Raised Bed Gardening, and Success with Potatoes - this Sunday,
a free lecture, presented by nurseryman/columnist Chris Winslow.
Feb 7th, 2 p.m at the nursery. Learn how to grow food in your garden,
and reap the benefits of better health and lower grocery bills. Free.
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ANTIQUE ROSE SALE EXTENDED 50% off The nursery
currently has a huge selection of antique roses including carefree wonder,
greenrose, iceberg, white dawn blaze, katy pink, mutabilis, fairy, old
blush. Sale ends next Friday. (some restrictions apply)
For the Birds... a Suet Recipe
by Diane Winslow
2 cups lard
2 cups cornmeal
3 cups wild bird seed
2 cups peanut butter
(optional - raisins, nuts, oats)
Melt lard and peanut butter together on low heat. Remove from heat and
allow to cool slightly. Add bird seed and cornmeal. Spread onto a wax
paper covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate or freeze. Cut into squares when
ready to use. Then insert into expandable netting. For this, try using wine
bottle sleeves from your favorite wine purveyor. Secure top and bottom
of netting with string and hang from a tree branch. Place it in a tree that
you can enjoy watching from inside your home. Birds love it!
Red bellied woodpecker photo above by Jasmine Jones
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"Making Soup is like Painting" Five tips for better soup making appeared
in this Tuesday's Austin American Stateman - presented by nationally
acclaimed Soup Peddler David Ansel. Click here
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Ten Activities for February
by Chris Winslow
1. Plant fruit trees. Peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates…
and apples and apricots too. These all do well in this area.
2. Plant vegetables in kitchen garden. Asparagus crowns, broccoli,
brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, Swiss chard, pod peas
(sugar snaps) and lettuce. Also onions, such as the white Texas supersweet
called Contessa.
3. Plant winter-hardy herbs. Thyme, oregano, Italian and curled parsley,
rosemary, winter and summer savory, garden sage, and chives. Herbs need at
least a half a day’s sun in a well-drained location.
4. Plant flowers in the garden. Calendula, pansies, stock, cyclamen,
violas, dianthus, bluebonnets, nasturtium, flowering cabbage and kale,
and larkspur. Plant snapdragons now for April and May color.
5. Plant a rose. There are the good old standbys like Peace, Mr. Lincoln,
Climbing Don Juan and Blasé, and some newcomers to look for also,
such as the Knock Out series, Home Run and Belinda’s Dream.
6. Prune your roses. This is something to do around Valentine’s Day.
But proceed with caution. Prune shrub roses. Most of them bloom on
new wood, so a pruning will help to force new growth and blooms. Don’t
prune climbing roses. They bloom on old wood and you will be remove
all of the flowers before they have a chance to bloom.
7. Clean up the landscape. Cut back perennials and apply a mulch-
compost blend. Add green sand and sulfur to plants that prefer their soil to
be a little more acidic. Check leaves for signs of iron deficiency. Light
green leaves with darker veins indicate a lack of iron that green sand and
sulfur will help to cure.
8. Control lawn weeds. Spread a pre-emergent weed killer like corn
gluten over the yard and water it in. If you spread it over the lawn, it will
control those spring and summer weeds before they have a chance to
germinate. Use it in the garden or in flowerbeds.
9. Maintain garden tools. Repair and clean garden tools. Change the oil
on the lawnmower, and have the blades sharpened.
10. Garden plan. Put something down in a book, a diary, or even on a scrap
of paper that you tape to the wall. The more modern gardener can even create
some sort of a spreadsheet. This will help you plan your weekend activities
and get your plants in the ground at the correct time of the year.
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FIREWOOD: stop by the nursery for some oak firewood: $8.00 a stack
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It's About Thyme 
