Herself’s Houston Garden

There’s been some talk on the Oleandar Page about leaf scorch spreading here from other areas on leaf hopper insects.

But this is a rose bush, in a bed with three other roses who are doing quite well. The markings of leaf scorch are distinctive. If you see a triangle of brown on the end, surrounded by yellow, that’s definitely leaf scorch. The discoloration of the leaf is caused by a lack of water reaching the edges of the leaf. The causes for the lack of water are not so easily identified. This plant looked like it was wilting a few days ago and the wilt has continued to progress.

We’ve had no serious rain for a long time here. ( see Rainfall map for Harris county to find your rainfall totals by day, week, month.. ) We’ve had 3.5″ of rain in 60 days most of it about 60 days ago. It has also been windier than normal here which also dries out the soil and plants. Leaf scorch usually appears during dry, windy spells.

Other causes of leaf scorch are a lack of roots on your plant from root rot ( over watering ) or lack of drainage ( clay soil ); from a wilt disease such as oak wilt; or from a bacteria spread by insects such as the leaf hopper.

If you see this symptom look for insect damage. Leaf hoppers are very tiny insects. Look on the underside of the leaf to find them. Damage from leaf hoppers on your roses will give the leaves a speckled appearance as if you had splattered yellow paint on your rose leaves. Or it may give your roses a tiny white dots all over the tops of the leaves. It will look like you spilled salt on the leaf. If you have the bacterial leaf scorch you will want to remove that plant as soon as possible to prevent the spread to your other plants. Other nearby plants should be sprayed on the underside of the leaves with an insecticide.

Since we have been in a dry, windy spell and the other three bushes in the bed are fine, I’m going to guess I just need to water more. If you are seeing this be sure you have a few inches of mulch around your plants to hold the water in the soil as long as possible.

More information
Leaf scorch of ornamental trees and shrubs
Bacterial leaf scorch

See also:
Tea Roses

The tag on these plants claims they are annuals. But I am told that they will disappear in the heat of summer and reappear and re-flower come fall. So don’t be too quick to tear them out or plant over them. They will grow to about 6″ tall and spread to about 18″ across. They should naturalize and spread in Houston.

Cyclamens come in white, pinks, and reds. The leaves are dark and medium green and quite intricately decorated. They are not related to primroses despite their appearance. In the wild they often grow in olive groves in large masses.

These are an excellent choice for a shade garden or a heavily treed area of your garden. They want very little sun and you do not plant them deep so it is easy to work them in around tree roots.

Soil should be moist but well drained. They will rot over the summer dormant cycle if kept in standing water. They will wilt if they are not getting enough water.

You may have to guard against squirrels making off with the corms during the dormant time.

If you buy the corms instead of plants plant them just below the soil surface.

Cyclamens had passed beneath my radar all these years. I first ran across them as a houseplant. They have been a popular houseplant in Europe since the 1600s. By the 1800s the scent had been bred out of them in an effort to improve the flower appearance and they became even more popular as a house plant. Lately they are gaining popularity as a houseplant in the US.

In England it was believed if a pregnant woman stepped over cyclamens she would miscarry, so they were often fenced off in the garden.

Recently I met someone who raved about her cyclamens which were blooming through December and January of this year. That’s what sold me on these plants and I’m hoping for a beautiful winter display next year.  As I write this in April they are still blooming.

More information:
The Cyclamen Society
The Hardy Cyclamens

This is a plant that took forever for me to id. The more common a plant is, the less likely it is to be found in the local garden books.

Society garlic is a South African native.

Society garlic grows from a bulb and loves the heat. If winters are colder than normal it will bloom later than it will after a warm winter. Society garlic will bloom as long as the weather is warm. The leaves remain green through out the winter.

Plant in full to part sun.

Watering needs are average and it is drought tolerant, but will flower less during a drought.

Mine clearly needs some dividing, that will likely have to keep until next fall.

The leaves will reach 8″ to a 12″ in height the flowers are raised tall on stalks a foot or more above the top of the leaves.

This is a low maintenance plant and works well as a border plant. The flowers have a pleasant smell, the leaves smell like garlic if damaged. So it is not a good plant for a walkway border.

Some sources say the name comes from the fact you can eat this garlic and it will not cause bad breath, other sources say it is toxic. Some claim it will repel bugs from your garden.  I use it just as an ornamental.

Mother Jones has a story on Lousisiana’s Mulch Madness. Louisiana’s swamps are full of cypress trees, which can reach 500 years in age. The interwoven roots of the cypress allow them to withstand the strongest hurricane winds. These cypress stands provide a rest stop to half of the US migratory birds and homes to bobcats, foxes, alligators, minks, armadillos, otters, falcons and more. The cypress stands are being cleared to provide mulch. What’s wrong with this picture?

Instead of using pesticides, shock your plants with electricity. Just try not to fry yourself too. Scientists have found non lethal shocks given to plants increase at least one of their protective chemicals against pests.

Pollution decreases flowers scent. I’m sure everyone saw the headlines but pollution doesn’t really decrease the scent. It decreases the distance it travels making it more difficult for pollinators to find the plants.

I’ve been reading Kelly’s ‘Out of Control’ book and chapter 4 has some interesting information for those trying to restore gardens to a more natural state. Not only is it important to keep down chemical use and plant native plants but the order in which you introduce the plants to a garden will greatly effect the outcome of the garden. All gardens stabilize but plants introduced in different orders can mean the difference between a native flower garden and a bed of weeds. Gardening is a chaotic science. ( The full book is online. )

Vanity Fair has a story on the evils of Monsanto ( can we ever read too many of those stories ? ).  This one focusing on the use of intimidation by Monsanto to keep small farmers in fear of the company.

Brrr. It’s been chilly this week with nighttime temperatures dipping into the 40’s. So far the plants don’t seem to mind.

I had put out regular and time released fertilizer last Feb. after my startling soil test. I figured it’d be months before I needed more. But I noticed a few plants showing nitrogen distress Saturday.  So I dusted off the soil test kit and tested some soil this weekend and already that nitrogen in the soil has been used up!

On a good note it’s only been 3 years and already I’ve gone from solid clay to a few inches of top soil in the areas that I didn’t bring in dirt, and 6″ in the areas I have. Things may get used up fast in warm, humid areas but they also build fast. Remember to use pine mulch if you are in the Houston area, not only to protect Louisiana’s stands but because it is less fungus prone and breaks down quickly to amend your soil.

Finally it is raining squirrels outside.  One or  more of the local rats have found they can get to the second floor window feeder by jumping from a first floor roof.  But they miss frequently.  So I’ve been listening to them drop from the roof frantically grasping at the windows below them only to make a nice ‘thud’ when they hit the deck below.  It almost makes not want to move the feeder.