The days have gotten shorter and the temperatures have gotten cooler in South Texas. The morning weather is near perfect - if only it would last year round.
There is something about the cooler air that rejuvenates and re-energizes us to pursue our hobbies with a little more gusto. If gardening happens to be one of your hobbies, then I hope this article inspires you to do a makeover in your landscape.
Hopefully by now, your cool-season annuals are in the ground from being planted late October forward. Some cool-season annuals that do well in our climate are alyssum, calendula, dianthus, Johnny-jump-up, pansy, snapdragon, sweet pea and other violas.
After planting them, the next step this month is to fertilize and water them. They need to be able to take the cold weather that will be coming up. A water-soluble fertilizer is fine to use and may be more available than granular products.
If we do happen to get a winter freeze, the blooms and foliage will get nipped back, but the root systems will continue to grow. When warmer spring weather begins to arrive, your fall-planted annual flowers will be bursting forth with a profusion of growth and blooms. While your neighbors are rushing out to buy new plants, you will be able to sit back and enjoy your labors from the fall.
Spring-flowering bulbs should now be stored until ready for planting. A good way to store them is in paper bags in the refrigerator or a cool garage or pantry. Don't forget to check them every couple of weeks for signs of decay. If you find decay, remove the damaged bulb from the bag. Decay can be a sign of cooler temperatures or more ventilation needed in your bag. Be sure not to refrigerate bulbs where fruit is stored.
Now is a good time to put some thought into your garden design. Consider a mixture of ornamental plants that provide varying textures. Try and avoid the mustache look - all of the same shrubs pruned the same way.
Think outside the box and look for fine-textured plants such as ferns and ornamental grasses to contrast with coarse-textured plants such as cast-iron plant, holly fern, etc. Ornamental grasses are often overlooked, but they provide such a unique quality to any landscape.
Low maintenance; virtually pest-free
In addition to their colorful beauty - even in the winter - they require little water, they are virtually pest-free with little maintenance and they are tough and highly adaptable. The one pest to look for with ornamental grasses is the grasshopper.
Now is a good time to send soil in for testing. The Victoria County AgriLife Extension Office can guide you on the proper way to do this.
Heavy mulching is also a good idea to prepare beds for any upcoming freezes that may come our way. Speaking of freezes, be sure to water lawns and landscape plantings if the ground is dry and a freeze is predicted.
Watering this time of year is not as important as in our hot summers; however, it is recommended by our extension specialists to water at least once in November if there has not been significant rainfall.
Lawns may develop fungal disease this time of year - most especially brown patch. It is recommended you not worry with a fungicide treatment this late in the year. Instead of treating now, make a note to treat the lawn in February to prevent brown patch in spring.
Vegetable crops growing in the winter will benefit from fertilizer. A recommended rate of nitrogen fertilizer is one fourth of a pound of urea per 100 square feet, one-half of a pound of ammonium sulfate or one pound of blood meal. Area farm and ranch centers should have these fertilizers available. In the absence of rain, remember to water your garden thoroughly.
It's also a great time to start an indoor herb garden - for transport outside in the spring.
Last, but not least, be sure and provide for birds and squirrels that share our landscapes. Bird seed quality varies significantly. One good way to gauge quality is to notice how much millet seed is in the bag. Millet is a filler seed, and birds tend to sweep this out to get to the good stuff.
Practice these tips for the rest of the fall season before winter officially begins on Dec. 21.
Your garden makeover will then be ready for the upcoming winter months and flourish into the spring.
The Gardeners' Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas AgriLife Extension - Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.
Victoria County Master Gardener Association
