compost bin may 2012 - aggie horticulture...simply to add interest to your garden; just as you might...

A Publication of the Travis County Master Gardeners a volunteer program of Texas AgriLife Extension

In this issue ...

President’s Message

In the Vegetable Garden

Genista Caterpillars

Specimen Plants

East Austin Garden Tour

Coming Events

May 2012

Texas WildflowersBetty Bird

The Compost Bin

The Compost Bin May 2012

Inside this Issue....

• May Meeting Speaker• The President’s Message • In the Vegetable Garden• Genista Caterpillars• Add Some Specimen Plants to Your Garden• 2012 Passion for Plants: An East Austin Garden Fair• Coming Events• 2012 TCMGA Board• Credits

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Texas Wildflowers - Betty Bird

Weall haveenjoyed thebeautifulwildflowers this spring, thanksto the wonderful rains early this year. Our May speaker will help extendourwildflowerseason.BettyBird,asixthgenerationTexan,andmemberof theDaughters of theRepublic of Texas,will talkabout the recently republishedbook,TexasWildFlowersbyElizaGriffinJohnston.TexasWildFlowersisaseriesof97watercolorsMs.Johnstonpaintedinthelate1840’sandearly1850’swhileliv-inginAustin.Joinsusforanenjoyableeveningofwildflowers,and

maybe even a little surprise.

Master Gardener Meeting information: Wednesday,May2,2012startingat7pm.

Zilker Botanical Garden

May Meeting Speaker — Betty Bird

Photo: Liath Appleton


Hello Master Gardeners:A Message From Your President

This month, at the general meeting, Daphne will explain therequirement for all TCMGA members to have a criminal history review (check). This is a requirement coming down from TAMU Extension Services. Daphne also will distribute the forms which eachofusisrequiredtocomplete,signandreturntoher.Justlikemostpeople,I’mnotexcitedto‘havesomeonelookingaroundinmy stuff.’ However, as volunteersworkingwith children, peoplewith disabilities, older folks, and the general public, we have aresponsibility to ensure that those folks aren’t placed at risk. Many institutions already require this type of review of their employees and volunteers if there’s any potential of working with members of the public, and especially with children. Hospitals,nursingfacilities,andhomehealthagencieshavebeenobtainingthisinformationontheirstaffformanyyears.Infact,manychurchesobtain these reviews on their congregation members who routinely workwithothers,asdoschoolsanddaycarefacilities.Volunteerswho work with 4H have been required to participate in the criminal history review for a number of years. New TCMGA interns have gone through the process for several years as well. Now it’s time for those of us who have belonged to TCMGA for some time to participate in the review process. Ifyou’renotfamiliarwiththeprocess,namesaresubmittedtotheTexas Department of Public Safety for matching against criminal records. All of our names will be sent in together as a single batch. Ifthere’samatchduringtheTDPSprocess,TAMUstaffwillhandleanydiscrepancies.Shouldtherebeapotentialissue,youhavetheright under state law to submit information to correct the records. So you don’t need to worry about any false hits. Asthereviewsmustbecompletedeverythreeyears,anyonewhoselast review was more than three years ago will also need to complete the form. Anyone who’s last review was less than three years ago will not need to complete the form this year. The cost of the reviews will be paid from TCMGA funds.

Youmayrecallthatourdueswereincreasedlastyearspecificallytopay for the reviews.

Becauseofourworkwiththepublic,Ibelieveit’stherightthingtodo.Ihopeyouagree.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasefeelfreeto ask Daphne.

With the quicklywarming temperatures, be sure to stay safe asyou’re gardening and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. I’ve already talked to a number of people who have had nasty encounters with poisonivythisyear.Apparentlytheydidn’trealizethatlikemanyperennials,muchof thepoison ivydidn’tgodormantthiswinter.The worst case I’ve seen was a man who contracted poison ivy alloverhisfeet;hewashavingtroublewalkingaround.And,themosquitoes also seem to have gotten an early start this year. So be careful and safe!Asalways,happygardeningtoall.Jackie


Ifyouplantit,theywillcome.I’mtalkingaboutsquashandthosepeskysquashvineborers.Becauseofthemildwinter,ItookachancethisyearandplantedseveralsquashseedsonFebruary27-afewweeksearlierthannormal.Withnofreezesandmildweather,theplantshavebeengrowingalongquitehappily,bloomingandsettingfruit,rightupuntilmid-April,April18at11:45AM,tobeexact.That’swhenIencounteredthefirstsquashvineborermothoftheseason-layingeggsallovermyplantsasifshehadbeenholdingtheminuntilshearrived in my garden!

Hersmallbrowneggsarelaidsingly,usuallyatthebaseoftheplants,oralongthestem.Oncetheyhatch,atiny,grub-likelarva emerges and burrows into the stem. As the larva grows andeats,thestemisdamagedinawaythatitcannotsupporttheflowofnutrientsandwater,causingtheplanttowiltandeventually die. Squash plants often wilt in the heat of the afternoon.Ahealthyplantwill recoverby thenextmorning,but a plant infested with squash vine borer will stay wilted no matter how much water or shade it receives. Keep an eye out for thismoth,and inspectyour squashplants regularly.Theorangeandblackmothflitsaroundprettyfast,butwithlaser-likefocus,anda little luck,shecanbedispatchedwithaflyswatterorbugzapper.Ifyoufindeggs,promptlyscrapethemoffofthesquashstemswithyourfingerortheedgeofaknife.

Oncethelarvahasenteredthestemitisfairlywell-protected,makingitdifficulttotreatwithinsecticide.SomegardenersinjectBtintothestemwithasyringeneartheentrypoint,oryoucanslicethestemopenwithasharpknife,removethelarva,andcoverthewoundwithmoistsoil.Amazingly,mostplantswillrecoverand continue growing if the larva is removed before severe damage occurs.

Onionsshouldbebulbingnowinresponsetothelongerdays.Astheyreachmaturity,theirneckswillbegintosoften,andyoushouldgraduallywithdrawwaterandallowthesoiltodry.Whentheyarefullymature,usuallylateMayorearlyJune,thetopswillfallover,andtheycanbepulled.Afterharvest,preparethemforstoragebyspreadingtheminadryspottocurefor3-5days.Goaheadandharvestanyonionsthatsendupaflowerstalk.Theyareperfectlyedible,buttheywillnotstoreverywell.

Photos: Bruce Leander


By now, potatoes should have plenty of foliage, and tuberswill be forming underground. Some plants are so happy about the coolertemperatureswe’vehad,thattheymayevenproduceprettyflowers.Ifyoucarefullydigaroundyourplantslaterinthemonth,youcanrobafewdeliciousnewpotatoes,butleavetheplantsinthegrounduntilthetopsbegintoyellowsothattheremainingtuberscanreachfullsize.

BeansthatwereseededinMarchwillbefloweringandsettingpodsthismonth.Inspectthefoliageregularlyforstipplingontheleaves,asureindicationthatspidermiteshaveinvaded.Treatforspidermitesbyalternatelywashingtheleaveswithastrongsprayofwater,andsprayingwithinsecticidalsoapevery5-7days.Besuretogettheundersideoftheleaves,asthatiswherethesepestsreside.Somegardenersswearbyaweeklysprayingofliquidseaweedtokeepspidermitesatbay.Thisanecdotalmethodisnotbackedbyuniversitytrialsorresearch,butseaweedisknowntohaveotherbenefitstotheplants,soitmaybeworthatry.

Thanks to Clyde Adley for bringing those wonderful molokhia transplants to the plant exchange in April. If you snagged one let me know how youlikeit.MolokhiaisanutritiousgreenthatisverypopularintheMiddleEast,anditseemstotolerateourTexassummersprettywell.Toreadmoreaboutmolokhiaandotherheat-lovinggardenvegetables,checkoutmyguestpostonthe‘MastersofHorticulture’blog,createdbyfellowTexasGardenerwriter,JayWhite(www.mastersofhort.com).JayisasystemsanalystatMDAndersonwhilealsoworkingonhisMastersofHorticultureatTexasA&M.Hisblogcontainsavarietyofinterestingarticlesonhorticulturerelatedtopics,includingarecentposton tomatoes by Bill Adams.

Andspeakingoftomatoes,thosegreenonesarelookingprettypromising,aren’tthey?Won’tbelongnow,andifyouhavealreadyharvestedredripetomatoes,thenIsaluteyou!

In The Vegetable Garden Continued...


Genista Caterpillars

by Wizzy Brown

NowthattheMountainlaurelsaredoneblooming,doyoustillgouptotakeacloserlook?Ifnot,thenyoumaybemissingsomeinsects. Genista caterpillars can be quite common on Mountain Laurel,butmayalsobefoundoncrapemyrtleandhoneysuckle.

These caterpillars can grow up to one inch in length and are greenish-yellowtoorangeincolor,withsmallblackandwhitedots along their body (Figure 1). The caterpillars have hairs that emergealongthebody,buthairsdonotdenselycoverthebody.Genista caterpillars create webbing similar to that of webworms. Larvae,orcaterpillars,feedwithinthewebbingcausingdefoliationof the plant. Eggs are laid in overlapping clusters on the underside ofleaves.Pupationoccursinasmall,whitesilkencocoonthatisattached to plants or structures. There are two generations per year.

Managementofoutbreakscanberathersimple.Ifplantsizeallows,thecaterpillarscanbehand-pickedfromtheplant,andeither smashed or dropped in a bucket of soapy water. Other optionsmayincludeinsecticidalsoap,horticulturaloils,botanicalsorBacillusthuringiensisvar.kurstaki,alsoknownasBt.Bacillusthuringiensisvar.kurstakispecificallytargetscaterpillars,butwillnotdistinguishbetween“good”and“bad”caterpillars,sobecarefulwhereyouapplyit,andalsobeawareofdriftthatmayoccur.WhenusingBt,goodcoverageoftheplantfoliageisessential,since the caterpillars need to consume a lethal dose. There are also numerous synthetic insecticides formulated to treat for caterpillars.Whenusinganypesticideproduct,besuretoreadandfollow all label instructions.

Figure 1. Genista caterpillar on mountain laurel


Add Some Specimen Plants to Your Gardenby Bob Beyer

Specimenplant?What’sthat?Itisanyplantthatisreallydifferent,enoughsoastocatchtheeye,anddrawattentiontoitsuniqueness.It’sonethatstandsoutasiftotellthevisitortoyourgarden,“betyouhaven’tseenmebefore”.Nowwhywouldyouwanttoplantthat?Simplytoaddinteresttoyourgarden;justasyoumightdoifyouhadsomethingwhimsical,orauniquepieceofnaturalormanmadehardscaping. Therearesomanypossibilitiesforfindingthatuniqueorrarespecimenplant,butthefollowingcriteriashouldfirstbeconsidered.Itshould be a native or adaptive plant that will survive and grow well in our unique growing region. Often such a plant is a cultivar of a speciesthatfallsintothenativeandadaptivecategory.Secondly,youshouldknowinadvancewherethis“eyecatcher”willbelocatedinyourgarden,soastocompliment,notdetractfromtheoveralllandscapecomposition.Oftensuchplantswillbeontheexpensiveside,as they are not commonly grown for the nursery trade.

Some hardy specimen plants that I have had success with in my Austin garden over the past 5 years, and recommend, include the following:Thujaoccidentalis‘filaformis’:ThisisacultivarofArborvitaewithlongdroopingstring-likefoliageupto12incheslong–definitelyaweeper.Thefoliageacquiresdifferentwintercolorationduringcoldweather.Itisthefocalpointofourfrontyardlandscape,whichalsofeatures weeping yaupon holly. Arborvitae is adaptable to our area and is evergreen.

Ilexvomitoria‘pendula’:AweepingformofYauponHollythatactuallygrowstosmalltreeproportion.Thisfemalecultivarproducesanabundanceofredberriestocomplimentitsunique,weepinggrowthhabit,butneedsspace.

Ilexvomitoria‘WillFleming’(male),and“Scarlet’sPeak(female)uprightyauponhollies:Thesecultivarsarefastigiate(havingerectandalmostparallelbranchestaperingtowardthetop),andexcellentforsmallgardenspace,orcornerareas,takinguplessthan4sq.ft.Scarlet’speakisarelativelynewintroductionthatproducesredberriesinwinter.TheWillFlemingisapollinatorforit,alongwithanyother nearby Yaupon.

Saphorasecundifolia‘silverpeso’:WouldyoubelievethisaTexasmountainlaurelwithgrey/silverpubescentfoliagethatproducesthesamegrape-scentedbloomsweloveinspring?Thismaybehardtofind,butwellworththeeffort.Itwouldbeafeaturespecimenplantin any southwest type garden.


Cycaspanzhihuaensis:Thiscycadwasarecent20thcenturyfindinChina,andistotallycoldhardyinCentralTexas.Ithasbluishgreenfrondsthatemanatefromthebase,andproducesanattractiveevergreenrosette.Giveitspace,asthefrondsgetto3-4’long.

Raphypidophyllumhistrix:Knownastheneedlepalm,sinceisproducesblackneedle-likestructuresfromthebase,thisevergreenpalmisthemostcoldhardyintheworld.Itgetstoaround4’tallmaximum,withanicerosettespread.Fanleafedpalmsmakegreatspecimenplants,astheyshowwellasthefeatureplantinanygarden.

Silver-leafedHardyPalms: This isa categoryofplants that includesall silver leafed formsof coldhardypalms, suchasNannorrhopsritchiana,Serenoarepens,Braheaarmata,Trithrynaxcompestris,andChameropshumilisvar.cerifera,allofwhichofferadifferenteyecatching look as a specimen plant.

Morusaustralis‘unryu’(tortuosa):Thisisafastgrowingtreewithtwistsandturnsthatareamazing.Itscontortedshapeamazeallduringwinter,andshowswellwhenfullyfoliatedwithitslargeleaves.Givethisplentyofroom.Asavigorousgrower,itmayneedsomecontrolpruning.

Some variegated plants that show off well as specimen plants include:Hybiscussyriacus‘AmericanIreneScott’:Theboldlywhitemarginalvariegatedfoliagewilldrawattentiontothisplant,especiallywhendoublepinkbloomsadornitaswellinsummer.Beingdeciduous,itwillonly“showoff”springtofall.

Eleagnuspungens‘maculata’:ThereareseveralcultivarsofvariegatedEleagnus,butthiscultivaristhemoststriking,andaddsbright,contrasting color to your garden year round. It grows much slower than a non-variegated Eleagnus.

Yuccaaloifolia‘marginata’:Thisisaverycolorfultall,slender,clumpingYuccaknownintheSoutheastas“Spanishbayonet”.Thestreakedgreen to chartreuse to yellow variegation stands out. Keep away from children play areas or walkways.

Some examples of good specimen plants for large containers include:

Cornus drummondii: This native East Texas dogwood can only be grown well in a large container with soil to its liking - organic and slightly acidic,butmakesagreatspecimenplantforashadyorpartshadyarea.

Add Some Specimen Plants to Your Garden Continued...


Oleaeuropea‘LittleOllie’:ThisisadwarfOlivetreethatisattractivelyshaped,evergreen,andtakesourdrynessandheatwell.Althoughitcanbegrownin-situ,itlooksgreatasacontainer specimen plant.

These are only a few of the many unusual or specimen plants that can be used in yourgardenorlandscape,butawordofcaution here, a specimen plant shoulddrawattentiontotheentiregarden,notsteal the show. It should add visual stimulus to your overall garden, and becompatible with everything around it.Solookforthatspecialspot,andbethinkingabouthowyoucanusespecimenplants,in addition to whimsical and hardscape items,toaddvarietyandstimulustoyourgarden’s overall appearance.That thread-leafed Arborvitae we have in the front has drawn so much attention to our overall front yard xeriscape. It’s done its job well!

Add Some Specimen Plants to Your Garden Continued...


2012 Passion for Plants: An East Austin Garden Fairby Manda Rash

This year marked the 6th anniversary of the East Austin Garden Fair. We celebrated that milestone by moving to a new location on a new date.

TheFairwasheldonApril14atParqueZaragozaRecreationCenterlocatedat2608E.GonzalesStreet.Itturnedouttobeaterrificlocation.ThestaffatZaragozacouldnothavebeenmoresupportiveof our event, andwere thrilled that wewere there. Theywereimpressedbythefactthatwehadabout200visitors,sayingthatwas the most people that had ever visited the center for an event.

Andthereallygoodnewsisthattheywantusbacknextyear,andthe year after. We think we have found a permanent home for the EastAustinGardenFair!Tothankthemfortheirhospitality,plansare being developed to help design and build a raised bed garden fortheafterschoolprogram,andtheteenageyouththeyserveonadaily basis. You’ll be hearing more about that as the plan develops.

This year’s theme was “Grow Well-Grow Your Own” with a focus on health,nutrition,andofcourse,growingyourownvegetables.InadditiontoAgriLifeExtensionServicestaffandMasterGardeners,theSustainableFoodCenter,theHerbSocietyofAustin,theAustinOrganic Gardeners, the Green Corn Project, Home Depot KidsWorkshop and the City of Austin also participated.

There were over 20 booths and demonstrations that included activities, demonstrations and information for kids and adults:Starting a School Garden, Rainwater Harvesting, Beekeeping,BackyardChickens,FruitandCitrusforCentralTexas,NutritionandCooking,GoodBug/BadBug-justtonameafew.TheGreenhousefolks contributed 200+plants for the PlantGive-Away, and LoneStarNursery(anEastAustinbusiness)contributedabout10flatsof4-inch heirloom tomatoes.


This year we added speakers to the format. Master Gardener Joe Posern spoke on “Growing Vegetables”, and Forrest Arnoldof the Austin Organic Gardeners talked about “Controlling Pests Organically.” Both were well attended.

The 2012 recipient of the “Gardener of the Year” award went to the members of the East Austin Garden Club. What a fabulous group ofpeople theyare. AliceHouston Johnson, theClub’spresident,acceptedtheaward.Thegroupwasformedin1980,andhasbeenactivesince.Mrs.Johnsonreportedthattheyhadrecentlyadded12newmemberstotheirorganization,andhaveplanstogrowitevenlarger.ThatspeaksvolumesoftheirClub,andoftheirservicetotheEast Austin community.

AbigTHANKYOUgoestooursponsors:SustainableFoodCenter,Chase Bank, Tecolote Farm, Rudy’s, Subway, Lone Star Nursery,Johnson’sBackyardGarden,TheHomeDepot,GreenCornProject,and HEB.

All-in-all it was a wonderful day despite the wind, which wasrelentless. The members of the planning committee want to thank allwhoparticipatedinvolunteering!Youdidanamazingjob,andwebelievethecitizensofEastAustinenjoyedtheirtimewithus.

Hope to see you at the Fair next year!

MandaRash,ChairEast Austin Garden Fair Planning CommitteeClyde AdleyLizCaskeyFrankie HartMikala McFerrenMaggie Tate

2012 Passion for Plants: An East Austin Garden Fair Continued...


Preparing Your Landscape for SummerThursday, May 17

10am-12pm

TravisCountyAgriLifeExtensionOffice1600-B Smith RoadAustin,TX,78721

There are numerous things you can do yourself to ensure health-ier,bushier,plantswithincreasedblooms.Learnwhentofertilize,whichplants,whichplantstopinchbackandothertipsfromapro.

Small Space GardeningSaturday, May 19

10am-12pm

Austin Community College South Campus 1820W.StassneyLane,Rm1130

Austin,TX78745

Spacechallenged?Doyouhavemoreplants(orideas)thangardentoputthemin?Makethemostofyourgardenwheneverysquareinch counts. This seminar is full of inspiring ideas to help you do somuchmorewiththeareayouhave,andmakebetteruseoftheentiregarden.You’ll learnhowtodesign in layers,borrowyourneighbor’s landscape,andusecolor,containersandcreativitytoadd punch to small spaces.

Thisseminarisfreeandopentothepublic,butseatingislimited.Reservationsarenotrequired,butarerecommended.

Signup at: http://travis-tx.tamu.edu/horticulture/ and click on seminar registration.

Empty,reservedseatswillbecomeopenseatingat9:50am.Thisseminar is free and open to the public.

Coming Events

http://travis-tx.tamu.edu/horticulture/


JackieJohnson,PresidentCarolynWilliams,ImmediatePastPresidentJaNetBooher,Vice-PresidentforProgramsCherGroody,Vice-PresidentforEducationWilliam(Bill)Woodard,VolunteerCoordinator for Projects RichardMoline,Co-VolunteerCoordinatorfor Trainees PatMokry,Co-VolunteerCoordinatorforTraineesSusanJung,SecretaryTinaLanders,Co-TreasurerVanAlvarez,Co-TreasurerSusanGoodrich,MembershipDirectorChrisGiaraffa,GreenhouseManagerRosalieRussell,AustinAreaGardenCouncil Representative MargarineBeaman,StateCouncilRepresentative MaryKastl,StateCouncilRepresentative

Past Presidents (Non-voting):

Bill BaldwinBill BoytimSusan CashinTommie ClaytonSusan DeckerDon FreemanManda RashPeggy StewartBecky WaakWill Walker

Ex Officio Member of the Board (Non-voting):

Texas AgriLife Extension Travis County Horticulture AgentDaphne Richards1600-BSmithRoad,Austin,[email protected]

TRAVIS CounTY MASTER GARdEnER ASSoCIATIon 2012 ExECuTIVE BoARd


This issue of the Compost Bin has been published thanks to the contributions of the following TravisCountyMasterGardenersandWizzieBrown—TexasAgriLifeExtension:

Cover Photo: Bruce LeanderContributing Writers:

© 2012 Travis County Master Gardeners Association 512-854-9600 Visit the websites: www.tcmastergardeners.org and http://travis-tx.tamu.edu

Editors and Layout:Liath AppletonSteve Messana

Webmaster:Paula Middleton

JaNetBarkely-BooherBob BeyerWizzyBrownJackieJohnsonPatty LeanderManda Rash

The End... Time to Get Gardening!

compost bin may 2012 - aggie horticulture...simply to add interest to your garden; just as you might...

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