To win a copy of the book, you just need to take these easy steps:

1. Like Sunset on Facebook: facebook.com/sunsetmagazine

2. Between now and May 20th, post your photos to the Sunset facebook page with the hashtag #20minutegardener

On Tuesday May 21st, Sunset editors will select the five most inspiring spring garden photos and winners will be announced via facebook.  In addition to winning a copy of The 20-Minute Gardener, contest winners will be featured on the Sunset facebook page, Sunset’s blog, and westphoria.sunset.com.

Always looking for a good excuse to take more plant photos...as if I didn't have enough already!

The 'Pure White' is definitely going in my garden. I'll be writing a more detailed feature about the series in the Sept./Oct. issue of Neil Sperry's Gardens Magazine, so keep you're eye out!  You can see the other colors available at www.blackdiamondblooms.com

'Black Diamond Pure White' photo courtesy J Berry Nursery

This is a guest post from Phil Nauta, author of a book I reviewed last year called 'Building Soils Naturally.'

There’s a saying in permaculture circles: “everything gardens.”

What this means is that nothing in nature works on its own, including us.Instead of controlling everything in our organic gardens, we can get better results if we sit back and let other organisms do some of the work for us. First, we can start by observing existing patterns in our gardens, and placing our garden elements accordingly. This can be something as simple as aligning beds perpendicular to the slope so that we have less work to do flattening them out to avoid runoff and erosion, or making paths in shapes that reflect where we naturally walk in the garden instead of aligning them on an imaginary grid. We might notice that garter snakes like to hang out in the rock pile near the shed. Instead of tidying it up, we might plant our salad greens nearby, where the snakes can snack on any slugs that want to make a meal of our precious lettuce. We can also avoid a lot of weeding just by planting dense polycultures instead of single rows, or by encouraging some spreading ground covers in our perennial beds. Then plants do the weeding for us by physically and chemically dissuading competitors. This approach changes us from owners, managers, and sole employees, responsible for everything in our gardens, into relationship guides whose main job is to nudge the garden’s natural processes gently in a direction that meets our needs.

Know Your Friends.

If we start to view all of the organisms in our gardens as potential allies, rather than enemies, we can find ways to use their energy for our own benefit. Some of our most important allies are the smallest ones: the microbes! No ruler can rule without the consent of the governed, nor can we grow healthy plants without the cooperation of soil bacteria and fungi. Just by spraying your vegetable garden regularly with aerated compost tea and/or effective microorganisms, inoculating with mycorrhizal fungus, and mulching to keep your microbes fat and happy, you can vastly increase your garden’s output. We can also make friends with some of our biggest garden organisms: the trees. In hot, dry climates, a single tree can contribute huge amounts of water to the herbaceous plant layer by drawing it up from the subsoil. Or just choosing to “leave the leaves” instead of raking can also keep plenty of organic matter within your system so you don’t have to go out and collect or purchase more. In temperate coniferous climates, it can be trickier to negotiate our relationship with the big firs and cedars that want to shade our gardens and reclaim them as forest. But if we keep a clear delineation between forest zone and garden zone, these trees will provide us with a neighboring ecosystem that includes mosquito-catching frogs, soil-filtered well water, and many diverse beneficial insects.

When to Intervene.

Every time we intervene in an ecosystem, it takes more work for us to maintain the altered patterns. But we need to control some aspects of our systems if we want to keep them growing fruits, veggies, and flowers for us instead of returning to the local wild ecology. How much work this will take depends on where and when we choose to intervene. The guiding principle is to make our changes wherever the least effort produces the greatest result. In caring for soil, for example, this means that getting a lab test to see exactly which nutrients are lacking will save us a lot of effort, because we can apply just the right amount of only those nutrients instead of pounding the soil with amendments in hopes that one of them will help. Adding nutrients at the right time, when the microbes become active in spring, can multiply their effect compared to adding them during the dry heat of summer or the cold inactivity of winter. We can also apply this to the human side of gardening. By sharing garden work with friends and neighbors, helping each other out when it’s most needed, we multiply our efforts and turn toil into play. This kind of garden advice takes a bit more thought to apply than simple formulas like “use beer to drown your slugs,” though straightforward solutions like that certainly have their uses. But in the long term it saves us a lot of effort, creates beautiful, healthy gardens, and puts us in a better frame of mind each time we head to the garden to hang out with our friends.

Do you try to let nature do some work for you? Or do you like to keep things more tidy and structured? Let me know below, or feel free to ask questions about anything I mentioned...

What to look for? First, look for stunted growth, pale light green leaves, leaf and flower drop and then eventual stem collapse. The disease spreads quickly so infected plants must be removed and distroyed. Don't compost these plants as you'll most likely not be able to destroy the pathogen in home compost. Also, the organism produces spores that can persist in the soil...so if you have it this year, you should not be planting Impatiens in the same bed next year.

Last year, suppliers were still stating they felt they could produce a clean supply, but honestly the disease just has too strong a foothold on the species at this point. It's already been spotted in Texas.

Is this a bummer? Yep. BUT, there are a ton of other beautiful plants you can use in your shady garden. Currently, the disease does not effect New Guinea Impatiens or SunPatiens. Personally,  I'll be happy to see Dallasites be forced to try something new!

If you have shade and needs some color, give some of these shade performers a try:

• Lemon Lollipop
• Coleus
• Crossandra
• Angel and Rex Begonias
• Farfugium
• Browallia
• Jatropha
• Abutilon
• Lamium
• Heuchera
• Brunfelsia
• New Guinea Impatiens
• SunPatiens
• Ferns
• Hellebore
• Tiarella
• Upright Fuchsia
• "indoor" Tropicals are great for shade containers

Al little about Ken...he has been called a "gardening superstar." With sixteen books to his credit, frequent television appearances, regular articles for leading national newspapers and magazines, and now with his Podcast, he is one of the nation's leading voices of natural gardening. His groundbreaking book, "The Natural Garden," initiated a design movement that continues to grow in popularity today.   Check it out!

Bt (Bacillius thuriengensis) also known as Thuricide or Mosquito Bits, is my not so secret weapon to having no mosquito problems in my yard. This naturally occuring soil-borne bacteria is fatal only to larvae and caterpillars. The species included in this product is particularly effective against Mosqutio larvae (and fungus gnats). All you have to do is sprinkle a few handfuls of the bits under your foundation shrubs, any landscape beds with automated irrigation or that you water regularly, drain boxes, low spots in the yard and even gutters. I do this about three times per year. Timing depends on the weather. If it's warm early, I'll put out my first application in April, if it's not then early May. Then again in June and July. If you have ponds, birdbaths or live on a creek, purchase the floating dunk form and just pitch one, or a piece of one in the standing water.

The Bt attacks the Mosquito larvae and kills them before they even have a chance to hatch. This bacteria is safe for children, pets, birds and fish. It's the most non-toxic and most effective treatment for dealing with Mosqitoes (Hello, Dallas?)

Quit over-watering your lawns and quit watering them over-night. Highland Park, Preston Hollow and Park Cities...you are major culprits. I know this, because I've personally inspected many of your irrigation systems...I know how much and how often you're watering. That's why you have so many fungal problems and decline in your St. Augustine and on all those Indian Hawthornes and Azaleas. I'm not saying it's all your fault..but realize many of you have maintenance companies that are setting your irrigation improperly.  If you need help figuring out how much and when to water, please drop me a line! But, I know plenty of you Lakewood and East Dallas Hipster residents that are just as over-generous with your watering. So no one is off the hook here!

If neighbors, or neighborhoods, got together on prevention we could make a huge dent in the city's Mosqiuto population. Make a deal with your neighbors...if you live on a creek, each one of you should get together and buy a 4 or 6 pack of the mosquito dunks. Once per month from April or May - July or August, just pitch one out the back door into the creek. You'll be AMAZED at the results! Do you have a housebound or elderly neighbor? How about buying a pack for them and dropping it off, or better yet, apply the bits or dunks in their yard/creek for them?

See that big jug in the photo?  (from Summit Chemical btw) It will cost you around $12-$13 bucks. Maybe less. Last summer I used about 20%-25% of the container and saw about 3 mosquitoes total on my property. Seriously people, why leave this in the hands of the city when they will only spend way too much of our money on an ineffective and toxic treatment? Spend a few bucks, knock on your neighbor's door, and let's prevent this problem before it even gets started...

Here is what I'm snagging from my coop these days...I currently have 7 hens a workin' (so in this photo there are a few from the previous day).

A chicken's egg laying cycle is dependent on photoperiod (length of darkness) and temperature. Different breeds are more or less sensitive to these environmental factors. So I often hear folks complain about the lack of eggs in the winter and they wonder what they're doing wrong. Nothing! It's just the natural cycle of things. My Silkies actually layed a few eggs here and there over the winter, as will my Barred Rock and Ameraucana. But the others; Polish & Faverolle won't drop a single egg in the winter. Others do better in the summer. This has nothing to do with whether you have chickens in the city, or in the country (I've been asked that as well.)

I also hear folks talking about putting a light in the coop during winter to extend the photoperiod. That' s all fine and well if your goal is heavy production at the cost of a short egg laying life span of your birds. Artificially modifying the photoperiod can stress your chicken's endocrine system. In commercial production, that's not a concern because laying birds are usually sacrificed after 1-year. But in a home flock, you usually have the quality and length of life as a concern with your birds.

So give your girls a break, would ya? When they are in season, they work hard! Everyone needs a little winter rest right? Happy spring!

This is a shot of Arugula in bloom in my front-yard garden. Because I allow some of it to go to flower each late-winter/early-spring, this stand simply naturally re-seeds itself and I rarely have to plant any new Arugula. Plus the bees love it! Remember, you can collect seed from open-pollinated and heirloom varieties of veggies. Arugula is quite prolific and pretty!

Here is a shot of what are most likely 'Blue Jacket' Hyacinth and 'Monal' Narcissus (Daffodil). This photo was taken a WEEK ago! By this weekend, which is the opening of Dallas Blooms,  the Hyacinth and some of the early Daffodils will already be waning. Early blooming tulip varieties have already been in full glory for the last couple of weeks in my garden. So go now if you want to catch the early side of the bulb show, then head back in two weeks to catch the main tulip show.

If you've been reading my blog for a number of years, you'll know that I'm kind of obsessed with this color. Sort of a sherbet peachy orange...ALL of my roses are this color and I'm always on the hunt for more plant varieties that will fit into my obsessively color coordinated palette.

'Apricot Impression' offers up big,sturdy early blooms, which is characteristic of the Darwin Hybrids. The outside of the flower petals are a creamy orange wiht a tinge of peachy pink.

When the flowers open, you're treated to a bright blaze of peachy orange...a lovely contrast to the purple hue of the stems.

Seriously...how could this not brighten your day! This is why I go to all the effort to buy properly vernalized (pre-chilled) bulbs, then plant ON TIME (prime time is 3rd week of December here in Texas) and plant DEEP (6"-8"). Do this, and you'll be rewarded with gorgeous tulips, even in a mild winter like we've had. Enjoy!

I've replanted the pansies and violas along my front sidewalk bed twice this winter. I just figured the first round's demise was due to my neglect. Yes, neglect. See, I'm so busy helping all of you guys with your gardens I barely have time to tend my own! Anyhoo, I didn't pay much mind, I just replanted some new ones. About three days later, they were all pretty much toast. Now, I thought to myself "really Leslie, what is your problem.." But a quick close-up inspection confirmed what had been in the back of my mind as a possible issue...pillbugs.

See those little buggers down there munching my pansies away? This is what happens when we have mild moist winters. Two in a row only makes the problem worse. Without sustained cold weather or repeat freezes, critters like these pillbugs will just keep multiplying all winter long. To the point that there isn't enough food out there to sustain their numbers. Normally, pillbugs feed on detritus, or decaying plant matter. But when that food source runs low, they'll move to the green living parts of your plants. Little bastards. Excuse my French.

Looks like I'll be putting down an application of DE (Diatomaceous Earth) around these plants to try and reduce the pillbug population. You could also spray your plants with Spinosad, an organic non-selective insecticide. Just be sure if you use Spinosad, you only spray it at dusk, AFTER the honeybees have gone home for the night.

Now, as you might know, I'm not a strict rule follower! I think gardening is about experimentation and pushing the boundaries. Each year is a little different and experimentation is how you learn. Each of has a landscape with unique characteristics and micro-climates. Something might just work for you that doesn't for your neighbor.

For example, don't expect to get good production on a sweet cherry here, but you just might get good tart cherries off of a Dwarf 'North Star' cherry. The trick will be keeping it happy in the summer. Some Citrus are not hardy here and must be grown in containers...others, like 'Changsha' tangerine are perfectly hardy outdoors. Plenty of fruit trees can be grown in containers, especially with all the new dwarf selections available. Be reasonable, but don't be afraid to try new things and push the boundaries! Click the link to view North Haven Gardens fruit tree list, with detailed descriptions, chilling hour requirements and pollination info.

Meanwhile, check out my latest Good Morning Texas on fruit trees and plants!

Indoors:

Cole crops: You can start your last succession of cool season crops indoors now. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, chard, collard greens, kohlrabi, cauliflower and more.. Seeds need supplemental light so make sure to use a good setup. After 5 or 6 weeks you can transplant these seedlings outdoors, in February.

Warm season crops: Start tomatoes NOW, then you can start peppers, eggplant inside starting now through February. These crops take a bit longer to get to transplant size, about 8-9 weeks. In the DFW area, tomatoes can be planted outside late-February through the end of March for a June harvest. You can continue planting peppers and eggplant through April and May. If you want to start a second fall crop of tomatoes from seed, you’ll do that indoors in May.

Herbs: Start seeds indoors of warm season herbs such as basil, oregano, sage, thyme, chives etc.

Salad greens: You can still start salad greens both indoors and by direct seeding outside right now through February. Remember that lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so don't cover their seeds with soil when you plant them. Simply press them into the surface of the soil and keep moist until germination.

Indoor seed starting equipment: I use the Jump Start system from Hydrofarm because the lighting is perfect for seeds, the lamp can be adjusted to different heights, and it's a good for small spaces. You can use small trays with a seed starting soil mix, or the little compressed pellets from say Jiffy. I use those a lot and they work great. Make sure you have a humidity dome (plastic cover) for your tray. If you're using posts or pellets, make sure you have a water tight seed tray to set them in so you can cover them with the dome. The picture at left is only one example of the many different options available. Sometime you just have to experiment to find the option that works best for you. Also, a seed starting heat mat is necessary once you get into fall and winter, and you're starting seeds for spring planting.

If you'd like more in-depth information about growing tomatoes specifically, you can attend my workshop at North Haven Gardens on 1/26/13 from 1pm-4pm. Call the garden center directly to register, as there is limted space. More info HERE.

Oh, and you probably need to go ahead and grab your seed potatoes now because they'll start going in the ground the beginning of February. You definitely want to plant organic potatoes...no, you can't use the ones from the grocery store. You need organic seed potatoes. Cool varieties, like the BLUE potatoes will sell out quickly. I'll most more in February about growing potatoes, or you can search the blog for older posts.

I'll be on Good Morning Texas tomorrow morning, 1/4/13 weather permitting, to talk about planting onions and potatoes. That's WFAA Channel 8 here in DFW.  9am-10am hour.

Now's the time to pick up your onion slip for planting in January (in Texas), pick up specialty seed potatoes for February planting and get your seed starting supplies and equipment set up! This weekend will also be your last good shot at planting your tulip bulbs. Also, you know you have to start those tomato seedlings next week, right?!!

As of 12/29/12 I will officially be a free agent full time with Halleck Horticultural. I will be providing horticultural, marketing and business consulting for green industry businesses. I will also continue providing residential horticultural consults. This move will also free me up for more garden writing, teaching, media and keeping my blog up to date here at growLively!

I've had an awesome eight-year run as general manager for North Haven Gardens here in Dallas. I love the business, staff and customers and I'm still highly invested in its success. The plan is for me to continue working with NHG as a consultant so I can help keep up the "awesome".

Happy birthday to me! And happy gardening to you! I look forward to many new gardening adventures in 2013...

Leslie

One of my favorite single late tulips, 'Maureen', in my garden mixed with Dutch Iris 'Imperator'

Don't plant to early, but don't plant to late either. My advice, keep those tulip bulbs chilling for now. If you don't have one, invest in an inexpensive soil thermometer. Start checking soil temperatures next week, a couple of times per week, to see where they are heading. My bet is still always on the 3rd week of December as the optimal planting window. Get them in the ground by end of December. Don't wait until January. Plant deep...6"-8", no exceptions. Then add 2" of mulch on top of your tulips plantings.

Have trouble with squirrels digging up your precious bulbs? Once you've set your bulbs in their planting hole, cut out a piece of chicken wire and lay it on top of the bulbs, then cover with soil. The squirrels will have a much tougher time getting to them that way!

Just gorgeous! The mild warm days have also really brought on the nectar flow and fragrace from these cool season favorites. The bees are as happy as can bee! It's still a great time to plant these beauties so get to the garden center and get digging!

No matter your religion or choice of celebration, bringing the outdoors indoors this time of year just makes you feel good. The fragrances are wonderful so I always make sure to add garland to my entryways, banisters and use some mixed greens as table centerpieces. So whether it's a Christmas tree, Festivus tree, Solstice tree or you name it, it's just pretty. And it smells good. Nothing wrong with being pretty and smelling good. Enjoy the season!

I love using Tillandsias, because they require little to no care in a tiny environment such as these ornaments.

I also love using reindeer moss and assorted lichens, wood chips, branches and the like.

This year I started up some tiny square ornaments. TOO CUTE. You can create these kinds of low maintenance terrariums in just about any containter. Just a little fun homeade gift goodness! These terrarium ornaments are available for sale now at NHG.

First, head on over to my Halleck Horticultural Facebook page. To enter, write a once sentence comment on the Garden Giveaway post about why you need my help, and please share the post (or recommend my FB page) on your page if you think you have other gardening friends who could benefit from my expertise. I’ll let this giveaway run for a week, and then I’ll randomly pick a winner from the list of comments (yes, I’ll write all your names down and put them in a hat so that it’s fair!)

I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday 11/14 so be sure to check back! You can read more about my consultation services HERE.

I'm a bulb freak and I have extensive experience crafting big displays of them for mass consumption. So I decided to take a little work out of the decision making process for you and come up with some custom mixes that are both beautiful and reliable. If you live in the DFW area, you can pop over to North Haven Gardens and score yourself some, while they last!

 I put together these mixes so you'd have some well-tested and very reliable varieties that work well together either as a mix that blooms all at once, or a season extender which will mix early and late bloomers.

Personally, my favorite is 'Fuzzy Navel'...I mean, who doesn't love those?! I'm kind of obsessed with the color organe, so there ya go. Some folks are ready to plant up their beds and pots with tulips now, because they also want to get their pansies in the ground. Well, nature doesn't always work that way. In North Texas, and other areas with a similar climate, you really have to wait to plant your tulips. My solution? I go ahead and plant violas, or small flowered pansies, along the edges of my beds so that my borders look great for the cool season. I always plant some pockets of warm season annuals in my beds, such as Angelonia, Zinnas, Salvias and the like. Once we get hit with with the first frost, those plants come out and I use those spaces to plant clumps of tulips. Then, I overplant pansies in those spots. So I kind of have two pansy/viola planting times: Now and then again in December. If you want to drop bulbs in pots right now and top with cool season color, you can go ahead and do so with daffodils or other perennial bulbs. Just set aside a few pots to plant with tulips in December.  To read more about proper chilling and planting of tulips bulbs, go HERE.

I'll have more classes coming soon so be sure to check back. I hope you'll give this class a shot and if you do please let me know your thougths!

Yes, it's that time again and if you'd like some cheery daffodils or other bulbs blooming indoors for  your Thanksgiving table, now's the time to get going! Visit your local independent garden center for a good selection of bulbs that can be forced, such as daffodils, muscari, dwarf Dutch Iris, Amaryllis and more that can be forced now. You can continue forcing any of these bulbs now through the Holidays. Purty!

I've added three species of fungi to my garden, firstly to help improve the soil, but secondly to reap the fruits of their labor. This would be a specimen of Stropharia rugosoannulata, also known as the "Garden Giant".  Unlike most other species of Stropharia, this species is a choice edible. This species offers up a late-summer or fall harvest. I was so excited to find a big crop of them yesterday popping up in my shade bed. Adding inoculants of certain fungal species to your vegetable garden can be highly beneficial for other food crops, however in our super-hot climate in Texas, it can be tough for the shrooms to be planted in ful-sun locations. So I've instead inoculated my partical shade beds with good success. Can't wait to cook these up!

In addition to moving into a house that has, well…let’s just call it a “reputation” (a little something to do with a mummy…), something else in my yard seems to have captured the attention of many of you in the neighborhood. My bottle tree.  If you haven’t noticed, I’m a gardener.  While my front landscape will be an ongoing work in progress, I have been able to at least put a few personal touches on my driveway bed so far.

My bottle tree traveled with me from my last home, located in Little Forest Hills, and was one of the first items I placed in the front bed.

What is this bottle tree for you ask? Firstly, I happen to think it’s just pretty. I find it a nice accompaniment to plants in the garden, especially when it catches the sunlight or raindrops. The history of bottle trees goes back all the way to Africa, as early the 1700′s. It was a tradition to hang shiny objects and bright ribbons outside of the home. The thought was that evil spirits were attracted to those objects, and it kept them outside of the home. The bottles became a way to “trap” the evil spirits before they could enter. Over the years it’s become a Southern garden tradition.

My bottle tree also captured the attention of someone outside of the neighborhood; so much that they couldn’t keep their sticky fingers off my pretty blue and green bottles.  This past spring, I woke up early one Saturday morning and proceeded to my garden puttering.  I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but something just didn’t seem right. It took me about 30 minutes of puttering before I realized it was my bottle tree that was naked…all my pretty bottles were gone.  Really? Needless to say, I was a bit irritated. I had to drink a lot of Riesling to get all those blue bottles! No one needs to drink that much Riesling.  One of the reasons I put effort into my garden is to offer beauty and enjoyment to those that live around me…it’s not a purely selfish act on my part. It’s how I interact with my community. My bottle tree or any other sculpture that I put in my yard is for all to enjoy. All I can hope is that the culprit set themselves up a pretty bottle tree in their yard for all their neighbors to enjoy.

When did I know I had really cool neighbors? When random pretty blue bottles started showing up on my doorstep.  And then an entire bag of them from Bob & Shirley next door.  . My bottle tree was restored.  Apparently, unbeknownst to me, there was quite the chatter about my bottle tree scandal on the neighborhood email list. I had no idea this little thing had become something you all enjoyed so much and I’m much happier to now live in “the bottle tree house”.  But don’t go getting any ideas…because I epoxied them on this time…
 

Don't miss my recipe for homegrown grilled watermelon and arugula salad on page 6! Right next to Chad Houser's salad recipe on page 7!  Books will be available at North Haven Gardens in Dallas very soon!

Now, during fall, is the time to plant Cardoon. Now, they don't look like much in a 4" pot, and even in a gallon sized pot, they'll seem somewhat un-impressive. But you'll be amazed at the growth these plants will put on over the winter. By mid-spring, they will have become a 5-foot specimen that looks stunning with roses, Iris, herbs and more. But you have to plant them now! Cardoon are also an edible, however you harvest the stems, not the blooms. If you want to read more about Cardoon in my garden, check out the current fall issue of Neil Sperry's Gardens magazine! You can also pick up copies (and plants) at North Haven Gardens.

What a beauty! Now, I realize that these critters are not always welcome in the garden, but you have to appreciated it's style, no? This one will be going in my sketch book...

Iceland poppies are the perfect companion for Dutch Iris, Tulips, Mexican Feather grass, Daffodils, you name it! Butterflies and bees love them too.  Just so happens, I'm planting mine today. I like to plant them in groups of at least three plants, but usually five plants. I plant several groups of them around the garden in order to provide repetition of the colors. Those are also the spots where I have Dutch Iris and will drop in some Tulips. Planting some extras will also allow you to use them as a cut flower. Gorgeous...just gorgeous!

I have lots of photos to share both from my work trips, so you can check out some cool new plants and products, but also some wonderful photos from Big Bend National Park and West Texas in general. This photo is from the Chisos Basin in the middle of Big Bend. There had been a rare deluge of rain a few days prior so plants were popping out in bloom and greening up. Stunning. Enjoy!

 Want to go with seed? Now's the time to start direct seeding carrots, lettuce, spinach, chard, beets, turnips, radishes, dill, cilantro and more! So get some organic compost into your veggie beds and get planting!

One important thing to note about Tomatillos is that are not self-fertile. This means you'll need to have at least two plants grown together in order to have successful pollination. Three or four plants is much better! Tomatillo plants will sprawl to 4-5 ft. wide and around 4-feet tall (but can get taller!).  Typically, you'll want to harvest the Tomatillo's while the papery shell is still a bit more green than those I have in the photo. I've been remiss in not harvesting mine often enough! But, they till roasted up great.

I love making a "green" sauce or salsa with my Tomatillos. I just pop in the oven under the broiler on high  for about 15 minutes, along with some peppers from the garden. Let the peppers blacken a bit...the Tomatillos should be beginning to blacken in bits, and be soft and popping before taking them out of the oven. I just through it all into my vitamix blender with a bit of salt. Yummy! You can also add garlic if you like a more traditional salsa flavor. Enjoy!

Let me ask you this: Do you think the plants will be happier in the ground or in a black nursery pot siting on concrete when it's 100+ degrees? Anything you see in a garden center this time of year...can be planted in the ground this time of year. They'll be easier to keep alive planted in the ground than then are in a black plastic pot, which will dry out much, much faster! Now, does the fact that it's so hot mean you're going to have to keep a closer eye on your new plants? Sure it does. If you're under tight watering restrictions that don't allow you to run your automated system on a weekly basis, or don't allow for additional hand watering, then yes; it's going to be tough to establish any new plants this time of year. BUT, if you're like us here in Dallas, and can run your sprinkles up to twice per week plus hand irrigate (or drip) anytime you need to, then you can plant now. As long as you're willing to get on the end of the hose a few more times a week.

So what was I planting yesterday? Just a few things around my chicken yard fence to provide a little more green camouflage and shade for the girls. Plus make the chicken yard a litle more pretty! I already have some passionvine getting established on the fence, but wanted to add some evergreen Confederate Jasmine both for beauty and fragrance. Who says a chicken yard can smell good?? LOL. Plus, my bees will love it. I also threw in a few plantingsof dwarf cannas in a few spots around the fence. Again, they'll provide a bit more ground shade for the girls, plus attract hummingbirds. Both of these are tough, easy to grow plants. I also planted a few more succulents in containers and transplanted a Viburnum and an Esparanza.

Obviously, if you're out gardening in the heat, you'll want to make sure to drink lots of water and put on that sunscreen. Plant early in the morning as that's both easier for you and the plants! Make sure to drench plants thoroughly after planting. You'll need to check on them daily to see if they need a bit of hand watering. To get plants off to a better start, consider soaking the root ball in some liquid seaweed and root stimulator for a minute before you plant.

Garden on troopers!

If you're interesting in the sorts of things you should be seeding or planting August, read my post HERE.

Fall is for planting! Not just vegetables, but pretty much everything. When you plant in the fall here in the South, you benefit from the cooler air and soil temperatures, plus you get about 8-months for plants to put down new roots before the onset of summer heat. It will save you money, time and result in happier healthier plantings.

Planting beans in August or Peas in September? Make sure to mix garden inoculant into the soil first...Rhizobium bacteria is necessary for legumes to fix their own Nitrogen in the soil!

My front yard and porch have just about the worst kind of sun exposure...Mostly West facing with a slight tilt to the North. This means the front beds against the house and the porch are shaded for a while in the morning, then get blasted with the hot West sun the rest of the day. Not to mention, I have a large circular concrete drive that radiates back a huge heat load. It puts a lot of stress on the plants in my front garden. Plants in continers on my front porch are especially suceptiple to this heat stress.

My solution? I've gone Agave! Last weekend I transitioned my front porch pots over to mostly Agave, Yucca, Echeveria and some Sedum. Not only do these tough succulents have a striking sculptural look about them, but they'll take the sun, heat and won't require much water. They prefer to dry out between waterings...which is perfect for a summer container.

You can dress up any container using things like recycled gass mulch, jelly bean class or colored gravel. I toped these pots wiht a mixture of glass mulch and jellybean glass.

The fearsome looking specimen in the second photo is an Agave called 'Jaws'...appropriate no? The colorful jellybean glass is a great contrast.  Check out this segment I did with Good Morning Texas about all these great succulents!

I have some gorgeous eggplant coming on...here's a shot of what I've started harvesting. Eggplant 'Black Beauty', tomatillos and the last of the 'Indigo Rose' tomatoes. Gorgeous color, no? This eggplant variety makes a fantastic edible ornamental in the landscape. I have lots of eggplant still coming on and I'm about to be loaded down with tomatillos. I'll be roasted both first...maybe some baba ganoush with the eggplant and salsa verde with the tomatillos. YUM! What are you harvesting in your area right now?

Garden on!

So I decided to see if anyone was using a trespassing defense when it comes to Monsanto bullying them. This story was just published last Friday in the Denver Post about a ruling against conventional farmers using pesticides in the vicinity of organic farms. Using pesticides or herbicides that drfted onto the organic farmers crops, was deemed a form of trespassing. Awesome. So, seems perhaps there is a stronger precident now to use the same principle against Monsanto, especially considering the Citizens United ruling?

I'm no legal expert, but I think alls fair in Love and War. So if corporations want the right to operate as an individual, then perhaps we should simply treat them that way. Any legal thougths out there??

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember how these Silkies came to live with me. It wasn't by choice. I wrote THIS post on February 20th of this year...after someone abandoned a box of baby silkies on the door step of the garden center I run. Either in the middle of the night or very early that Sunday morning. It was cold, and the poor babies had no food or water. So of course, my store manager called me...and up I went to retrieve them. They were about 12-weeks old and all had CRD, or chronic respiratory disease, so it took a lot of hand nursing and antibiotics to get them back on track. The first one died within three days and it was a struggle with the remaining four, but eventually they pulled through. All were clucking along nicely, until the partridge colored one, (buff/blue) died mysteriously a couple of weeks ago with a wound to the stomach. So, then there were three. All fluffy and cute, all black.

Now, it can take 6-8 months for silkies to reach maturity, and it can be notoriously difficult for even an expert to sex the birds until they reach that age. So this was a lot of work that had gone into taking care of these birds I hadn't planned on...and I was worried I was going to get stuck with all roosters. That would be my luck, right? So I kept my fingers crossed that the remaining three were girls. At least then I'd get to keep them. I was pretty confident about two of them, and those two have confirmed themselves as pullets just in the last week by starting to lay the tiniest cutest eggs; but the third showed a slightly different morphology...the feathers were a bit different..but no comb or waddles yet. Until about the last month (which would be right on schedule). Yes, yes, I know that I've been in a state of denial. Why? Because he's the sweetest bird. Seriously. I didn't figure that the most docile sweetest bird of the bunch would turn out to be a boy. And now I don't want to part with him.

As his comb grew larger and waddles developed, I knew I was probably in for major disappointment. As of today, I can no longer choose denial. I mean, look at that pose he's making above? THAT was him being his proud self right after trying to awkwardly mount two of the girls just a couple of hours ago. Yep, and in that moment he became...Rico Suave. Even so, he's still my sweetest bird.  Now, he hasn't made a sound yet and I'm not sure how long that will take or if he'll even make much noise at all. As you may know, Dallas ordinance prohibits keeping roosters. Not because they are a nuisance, but rather certain people made nuisances of themselves by engaging in cock-fighting. So thanks for that you jerks. In any case, I'm going to have to find a loving new home for this dude with someone in a city that allows roosters.  At least I'll have a couple of girls to hang on to. They just don't like me as much as Rico does! Whaa.

So, after 5 months of nursing, hand feeding, raising and becoming attached to him, Rico has to go. He's a beautiful boy and would make nice breeding stock if you are raising silkies, or just need a man around the house. You'll need to live in the DFW area (but not city of Dallas), be able to meet me somewhere in the DFW area, be able to show me that you have experience raising chickens and a photo of your secure coop and run. He's had a good amount of space to roam and I'd like to keep it that way. He's been raised completely on certified organic feed and gets plenty of fresh greens and worms. So I'll be looking for someone who raises their birds similarly. I have no idea if he was given any vaccinations when he was a baby...he was successfully integrated into my existing flock, who were all vaccinated for Merecks, but nothing else. All are healthy. All the birds get along very well, and he's pretty docile with all the girls, but that took about 4 weeks of transition time after moving the silkies from a separate enclosure. Everyone needs a little time to work out the pecking order.  Realize that silkies are smaller than other breeds. Even though he's a rooster, there is the possibility that he could get ganged up on by your birds, so a gradual transition is always recommended. You'll need to plan on quarantining this new bird from your existing flock for 30 days just to be on the safe side in terms of health.

Please comment on the post if you have questions or comments, or  if you'd like more information about adopting Rico please email me directly through my contact page.

Iris are one of the toughest drought tolerant perennials we can grow here in Texas, yet it still provides that showy delicate look one might expect from an English cottage garden. Best of both worlds! And yes, you can plant Iris in the middle of the summer here in Texas. Remember, any plants you see at your local garden center are ok to plant at the time they are stocked. And believe me, they will be much happier in the ground in summer than they are in a black nursery pot!

Now, I did you guys a favor and didn't snag this gem off the Iris table. So it might still be there for one of you lucky ducks. NHG had plenty of other unusual Iris varieties in stock so it's worth checking out.

If your rose plant/s are infected, the first symptom you'll usually see is rapid elongation of new shoots, followed by something called "witches' broom". The new stems are stunted and begin clustering into many small branches. The leaves will be distorted and tend to be very red in color.

The problem with this disease is that it is as of yet un-cureable. The infection will typically kill a small or young plant within two years. A larger more established rose can survive as long as five years. But if you allow infected plants to stay in your garden, you'll only expose the rest of your (and your neighbor's) healthy plants to the disease. Sadly, the best option is to dig and remove the plant completely. Roots and all.

Because the causal agent of the disease is not soil borne, you should be able to re-establish new healthy roses in the spot where you removed the diseased rose. But you must make sure you remove all the remaining root tissue from the soil. However, if there are other infected plants nearby, or wild multi-flora roses growing around your neighborhood, your new plants can be re-infected by the mites as they move from plant to plant.

When you garden organically, as I do, the focus is on building healthy soil to grow healthier more vigorous plants. And yes, vigorous plants with a strong immune system are better able to ward off any number of pest and disease issues. Because I have faith in nature I’m sure that there may be rare cases of roses being able to run the course of the disease and survive. I just don’t have any real documentation of that happening. While we might wish it did, gardening organically does not make your rose plants immune to this viral disease. While feeding and pruning your infected plants may make you feel better and hope that you can cure it with love, it's still not a cure. As I stated above, you can limp an infected plant along for a few years...but remember your infected plant is still acting as a host for the virus, which can easily spread to roses in the rest of your garden if the mites are present, not to mention the rest of your neighborhood.

Do us all a favor: The best horticultural practice when you have Rosette is to remove the plant and roots completely in order to stop the spread of the virus. Amend the soil with organic compost and apply a bio-stimulant (like Medina soil activator) and/or product that contains mycorrhizal fungi (Espoma Bio-Tone is a good one).  Then, you can either try replanting with new healthy roses or a new species.

photo courtesy Virginia Cooperative Extension Service

Be sure to plant your new transplants a couple of inches deeper than where the plant emerges from the soil in the pot and add 2" of mulch. You'll have to keep plants hand-watered to get them established during the heat, but plants usually settle in pretty good. You can use floating row cover, frost cloth or shade cloth to protect plants for the first few weeks as they get acclimated and established. Get your transplants in the ground by mid-July for best fall production!

Some varieties I like for fall production include: 'Defiant', 'Golden Mama', 'Green Zebra', 'Yellow Pear', 'Celebrity', 'Red Grape', 'Sun Sugar', 'Super Sweet 100', 'Early Girl'.
 

Starting this weekend, you can plant your second crop of fall tomato transplants. Get them in the ground by mid-July. The 4th of July is always a good target date.

If you want to read more specifics about fruit set, ripening an the effects of temperature on tomatoes, you can read THIS POST.

I've imported the entire growLively blog here, so you can read all of my original posts. If you were bumped here to the new blog from the old typepad location, there is a search field at the bottom of the page you can use to search out posts by topic.  Just type in the topic you were looking for and all those posts should show up for you to select from. As with any big move, sometimes a few things get left behind in the moving truck. So if you come accross any broken links to older posts or photos, just know that I'm working on it! Feel free to contact me if you find any kinks.

I have a lot of exciting things that will soon be available to you on the new website, such as online gardening classes, an e-newsletter, fun graphic tees and eventually webinars and chats. Keep an eye out on the site/blog as it will evolve quite a bit over the next few months. Don't forget to sign up for my free e-newsletter so I can keep you posted!

Happy Gardening!

Leslie

P.S. To subscribe to the growLively blog feed go here: growLively by Halleck Horticultural

So, what are you folks doing in the garden this weekend?!

I'm also harvesting some wonderful 'Black Cherry' heirlooms. I've saved the larger fruit for slicing, but what to do with some of the smaller fruit? Well, one of my favorites and super easy thigns to do with cherry or small tomatoes is marinate them overnight, then roast them. So some of these babies will be going into a baking dish, drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary from the garden.

I'll let the tomatoes marinate overnight, then tomorrow, I'll pop them into a 425F oven and roast them for 15-20 min (15 minutes is typically adequate for cherry sized tomatoes, I give it an extra 5 minutes for larger fruit). And there you have it, the most delicious soft warm tomatoes to serve on top of bread, crackers, or anything really. YUM. I wish it was tomorrow already!

Just came across one of my shots of huge blue agaves in Ecuador...wow. They were truly stunning! (Most of my travel photos end up being plants...I know..it's a problem!)

Interestingly, small farmers use them to create living fence lines around their crops, like corn that you can see growing behind the agave, to keep the cattle out of the fields. It creates quite the fascinating landscape scene! Here, we'd drool over this impressive specimen as a pricey garden feature...But in case you're looking for a creative ideal to keep the deer out of the veggie beds..here ya go!

I pulled this photo because I was thinking about agave in general this morning. As we go into the heat of the summer here in the South, we're all looking for plants that will establish easily, even with heat and watering restrictions. If you have a good local nursery, you should be able to find there a variety of agave species in many colors and sizes to fit your needs. While you may not be building a living fence, you might simply be looking for some showy feature plants for containers on the patio or front stoop. You can plant agaves by themselves in large containers, or you can mix them with other succulents with similar water needs.

If you're intersted in learning to put together stunning succulent containers, and you're in the DFW area, you'll get a rare opportunity to learn how-to from Cody Hoya of Terrain Horticultural Design, on Saturday June 9th at 1pm, at North Haven Gardens in Dallas. You'll learn about the plants, concept, and maintenance for creative succlent containers. You leave the class with a good understanding of how to create a drought tolerant, modern, sculptural and beautiful design. At 2PM Cody will do a short pop-up class out in the garden center to talk about available succulents. Don't miss it!

Other fruits that are ripening in my garden now are peaches and plums...what's ripening in your garden?

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

if you're interested in keeping bees in the DFW area, check out TBA www.texasbeekeepers.org for links to your local group, where you can take classes and attend regular meetings.

Tomato 'Golden Mama' in my garden now. One of my favorites!

Arugula seed. I've been harvesting this past week.

Dill seedheads...so pretty! I'll be harvesting seeds today.

Both Arugula and Dill are two edibles that make fantastic ornamentals, so it just makes sense to let them go to flower and then seed in your garden. Now, this only works with open-pollinated varieties, not hybid cultivars. For example, 'Celebrity' tomatoes are an F1 hybrid...the seed you save from that plant won't come true to type (you'll get seedlings with a lot of different variants that express characteristics of the original parent plants). But with 'Green Zebra' tomato, an open-pollinated heirloom, you can save the seed and get another generation of 'Green Zebra' tomatoes. So for plain old Arugula and Dill, you can save the seed.

Old 35mm film containers with the lids make great storage for seeds. Or use any container that will keep your seeds completely dry. Make sure to label the container with the plant and date. Some folks keep them in the fridge to preserve viability. I'll be starting these Arugula and Dill seeds outdoors in September for the cool season!

Echinacea 'Sundown'

This would be me in the Amazon in Peru, with some of my photographs and my insect/flower illustrations. And my pink locust tending his own little garden, lol. It's some silly fun...Swing by the event if you can. It's a $5 donation to get in the door, then you can bid on a plethora if dioramas, both in silent auction and live auction. Good times!

But don't worry...you can still get all your gardening on! The new ordinance allows for you to fulfill all your typical watering needs for established landscapes and new plantings. The twice per week restriction only applies to automated sprinkler systems or above ground sprinklers. You may run these sprinklers twice per week on your assigned days (addresses ending in even numbers can water Thursday and Sunday, addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays.) You should not run your sprinkler systems between10am-6pm. A deep watering once per week, or twice per week in the heat of the summer, is all you need to properly care for established lawns, trees and foundation plantings.

The restrictions on additional hand watering, soaker hoses and drip irrigation that were in place under the previous Stage 1 ordinance have been lifted under the new ordinance! You may now provide any needed supplemental watering via hand watering (hose end, watering can, bucket, rain barrels, etc.), soaker hoses, drip irrigation, TreeGator bags, on any day of the week.  That means you'll have no problem establishing and maintaining your new plantings of trees, foundation plantings, vegetable gardens, containers; all of which are crucial to our urban environment.

Note: if you are using rainwater, well water or grey water (non-potable water) you are not required to follow any restrictions or watering schedule. Great news!

Here is a photo of 'Frago Deep Rose' in my garden. I'll be testing them out for fruit production in my veg garden. Now, strawberries are perennials so you need to give them a dedicated sunny bed. In our climate, a couple hours of afternoon shade is usually appreciated.

This series is supposed to be particularly suited to containers, because of the showy flower sand 3-ft runners. I grabbed this photo of 'Fragoo Pink' from the breeder, Syngenta.


There is still time to get strawberries planted in the garden in N. Texas, but I'd recommend doing it soon so plants have some time to put down roots before it gets very hot (and garden centers run down on availability).  Enjoy!

After an application of recycled chicken litter fertilizer, these beauties have taken off and are starting to throw off a number of blooms. Maypops also produce small orange edible fruits (hence the name), which will make great treats for the chickens!

Butterflies love passion vine so planting one or two is a great way to attract them to your garden. There are many different species and varieties to choose from. In mild winters they may keep most of their foliage...in colder winters they'll die to the ground, then re-emerge in spring. Passion vines are perfect for a sunny location, but they will tolerate some dappled shade or late afternoon shade.

These are two giant specimens of 'Changsha' Tangerines,Citrus reticulata, one of the most cold-hardy varieties. Grown from seed by my bestie Jimmy, who so sweetly bestowed them up on me. Now, these pots are giant. And heavy. And I'm sure it was quite the comedy to watch my husband and I move them from the front driveway to the back yard. Not to mention, they are coverd in giant thorns. That was fun...but well worth it!

'Chengsha' are prolific producers of seedy but very juicy tangerines. Although the parentage isn't totally confirmed, they could be a cross between C. reticulata and C. ichangensi. The name Chengsha could also be just the name of the place from whence the variety originated and not necessarily the variety name. Can't seem to find consensus on this. But, what is true is that these lovely citrus trees are incredibly cold hardy. Seed grown plants tend to be more cold hardy than vegetatively produced specimens. These two particular plants made it through the winter of 2010...with all that ice and 10-12 degree temperatures, even in containers (hence the giant thorns which tend to come on under stress or cold damage). Plants will grow 10-12 ft, so are perfect for container culture if you don't have space in the garden. Full sun...a bit of afternoon shade appreciated.

Jimmy knows what a huge citrus freak I am. So I'm sure he must know how tickled pink I am have to add these beauties to my citrus collection (Thank you Dahling). I hope with the babying I'm currently giving them I'll see a nice harvest this winter. Tangerine juice here we come!

I think this one may end up being a boy...mostly because "he" is bigger than the rest and always has been, plus he has more distinctive colored feathers down his chest. Which can be a characteristic of a rooster. Plus, his tail feathers that are growing in seem to be more pronounced. But still...who knows.

This partridge colored bird was the runt of the litter. "She" was pretty tiny when we inherited her, and she's still a bit smaller than the rest, but has managed to catch up pretty well (and she's still bigger than Beezus, lol). Beez is not to thrilled with the co-lapping in this photo...but don't they color coordinate so nicely? I know. I have a problem.

Hopefully, given another month or so, I'll be able to better tell the girls from the boys. If I have girls, I am going to try to keep them...although integrated them in with the rest of the larger flock could be very challenging. Any roosters will have to be re-homed, as Dallas city ordinance prohibits us from keeping roosters. I may have one taker already but if not, and I have Roosters to re-home, I'll post an update to see if any of you have a home for them!

You can also check out their web page and Paige's blog

Some might say that the mild winter caused timing problems for planting tomatoes..but thats not the case at all. The standard planting window still applied, but with no hard freezes in March those who planted in late February and early March should now be reaping the benefits of having fruit already setting on their plants; without having had to do the work of covering plants. Maybe this is a welcome payback for last year's nasty tomato season?

But as day/night temperatures rise, you'll soon lose the opportunity for your plants to mature, flower and set fruit in time. In the Dallas area your best bet is to get the last of your tomato transplants in the ground this weekend, or take your chances with a reduced harvest. If you live farther North, up into zone 7, then you'll have another week or so to play with...unless temps rise quickly in your area.

Ah spring...

'Bonfire' Peach blooms

'Plentifall' Pansy

A bounty of mixed lettuce in one of my veggie boxes

Orange Iceland Poppies

Citrus Mix Tulips just starting to bloom

Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'

White Iceland Poppy

These beauties are from a line called Iron & Wood Garden Tools from Fisher Blacksmithing in Montana. They have a few other nifty tools as well.

Drool...Now, let's see if I can bring myself to actually get them dirty...lol!

If you're out there at 7am, The Tin Star Taco Taxi will be there serving breakfast tacos, then Cane Rosso takes over lunch with oven fired pizza. YUM. Get your rose and foodie fix all in one stop!

For those of you not in the loop, this was the box of baby silkies dropped off at the garden center a week ago, that I've taken home to foster. This particular bird was already sick when they were left with us. It wasn't severe yet, but I could tell just by the way it hung back from the rest of the birds, and was a little "crusty" around the nostrils, that something was going on. I had to separate him/her immediately.

It's not ideal to have to isolate a young bird like this. They are social, and rely on eachother's body warmth for good health and vigor. But you can't risk the rest of the flock with any kind of respitory condition, like this baby had. After the first night we had him, he took a nosedive. Poor thing was barely able to breathe and you could tell there was probably fluid in the lungs. Based on symptoms, I figure this was probably CRD (chronic respiratory disease) or penumonia. It did not appear to be coryza, and it has as of yet not shown up in the remaining birds, thankfully.

It took me a couple of days to get the antibiotics, so there's no telling that if I'd been able to administer them earlier if it would have helped. He may have just been too sick from the get go. I cleaned his nostrils and eyes daily with VetRx, an herbal oil...and had to do some extensive vent (rear-end) cleaning due to build up. Now look, unless you are prepared to clean chicken butt...which is a pretty nasty thing, you shouldn't get chickens, lol. I even trimmed the feathers around his rump so that no more would get caught up in them. Poor, poor baby. Yesterday, I started administering a .1 ml dose of Tylan 200 (antibiotics). He got 3 doses, and appeared like he just might be improving last night...only for us to find him gone this morning. Now, you take a risk treating any bird with antibiotics, as it's hard on their liver, etc. Some birds can be allergic to them, although its rare. It's hard to know if he was just too far gone, or if the Tylan put him over the edge. Normally, this antibiotic is administered via needle, but this bird was just too tiny, too thin, and without enough breast muscle to support repeated injections. While oral doses aren't as effective as injections, they can still be effective.

All I can say is I tried my best. We even kept him inside in our warm office, where he at least had company and someone to chat at him in his/her last few days. What a heart breaker.

Bon voyage little birdie!

Now, the rest of the gals/guys are trotting along just fine. They are putting on weight and fluffing out. They've also gone crazy for the dried mealworms I've started feeding them (thinking about carrying those up at the garden center). I'll post some video of them tomorrow...

For those of you not in the loop, this was the box of baby silkies dropped off at the garden center a week ago, that I've taken home to foster. This particular bird was already sick when they were left with us. It wasn't severe yet, but I could tell just by the way it hung back from the rest of the birds, and was a little "crusty" around the nostrils, that something was going on. I had to separate him/her immediately.

It's not ideal to have to isolate a young bird like this. They are social, and rely on eachother's body warmth for good health and vigor. But you can't risk the rest of the flock with any kind of respitory condition, like this baby had. After the first night we had him, he took a nosedive. Poor thing was barely able to breathe and you could tell there was probably fluid in the lungs. Based on symptoms, I figure this was probably CRD (chronic respiratory disease) or penumonia. It did not appear to be coryza, and it has as of yet not shown up in the remaining birds, thankfully.

It took me a couple of days to get the antibiotics, so there's no telling that if I'd been able to administer them earlier if it would have helped. He may have just been too sick from the get go. I cleaned his nostrils and eyes daily with VetRx, an herbal oil...and had to do some extensive vent (rear-end) cleaning due to build up. Now look, unless you are prepared to clean chicken butt...which is a pretty nasty thing, you shouldn't get chickens, lol. I even trimmed the feathers around his rump so that no more would get caught up in them. Poor, poor baby. Yesterday, I started administering a .1 ml dose of Tylan 200 (antibiotics). He got 3 doses, and appeared like he just might be improving last night...only for us to find him gone this morning. Now, you take a risk treating any bird with antibiotics, as it's hard on their liver, etc. Some birds can be allergic to them, although its rare. It's hard to know if he was just too far gone, or if the Tylan put him over the edge. Normally, this antibiotic is administered via needle, but this bird was just too tiny, too thin, and without enough breast muscle to support repeated injections. While oral doses aren't as effective as injections, they can still be effective.

All I can say is I tried my best. We even kept him inside in our warm office, where he at least had company and someone to chat at him in his/her last few days. What a heart breaker.

Bon voyage little birdie!

Now, the rest of the gals/girls are trotting along just fine. They are putting on weight and fluffing out. They've also gone crazy for the dried mealworms I've started feeding them (thinking about carrying those up at the garden center). I'll post some video of them tomorrow...

If we drop below about 35F, cover your tomatoes with frost cloth. That does the trick. If you want to read a bit more about tomatoes I have a number of posts about them on the blog- just "tomatoes" in the search box to the right and you'll get a list of posts. Enjoy!

As I posted last week, I lost my favorite and oldest chicken, Phyllis the Polish hen, to a hawk attack. With the drought of last summer, there seems to be a lack of small prey to go around for the big birds of prey.

Early Sunday morning, I got a call from my store manager at the garden center...someone dropped off a box of 5 Silkie chicks on the doorstep...no food, no water, left overnight. SIGH. The box said 3-4 months, but I'm not sure they are quite that old. Of course, he wanted to see if I would take them...we can't keep them at the nursery (we're already full).  How do I say no? Now, this was not what I was planning to do with what I thought was going to be my one precious day off...but back up to the garden center I went.

Now, back to that hawk that did Phyllis in. She's a beast...big and fast. Talons about the size of my hands. Just as I was getting ready to leave to go up to the garden center, I heard a pretty big ruckus outside...so I RAN. There was the hawk dive attacking my silver Wyandotte, Kim Deal, inside their run.  I managed to get the hawk off and out without chicken in talons. What was left behind was a huge pile of chicken feathers and a traumatized Wyandotte. She let me pick her right up. After inspection, I realized she had a couple of big gashes down to the muscle, but no punctures through the body, that I could find. Not cool, but I was amazed she's survived at all. I treated her wounds with BlueKote...then decided she would need stitches or sealing. I opted to seal her wounds with super glue...yep, super glue. I watched her for a while then put her back in the coop. She eventually ate and drank a little, so at that point I figured I'd just have to wait and see. She seemed more energetic today, but I'll keep cleaning the wounds and may start her on antibiotics in a couple of days if there appears to be any sign of infection.

Back home I arrived a bit later with 5 baby Silkies to foster. It's hard to say no to baby silkies...I mean, how cute. Here's problem number 1: I don't have room for 5 more birds. I can probably hang on to two of them, but the other three would have to go. But here's problem number 2, the bigger problem with silkies: It's almost impossible to properly sex them...until they start crowing, or lay eggs. There are some physical characteristics that can lead you to assume male or female...but even then you can be proved wrong. Roosters are illegal in Dallas. So you see my dilemma. There is one buff chick that is significantly smaller than the rest, so there is a chance she is a she...but the rest could be boys.

I don't know if this person who abandoned these babies decided they just didn't want them or decided they are all boys...in which case it's now my problem-I'll have to raise them for months to get to a point where I'll figure this out for sure..then if I do find I'm stuck with 5 roosters, I'll be in violation of city code and be responsible for trying to find them all homes. Even worse, I'll be attached to them. NICE. Really? Really.

So I set the babies up in my small mobile coop with a heat emitter. They'd obviously never seen the outside before, and it took them about a day to figure out they could walk on the soil and learn how to scratch. So cute. Unfortunately, when I got up to check on them this morning one of the babies was showing obvious symptoms of bad respiratory distress. Sick baby chicks are not a good thing...it usually means they're on their way out of the world. And you have to separate them from the rest of the gang so whatever they have doesn't spread. So now the poor sick baby is in it's own box in the garage, but it's not doing great. I've treated it with VetRx to try and relieve some of the breathing problems, so we'll see how it's faring in the morning. I'm sure I'll work some kind of magic that enables it to pull through...and then it will turn out to be a rooster, LOL. This is how these things work.

We'll be covering the entire chicken yard with bird netting, in hopes of keeping the hawk out...hopefully, she'll move on or find herself otherwise occupied...she ain't takin' any more of my gals!

Whew....I'm tired.

Phyllis in her younger days, before her waddles came in...

She was the last of my original gang of girls, a Polish hen. I always figured Phyllis would be the first to go. She just seemed daintier and gentler than the rest...she was fine hanging out by herself and I'd often find her puttering about by herself in a corner of the yard. She was quite the independent.

Phyllis was a good layer, usually an egg a day. Unless she was feeling broody, which she often would; meaning that she just wanted to sit on everyone elses eggs. She would get quite perterbed with me when I'd roust her out of the nest, or snatch all the eggs from underneather her.

She was practically blind due to the volume of "hair" that eventually hung down to cover her entire face. Not to mention, that big puff of white feathers on her head made her a pretty easy target. I always had this uneasy feeling that someday her lack of speed and that big white target might just be the end of her.

And that's exactly what happened this weekend. I had noticed that Cooper's hawk lingering across the street several days before. Not that hawks are an unusual sight when you live so close to a lake, but when you keep chickens, you keep one eye on the hawks. Sure enough, she didn't survive the attack. Poor, poor Phyllis.

It might seem silly to some to love your chickens. But I loved Phyllis and am so bummed she's gone. Yes, yes, they are livestock. But dang if she wasn't just the funniest character...Miss ya Phyl!

]]> Backyard Chickens, 2012-02-14T19:53:45+00:00 http://lesliehalleck.com/blog/post/all-the-grass-is-gone http://lesliehalleck.com/blog/post/all-the-grass-is-gone#When:19:51:27Z Ok most of it.

So here are some photos of my freshly made beds on the front of the house. They pretty much eliminated all but a bit of lawn up front. I have a few drought tolerant foundation shrubs planted in them to get started, but will be filling them in with all sorts of pretties over the spring.

The beds on the front of the house face North West...it's a tough exposure. Plants against the house get shaded a good part of the day, then get blasted with the hotest of afternoon sun in the summer. For foundation plantings, I went with a Southern Wax Myrtle, Juniper 'Wintergreen' for some height, Texas Sage 'Desperado', Loropetalum 'Ever Red', Nandina 'Obsession', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'...there is also a grey leaf Cotoneaster on the corner for some accent. In the outer part of the bed I planted a Maple 'Red Sunset' to eventually provide some shade on the corner of the house. These are not huge trees, but should round out at about 40-50', 30' wide. So I planted the wax myrtle, loropetallums and abelias because while they can handle that hot sun,they can also do well in the shade that will eventually be cast on them by the tree. Now, the Texas sage may eventually have to go if it gets to shady, but that's not going to happen for quite a while. On the outer part of the bed I planted a dwarf Peach 'Bonfire'..this is a cool purple leafed peach that only grows to 6'-8', but produces normal sized peaches. There is also a Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Rio Bravo' thrown in there along with an Agave Americana and a Barberry 'Orange Rocket'. There is also an evergreen Wisteria over on the corner of the fence with some  transplanted Iris. I will add a number of different sun perennials and bulbs to this bed. I may even add some dwarf columnar apple trees againt the house.

On the East side of the house I basically mimiced the same foundation plantings, with a few spacing adjustments. This side is a bit more difficult because the part against the house and in the corner plants will receive even more shade..but still get blasted with the hot afternoon summer sun. It's not an idea exposure for sure (not to mention I have that giant concrete driveway that is a conduit for massive amounts of heat..ick. I have dreams of jack hammering it ALL up...lol). There is a Sweet Olive hiding around the corner and a Holly 'Nellie R. Stevens' anchoring down the far corner. I also planted a dwarf Apple tree 'Empire' over in the sunnier part. I plan on tucking in some Hellebores and wood fern in the shadier corner and adding some 'Spring Bouquet' Viburnum and a 'Mutabilis' roses to the far end. Plus any number of sun perennials and bulbs.

We used the leftover stone to edge the front of the crazy driveway bed...

All in all, I have lots of space to garden up front and I'm super excited..it looks pretty empty right now, but all of these shrubs I l planted will fill in to capture a lot of the corners. It will be crazy looking in no time! Check back for more plantings soon...

So I finally broke ground on one new foundation bed today...

I'll post more pics along the way. We'll be planting a tree and a few shrubs, but not filling in the entire bed today. I like to get a few foundation shrubs in and then play with smaller perennials and color afterwards...it's part of the gardening fun!

What else am I planting today? SEED POTATOES! Yes, it is that time folks. You have February to get your potatoes, asparagus, rhubarb and horseradish in the ground. Plus, you can plant tons of broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, lettuces and more right now. (you can get this stuff at North Haven Gardens in Dallas)

Alright...I've got to go clean the chicken coop...be back later with more photos!

I just have a minute, but I know you guys are wanting to know what to plant right now. So here is a list to get you going:

Seed Indoors: Tomatoes (must do it NOW), Peppers, eggplant, salad greens, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, cilantro, parsley and the like. Remember, you must provide supplemental grow lighting when starting seeds indoors. I consider a heat-mat also mandatory for warm season crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant).

Direct Seed Outdoors: In about a week (Feb. 1), you'll want to start seeding a whole mess 'o things outdoors...seed potatoes, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, carrots, beets, peas, kohlrabi, turnps, scallions and more.

Plant Outdoors (Transplants): onions (through January), leeks, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard, cilantro (Next week - broccoli, cabbage etc). ALL TREES...shade trees, fruit trees, shrubs, blackberries, raspberries, dewberries, grape vines, hardy groundcovers and perennials, cool-season color (Calendula, alyssum, Gerber daisy, Diascia, pansies, violas, poppies...)

For my new and improved seeding/planting date handouts you can follow these links:

Spring

Fall

Happy planting!!

I will be teaching a "Water Right Workshop" Tomorrow (January 14th, 2012) at North Haven Gardens from 11am-Noon (learn about watering restrictions and how to work within them), Then I'll do a "Spring Vegetable Garden" overview from 2:30pm-3:30pm. Both free! It's going to be a beautiful gardening weekend so be sure to stop by!

On January 18th from Noon-1:30pm, I'll teach you the basics of how to grow Fantastic Tomatoes!

Then, Don't miss the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association conference coming up Feb. 17-19th. On Saturday the 18th, I'll be giving a programs on Edible Ornamentals at 1pm, and then Backyard Chickens at 4pm! http://www.tofga.org/2012_program

I have more programs listed at www.lesliehalleck.com

Plant your slips about 4-5" apart and about 3-4" deep (don't bury the green portion). Onion sets (bulblets) can be planted the same distance apart and about 2" deep. Onions are traditionally heavy Nitrogen feeders so about 3 weeks after planting (when you see green tops emerging from the sets) start feeding with a good veggie fertilizer. Sidedress your onions about every 2-3 weeks. When tops start to yellow in late spring, stop feeding and watering. Let the tops start to die down...and about 2-3 weeks later you'll harvest your onions.

Onions then need to "cure", after harvest which basically means to dry/harden off. You can of course use your freshly harvested onions in the kitchen for cooking, but if you plan to store them you need to cure them for 2-3 weeks before you bring them indoors or put them in a refrigerator. You can simply lay them out in flats in a dry covered area. The bulb will pull the remaining nutrients out of the top green foliage, which will turn completely brown and the neck will harden. At this point, you can cut off the tops and store your onions in mesh onion bags.

Visit your local independent garden centter for more growing information and to buy your slips/sets, pronto!

While some areas of Texas are colder than others right now, the main factor to take into account is whether or not your soil freezes in the winter. Generally, ours does not. That means you can continue planting all trees, fruit trees, shrubs, roses, perennials, perennial groundcover and cool season annuals and veggies. You can also continue planting cool-season color such as pansies, violas, snapdragons, Gerbera daisies (yes..I'm looking at some gorgeous ones on the nursery table as I type). The plants are far more protected from winter temps in the ground than they are in pots...so if they are out on the nursery table unprotected and still look great, well then you don't have much to worry about.

Best advice on what to plant when? Go to a real garden center. Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart are not real garden centers. A good garden center will have in-stock what you should be planting, at any given time during a season. They will also have expert staff that can teach you how to grow successfully.

Here is a list of what you can plant right now (it is not by any means comprehensive, but just a basic guide)

• Pre-chilled Tulip bulbs, Daffodils, Dutch Iris, Crocus, Iris, Hyacinth, Leucojum, Spanish Bluebells and more.
• Very cold hardy veggie transplants such as Kale, Broccoli, Mustard Greens, Spinach, Pak Choi (you can also seed spinach outdoors), Cardoon.
• Cool season and perennial herbs - Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Curry, Mint and more.
• Perennials such as Salvias, Turk's cap, Scabiosa, Rudbeckia, Hellebore, Evergreen ferns, Leopard plant, Heuchera and much more.
• Pansies, Violas, Iceland poppy, Snapdragons, Alyssum, Gerber daisy, Dianthus, Cyclamen, Primrose
• Roses, Hollies, Indian Hawthorne, Nandina, Mahonia, Camellia, Yew,Passion vine, Carolina Jessamine, Cross Vine...much more.
• (Any container grown tree) Italian Stone pine, Atlas cedar, fruit trees (all), Japanese maples, Flowering trees (Mexican Plum, ornamental cherry, peach, etc) Shade trees (Maples, Oaks, Pistache, etc.)           

There are many other plants that can go in the ground right now, but hopefully this will give you a place to start if you're hesitant about planting. And btw...get this material in the ground now, and you'll have a much easier time getting it through next summer. It can take a good year or two for new plantings to get established. The larger the plant material, the longer that new establishment period (a 2" caliper tree, will need about 2 years to root in...a 3" caliper tree will need 3 years, etc. Shrubs, roses, perennials, etc. need a good year-2 years).

Have some frost cloth on hand to protect newly planted herbaceous plants if we're going to have a hard freeze.