1. Mulch & water   Your vegetable garden, landscape, flowerbeds

and trees need some help to make it through this torrid month.

Mulch, and water deeply.

2. Lawn care   Your grass also needs deep, infrequent watering

(5 day schedule) and keep the cutting height for your lawnmower as

high as possible. This will help shade the roots and conserve water.

3. Vegetables   This is the month to start your sweet corn, okra, snap

beans, cream peas and black-eyed peas from seed. Because the first

frost is likely to occur within 100 days, use transplants for your

peppers and tomatoes. During the second half of this month, plant

your broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

4. Fall tomato deadline   The window for planting fall tomatoes

closes at the end of August. Some growers feel that this is the best

season for tomatoes. Tomatoes planted in August reach production

maturity towards the end of September, when the temperatures

cool down, creating best conditions for fruit set.

 

                             by Chris Winslow

When asked about plant choices for a new garden, I often steer

customers towards some of the tough beauties found in the xeri-

scape section of the nursery.

 

One of the all-time greats here is Texas sage. I came across this

comment recently on the Floridata website: Sage can face droughts,

freezes, high wind, salt spray, hungry deer and blazing heat, and

keep right on performing beautifully.’ This gives you some idea

of the resilient nature of this plant.

They are native to the Trans Pecos region of southwest Texas, from

Uvalde to El Paso and on both sides of the Rio Grande, and they

blossom with beautiful bell-shaped flowers after a rain shower.

 

In its desert habitat this evergreen shrub can reach 3 to 5 feet, and

can get even larger in a landscape setting with more water. Make

sure your sage gets at least 6 hours of sunlight. Anything less and

it will start to look straggly.

 

Texas sage has silvery leaves that are pubescent (soft and furry to

touch). Flower colors range from blue to purple to pink to white.

Right now you can see these beautiful blossoms all around the city.

 

When you plant sage, be sure to do some deep watering to help it

get established and then back off on the watering. Texas sage

requires good drainage. If your soil is heavy in clay, plant it in a

aised bed or mound.

They do not respond well to fertilizers and composts, and will bloom

much better if left alone.

 

With the advent of plant breeding there is a new group of Texas

sages that exhibit different leaf and flower colors, as well as shapes.

Here are some of the more popular ones to look for... the seven

sages.

 

1. Silverado: a new dwarf silver leaf sage that can grow to 3 to 4 feet

high with dense foliage.

 

2. Silver cloud: grows 4 to 5 feet tall and has a dense form. Its silver

foliage has a beautifully contrasting deep purple flower.

 

3. Thunder cloud: this cenizo has a tight, compact growth habit

reaching 3 feet. Its’ silvery-white foliage provides a great backdrop

to its deep violet flowers.

 

4. Rio Bravo: 3 to 4 feet tall with a 5 foot spread. Its’ flower color is

blue contrasted with teal, green foliage. This makes for a showy plant.

 

5. Green cloud: this sage has a green leaf with a violet to purple

flower. A vigorous grower that can reach 6 feet in height.

 

6. White cloud: this white flowering sage is also known as “Alba”

and will grow to 6 feet. 

 

7. Lynn’s Legacy or Lynn’s Ever blooming: discovered by famous

Texas botanist Lynn Lowery; it exhibits lavender flowers on rich

green foliage. (see photo above)

 

On top of all this, wondrous sage can be made into a pleasant tea

that’s good for our health. Cenizo leaves, when dried and brewed

in a pot for tea, are said to have mildly sedative properties, and

can be used to treat headaches, fevers, colds, and flu.

                                 Happy Gardening Everyone!