as a planter

Reuse – My wife and I are “junkers”.  We love going to garage and estate sales.  We find a lot of very useful things for the garden at very cheap prices at these sales.  Almost all of my gardening tools came from estate sales.  So did my big tiller.  Another thing that we are always on the lookout for are old galvanized buckets.  We use these as planters.  We also buy almost every terra cota pot that we find.

Compost – If you don’t have a compost pile, start one.  Compost is truly an amazing gift to your garden.  It is easy to make and it does so much for your plants and your soil.  There are a million ways to compost, so pick one and just do it.  I make my own compost.  However, I just don’t generate enough to meet all of my needs.  However, I garden on a fairly large scale.  If you have a small garden or if you only grow in containers, you can probably make enough free fertilizer and soil conditioner from your kitchen and yard waste to meet your needs.

Be creative – I love to tackle little landscaping projects around my house.  I would do a lot more if landscaping materials weren’t so expensive.  Since I don’t have a large budget to support my hobby, I am always looking at magazines and other landscapes to find cheap alternatives for my landscaping designs.  A perfect example of this happened the other day.  While at a garage sale, my wife found a HUGE box full of those old glass insulators from electric lines.  We bought the whole lot for $20.  There were well over 100 insulators in the box.  We are going put Christmas lights inside them and use them to line one of our paths.  We will have a very cute and cool night light set up in the garden and all it will wind up costing us less than $50.

My wife enjoying a Framer's Market in Tulsa, Ok

Buy off season – Right now is the best time to buy perennials.  Nurseries that have not sold all of their spring stock now have whatever is left DRAMATICALLY marked down.  You will find sales of up 75% off at most nurseries and garden centers right now in the hottest part of the year.  Sure the plants you buy will need a little extra TLC to get them safely into the fall, but for 75% off, the extra TLC is worth it.

Sell your harvest – Finally, if you do so well in your frugal garden that you can’t use all that you grow, sell it!  That’s right.  Sell the bounty from your garden and actually make a little on your hobby.  Right now, the demand for locally grown, organic produce and flowers has never been higher.  Just about every city and town in America now has a Farmer’s Market of some kind.  Booth rent at these markets is usually very low and you will be surprised at how much you can sell.

Spider Flower (Cleome hasslerana)

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Top view of a Cleome flower just beginning to bloom

If you are looking for a large scale plant that can tolerate a drought, resist deer and other pests, blooms until late summer and then reseeds itself, then Cleome may be the plant for you.  Cleome is a large scale flower that can reach 6’ in a good season.  Their blooms come in different shades of pink ranging from deep magenta to almost white.  As the flower matures it will generally have three shades of pink on it at a single time.  The flowers grow in clusters that grow up the stalk as the plant matures.  As the flowers move up the stalk, they leave behind very long and slender seed pods that give the plant its common; spider plant. These slender seed pods also contain and deploy the seeds that allow Cleome to reseed its self year after year.

Cleome’s large stature and large colorful flower heads allows it to be used in mass as a lovely stand alone.  However, because of it sheer size, it is one of the few annual flowers that pairs very well with established shrubs.  Because of its generally pink color, it pairs well with loropetalum.  I paired it with buddleia this year and it was very pretty.  Cleome works fairly well as a cut flower.  However, the plant emits a very strong musky scent that reminds me of citronella.  Some find it unpleasant. 

First blooms

Besides its funny smell, another interesting thing about Cleome is the fact that a lot of people think its leaves look a whole lot like marijuana.  I heard a story where a high schooler was participating in a “mock trial” competition.  He was to “defend” one of his friends in a drug possession case.  This enterprising young “lawyer” contacted local horticulturists to see if there were any plants that closely resembled cannabis.  One of them sent him the leaves of Cleome.  When he presented them as evidence in his mock trial, the judge dismissed all of the “mock charges” because he felt that there was enough resemblance between the two plants to place reasonable doubt in the minds of the juror.

If growing a plant that resembles marijuana does not turn you off, then you are in luck.  Cleome is fairly easy to grow and it does well in average soils.  Cleome can be started indoors about two weeks before the last frost.  Cleome also does very well when it is direct seeded.  If you want to direct seed, place your seeds about a foot apart and cover them with  ¼” to a ½” of soil.  Plant in direct sun after all threat of frost has passed.  The seeds take 10 to 14 days to germinate.  Provide regular water to get them established.  Once established, provide Cleome with average water (1” per week) but it can withstand some drought conditions. 

Cleome and Buddleia in my front bed

When you buy your Cleome seeds, check to see if you are buying an open pollinated variety or a hybrid.  This is important to keep in mind because Cleome is a very good self seeder.  If you buy a hybrid, than when the plant reseeds, you will have no idea what type of Cleome will pop back up.  With that in mind, I think this hybridization of Cleome is a very good thing for gardeners.  There is a very popular hybrid out now called “Sparkler”.  Sparkler is lovely and it only gets about three feet tall.  This “dwarf” version can now be worked into the front of the bed or border.  I believe t his will make Cleome much more popular with gardeners in the future. 

I love Cleome.  I am fond of big plants and this one is a joy to watch grow.  I love the way the flowers start when the plant is half grown and the fact that they continue to grow “up the stem” as the plant continues to develop.  I love the “whiskers” that develop under the flowers.  In fact, I even kind of like the way it smells.  So, if you have a spot for a big, showy, pink plant that is easy to grow and has just about zero pest problems, I recommend that you include Cleome in your spring planting list.

A great shot of the seed pods on the ends of the plants "whiskers". Note the seed pods on the bottom of the plant. This is where the first flowers formed. You can see from this shot that the plat grew two more feet after it put on the first flower heads, The heads continued to "move up" the stalk as the plant grew.

Friends and Fresh Cut Flowers

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This past Friday, two very pleasant things occurred at the Yupneck’s house;  an unexpected visit from my youngest daughter and the first formal dinner party hosted in our newly remodeled farmhouse (celebrating the “almost end” of a five year remodeling project).  While visits from the kids are always welcomed, it is those rare, unexpected drop ins that I love the most.  Whitney is a senior at North Texas University.  She is also a very talented floral designer.  While there, she found out that we were hosting the renowned Master of Horticulture, Dr. William C. Welch (Bill) and his lovely wife Lucille.  She asked if she could make us some arrangements from the garden for the dinner.  Of course I said a most enthusiastic YES!!!!!

Whitney grabbed some shears and left the house for about 20 minutes.  When she returned, she had a large bundle of flowers and foliage from just about every plant on my property.  It was a joy to watch her sort, strip and prepare these cuttings for arrangement.  What happened over the next fifteen minutes was truly amazing.  In less time than it takes me to brush my teeth, she created three incredibly lovely arrangements that I felt I had to share.

Arrangement for the yupneck's table. Made with things from my gardens by my lovely and talented daughter.

The first was a large arrangement that she made for the center of the table.  If you look closely, you will see hollyhocks, love-lies-bleeding, salvia, dried yarrow, coral honeysuckle and PURPLE HULL PEAS!  Who puts peas in a floral arrangement?  A young Master of Horticulture, that’s who.  This arrangement was stunning!  I wish my camera skills did it justice.

Close up of the table arrangement. Notice the use of purple hull peas and coral honeysuckle.

Next, she made a small arrangement for the bath.  This arrangement was built in a small water pitcher.  She incorporated  tatume’ squash, zinnias, love-lies-bleeding and southern wax myrtle foliage. 

Lovely arrangement using zinnias, amaranth and a tatume' squash.

Finally, she turned a vintage Mary planter into another stunning arrangement.  Here she used zinnias, salvia, wax myrtle foliage and iris leaves for effect.  Beautiful!

A vintage Mary planter featuring zinnias and salvia.

Whitney’s arrangements were the cherry on the top of the truly fabulous meal that my lovely wife prepared for the Welch’s.  Mrs. Yupneck created a carmalized onion and goat cheese appetizer, steak with bearnaise suace, stuffed summer squash and a tomato and balsalmic salad.  This was washed down with a lovely red brought by the guests and finished with a decadant “mudslide” dessert.  The evening was perfect.  My wife and daughter’s combined skills came together to create a dinner that was memorable for all.

The yupneck with his very talented floral designer daughter and his equally lovely and talented culinary wife.

P.S.  My daughter is a very talented floral designer.  She has started her own business in the DFW/Denton area.  She will be more than happy to give you a bid on events of any size.  To see more of her work you can check her out at Arbor Floral.

P.S.S.  Since the dinner was to celebrate the almost completion of our FIVE YEAR LONG remodeling project here is a picture of the entryway.

The entryway of "The Nest"