January News from the Garden |
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Letter from the Executive Director |
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Greetings!
Happy belated new year!
2021 has gotten off to a troubling start – rising Covid-19 infections, a poorly organized vaccination rollout, and serious challenges to our democratic system of government, to name a few – but we press ahead, aware that if a garden teaches us anything, it is that "this too shall pass." We observe cycles of decay and renewal and the unexpected pressures that can either accelerate or slow down those transitions but eventually, often painfully, we evolve out of, and in to, each.
The garden as a whole this time of year seems to make manifest the transitional state between death and rebirth. Most of the deciduous trees are bare, having completely dropped their leaves. (Those leaves are then "reborn" as mulch). Others are dotted with a few sparsely spaced, determined cadmium red hangers-on that look more like they ended up snared by the tree's branches rather than grew from them. Yaupons, meanwhile, absolutely shimmer in the winter light, the waxy green leaves appearing almost silver from a distance. The Mahonias are starting to shoot up spires of yellow blooms. The magnolias are a bit behind, their furry buds just starting to appear. Along the creek, the cypress trees are dropping their needles, accumulating to what strikes me as a humorous effect in the yuccas and agaves in the North Dry Garden, and creating a deep terra cotta colored carpet that provides not only an element of the picturesque but also a perceptible muffling of noise in the garden hallway.
Warm regards,
Randy
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Ungnadia speciosa (Mexican Buckeye) |
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Native to stream banks and moist canyons west of the Brazos, Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) is perfectly well-suited to limestone soil of this region. Yet this often shrubby sometimes suckering tree is also very adaptable to clay and loam. It is happy in full sun or part shade. Before leafing out in early spring, clusters of pink to lavender flowers on peduncles arising from stems cause many to mistake it for the native redbud tree (Cercis canadensis). From that point though, this is a clearly different tree. Leaves are oddly pinnate with large paired leaflets, somewhat like pecan, that turn golden yellow in fall. Both the spring and fall colors contrast nicely with the dark bark. By late summer, flowers will have given way to clusters
of black pods that persist into winter long after shedding leaves. Zone 8 or higher is best. It is very drought tolerant.
- Craig Jackson, Nursery Manager
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Notes from the Nursery Manager |
Last month's article discussed the differences and benefits among various mulches and their benefits. This topic is a logical segue into gardening on limestone soil where retaining moisture and nutrients is essential. Scott Ogden's seminal book, Gardening Success with Difficult Soils (Taylor Publishing Co, 1992), covers this area very nicely and is a short easy read. Besides providing invaluable approaches to gardening under a wide array of climate conditions, it also covers a wonderfully diverse palette of flora from turfs to wildlife attractions. While some of the suggestions may now be dated (which may encourage circumspection among gardeners), such as crape myrtle, bermuda grass and vitex, the book has a preponderance of positives. For instance, strong consideration is given throughout the book to color and texture coordination, such as his discussion of border flowers in which he laments the unavailability of colors other than mauve to magenta which conflict with colors in the yellow-orange spectrum. Odgen suggests that contrasting colors can be effective as long as the intensity of the colors is similar, a technique to be used sparingly since it can be somewhat gaudy. Such nuanced tidbits are common. Deciduous magnolias, although disliking lime soil, can do very well there because of their shallow roots, when planted in amended soil and covered with mulch. One area where the book really shines is in its sixty-four glossy illustrations which illustrate not only gorgeous specimens but also indirectly illustrate Scott Ogden himself, the plant explorer who introduced so many incredible plants to the gardening world.
Happy Gardening!
Craig Jackson
Nursery Manager
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Round Two of Docent Training
We're still looking to fill our next class of docents. If you're interested in finding out more or in signing up, email info@jfgarden.org or call Margaret at 979.826.3232
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Volunteer Opportunity
Nursery Manager, Craig Jackson, has been stepping out of the nursery lately to weed and reconfigure some of the beds between the office and the guest cottage. We're looking at revamping those beds and giving our guests another part of the garden where they can learn about plants, assemble, or just hang out and enjoy that part of the garden on their own. If you'd like to volunteer at the garden to do either clerical or gardening work, please feel free to fill out this volunteer application form or call Margaret in the office at 979.826.3232.
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