Ask a Master Gardener
Christmas Wreaths
Saturday, we talked about how to choose and care for your fresh cut Christmas tree. Let’s continue the theme and talk about Christmas wreaths and how that tradition got started?
To understand where the tradition of Christmas wreaths began, we need to go back to Greek mythology to two characters in particular: Apollo (son of Zeus) and Daphne, a nymph (a minor nature deity in Greek mythology) who Apollo apparently loved. While Apollo held romantic inclinations toward Daphne. Apparently, she did...
Christmas Trees
With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to start getting ready for Christmas and with Christmas comes Christmas trees. Here’s our yearly article guide to what you should know to purchase the perfect tree and how to take care of that tree once you get it home.
The first thing to consider before going tree shopping is to figure out what size of a tree that spot in your home can handle. The last thing you want to do is pay for a tree that is too big for your space and then have to...
Composting 101
We’ve talked about the various ways leaves can be repurposed to help enrich your soil and encourage pollinators, but what about our garden trimmings and all that discarded food we tend to throw away? You guessed it, we can re-purpose those items too by composting.
While composting our table scraps and yard trimmings can seem a little intimidating if you have never done it. It’s really not that difficult and mother nature does the heavy lifting. So, let’s talk a little bit about what composting...
Southwest Tree Injury
A couple of months ago we talked about how fall was the best time to plant most trees and how to plant your trees for best success. If you’ve planted a new tree, Mother Nature has been doing a pretty good job of keeping it watered recently. Just know that they will need about an inch of water each week, so you’ll likely have to provide supplemental waterings during the winter.
Another thing to remember is that if you planted a small, thin-barked tree like a maple, to ensure its success, you’re...
Fall Mums
It looks like we have freezing temperatures, or near freezing temperature in the not too distant future. So, if you, like many of us gardeners, have been lulled into a state of endless summer, there is a rude awakening on the horizon. This means that if we want to save some of our plants that are not rated for our growing zone, now is the time to bring them in.
We’ve talked about growing zones recently, but we are in growing zone 7b. Plants with growing zone numbers higher than 7 are likely...
Pruning Plants
Now that we are starting to lose leaves, the question always comes up - is now a good time to prune? The answer is yes on some plants and no on other plants. But then there’s the greater question - why do we prune at all?
If anything, we probably over prune some of our plants. Why? Because we bought a plant that wants to be bigger than the space we planted it in. So, if you want to minimize your pruning time, be sure to read the plant tag before planting. If you have a space that will allow...
Growing Pecans
Fresh pecans sure taste good. The fact that they do taste so good probably has some of you all thinking you would like to plant pecan trees so you can grow your own. That’s not a terrible idea, but before you dive in to growing your own pecans, there are a few things you should know.
Pecans are considered native to Oklahoma and are members of the hickory family. Native pecans can be found in most parts of the state with the exception of the panhandle. In the United States, there are over 200...
Pine Tree Needle Drop
We’ve talked about how to approach the falling leaves in your landscape, but what about the falling needles from evergreens, such as pines. As some evergreens are dropping their needles, when is it typical needle drop and when is it cause for concern? Let’s talk about that.
During the growing season, pines grow outward from the tips of their branches, producing new needles as they grow. As this growth continues, the older needles toward the center of the tree get shaded. In the shade, these...
Managing Leaves in the Yard
With cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours the leaves should start dropping from our trees pretty soon. Some have already started although I think those already dropping are falling from exhaustion due to our hot and dry summer, but enough about me… So, assuming the leaves will eventually drop, let’s talk about the importance of those leaves in our ecosystem and some alternate approaches you might consider taking with your leaves. Yes, we talked about leaves in the garden last week, but...
Fireplace Ashes
We write about this topic every year because, quite frankly, there’s a lot of misinformation out there on the internet about the benefits of using fireplace ashes in your garden. And since, we are entering fireplace season, this seems like a good time to review how the potential negative side effects outweigh any potential benefits associated with placing fireplace ashes in your garden.
If you poke around the internet, you’ll find articles suggesting that fireplace ashes are a great source of...