By Janis Turk
It is said that if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb, and vice versa. But here in the San Antonio metro area , the lion and the lamb seem to lie down together, taking turns at making appearances every other week or so from January to March. So how are metro area gardeners to care for their gardens with such fluctuations between warm humid spells, severe hot days, cold wet weeks, and hard final frosts? Gardening expert and landscape designer Barb Dooley, manager of Barkley’s Nursery in Boerne has some good advice for late winter/early spring gardeners who must tend to their landscapes in the face of the changing Texas temperatures, adapting their work to the whims of Mother Nature during this unpredictable season.
In earlier months like January and February, Dooley reminds us that it is a great time to plant trees, particularly fruit trees. She suggests gardeners contact their local county extension agent for specific varieties of trees suitable for this area and stresses to pay particular attention to the number of chilling hours required for some fruits.
“Good things to plant during these times of such extreme temperature change are evergreen trees & shrubs (not just trees). Evergreens are just that-ever green-so they can be planted anytime,” says Dooley.
But just because metro area residents rang in the New Year with 70 degree weather, don’t think the lion has gone back to his lair for good. For he’s likely to re-emerge when least expected: “Don’t cut perennials back until the danger of frost has passed, which for our area is March 15. If you cut them back too early, they can suffer prolonged damage. See, when you cut a plant back, it signals to the plant that it’s O.K. to start putting on new growth. In February, particularly, we can have a string of very mild days, the plant puts on new growth and we almost always have a frost the last days of February or the first days of March,” says Dooley.
So what is the gardener to do until the warmer spring temperatures begin to stabilize? Dooley suggests that metro area gardeners clean up vegetable gardens and plant cold season crops like spinach, some lettuces, broccoli, onions, garlic and such. She reminds gardeners that herbs like cilantro and parsley do particularly well now. “When it gets hot, they bolt and go to seed making them bitter when used, so this is a good time for starting an herb garden.”
When the gentle spring weather comes to the area, it’s the perfect time to think about preparing the outdoor living spaces that will be enjoyed in the warmer months ahead. As a landscape design consultant and gardening specialist, Dooley loves to create inviting living areas in the beautiful out-of-doors.
“It is important to create inviting living areas within your landscape as well as tranquil, relaxing areas with pathways, ponds, bird baths, pottery, plants, and flowers. It’s nice to have a place you can go just to sit on a bench with a cool drink, watch the butterflies, and live in harmony with the outdoors, the animals, and birds.”.
The materials used in creating an outdoor living space are important, and it is appropriate that these be congruous with things found naturally in this environment. “Cypress furniture that looks just like the popular bent-willow furniture is less susceptible to rotting than willow, and it really seems to fit in the metro area landscape,” says Dooley. In her landscape designs, she likes to use over-sized pots and the cool, soothing sounds of water gardens to create beautiful, serene surroundings.
“For pots, combine textures like spineless prickly pear and vibrant cyclamen. Pansies, snaps, sedums, aspidistra and the like make great pots that will last until it gets hot. Be sure you pay attention to like water needs when planting in “combo” pots,” reminds Dooley. “Plants grown in larger pots take less maintenance than lots of smaller pots, too. Make sure your pots are damp if freezing weather is on the radar; the water actually insulates the plants.”
Dooley believes in having water gardens in the landscape because water is an important part of attracting butterflies, and birds, especially hummingbirds.
“During cool and warm days alike, don’t forget to feed the birds! Birds depend on us for winter food. You can see lots of interesting varieties here like Vermillion flycatchers, bluebirds and of course, goldfinches. Incorporate feeding stations in with your landscape to maximize your enjoyment for the wintertime and early spring,” suggests Dooley. “When we lived on the Guadalupe River, above the dam, I really liked wintertime almost as well as summer. Without leaves on the trees, birds are more easily spotted.”
While enjoying the welcome guests of birds and butterflies that return in the early spring, it is a good time to be thinking about preventing the pests from overtaking the garden. “Watch your calendar for applying pre-emergents to prohibit summertime weeds. The organic solution for a pre-emergent is corn gluten meal. Go to your favorite gardening center, like Barkley’s, which specializes in organics. Also, as spring progresses, beneficial nemetodes can be used to kill fire ants,” reminds Dooley.
Whether Spring is visited here more often by a flock of lambs or a pride of lions-gentle, breezy, warm days or days with roaring gusts of cold-it’s good to keep in mind that fickle mother nature never rests, and a gardener’s work is never done. Wearing sleeveless shirts in January while being prepared for a final freeze in March just keeps life interesting, it seems, and we’re reminded to enjoy the changes as they come. “Here in this area, we’re really fortunate because we always seem to have more lovely days than inclement ones, and that means more days and weeks to enjoy our beautiful gardens.”
