70 Degrees on January 31... Deja vu!
Three years in a row now I have mentioned that January was ending with highs in the seventies!
I guess Texas weather is consistent year after year—Ha! But even the freezes have been somewhat similar to last year with two really hard ones and freeze burn on a lot of plants.
We are running a rain deficit again too, and that makes it hard on shrubs, flowers, and even St. Augustine when we get these 12-15 degree cold snaps. Winter is nowhere near over, so pay attention and water before the next hard freeze.
The dry conditions and cold snaps have kept winter weeds at bay. No, it was not just our great pre-emergent applications - weather is the biggest factor. As soon as we get some rain expect to see henbit and other cool weeds start to show.
We are busy putting out our first winter weed application to try and keep the lawns pristine. Our crews are busy cutting back roses, perennials, and grasses, so please let us know if you are not already on a regular schedule for these chores.
It is easy to get spring fever in February when we have these balmy afternoons, but don’t get too carried away. There will be more winter yet.
Our Annual Mulch Special Continues Through February
Mulching your beds is absolutely the best thing you can do for the health of your soil and plants.
Remember: mulch reduces weeds, improves soil structure, conserves moisture, protects plants from extreme cold and summer heat, and gives your beds a neat appearance.
How much do I need? We recommend adding 2” to existing mulch or 3” to un-mulched areas. A 2 cu ft bag will cover about 10 sq ft 2” deep or 7 sq ft 3” deep
Take Advantage Now!
Mention our newsletter for 15% off normal prices.
Prices Include Delivery and Installation!
(extra charges may apply for bed weeding
or leaf clean-ups if needed)
DISCOUNTED PRICES:
Hardwood: $5.50 per 2 cu ft bag
Dark brown, enriches soil as it decomposes
Cedar: $6.00 per 2 cu ft bag
Great cedar smell, lighter color, lasts longer
Red or Black Mulch: $6.00 per bag
For a decorative look
A Serious Problem For Crape Myrtles
 Crape myrtles are a wonderfully versatile shrub or small tree that has been widely planted in north Texas for perhaps as many as a hundred years and with good reasons. They are well suited to the climate and soils of a large part of Texas and have had only minor pest and disease issues. However, there is a type of felt or bark scale that first appeared around 2004 and is doing serious damage to our crapes.
Look for a black (sooty mold) coating on the bark of the trunk and on the branches. The insects appear as white, waxy encrustations likely to occur anywhere on the plant. Larger female scales “bleed” a pink liquid when crushed. Careful examination may reveal dozens of pink eggs under some of the larger white scale covers.
 The best research has found that dormant oil sprayed before the leaves emerge and a systemic insecticide containing imacloprid will need to be applied in spring and possibly 1-2 more times through the season. On small crapes with minor infestations you can also wash and rub the scale off with soapy water.
Anytime we are trying to control an undesirable insect pest we must consider the negative impact on beneficial insects, especially honeybees and those that prey on the target pest. This is called IPM, integrated pest management. The twice-stabbed lady beetle is a natural predator of scale insects. A&M found that the dormant oils and systemic insecticides had the least impact on beneficials. And contact insecticides not only kill more beneficials, they also are not as effective after the scale has matured and developed it’s waxy armor.
 The scale nymphs will begin crawling in early April and then attach and begin feeding. They become covered with a waxy shell and may have up to 4 generations of eggs in a season. After hatching, the tiny crawlers emerge from under the scale and spread out on the same plant, or are windblown or travel on birds to other plants.
The scale detracts from the beauty of the crape, diminishes it’s vigor, and reduces blooming. The weakened plants may become stressed enough to die.
If you have noticed these symptoms or are concerned that your crapes may become infected, call for an evaluation and treatment plan. We need to apply dormant oil and insecticide within the next two months to be most effective.
Spring Scents Are Just a Few Weeks Away
Yes, it is still winter and we don’t need to get ahead of ourselves. But in just a few weeks you may be able to catch the smell of spring in the air. We have several plants that will begin blooming as early as mid-February, and many have a wonderful fragrance.
Daffodils, jonquils, hyacinths, and paperwhites will be in bloom soon, and some varieties are heavily scented. Paperwhites are often forced and sold as indoor blooming plants, but several will naturalize here and the perfume is almost overwhelming.
Some of our flowering trees will bloom by early March, and our native Mexican Plum is among the earliest and most fragrant. Chaenomeles japonica, or flowering quince, is a rather homely shrub best suited in the back of the bed, but it is covered with beautiful red, pink, or white blooms in February-March with a soft scent. Old fashioned forsythia is a cheerfully yellow harbinger of spring that will also delight your nose. Winter flowering honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, is a deciduous shrub that produces sweetly scented white flowers in February, and Jasminum nudiflorum, winter flowering jasmine, is a durable shrub covered with a mass of tiny yellow flowers around the same time.
Ironically, the heavily planted Bradford pear may be beautiful when it blooms, but actually has a scent that has been compared to rotten fish and worse. It is a fairly weak, short-lived tree anyway, so lets avoid that one!
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