Herself’s Houston Garden

I bought some crotons and snake plants to fill in the back bed that got tore up a couple of weeks ago when the electric company replaced the underground electric transformer. As I type this the water company is digging up my front garden to fix a water pipe. I’m beginning to see why the locals give up on gardening. But onto crotons, I’m new to growing them.

The foliage is bright and flowers are not the main attraction on these plants. They are said to be very easy to grow. It can also be easily grown from cuttings placed in water.

It will drop its leaves when the temperature goes below 40′ but will recover once the weather warms back up, provided the temperature does not stay cold for long. It is really at the edge of what we can grow here in The Woodlands, really only zoned up to 10a, we’re 9b. The lower half of Houston should have no trouble with this plant. They do best between 60′-85′. I’ve read reports of gardeners growing crotons in Tennessee, zone 7a, quite happily so we’ll see what happens come winter.

This plant loves humidity, how perfect for Houston.

Croton can grow to 10′, but often stop between 3′-8′ with a 3′-6′ spread.

Best color is achieved in full sun, the croton should do fine in shade as well.

Little is said at any source about watering needs so I’m going to start with average watering and see what happens. Since water needs are inconsistent on the sites I’m checking, some say go easy on water, some say it likes lots of water. I’m guessing it’s not really picky about water.

Several sources report parts of the plant are poison so don’t eat it.

More information:
Floridata: Codiaeum variegatum

I received an email forwarded from GardenLine ( which has no webpage I could locate ) saying not to worry about the webs appearing on your trees.

I noticed them last year, they seem to like my yaupons. In the morning you go out to the garden and find your tree has been covered with a very fine web that goes up the trunk and perhaps along some branches. Often it happens in just a day.

I’ve been removing it by running my gloved hands along the web to open it and spraying the tree with orange oil. When it is too high to reach we’ve been using the garden hose to clear it off the tree.

However all accounts say one should not worry about bark lice. They cause no damage. In fact they are a cleaning crew for your tree. They each fungus, lichens, aphids and other debri from the bark.  The web will vanish in a few days after the bark lice move on.

Usually they come through and do their cleaning in the early spring.  But they have been known to appear in the fall as well.

More information:
Bark Lice: A Pest of Oak Trees
Yaupon Holly

As some of you have noticed, I’ve moved. It was time to leave Blogger, I needed more sophisticated blogging software and a website that wouldn’t flake out around the 20th or so of each month. It wasn’t easy. I had six blogs to move and anything that could go wrong did. Some things more than once. But I’ve moved and everything is back up and running somewhat smoothly now. It was a very good thing I had a few posts pre-written.

I have an article coming up on the 19th about bee gardening. Of course any bee garden is also going to be a hummingbird and butterfly garden. It sounded so good I started a bee/butterfly/humming bird garden under the small magnolia out back. That bed is surrounded by heather which is full of bees already so it seemed a good location.

The ruby throated humming birds have been back about a week now. As always they are fighting and quite vocal when I’m out and about in the yard. If the rain stops I’ll try to get out there with a camera and snap a few pictures to post.

I moved the aloe out to the bed along the driveway and added in another aloe and yucca plant. I’m thinking that might make a nice south-western flavored pocket garden. I have an article on pocket gardens coming up the 28th of this month.

Everything seems to be settling in in the new back bed that got tore up when the electric company had to replace the transformer. The tomato plants are growing, they’d be happier with more sun and less rain no doubt.

I’m looking forward to putting in lots more plants now that the weather is cooling down a bit.

Pineapples can easily grow outside here in Houston. After you’ve cut up a pineapple for serving, trim the remaining fruit away from the bottom of the leaves. Leave it sit on your counter a couple of days to dry. Otherwise the bit of fruit left on the bottom will mold.

Then just stick it in the ground and wait. This one was planted about a month ago.

I’ve some locals tell me they get a fruit after a year, some have waited five years and still not gotten a fruit. So there is a bit of luck involved. Your pineapple should bloom and bear fruit its second or third year. If not you can help it along by covering the plant with a large clear plastic bag and placing an apple under the bag with the pineapple. Do this once the cool weather breaks in Feb. or Mar.

Once the plant fruits, it dies, new plants come from offshoots.

Plant it in the sunniest, warmest area of your garden. Pineapples are bromeliads so do not rely on the soil for nutrition. Don’t worry about planting them in bad dirt.

It will rot if the soil it is planted in is too damp, build a small mount to plant it on if necessary to keep it from sitting in water.

Something keeps stealing my pineapples. As quick as I plant them they are absconded with in the dark of night. I’ve taken to placing 4 short stakes about the plants and criss-crossing over the top with string to keep them in place until they get established.

See also:
Pineapple growing in Florida
Growing a pineapple is novel and may produce fruit