Winter Edition
Tulips here in Houston, Texas are a particularly satisfying sight because they are so rare. Nevermind that they never come back and the bloom is fairly brief. The pleasure is all the more intense.
What a bargain! gorgeous flower from a little bulb that costs so little. You can go about buying tulips two ways. Either buy them in the fall and refrigerate them (not freeze, please) for 8 weeks or arrange to get them at planting time already chilled.
Our warm falls and winters do not provide the necessary chilling to convince tulips to bloom properly. They need at least 8 weeks to hibernate in temps at 50 degrees F. Be sure the tulips you buy are also large enough to bloom their first year, since that is the only year they can here.
On the coldest, nastiest day of the year, when the temperature is painfully cold and it is raining and breezy, that is the perfect time to plant your tulip bulbs. Plant tulips in the month of January for best results.
Plant them about 6 inches deep and 6 inches apart (unless underplanted with pansies or other groundcovers) in soil that has been prepared with Dutch Bulb food and organic matter. Water them in and wait for a little miracle in February/March. Don't be alarmed if they droop a little on a warm day, the next cold front will snap them upright.
With the right mix of plants and a little care on your part, you can attract many different birds to your garden.
Step 1.
Provide Water: The first way to attract birds is to provide the water they need. Putting out water for the birds can be as easy as placing a bird bath in your backyard or constructing a small water garden with a dripping fountain.Step 2.
Provide Food: The second way to attract birds is food. This is where landscaping comes in, as you create a healthy habitat for birds by planting trees, shrubs, and other plants. Different types of birds feed on different plants you might plant. But be sure you choose plants that will also thrive in your site's climatic, temperature, sunlight, and soil conditions.Step 3.
Provide Shelter: Shelter for birds is provided by conifers such as pines and junipers and broadleaf evergreens like hollies. These provide a place where birds can escape predators and find shelter in the winter and nesting sites in the spring. Ask at any Teas Nursery for more details.
The time of year for camellias to shine has come again - radiant flowers from Sasanqua types in the fall and from Japonicas in the winter. They are beautiful shrubs for shady well-drained areas with acid soil (just like azaleas). The sasanquas and other hybrids with slightly smaller leaves and blooms can actually take more sun than the larger flowered Japonicas.
Makes beds for camellias with plenty of organic matter as for roses and azaleas. Teas Rose Bed Mix is a ready made flower-bed-in-a-bag you can use in raised beds without mixing a lot of ingredients. For older beds we have found the Teas CN20 Soil Conditioner will rejuvenate your soil if it is thoroughly worked into the first few inches of the bed. This product is very economical and almost magical in its loosening properties. Of course always top off your beds with 1 to 2 inches of Teas Mulch to give a finished appearance and help protect the delicate roots of these plants. Soil Sulfur is an excellent addition to a bed for acid-loving camellias because it brings the pH down and lasts well.
Pick your favorite colors in the red to pink to white shades from a tremendous selection this time of the year. Try to buy the largest plants you can because they are slow growing.
Covering outdoor tropicals and bringing in potted plants can be a chore this time of the year. You can make your job easier with a few advance preparations and by learning which plants are the most sensitive to cold.
Have a few saucers on hand and prepare a spot for your pot plants. It might actually freeze again in Houston this winter. Our plants are not always very well prepared for the frosts that can come right after balmy 90 degree weather. It would be a good idea to purchase some floating gro-cover material to cover up plants outside. Mulching your plants is good as well. You can mulch now, but you should save some extra mulch for mounding up around some plants later.
Don't waste your time and your elbow grease on these hardier pot plants. They'll probably be okay unless we really get zapped (down in the teens for 2 days or more). This list can also be used to decorate with hardy plants in pots for the winter.
Many of these may freeze back, but return strongly when spring comes. If they are prized pets, bring them in.
Some of the most susceptible to freezing are:
The above plants are worth saving in the garage or a sunny window. If you're really lucky you will have a greenhouse or sunroom for this purpose. One way to make instant protection is to set up a camping tent and put your plants in it.
Except for cactus and bromeliads it is always good to water your plants before and after a freeze. Try Frost Pruf or Muriate of Potash to spray on susceptible plants.
Hibiscus in the ground Many of us have well established hibiscus trees after all these mild winters. These tropicals can be pulled through a tough winter. The more trouble you go to the better results you will probably have.
The ideal protection would be a temporary cold frame constructed of wooden framing covered with plastic and a heat source such as a 100 watt light bulb on an outdoor fixture.
Also good is draping plastic from the eves like a lean-to greenhouse. Some extra mulch around the crown, watering, and a silent prayer are the least you can do. Hibiscus can be considered annuals, so let them freeze and we'll make more. How far to cut them back . . .
Remember hibiscus bloom on mature wood, so cut back only half way if you want plenty of early flowers. If they are damaged by frost, you should cut off any dead branches to prevent rotting. If the tops are frozen, non-grafted plants will slowly return from the roots and bloom by late summer.
Contact us at catalog@teasnursery.com