Lol...I'm sure spring will be back next week!

The veggie garden in the snow...

The gals huddled together inside their coop...poor Phyllis and Einstein and their poor wet dirty hair!

Cool Season Color

Iceland Poppies

As a horticulturist, and someone who is greatly passionate about plants, I’m often asked what my “favorite” plant or flower is. Usually, I just laugh. How could I pick just one? But this little corner of mine here in the e-newsletter is titled “My Favorite Things” so I do try to whittle down to the best of the best for you when I can. If you backed me into a corner and asked me “what is your favorite cool-season annual, or else…” I would be compelled to answer Iceland Poppy, or Papaver nudicaule.

What is not to love about this boreal beauty? On sunny days, light shines through the brightly colored, paper-thin petals creating a brilliant display in the garden. The flowers are even sweetly scented. Every part of the poppy plant from the silvery foliage to the unique furry flower buds, offers a bounty of interest. They are the perfect companion for other cool-season plantings such as parsley, kale, pansies and violas. In their natural state, Papaver nudicaule is usually found in shades of white and yellow. The recessive colors of orange, pink and red are brought out through selection and all colors are generally offered as a mixin the garden center.

Iceland poppies are technically a perennial, but only behave as such in the Northern most parts of the United States and into Canada. In our climate, Iceland Poppies should be treated as a cool season annual, or biennial if you will. In Texas, it’s best to plant Iceland Poppies in the fall, along with your pansies and violas. This allows them to put on a larger root system and thus a bigger spring show of blooms. Plants will bloom in the fall and until the first hard frost. Often, they will continue putting on blooms through the winter. Hard frosts will nip the blooms, but won’t hurt the plants. In spring, you’ll be rewarded with a burst of blooms in late February or early March, to accompany your tulips and daffodils. Plants will continue to flower until temperatures heat up in mid- to late-May.

Iceland Poppies don’t like the heat and will die off with the onset of summer. They are generally very easy to grow and don't require extra care. The one thing they don't appreciate is wet feet. Make sure your soil drains well and you don't provide too much extra irrigation in the winter months. Mulching plants with about 1-inch of expanded shale can help cut down on excess moisture around the root zone.

You can plant Iceland poppies right now and then again in October through November. I hope you enjoy these beauties in your garden as much as I do in mine!

With the restrictive diet I'm on right now, I don't have a lot of options when it comes to grains and proteins. On the day-2 rotation of my LEAP diet, I'm allowed barley. I have to admit, it had a been a loooong time since I'd eaten barley and I honestly couldn't tell you if I'd ever cooked it before. I knew I could use it like a rice or quinoa on the days where I'm not allowed those staples. But then it occurred to me that it might actually make a nice breakfast.

So I cooked up a batch of barley pearls, of which bulk can be purchased at your local health food grocery. Takes about 25 min to cook then I just store it overnight. The only dairy I'm allowed on day #2's is goat milk. Which I have tosay, I seem to be able to drink just fine without a lot of problems(can't do regular cow's milk without taking a lactaid or buying lactaidmilk). So I take about a 1/3 cup of the cooked barley, added about 1/2 cup of goats milk, added a teaspoon of maple syrup and some fresh blueberries. Heat it up for about 1 1/2 minutes and whaalaaa. A pretty yummy breakfast cereal.

Barley is also apparently very good for you. "Barley contains eight essential amino acids.According to a recent study, eating whole grain barley can regulateblood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10hours after consumption compared to white or even whole-grain wheat,which has a similar glycemic index. The effect was attributed to colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates. Barley can also be used as a coffee substitute." (Wikipedia)

So there ya go...barley is yummy and healthy...

Some of you may have read a while back that I had food allergy/sensitivity testing done. And there are about a million things I can't eat anymore, including tomatoes, garlic, lentils and all sorts of other good stuff. So, for the last couple of months I've cut out all my "red" and "yellow" offenders. But didn't start my prescribed super strict rotational diet, or L.E.A.P (lifestyle eating and performance) diet until this past Monday.

Now, having to cut out many of the foods I love was traumatic enough. But now, due to this restrictive diet, I've also had to start eating fish in order to get enough protein. I've been a vegetarian for 20 years, so this is no easy task for me. But, I can be really stubborn and shrivel away to a string bean, or I can eat some fish for 6 weeks. So, there ya go.

What I've discovered about this diet is that I'm going to have to end up getting really, really creative in the kitchen. So I figured I might as well blog about it...and maybe you folks and help me out! Who knows, maybe I'll come up with some really good recipes.

Here is what I'm allowed to eat, on a rotating system for at least 6 weeks, but should try to continue longer. I eat what's on day 1 list, then day 2, then day 3, then I can go back to day one...and repeat. There is no deviation from the list. If it's not on the list, I can't eat it. Period. No processed foods.

Day 1: Egg, Garbanzo bean, pinto bean, sole,amaranth, tapioca, oat, buckwheat, asparagus, peas, lima beans, onions, bananas, olives, papaya, raspberry, strawberry, American cheese, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, bows milk, whey, yogurt, cashew, olive oil, sesame seed, Ginger, honey, leek, turmeric, vanilla

Day: 2 Tilapia, barley, kamut, spelt, weat, carrot, celery, mushroom, zucchini, avocado, blueberry, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pear, cocoa, goat's milk, hazelnut, pecan, walnut, cane sugar, cumin, maple, parsley

Day 3: Salmon, tuna, crab, quinoa, rice, white potato, eggplant, lettuce spinach, apricot, cranberry, grapefruit, peach, coffee, tea, almond, sunflower seed, basil lemon, mint, mustard, paprika

Day one is definitely the best! But you start to look forward to the one or two things you really like on the other days. For dinner on Monday I had a big bowl of oatmeal with some milk, honey and lots of fresh bananas and strawberries. Mmmmmm. Yesterday, I bought some goat's milk and some raw cocoa (cant' have any additional ingredients, like soy lecithin or sweeteners, etc.). Made myself a cup of hot chocolate. It was actually really good.

Last night, I made tilapia for the first time (remember folks...it's been 20 years!). Using the ingredients I'm allowed to eat, I made a blended marinade/sauce from some goat's milk, cumin, salt, a piece of cantaloupe and some parsley. Covered the fillets with the sauce and bake/steamed it with Julienned carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. Because I can have hazelnuts, I found hazelnut oil to use. Which is very tasty! Also cooked some barley pearls and served the fish and veggies over that. The husband liked it...It was ok for me. It's going to take me a while to get used to this fish thing! But the tilapia is not toO "fishy" so that's good.

Today I made light tuna with lemon juice, basil, green peppers, and a little mustard. Served with lettuce and spinach. I went looking for sunflower oil to use as a salad dressing, but haven't been able to find it yet. Anyone know of a good local source?

That's my challenge now...how to make decent salad dressings and mayo...Wish me luck!

Hi folks, I got word that a friend of mine is in foster possession of a wayward Barred Rock Hen that got loose this past weekend in Dallas. The hen was found this past Saturday by a pet sitter at a home near Park Lane and Hollow Way in Preston Hollow. The sitter took care of the bird through Sunday. It was hungry and thirsty, but once caught was pretty docile. I'm sure her mommy or daddy would really like her back! So if you know of someone who's lost their Barred Rock, from that area, please comment or email me through my about me page. Thanks!

(updated Jan.'24)

I've always been pretty busy during the spring season, so it never seems I can spend as much time in my garden as I would need or like! But I'm a sucker for a big flowery ephemeral display. To pull this off, there are a few key things I do in winter to ensure my spring garden can still put on a great show...even with my neglect

One planting method I love to use is naturalizing bulbs in my lawn. I'm a bit of a bulb fanatic and there's never enough room left in my garden beds for all the bulb I want to plant. So why not go into the bits of lawn I have left?

PC: Leslie F. Halleck, Zephyranthes candida

Naturalizing Bulbs in Turf

Clustering bulbs such as crocus, daffodils and other perennial bulbs in your lawn creates a natural woodland look in the spring garden.

If you haven’t yet gotten your hands on some spring-flowering bulbs, there’s still time, at least here in Texas and similar climates. You can continue planting certain perennial bulbs through January and early February. Some local garden centers and many online plant vendors will still have a selection of bulbs available for sale.

Now, what does "naturalizing" mean? It means planting species or varieties of bulbs that will not only perennialize (come back each year) but also reproduce and spread -or increase in clump size). Basically, letting the plants do the additional plantings for you!

The key to naturalizing bulbs in turfgrass, or lawns, is to choose tough, easy to grow bulbs that require minimal care in the garden. Often these will be species that are native to your area, or may be highly adapted.

Be aware that some hybrid bulb cultivars may not be as vigorous long-term, or may not be as good at naturalizing as some of the species or naturally occurring varieties. I encourage you to look for heirloom bulbs when you're looking to naturalize bulbs, not just perennialize them.

Some of My Favorite Bulbs for Naturalizing

Daffodils: (Narcissus spp.) are as tough as they come and look best when clustered in groups around the base of trees. Species and varieties will be better naturalizers (spreaders).

Good Heirloom Daffodils for naturalizing:

• Jonquil hybrids such as ‘Carlton’, ‘Texas Star’, ‘Twin Sisters’, ‘Butter & Eggs’, ‘Grand Primo’, Campernelle, ‘Double Roman’
• Triandrus daffodils, also called Angel's Tears. My favorite is 'Thalia', which is a late white blooming variety.

PC: Leslie F. Halleck, Narcissus in my "lawn"

Grape Hyacinth: Muscari armeniacum, Muscari neglectum The grape hyacinth imported from Holland are usually forms of Muscari armeniacum. This species has showier, larger blooms. Than other muscari. Muscari neglectum is a good species to naturalize in Texas. M. botryoides, is also available but it may not be as reliable a perennial or naturalizer.

Rain Lillies: Zephyranthes grandiflora has large pink blooms, adaptable to many soils. Giant Prairie Lily, Zephranthes drummondii, Large white blooms midsummer into fall. Drought tolerant & fragrant.

Texas Copper Lily: Habranthus tubispathus var. Texensis is ommon along roadsides and prairies. Foliage appears in spring, followed by copper colored summer blooms. Perfect for naturalizing in lawns.

PC: Leslie F. Halleck, Muscari armeniacum

Blue Starflower- Ipheion uniflorum This genus has about twenty species that are native to South America. Flowers may emerge as early as January and can continue through April. Ipheion can be planted directly into the turf and tolerate almost any soil.

PC: Leslie F. Halleck, Ipheion uniflorum

Crocus: Crocus spp. There are several types of spring blooming crocus available. While they don’t require a chilling period to bloom, they do benefit from one., so if we have a warmer than usual winter here in Texas they may not bloom as well. Crocus look best when planted directly into turf, groundcover, or natural areas. Most will return an bloom the following year.

A couple more bigger bulbs...These will be a bit taller than the other types, but if you have the space can still work in lawns.

Red Spider Lily and Surprise lilies: The heirloom strain of Lycoris radiata imported to North America in the late eighteenth century is distinct from the imported types that are currently imported from Japan, so try and shop for the heirloom type if you can. This species sends up foliage and blooms in autumn. Foliage is dormant in summer. There are other species of Lycoris and hybrids available but you'll find that L. radiata is usually the most reliable naturalizer.

Summer Snowflake: Leucojum aestivum - this species is often confused with “Snowdrops” (Galanthus), which do not perform as well in our hot climate. Leucojum aestivum Flowers March-May; full sun to partial shade. note that Leucojum vernum is not reliable in the South.

PC: Leslie F. Halleck, Crocus

How to Plant Bulbs in Your Lawn

For larger bulbs such as daffodils, you’ll either want to use a round bulb planter to slice out “plugs” of turf, then drop the bulb in the hole and replace the plug. Or, dig out an 8” deep hole to accommodate multiple bulbs. Be careful to retain the section of turf, place bulbs in the hole and then replace soil and pat the turf down on top.

Small bulbs, such as crocus and grape hyacinth, can simply be pressed into the soil, about 3” deep. If your soil is dry or hard, you may want to go ahead and use a bulb planter to remove a plug of soil and turf - or do what I do and just us the spikes of my garden fork to pierce small holes in the lawn then drop in the bulbs.

It’s best to plant a cluster of bulbs together so the planting looks more natural. Generally a grouping of approximately 8 to 12 bulbs looks best, especially with daffodils. But, plant them however you'd like to get the look you want...more natural and spread out, or in "woodland" like clumps. You do you!

Most of these bulbs will be up and blooming before your lawn begins to actively grow, so you normally won’t be mowing at the same time. But at some point you'll either need to let your lawn go fluffy for a while in spring, or only mow/trim around the clusters of bulbs. You'll need to let the bulb foliage yellow and start to die down naturally in late spring/early summer before you mow off the old foliage. This will ensure they have enough time to store food for next year’s growth and blooms.

All of these bulbs are also good for interplanting in other common groundcovers, not just turfgrass!

But Wait, Shouldn't You Rip Out Your Lawn?

SIDE NOTE on LAWNS: The main lawn area I have is a large easement adjacent to my property...I have to maintain it per city code, but I can't really landscape it, in case they need to rip up water pipes, etc., which - with my luck - is exactly what would happen if I decided to plant a bunch of things there!

I know there is a big "rip out your lawn" rhetoric going around social media right now, BUT you need to think critically about what is really the most sustainable solution in any given space. Legally, I'm not supposed to plant trees/shrubs or any other larger landscaping in this easement. Tearing out all the turfgrass and putting in gravel or hardscape is NOT a better more sustainable solution in my urban environment. Especially on my lot which is a a high point in my neighborhood and takes on huge amounts of runoff in our torrential downpours (erosion and runoff is a big issue). I live in a HOT climate in a huge city (Dallas) and the urban head index is getting to be a much bigger problem. We need more plants planted, with more permeable surfaces, to mitigate heat, control runoff and erosion, and improve air quality, etc.

Now, the issue is, are you maintaining turf in a responsible way...or not? Me? I barely EVER water (or fertilize) this turf- and rarely mow it, with a battery powered mower. I only water it a few times through summer when it really needs it, or I've thrown out some seed to fill in bare patches and control erosion. It's a jumble mix of grasses and other green weeds (they are GREEN so I don't care!) There are some wildflowers out there too (but I'm also not allowed to have anything growing over a certain height, which makes a mass wildflower/prairie type planting something that will get code called on me all the time.) Now, I may decide to fight that battle at some point, but as it stands, it's better to leave the existing grass and native weeds. Dropping in tough bulb species, however, is an easy and cost effective way to pretty up that space, without the threat of wasting tons of money and labor on plantings that could just get torn up by the city (which is their legal right in any city easement).

I'm so proud of my girls! This is a first...a five egg day. All five girls laid an egg on the same day. In 16 degree weather no less!

Ok, so I realize that Minnesota chicken farmers will probably laugh at me. And I'm sure my chickens are perfectly fine in this weather. They have been so far with all the cold we've had. They are still producing nicely despite the weather and short days.

PC: Leslie F. Halleck

BUT, with temperatures forecasted in the low teens for a couple of days, I just don't want to take any chances, or have them suffer frostbite. So I've wrapped the coop with some frost cloth, just to act as a wind break...

Frost cloth
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

And then I added a ceramic "bulb" heat emitter, usually used for reptiles, etc. I've placed that above their roosting area. It seems like it should give them about 5-10 degrees extra heat in their "condo". I did not want to use a heat light so as not to disrupt their day length cycle at the moment. Notice that the roof of their roosting area is still exposed, only covered with hardware cloth (wire). You need to make sure there is always adequate ventilation. Putting a heater or heat bulb into a closed-in, un-ventilated space is never a good idea for chickens. The humidity that builds up is more harmful to them than the temperature usually is. Keeping them dry and keeping out drafts is most important.

But I just couldn't help it...had to give 'em a little heat!