GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

BEXAR COUNTY  BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

October 15, 2011

Wake up tired flowerbeds and patios with beautiful seasonal color of calendulas, cyclamen, fall marigolds, pansies, petunias, snapdragons, and violas.

Sow wildflower seeds like bluebonnets, so they can establish through winter and bloom the following spring. The seeds must make contact with the soil to germinate. Keep them moist until they sprout and continue to water every third week.

Mulch newly planted trees and shrubs with a two inch layer of an organic cedar or native hardwood mulch to maximize water efficiency and root development throughout the fall and winter months. Replenish the mulch twice a year, but never cover the crown of the plants.

Avoid drastic pruning of woody plants this late in the growing season. However, dead or diseased wood in trees and shrubs can be readily pruned on an “as needed” basis.

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.