tel: 512 280-1192 Thursday, December 3, 2015
color: $5.99 each. If you're planning a raised bed garden, we
have some sturdy 4' x 4' cedar boxes for $45 (reg. price $60).
Living Christmas trees in stock from $20 to $125: Italian stone
pine and cypress, and Aleppo pine, leland and Arizona cypress.
Poinsettias are arriving this afternoon: $4.99 - $12.99. Wheat
straw bales for mulch: $12 each. Free-range organic eggs $5
per dozen. Forward this email to a friend
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Mulled Wine Recipe: with the fall in temperatures, it's time
to shift our focus from the fruity sangrias of the summer to the
dark warming tones of cloves, cardamom, ginger, honey and
brandy that makes up this winter classic. From the pages of
Fresh Approaches to Wreaths: 'At some point in recent years,
the wreath took a leap. It jumped from boilerplate purchase of
holiday decor to an ecstatic swirl of seasonal plants. Wreaths
became something to make yourself and admire year-round.'
A celebration of The Wreath Recipe book in The Horticult
Tool Storage with Pallet: learn from the folks at Our Little Acre
how to upcycle an old wooden pallet into a charming storage area
for your garden tools. Our Little Acre
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Mulled Wine recipe: with the fall in temperatures, it's time
to shift our focus from the fruity sangrias of the summer to the
dark warming tones of cloves, cardamom, ginger, honey and
brandy that makes up this winter classic. From the pages of
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Visit a City Hall where drought and wildlife plants replace grass.
On Sat. at 4 p.m., Sun. at 9 a.m. KLRU
Ten Activities for December
by Chris Winslow
1. Replace summer annuals with winter bloomers if the frost
has burned them. Top performers are dianthus (pictured above),
flowering kale, flowering cabbage, pansies, snapdragons, violas,
and stock. Add some rich compost and bone and blood meal to
the soil to give the new plants a boost.
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2. Plant bulbs: Still plenty of time to plant those spring flower-
ing bulbs. Look for narcissus, daffodils, tulips, anemones, ranun-
culus, jonquils, and muscari.
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3. Cut back perennials: If the frost and freezing weather has
damaged the tops of your flowering perennials, cut them back to
just above ground level and mulch with a compost and pine-bark
mix. This will conserve soil moisture and keep roots healthy and
warm.
Cyclamens - chic and delicate perennials: $5.99 each.
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4. Choose a living Christmas tree: This is the season to bring a
tree indoors for the holidays. Why not choose one that’s alive…
one that you can add to your landscape in January. Some good
choices: Allepo pine, Arizona blue-ice cypress, deodar cedar,
blue point juniper, and Italian stone pine.
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5. Rake leaves: Get outside, do some raking and inhale some of
that lovely chilly winter air. Remember if you leave leaves on
your lawn, they can damage grass, especially if they become wet.
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6. Start a compost pile: Please don’t send those leaves (men-
tioned in 5) to the landfill. Use them to build a great big compost
heap.
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7. Move tropical plants inside… or they will die. Mandevilla,
plumeria, philodendron, ficus, bougainvillea, and hibiscus will
all perish if allowed to freeze. Put them in a garage or a green-
house, and provide as much light and ventilation as possible;
water when dry throughout the winter. If you can’t carry them
in, have some row cover (freeze cloth) close at hand.
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8. Care for fruit trees: Spray them and look after them. Rake all
leaves from around the base as this litter may carry over insects
to the spring. Spray with dormant oil to kill scale insects. This
should also be done on scale-infested shrubs. Inspect burford
holly and euonymous, as they are prone to this.
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9. Buy a little rosemary tree (trimmed). They are a delight, and
make nice table decorations for Christmas. After the holidays,
dig it into your culinary herb garden as a center point.
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10. Rest on your laurels: On those super cold days when garden-
ing outside is impossible, curl up by the fire and take stock of
your gardening accomplishments for the year… and start thinking
of some plans for the New Year. Warmer weather is just around
the corner. Happy Gardening!
the corner. Happy Gardening!
Please contact newsletter editor Darrel Mayers (pictured above)
with any ideas for articles or interesting links:
internationalrain@yahoo.com (hitting 'reply' to this email won't work)
Visit the website: Its About Thyme facebook
Visit the nursery: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, 78748
