GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

BEXAR COUNTY BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

December 6, 2008

Garden gifts make fabulous holiday presents. Do not limit yourself just with plant material. Consider gifts such as bird baths, bird feeders, bird houses, decorative stepping stones, fountains, garden books, gazing balls, gift certificates, hummingbird feeders, statuary, quality tools, water cans, wind chimes, wind socks, yard furniture and a whole lot more.

Visit your favorite independent nursery or garden center for holiday poinsettia center pieces. These floral quality plants will last you into the new year and will be the talk of any household or office. Poinsettia colors include prestige and premium red, maren pink, artic white and the bi-colored pinkish whitish monet.

Citrus makes a fun and rewarding holiday gift. Look for Improved Meyer lemon; valencia, marrs or bonanza naval oranges; mandarins or satsumas such as seito and miho; grapefruits like rio red; or thorny or thornless Mexican limes, and many others. For more information on growing citrus in south Texas, visit: http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/PATIOCITRUS/.

If you plan to plant roses next January or February, prepare beds now with liberal amounts of enriched compost in a full sunny location.

As you devour all of those pecan goodies during the holidays, don’t throw away the pecan shells.

The shells can be used in your barbeque pit which gives a wonderful aroma and taste to your food. Pecan mulch can be used on your walkways and on your flower beds.

David Rodriguez is the County Extension Agent-Horticulture with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener “Hotline” (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.