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The Grapevine
Williamson County Chapter Native Plant Society Newsletter
April/May 2007 |
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Upcoming Events
April Meeting Program April 12; 7:00 PM Georgetown Public Library
Native Plant Propagation by Billy Chovanec/Carla Haskett
Billy Chovanec and Carla Haskett will present "Native Plant Propagation Techniques -- A Few Successes and Avoiding Many Failures". Billy is a retired Geologist and native plant hobbyist from the Central Texas area. He became interested in Native plants while working for the Railroad Commission in Coal and Uranium Mine Reclamation. He will share his personal experiences in the propagation of many popular (and not so popular) native plants for our area. Carla is"a fifth-generation professional Texas gardener at Spiegelhauer Farms in Bartlett. The first Spiegelhauer farm was established in 1882. Today, the family specializes in small batches of cut flowers and three-season vegetables and fruits grown on a Co-Op basis."(Williamson County Sun). Carla also writes gardening articles for the Williamson County Sun.
May Meeting Program May 10; 7:00 PM Georgetown Public Library
Native Cacti, Yucca and Related Plants by Jason Spangler
Jason Spangler will speak about Native Cacti, Yucca, and Related Plants of Central Texas. Our native cacti and yucca call our native prairies, savannas, and woodlands home, and Jason has created a presentation summarizing what he has found during his treks through central Texas. Jason's presentation will feature photos taken by Lisa and Jason Spangler of native cacti, yucca, and related plants both in the wild and in native plant gardens and landscaping. Come see this presentation about pointy native plants that help give central Texas its southwestern feel.
Jason Spangler is a board member and treasurer of the Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT), webmaster for the Austin and Williamson County NPSOT Chapters, and active in the Austin chapter of NPSOT. Jason is the NPAT co-chair of the NPSOT-NPAT 2007 Joint Symposium on the Blackland and Grand Prairies and Grasslands of the Edwards Plateau.
In addition to his regular job as a software engineer, Jason is passionately devoted to helping preserve native prairies and restoring the land and our native Texas ecosystems. Jason speaks to organizations about native Texas prairies and the need for their conservation and protection. Jason has also arranged and led prairie and native plant field trips, organized advocacy for protecting and restoring native prairie, contributed native prairie and plant articles to the newsletters of NPAT, NPSOT, and other conservation organizations, and searched for and recorded native prairie remnants.
Wolf Ranch Field Trip
Saturday; March 31; 3-5 PM
Cibolo Nature Center’s 17th Annual Mostly Native Sale Kendall County Fair Grounds HWY 46 in Boerne, Texas
Saturday; April 7, 9 AM to 4 PM
More than 30 nurseries and plant-related vendors will show their Hill Country roots during the 17th Annual Mostly Native Plant Sale on Saturday, April 7 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at the Kendall County Fair Grounds on Highway 46 in Boerne. The event is two dollars for adults and children under twelve are free, open to the public and a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of Fiesta activities.
Both experienced gardeners and novices alike will benefit from the free demonstrations and presentations held throughout the day. Topics include pruning trees and shrubs, wildscaping, building bird boxes, composting and water conservation.
All of the vendors donate some of their proceeds to the Cibolo Nature Center located on 100 acres adjacent to the fair grounds. The goal of the nature center is to protect greenspace through public education and conservation advocacy. The CNC serves as a nature center for the City of Boerne and focuses its programs on education and protection of the Southern Hill Country region.
For more information or details, call the Cibolo Nature Center at (830) 249-4616 or send email to nature@cibolo.org.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Spring Plant Sale
Friday, April 13 – 1-7 PM (Members Only) Saturday/Sunday, April 14/15 – 9 AM – 5 PM
Annual Spring Plant Sale with almost 300 species and 23,000 plants, plus seeds from Native American Seed, the Spring Plant Sale is the one-stop shop for native plant gardeners. Native plant experts will be available all day to help you make the best choice for your garden. Artists and authors sign their works in the store. Guided walks and talks and tips for your spring garden.
Earth Day
Saturday; April 21; 10 AM – 2 PM Gardener’s Paradise 3600 Williams Drive; Georgetown, Texas
Heritage Garden Tour
Sunday; April 29; 2-4 PM
Meeting minutes can be found on the website http://www.npsot.org/WilliamsonCounty/. Copies will be available at the meeting.
February 8 Program Notes
Judy Barrett, publisher of Homegrown Magazine, gave a very informative and down-to-earth talk on "Organic Solutions to Common Gardening Problems". Her philosophy encompasses 5 major points: 1) Visible problems are symptoms of other underlying problems. The biggest underlying problem to be found is the use of too much chemicals, causing imbalances in good vs. bad bugs, and in the soil biology. 2) Weak plants are more susceptible to diseases than healthy plants. Possible reasons for weakness: wrong location, needs more/less water, needs more fertility (better soil). 3) Dead soil encourages dead plants. Healthy soil includes earthworms, microbes, fungi, etc. The best way to add life is by adding compost. Any organic material will help - mulch, coffee grounds, kitchen trimmings. Compost tea application discourages diseases and insects. 4) Diversity in the Garden: Most pests are confused by a lot of different scents. A wide variety of plants helps to confuse pests and send them elsewhere. A diversity of critters (bugs) results in a balance - bad bugs are kept under control, but never entirely eliminated. 5) Stress gets us all down. The more stressed the plant, the more susceptible it will be to disease and pests - wrong location, too much heat, too much drought, etc. Try to give new plants a strong start. Garden Ville sells "Rocket Fuel", high in rock phosphates which get seedlings off to a fast start. Especially good for annuals.
Other ideas:
Encourage bugs in the garden. Repel unwanted bugs instead of killing them. Chemicals which kill will also kill good bugs. Planting garlic around fruit trees, roses, or anything else you want to protect will repel pests.
For fire ants, try Garden Ville's Anti-Fuego soil conditioner. Diatec - 5, a granule with Pyrethrins also works, but will kill a lot of other things also. Compost tea discourages bugs and can be found at many local nurseries, including Gardener's Paradise.
For Aphid control you can 1. Ignore them and work on the overall health of the plant, 2. Ignore them entirely and accept as a natural part of life, 3. Do something - Soapy water left on plant for a short while, then rinsed off or use insecticidal soap, Neem oil, or lady bugs.
For Caterpillars and worms (Army): Can use BT in liquid or powder form, but remember you will also be killing any desired butterfly caterpillars.
For Snails and Slugs: Slug-O kills them and only them.
For Squash bugs, Stink bugs - hand pick and drop into a jar of soapy water or use Neem oil.
For fungi (black spot on roses) - Baking soda 3T to 1 gallon of water and spray on, or can use Neem Oil, sulphur "Serenade", OR, you can allow the diseased leaves to drop off and new ones will grow in their place.
For Grasshoppers - can use NOLO Bait (Or get some ducks or chickens!!)
For Fleas, grubs, ants, and ticks - Use beneficial nematodes. They will eat the pest during the life cycle stage in the ground.
GardenVille also makes "Sea Tea" which is a good all-purpose tonic for everything in the garden. Apply every 2 weeks for optimum results, but once a month is good.
Judy makes it clear to us that she subscribes to the "Natural" theory of gardening and believes Mother Nature - when left alone - does the best job of keeping everything in balance and allowing optimum growing conditions (as opposed to chemical intervention.)
March 8 Program Notes
Photographer Steven Schwartzman presented a slide show of his beautiful photographs of native plants taken in Central Texas throughout the year. We were treated to imaginative, up close images of native plants such as
and many other images. We thank Steven for sharing these wonderful images with us, which he has taken so much time, effort, and "braving of the poison ivy" to obtain. He may be reached at serendipity@austin.rr.com. Look for his photographs in an upcoming issue of Texas Highways magazine this fall.
Volunteer Day
The Birth of the Prairie Bar AKA Adventures in Prairie Maintenance
by Marilyn Perz
For those of you who missed out on the volunteer day on Saturday February 10, 2007 at Old Machu (pronounced mah coo) Cemetery near Granger Lake , you also missed out on the birth of the Prairie Bar.
After missing the turn for CR378, we finally called Scott Lenharth for directions and arrived at the locked gate blocking the gravel road leading to the prairie. Since 9/11, Scott explained, access to the Granger Dam must be controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers. We handed our tools and garden carts/wheelbarrows over the gate and proceded the ¼ mile along the road to the mixed but mostly Little Bluestem prairie.
The problem for these prairies lies in the lack of natural fires and the fence lines that surround them. Marching forward from each fence we saw native and invasive non-native trees encroaching on this small tallgrass prairie remnant. Although this is called the Old Machu Cemetery, the cemetery has been relocated to towns like Granger and Bartlett. In addition to a large plum thicket, many medium sized Hackberry trees have grown out into grassland.
The ten volunteers started the daunting task of overcoming many years of woody growth. Scott and Dennis Perz used chainsaws to remove the large trees and the rest of us used loppers/pruners to push back the plum thicket and other small trees.
Bob and Mickey Burleson were part of the work crew, and Bob’s comment was that these fence lines are anathema to any prairie. The Burleson’s have been restoring their prairie in Temple for the past thirty years. He tells us that the Blackland Prairies now exist in only a few small and widely scattered remnants such as this cemetery, odd field corners, and along railroad right-of-ways. When Europeans first arrived, these climax grasslands sustained a great diversity of life; but this deep fertile soil was quickly plowed into farmland. Replicating these prairies means duplicating them in as near a natural form as possible. While it is not possible to do in a few years what it took nature tens of thousands of years to do, the Burlesons have demonstrated that hard work and study can produce acceptable prairies which may eventually develop into climax grasslands.
After a few hours of “Prairie Maintenance”, we all stopped for a break. This is where the Prairie Bar was born. I had taken some homemade granola bars along to share. This recipe came from the Quaker Oatmeal box but has a few of my own additions (ground flaxseed meal, wheat germ, dried apricots, fresh pecans, and dried cranberries). After our snack break, we were all rejuvenated and continued on our tasks.
Lisa Spangler, who came up with the name, later made these bars with her own additions and modifications and takes them on her prairie explorations. She says that when she and Jason are on the hunt for pretty prairies they don’t want to stop to eat. But the newly named “Prairie Bar” sees them through.
PRAIRIE BARS
¾ cup brown sugar 1 tsp. baking soda ½ cup white sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon (optional) 8 oz. vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt ½ tsp. salt (optional) 2 egg whites 3 cups oatmeal 2 Tbs. vegetable oil or apple sauce 1 cup dried fruit, mixed fruit, raisins, dried 2 Tbs. fat free milk cranberries and/or apricots 2 tsp. Vanilla Pecans, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, seeds, 1 ½ cups flour etc. – make it your own!
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Spread (greased or not to your choosing) in a 9 X 13 baking pan. Bake at 350F for 28 – 32 minutes until golden brown. Cut into bars.
Farewell to the Garden
By Agnes Plutino
After nine years we are turning over the maintenance of the old Georgetown Library Garden to the city. We will still have oversight on the maintenance and Dennis Perz will be our liaison with city staff. The site, just one half block west of the new library, is still open to the public so feel free to visit now and again and say hi to all the wonderful plants that gave the public so much pleasure for so long. Hopefully the new maintenance crew will love the garden as much as we did. They have been provided with a maintenance guide complete with photos of the plants. The guide was done by Dennis and Marilyn Perz with a few photos and proof-reading from me. (This guide has been placed on the web site or is being sent with this newsletter. Ed.)
As it turns out, the timing was perfect in the turn-over of the garden to the city. The city contract for maintenance came due in October, 2006 and the old library shut it’s doors in December 2006.
The idea of landscaping with natives has come a long way since we started this project in 1998. We have actually had two different designs since the garden’s inception. Our first garden was done to showcase the wild flowers of Williamson County. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that wild flowers are real survivors. Left to their own devices, and even with some intervention on our part, they rapidly took over. The garden turned out to be a bit of a jungle. This is great on a roadside but when you are trying to convince people that they should landscape with natives, this design did not work.
for spring. Other than that we relied on the “Wacky Weeders”, as we affectionately called ourselves, for the general maintenance. On a good day that turned out to be 4 or 5 people. What a bunch of troopers though! Between the weekly regulars and the once a year “blitz team” we did a good job. Well done everyone!
Everything bloomed beautifully and gave me the opportunity to get some of my best garden photos yet. Some of the best bloomers were Coral Honeysuckle, Calylophus, Bluebonnets, Variegated Trailing Winecup, Cedar Sage, Columbine, Salvia Greggi, Prairie Fleabane, Skullcap, Prairie Verbena, Esperanza (Yellow Bells), Flame Acanthus, Mexican Mint Marigold, Turk’s Cap, Gulf Coast Muhly, and “The Fairy Rose”. Some of these plants, such as the rose, bloomed pretty much non-stop, spring through fall. This was with a very dry year and minimal watering on our part.
I have mixed emotions about giving up this project but there is plenty going on to take its place. The city staff seems to value our opinions. We are turning more into an advisory group instead of digging in the dirt. This suits me just fine as I find it takes more and more effort to get up and down when weeding. I know it is good exercise but it also gives anyone observing a good laugh.
Don’t forget the garden. She’ll be glad for a visit from you now and again. Farewell to the garden!
Dalea Frutescens
Georgetown Heritage Tree Ordinance
by Dennis Perz
On February 13, 2007, the City Council of Georgetown gave final approval to a revised Heritage Tree Ordinance. This ordinance is intended to protect large native trees of species judged too valuable to lose either by direct removal or by death caused by construction or construction activity.
This ordinance becomes part of Georgetown’s Uniform Development Code (UDC) and applies only to those trees included in development projects beginning at the time of “initial application for stormwater permit, construction plans, subdivision or plat review, or site plan review concerning nonresidential and residential development sites of any size”. This ordinance does not apply to trees on privately owned lands not currently part of a development project. (The Council may address those at a later time).
The ordinance requires the following: 1. It is unlawful to remove or prune a Heritage Tree without a permit from the city. 2. Pruning of Heritage Trees must be done under the supervision of an ISA Certified Arborist. 3. When Heritage Tree removal is permitted, a mitigation plan for planting additional trees is required. Builders removing Heritage Trees without a permit or causing destruction of Heritage Trees by construction activities will incur financial penalties. 3. A critical Root Zone (CRZ) is defined which limits both building and pavement coverage and defines areas to be protected during construction.
This ordinance defines a Heritage Tree as one having at least a 26” trunk diameter measured at the diameter breast height (DBH), which is 4 ½ feet above grade. Species included are Live Oak, Post Oak, Shumard Oak, Bur Oak, Chinquapin Oak, Monterey Oak, Bald Cypress, American Elm, Cedar Elm, Pecan, Walnut, Texas Ash, and Southern Magnolia. Specifically excluded are Hackberry, Ashe Juniper (Cedar), Chinese Tallow, and Mesquite.
The City makes an annual review of the UDC every Spring, but directed the City’s staff to make an emergency review of this ordinance and bring proposals for Council action on an emergency basis. This was prompted by recent removal of Heritage Trees for the bank project going in at the corner of Rivery Boulevard and Williams Drive and the fried chicken restaurant built farther west on Williams drive.
The review and approval process began by presenting an ordinance draft by City Staff to the Planning and Development Board. This Board rejected the draft by a 6-1 vote, deciding that much of the wording was too vague. The ordinance was vigorously opposed by developers. The draft was then taken to Council in December for a first reading. The Council passed the first reading but recognized that the opposition was both vocal and, in most cases, raised specific and reasonable points. A second reading, which is usually intended to lead to final approval was held in early February. Opposition was again expressed, but at least four members of our NPSOT chapter spoke in favor of the ordinance.
The Council attempted to work through some revisions, but in the end agreed to postpone final approval pending a public meeting for more questions to be asked and answered, and more public comment to be gathered. This was held on February 7 at the new library. Approximately 65 people attended and many of them spoke. The mayor and at least four council members also were present. While no immediate revisions were permitted, written comments were collected and given to council members after this meeting. Several NPSOT members attended, and many submitted written comments.
The following attempts to summarize the issues which came out of all of this:
BY BUILDERS: 1. Builders do not want to remove trees because removal devalues their property. It also costs money to remove large trees. 2. Most of the time trees are removed because builders are forced to comply with other City requirements, State requirements (e.g. TXDOT), or Federal requirements (e.g. EPA). For example, the large tree removed on the site of the bank project was mandated by City building line requirements. The chicken restaurant project removed the Heritage Trees because of TXDOT requirements that driveway aprons onto Williams Drive (a state-owned FM road) be separated by some minimum distance - a traffic safety issue. Other examples cited include requirements for emergency vehicle access and maneuvering room (e.g. fire trucks), handicapped accessibility, and location of underground utility easements. One or more Heritage Trees were removed at Georgetown Village because underground utilities had to be rerouted around a previously undetected karst site. 3. The many questions asked by both builders and property owners pointed up the complexity of the ordinance as written and the need for all to take the time to read it carefully. 4. Many of the builders are long time residents of Georgetown and believe they have the same stake as everyone else in protecting the trees and the trees’ contribution to quality of life here. 5. The ordinance contains financial penalties for non-compliance and requires mitigation, i.e. tree replacement, where removal is approved. Incentives would be a better way to do this. (Our NPSOT plan to create a landscaping recognition award would be a step in this direction). 6. Once dollars are committed to a project and work begins, delays suffered quickly become very costly. 7. Building protective fences around trees is also expensive and can encumber work to be done at a construction site.
BY PROPERTY OWNERS: 1. Questions repeatedly were asked about the status of trees not in development projects. It was pointed out that some property owners may choose to destroy their Heritage Trees prior to selling the land to developers as a way to avoid dealing with this ordinance.
BY TREE ADVOCATES: 1. At one point the critical root zone (CRZ) for heritage trees was down to five feet and then made ten feet (radially). This was much less than the standard one foot radially for each diameter inch of girth at DBH specified for protected trees (diameters twelve inches or greater). The final version ended with the one radial foot per inch of diameter specification. 2. Heritage Trees already having much pavement and building around them are not the same as suddenly changing the conditions of a large tree in an open field during construction. Abrupt changes in soil compaction, root damage during excavation, root covering with foundations and pavement, significant grade changes, and general construction activity are all harmful. 3. The Council considered allowing alternative landscaping in lieu of tree mitigation, especially for low income housing. This was judged too vague and finally dropped.
At the final reading, it was apparent that Council members “had done their homework”, made a series of clarifying amendments, and voted unanimously on all changes and final approval of the ordinance. The ordinance appears to have strong support from current City leadership. However, three and possibly four of the council members will be replaced in the next election.
The builders and bankers went away dissatisfied, believing this ordinance was unnecessary and that most of the cases of tree removal were driven by government requirements. Those of us advocating for the trees believe that the big change is not in this kind of regulation but rather in the massive development and associated pressures placed on these trees. We would do well in our vigilance to notice and document examples, both good and bad, of the fates of the trees. We also need to recognize that we will not save every tree. But with the help of this ordinance we should expect to save most of them.
If you have comments or questions, please direct them to Dennis Perz at 512 864 3828 or gtpecans@thegateway.net
This spring promises to be “the spring to remember”. It got off to an early start. We’ve had decent rain. Hopefully it will hang around awhile. I call it “glorious”! I’ve been out and about taking as many photos as possible. I missed my opportunity to photograph Elbow bush. It is easy to spot with its lime green color peeking out in the fence rows long before anything else begins to bloom. That is the reason it is given the name “spring herald”. Unfortunately the blooms don’t last long.
A rarer and harder to spot thicket forming shrub that blooms about the same time as the Elbow bush is the Texas Almond. If you are lucky enough to acquire one, it makes a great landscape plant. More noticeable was the Agarita with it’s honey-colored blossoms and it’s heavenly honey scent. If you were anywhere near one you couldn’t miss it. The bloom and the scent last a long time. If the pollinators did their thing and we will see lots of delicious red berries in May. The berries are edible, a bit tart, but I think tasty. If you are courageous enough, try harvesting the berries. They make a very tasty jelly. Otherwise, leave the berries to the birds. They love them.
Blanco Crabapple, Yaupon, Possumhaw, and Anacacho Orchid Tree are beginning to bloom. Perhaps as you read this they will still be putting on a show for you. A small shrub that should be blooming soon is Ceanothus (New Jersey Tea). This is another native that although probably hard to find in the nursery trade is definitely worth having your landscape.
As I write this, all the spring forbs, both annual and perennial, are either blooming or will be blooming shortly. The earliest bloomer was the Windflower. Early on, I spotted Ranuculus, Corydalis, Bladderpod, Varigated Trailing Winecup, and Spiderwort. All these wonderful plants have been closely followed by the Indian Paintbrush, Bluebonnets, Englemann Daisy, Lindheimer Daisy, and Blue-eyed Grass. By the time you read this the Penstemons should be in full bloom. I feel I’m only skimming the surface. You must get out and check the spring bloom for yourself. Don’t forget the camera!
Anyone who knows me knows that about every year about this time I get anxiety attacks. These attacks are brought on by the City, County, and State’s roadside maintenance practices. The worst offender seems to be the County. They insist on using herbicides on a routine and widespread basis. All sorts of reasons are given for this practice. In my opinion none of them are valid. What I would like to see our membership do is, on an individual basis, contact their County commissioner and request that they do away with the use of herbicides. You might mention that they could ease up on the mowing. Think of all the money saved on equipment, gas, chemicals and salaries if roadside maintenance practices were managed carefully. You can find their phone numbers at www.wilco.org or in your phone book.
Have a Happy Spring!
It’s spring and thoughts turn to annuals, specifically Texas native annuals. Everyone likes bluebonnets, but there is so much more. The following list isn’t complete, but it’s enough to get a feel for the rich diversity of annuals in every region of our state and the large number of annuals that appear throughout the year, so you can plan succession plantings. Pictures of these or similar annuals can be found in Reference 1. This guide also provides more plant and habitat information.
Most of the annuals are not commercially available. Those that are available are mostly obtained by propagating seed. There are a few plants at local nurseries and more plants at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center spring sale.
For most annuals, you can broadcast seed at the time the plant normally goes to seed or spread the seed in the fall. The most important thing is to make sure the seed is in contact with the soil. In small areas, this can be done by raking the soil and pressing or raking the seed in after it is sown. For larger areas, mechanical methods can be used. Most seed should never be buried more than twice their diameter and small seeds should not be buried at all. Seeds with a hard coat can be scarified to increase propagation the first year; otherwise germination of these seeds may be delayed for a year or more. However, scarification is not usually recommended if the seed will not receive water during dry periods.
The soil should match that of the native range of the wildflower. Those from eastern Texas will need richer soil; those from central Texas do better in lean clay or limestone soils. Most of the central Texas annuals do best in full sun and should not be over watered. They also should not be fertilized unless your soil is significantly less fertile than the local native soil. Mulch is not needed but, if used, should match that of the native habitat.
Table of Texas Annuals
TX = Distribution within Texas (C = Central Texas, EP = Edwards Plateau); H = Height (maximum or range); Bloom color/period: Color given in bloom period box (W = Dec/Jan/Feb; Sp = Mar/Apr/May; Su = Jun/Jul/Aug; F = Sep/Oct/Nov); S/P = Seed available from Native American Seed, Sweet Briar Nursery or other internet sources/Plants available at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Spring 2007 plant sale.
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