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| SUNRAYS FEBRUARY 2014
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
The holidays are over and New Year’s
resolutions have been laid aside, so
now it’s time to get serious about being
Water Wise with our landscapes! Think
positively about what more we can do.
We water only as needed, then deeply
to develop deep, strong roots and keep
careful watch of our irrigation system
to waste as little water as possible.
We consider types of sprinkler heads,
maintenance of system, and look for
opportunities to convert an area to drip
irrigation.
For beauty of our landscape, saving water
and low maintenance, both healthy soil
and choice of plants must be high on our
priority list. Let’s think of limiting turf,
too—not just as something we
should
do, but as something we
choose
to do to
make the landscape more interesting,
increasing the beauty of our landscape
while giving us the opportunity to change
to more efficient use of water. With new
design, we may be able to water less
often, change to drip irrigation, or not
need to water that area at all!
Look for areas you like in other
landscapes with an interesting garden
ornament and drought-resistant
groundcovers and/or mulch. These areas
February Tips for a Beautiful
Water Wise Landscape
Next month
:
Join me for ad-
ditional suggestions for landscape
design and trimming!
Winola is a Williamson County
Master Gardener, a member of
the Sun City Garden Club and a
member of the Sun City Water Wise
Task Force.
Master Gardeners and other expe-
rienced gardeners are available to
answer questions a half hour be-
fore Sun City Garden Club meet-
ings eachmonth. The Garden Club
meets the secondWednesday of each
month beginning with the question/
answer period at 12:30 p.m.
By Winola VanArtsdalen
are especially helpful if they are located
in an area that is difficult to water, such
as a narrow strip or a corner. Locate your
sprinkler heads and challenge yourself
to cut use of some of these heads where
you could create something more useful
than just lawn, such as a sitting area or
a place to display a favorite ornament.
The snow scene photo shown below may
not be seen often in our neighborhoods,
but a garden ornament can add interest
to your landscape at any time.
In addition to dreaming and planning a
new landscape, February is the time to
begin trimming. Be sure to use clean,
sharpened tools and get started! Grasses
and shrubs like crape myrtle and Vitex
that bloom on this year’s new growth
need pruning now. Avoid “crape murder,”
cutting off the top of crape myrtles, but
let them grow naturally. When trimming
shrubs with canes coming up from the
base like nandinia and abelia, remove
the oldest, tallest stems from the base,
leaving shorter, fuller canes.
FEBRUARY gardening tips:
• Plant trees, shrubs, and roses.
• Prune fruit and nut trees, roses,
landscape trees, and evergreen shrubs,
except spring bloomers.
• Our average last frost date is mid-
March.
• Avoid wounds on oak trees from
February through November, as this
is the most active time for beetles. If
there is a wound of any size, spray
immediately! The Nitidulid beetle,
which spreads the oak wilt fungus, has
been photographed on open wounds
within fifteen minutes!
• Water only as needed. Look to see if
you need to transplant some plants to
be grouped better by similar watering
needs. Most landscape plants, including
groundcovers, can be moved now.
Lawn care:
• Put out pre-emergent by February 15.
• Do not fertilize until after secondmow.
• Scalping is a debatable issue, but, if you
scalp, do it first; followed by aeration,
then top dressing. If you spread top
dressing, skip early spring fertilization,
as it would be too much nitrogen.
• If aphids are a problem, strip with
fingers or water blast. If still a problem,
use insecticidal soap.
Next month, join me to share the joys of
spring gardening!
Source: Texas Agrilife Extension Service
Horticulture Questions:
Contact Williamson County
AgriLIFE Extension Office at
512-943-3300.
PHOTO BY JIM VANARTSDALEN
Photo taken by Jim VanArtsdalen
in our Sun City Texas backyard on
February 14, 2004.
