Mar-05-2025 | Issue 573

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Nature's Way Resources owner John Ferguson, "The Lazy Gardener" Brenda Beust Smith and Pablo Hernandez welcome your feedback and are so grateful to the many horticulturists who contribute their expertise

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By BRENDA BEUST SMITH

Above, live monarchs provide models for sculptor Michelle Matthews

who is creating huge ones for multi-organization project at Houston Arboretum

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

MANY TAKING ACTION TO STOP

LOSS OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

"HOUSTON MONARCH STORY" — an inspiring project for all gardeners interested in planting to help slow or halt the loss of these rapidly-disappearing treasurers is now open to the public.

Inspired by the need to support Monarch butterflies on their migratory path through Texas, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center -- home to over 600 native plant species, puts these natural treasures in the spotlight with help of larger-than-life Monarch sculptures created by artist Michelle Matthews (pictured above).

Examples of some of the native plants that can be seen near the Houston Monarch Story installation include:

• Acmella oppositifolia - Oppositeleaf Spotflower       
• Asclepias incarnata -  Swamp Milkweed        
• Asclepias perennis - Aquatic Milkweed          
• Asclepias virdis - Green Milkweed
• Coreopsis lanceolata - Lanceleaf Coreopsis  
• Engelmannia peristenia - Engleman daisy    
• Liatris pycnostachya - Prairie Blazingstar

• Penstemon tenuis - Gulf Coast Penstemon
• Salvia azurea - Giant Blue Sage
• Tecoma stans var. angustata - Yellow Bells

Next week: a picture of all these with IDs to use on flash cards.

Neat project for kids: flash cards with pictures (with leaves!)

Even better, leaves & flowers on separate cards to identify/match.

Warning: Not all might be in bloom yet. But will be by summer!)

MICHELLE MATTHEWS' extraordinary larger-than-life Monarch sculptures, "The Houston Monarch Story," is displayed in Houston Arboretum’s coastal prairie restoration area, allowing visitors to explore connections between Monarchs and their native habitat. Free admission 7am–dusk daily. Entrances: 4501 Woodway Dr. or 120 W. Loop North Frwy. 

TIP O' THE TROWEL also to key supporters Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, University of Houston Coastal Center, Texas Master Naturalists – Galveston Bay Area Chapter and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, whose contributions help ensure a thriving habitat for Monarchs and other pollinators.

• History of the Houston Monarch
• Houston Monarch Story at the Houston Arboretum
• HOUSTON ARBORETUM & NATURE CENTER, 4501 Woodway Dr. - 713.681.8433

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Even if you can't attend all you'd like to, the pictures will open your gardening to a whole world of newly-introduced and old favorites of sponsoring plant societies, gardens and clubs, ALL nonprofits focused on making better gardeners of us all!

• HAVING ANGER ISSUES? Rage gardening is a gardening technique that involves using anger to get things done in the garden. Slashing at weeds, pummeling dirt clods, and blasting your water house is said to help relieve stress by channeling frustration into physical labor -- a great stress-reliever that’s both mindful and productive. google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rage+gardening

• IF YOU HAD SNAIL problems last year, don't feel alone. Nationwide, snails and slugs won top honors for being the "Worst Garden Pests of 2024." One reason in our area: so wet! But Houston ALWAYS has wet seasons. One solution: banana peels that can actually be used as a trap to catch them. Snails and slugs are attracted to the banana's sweetness but find the peel itself difficult to digest, effectively deterring them from eating it. The texture of a banana peel is not suitable for a snail's feeding habits, making it unappealing and a deterrent. Ironically, gardeners often use banana peels as bait to attract and collect (for disposal) snails in a designated area!

• No slug/snail problems. Instead of throwing away peels, bury them in your soil. Rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, banana peels make excellent natural fertilizer. They also repel pests like aphids and snails, keeping your plants safe.

almost fight over whom gets to eat them. They will stick their beaks into every nook and crevice looking for them.

The ducks then leave a nutrient rich duck poop behind to fertilize the plants.  

When they were old enough, they would just fly off over the fence and be gone.  However, they knocked back the slug and snail populations so much that they were no longer a problem often giving me two years of control!  As a side benefit, they also eat lots of other pest insects, mulberries that dropped from my tree, some weeds, etc. turning them all into rich poop.  

God knew what he was doing by providing a natural pest control that enriches the soil in the process.  A modern gardener studies nature and copies how pest control is done.  It works better, costs less, and no toxic side effects. In other words what has become known as "Organic Methods".

• SUBMITTING CALENDAR EVENTS?: These will in next upcoming newsletter ONLY IF SUBMITTED IN OUR EXACT FORMAT. Otherwise will be held until can be reformatted. See calendar below.

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Brenda Beust Smith's column is based on her 40+ years as the

Houston Chronicle's "Lazy Gardener" column, continuing sponsored

by Nature's Way Resources in 2013 — (lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com)

Brenda's column focuses ONLY on the Greater Houston Area

* * *

John's Corner

NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOIL AND PLANTS # 319

Subject:  Book Review: THE SIXTH EXTINCTION An Unnatural History

THE SIXTH EXTINCTION An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, 10^th Edition, Macmillan Publishing, 2024, ISBN: 978-1250887-313 (paper)

Scientists studying the geologic record have found there have been five mass extinctions recorded when the majority lifeforms on earth crashed and disappeared.

An example is when an asteroid hit the area near Yucatan peninsula and wiped out the dinosaurs and many other species at the end of the Cretaceous period. Today species are disappearing at a faster rate than after the asteroid hit the Yucatan.

The era we are now living in is called the Anthropocene, defined by humans being, the most dominant and influential life form the world has ever known. As a result, we are losing species faster (going extinct) than any time in the history of the earth.

The author starts off by discussing previous extinctions and what we know about them from the causes to the results.

The 10th-anniversary edition of the instant classic, The Sixth Extinction, is now with a new epilogue. Kolbert blends intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes.

Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the Sixth Extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us.

From the publisher:

“In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamanian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. In the ten years since the book was originally published, evidence of the Sixth Extinction has continued to mount, making its message more urgent than ever.

The Sixth Extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.”

A question gardeners must ask themselves is, “Am I part of the problem or part of the solution.”  Do we use toxic chemicals that kill all kinds of life as well as contribute to air and water pollution, global warming, environmental destruction, spread of invasive species, and much more.

Do we leave outside lights on at night that leads to the death of many beautiful moths and other night feeding insects? Do we plant exotic plants that provide no food for our butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and birds?

All these little things add up to destroy God’s creation.  

WANT YOUR EVENT IN RIGHT AWAY?

FOLLOW THESE CALENDAR RULES!

EVENTS MUST BE OPEN TO -- & CAPABLE OF HANDLINGPOTENTIALLY

LARGE PUBLIC ATTENDENCE - GREATER HOUSTON AREA EVENTS ONLY!

Use this 3-LINE (max) EXACT FORMAT/STYLE (reformatting = delay!)

DAY, DATE: TITLE by NAME (if talk), time, address, Fee/free.

Sponsoring group (if not in title). website/phone (NO MORE!)

• ONLY events submitted/earmarked specifically for this calendar are used
• Actual gardening/plant tevents only. No harvesting, cooking, shows, etc.
• NO events picked up from general flyers. NO PDFS! TYPE IN EMAIL
• Submit to: lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com. Check published entry!
• Don't add city unless not "Houston") -- never add TEXAS!
• ALWAYS PROOF PUBLISHED WORDING & TEST EMAIL
• PUT YOUR GROUP NAME IN THE EMAIL SUBJECT WHEN SUBMITTING!!!!

TODAY-MAR. 9: BETTY AND JACOB FRIEDMAN HOLISTIC GARDEN SPRING PLANT SALE. Pre-orders only. In person shopping at Rice University garden, Mar. 11-17. Click here for more info/online shopping.

WED., MAR. 5: TURFGRASS CARE AND ALTERNATIVES, 9:30-11:30am, Webster Presbyterian Church, 201 W. NASA Pkwy, Webster. Parking back of church. Free. Gardeners by the Bay www.gbtb.org

SAT., MAR. 8:  WALLER COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE, 9am-noon, AgriLife Extension Office, 846 6th St., Waller. 979-826-7651, txmg.org/wallermg  waller.mg@ag.tamu.edu 

SAT, MAR. 8: FORT BEND MASTER GARDENER SPRING VEGETABLE & HERB PLANT SALE, 9-noon, Bud O'Shieles Community Center, 1330 Band Rd, Rosenberg. Ft. Bend Master Gardener Spring Vegetable & Herb Plant Sale

SAT., MAR. 8: MERCER GARDEN TOUR by HORTICULTURE STAFF, 10:30–11:30am, Visitor’s Center, Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd. Free, Register: pct3.com/MBG 

SAT.,MAR. 8: GROWING BULBS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY by LUCINDA OWENS, Master Gardeners event, 9-11am, AgriLife Extension Bldg., 9020 Airport Rd., Conroe. $5, 936-539-7824 Register with Eventbrite.

SAT-SUN., MAR. 8-9. HOUSTON ORCHID SOCIETY SHOW & SALE, 10am-5pm Sat; 10am-5pm, Free. Memorial City Mall (Dillard's Wing) Gessner@ I-10, .houstonorchidsociety.org

SAT., MAR. 8: BEES, BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS by ANGELA CHANDLER, 10am-noon, Mainland City Centre, 10000 Emmett F, Lowry, Texas City. $29. Register: 409-933-8461; Bees, Butterflies, and Blooms online registration

WED., MAR. 12: GARDEN FOR HEALTH by DR. JOE NOVAK, Noon–2pm, Visitor’s Center, Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd., Free. Register: pct3.com/MBG 

FRI., MAR. 14: MERCER GARDEN TOUR by HORTICULTURE STAFF, 9–10am, Visitor’s Center, Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd., Free, Register: pct3.com/MBG 

FRI.-SAT,, MAR 14 & 15: PIONEER UNIT’S ANNUAL PLANT AND GIFT SALE, 9am-4pm, 248 Jaster Rd, Round Top, Free. herbsocietypioneer.org/events. 713-503-9981

SAT., MAR. 15: BUDDING OUT PLANT SALE & FESTIVAL, 10am-4pm, The John Fairey Garden, 20559 FM 359 Hempstead. $10 for GA, $10. JFGARDEN.org, 979-826-3232

SAT., MAR. 15: UNLOCKING HERB SUPERPOWERS MYSTERIES by S. BRUEGGERHOFF, C. ANDREWS, J. GRIFFIN & A. SCAHULTZ, 9am-4pm, 248 Jaster Rd., Round Top. $80. herbsocietypioneer.org/events, 979-249-3129

SAT., MAR. 15: SPRING BROMELIAD SALE, 9am-4 pm, West Gray Multi-Service Center, 1475 West Gray. Free, Bromeliad Society/Houston. bromeliadsocietyhouston.org 

TUES., MAR. 18: CREATING PLANT CLONES by ANTONIO GARZA, 7 pm, West Gray Multi-Service Center, 1475 W. Gray, Free, Bromeliad Society/Houston. bromeliadsocietyhouston.org

TUES,, MAR. 18: 'HERBS~NATURE'S PHARMACY' by Melody Lindley,10am: Free, St. Basil's Hall, 702 Burney Road, Sugar Land, sugarlandgardenclub.org

FRI.-SAT., MAR. 21-22: MARCH MART PLANT SALE. FRI. 8am-4pm, SAT. 8am-3pm, Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine-Westfield, Humble.

SAT, MAR. 22: MONTGOMERY COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS SPRING SALE, 9am- NOON, 9020 Airport Road, Conroe. 935-539-7824, MCMGA.com.

SAT., MAR. 22: HERB FESTIVAL AT THE WYNNE HOME. 8am-Noon. 1428 11th St., Huntsville. Free. Herb Society of America, Texas Thyme Unit,  

texasthymeunit.org/

FRI., MAR. 28 "FLOWERING PLANTS FOR FOUR SEASONS,1-2:30P, Zoom. Free. Fort Bend County Master Gardeners.Register: fortbend.agrilife.org/landscape-success/

(PLAN AHEAD!)



WED., APRIL. 9: GROW YOUR BEST ROSES 2025 by SUZANNE GILBERT, Noon–2 pm,Visitor’s Center, Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd. Free. Register: pct3.com/MBG 

WED., APR. 2: GARDENERS BY THE BAY APRIL PLANT SALE, 9am-noon, Webster Presbyterian Church, 201 W. NASA Road 1, Webster. gbtb,org

SAT., APR. 5: KINGWOOD GARDEN CLUB GARDENFEST, 10am-2pm, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood. Free.

SAT., APR. 26: 2025 OLEANDER FESTIVAL, 8am-noon, Betty Head Oleander Garden Park, Galveston. Also Plant Sale. International Oleander Society event. Free. www.oleander.org

SAT., APR. 26: GRAFTING FOR BEGINNERS by ANGELA CHANDLER, 10am–noon, City Centre,10000 Emmett F Lowry, Texas City, $29. College of Mainland. 409-933-8461; register: Grafting for Beginners online registration

SAT., APR. 26: 39th ANNUAL HERB DAY by THE HERB SOCIETY OF AMERICA, SOUTH TEXAS UNIT. 8 am-2pm, Museum District. $67. Pre-registration required: www.herbsociety-stu.org

Wed., MAY. 14: HISTORY OF MERCER ARBORETUM & BOTANIC GARDENS by Jamie Hartwell, Noon–2pm, MA&BG Visitor’s Center, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd. Free.Register: pct3.com/MBG 

If your event didn't get in right away, PROBABLY BECAUSE

you didn't submit it in our EXACT - NEVER CHANGING format.

HAVING to REFORMAT (WE WILL!) delays your event

publication and opens doors for errors. Your choice!

SEE TOP OF CALENDAR FOR EXACT FORMAT.

d

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If we inspire you to attend any of these, 

please let them know you heard about it in . . .  

THE LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS NEWSLETTER! 

& please patronize our Newsletter & Calendar sponsors below! 

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact us

at 936-273-1200 or send an e-mail to: lazygardenerandfriends@gmail.com

BRENDA BEUST SMITH

WE KNOW HER BEST AS THE LAZY GARDENER . . . 

but Brenda Beust Smith is also:

  * a national award-winning general feature writer & editor

  * a nationally-published writer & photographer 

  * a national horticultural speaker

  * a former Houston Chronicle reporter

When the Chronicle discontinued Brenda's 45-year-old Lazy Gardener" print column -- started in the early '70s as a fun side-project to reporting -- it later was said to rank as the longest-running, continuously-published local newspaper column in the Greater Houston area. The name, she says, is not just fun, it's true.

Brenda's gradual sideways step from general reporting into also doing gardening reporting led first to an 18-year series of when-to-do-what Lazy Gardener Calendars, then to her Lazy Gardener's Guide book which morphed into her Lazy Gardener's Guide on CD, which she now emails free upon request.

Brenda became a Harris County Master Gardener and, over the years, served on the boards of many Greater Houston area horticulture organizations. She hosted local radio and TV shows, most notably a 10+-year Lazy Gardener specialty show on HoustonPBS (Ch. 8) and her call-in "EcoGardening" show on KPFT-FM. 

For over three decades, Brenda served as Assistant Production Manager of the GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA'S "BULLETIN" magazine. Although still an active broad-based freelance writer, Brenda's main focus now is THE LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS HOUSTON GARDEN NEWSLETTER with John Ferguson and Pablo Hernandez of Nature's Way Resources. 

A native of New Orleans and graduate of St. Agnes Academy and the University of Houston,  Brenda lives in Humble, TX, and is married to the retired Aldine High School Coach Bill Smith. They had one son, Blake.

Regarding this newsletter, Brenda is the lead writer, originator of it and the daily inspiration for it. We so appreciate the way she has made gardening such a fun way to celebrate life together for such a long time.

About her column, Brenda says: "I don't consider myself a 'garden writer.'' I started out 50+ years ago as a very lazy "gardening reporter." I still feel that way today. I hope my columns inspire/help newcomers, but I do not write to them. I write to very experienced gardeners who want to expand their horizons.

JOHN FERGUSON

John is a native Houstonian and has over 35 years of business experience. He owns Nature's Way Resources, a composting company that specializes in high quality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. He holds a MS degree in Physics and Geology and is a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas. 

John has won many awards in horticulture and environmental issues. For years he represented the composting industry on the Houston-Galveston Area Council for solid waste. His personal garden has been featured in several horticultural books and "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine. His business has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal for the quality and value of their products. He is a member of the Physics Honor Society and many other professional societies. John is the co-author of the book Organic Management for the Professional. 

For this newsletter, John contributes articles regularly and is responsible for publishing it.

PABLO HERNANDEZ

Pablo Hernandez is the special projects coordinator for Nature's Way Resources. His realm of responsibilities include: serving as a webmaster, IT support, technical problem solving/troubleshooting, metrics management and quality control.

Pablo helps this newsletter happen from a technical support standpoint.