the Austin Garden | make your own seedballs | oct. in the garden

DIY seed balls: as the time for sowing wildflower seeds arrives, Keep Austin Beautiful offers this useful guide.

Seed balls are a mixture of clay and soil hummus or compost, and create a perfect package for a seed to take root. KAB ❦

Monstrous flowers: in this radio show, naturalist David Attenborough explores flora of the forests of Sumatra, where some of the largest flowers in the world bloom. Rafflesia (above) can be 4 feet wide, and is often called corpse flower because of its distinct odor. BBC radio 4 ❦

New urban farm: Tiffany Washington's path from Navy veteran to farmer is told in a touching profile by Ada Broussard in the recent issue of Edible Austin. Washington owns Dobbin-Kauv Garden Farm, and is the only black female farmer in Austin. “ I gotta feed my community,” she says. “They’re hungry. They need healing.” Facebook ❦

Dry creek bed design:. when it rains, it really pours in Central Texas. How can you control water puddling or even flooding near your house? To direct rainwater where you want it to slowly soak in, Garden designer Leah Churner lays out best practices, mistakes to avoid, and do-it-yourself tips on Central Texas Gardener: KLRU❦

Thanks to artist Beatrice Baldwin for sharing her work with us.

October in the Garden

by Chris Winslow

1. Plant fall-flowering perennials Look around and see what’s blooming this fall. Some good choices are Mexican bush sage, pineapple sage, Mexican mint marigold, Copper Canyon daisy, and fall asters. Don’t forget to check out fall blooming ornamental grasses. Tops on my list are Gulf Coast muhly, big muhly, and maiden grass.

2. Prepare grass for winter Now is a good time to fertilize the lawn. We recommend Medina's 'Growin' Green.' Feeding now will help the roots through winter dormancy. Inspect and treat for brown patch, a disease common with cooling, moist weather conditions. This is also a good time to apply corn gluten for weed control, and to top-dress with manure-based compost.

3. Plant a tree Choose from central Texas’s great selection of native and adapted shade and ornamental trees. Plant one of the many oaks or elms for shade. Or add color to your late winter and spring season by planting a redbud, mountain laurel, orchid tree, flowering peach or pear, or a Mexican plum.

4. Plant a vegetable garden Now is the time for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts from transplants. Easily grown from seed are collards, spinach, carrots, radishes, lettuce, mustard and collard greens, beets, Swiss chard, spinach, and turnips. Garlic and shallots (multiplying onions) can be planted now with short day onions just around the corner in November.

5. Plant snap dragons These wonderful, winter hardy flowers should be planted now for a showy late winter and spring garden. They almost guarantee a Yard of The Month sign in April. Other bedding plants to choose from are dianthus, violas, pansies, stock and flowering kale, and cabbage.

6. Harvest basil and make pesto Also plant some winter-hardy culinary herbs. Rosemary, oregano, parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, and chives love winter and can provide fresh cut herbs for the kitchen.

7. Plant winter grass seed If you have a bare spot or would like to get rid of a muddy patch, sow some rye grass or fescue. Rye grass can also be planted in a vegetable garden area to provide green compost in the spring and soil aeration. Elbon rye seed can also be planted over winter in garden areas plagued by soil nematodes (a disaster to tomatoes).

8. Plant wildflowers These need to be planted in the fall. They will grow leaves and stems while the days are short during the winter and will flower in the spring as the days get longer.

9. Plant fall bulbs For spring flowers, some of the best choices are daffodils, grape muscari, tulips, jonquils, ranunculus, anemones, hyacinths, and narcissus. When planting, remember to add a little bonemeal to the root zone for some slow release organic nutrition. ❦