tel: 512 280-1192 thursday, october 22, 2015
Nursery notes: fall perennial sale! All 2 gal. perennials now
just $9.99 (reg. $14.99) including esperanza, salvia greggii, fire-
cracker plant and indigo spires./ Snapdragons, violas & pansies
are in stock: jumbo 6-packs, $4.99. / Deer resistant bulbs also
available: $2.99 - $4.99. (Paperwhites $1.25). / Wildflower seed
$2 a scoop. Please come by for a visit!
THANK YOU EVERYONE for your kind comments and notes
of support about our May 2016 move down the road to our new
location next to the Marbridge Foundation. A few examples: 'I'm
so excited for you guys! Things happen for a reason. Congratula-
tions!!!' wrote Jen Lindauer. 'How wonderful! I love the farm-
stand idea and I can't wait to be a customer!' wrote Taylor Wingo.
'This is great news guys!! Let me know when you're ready for some
extra grunt workers. I'll be happy to lend my back to the cause,'
wrote Tom Beach on Facebook, and there were many more! We
really appreciate each one of you . . . especially during this year
of transition. - Diane and Chris. 
Ten Garden Ideas to Steal from Italy: symmetry, evergreens,
planting citrus groves, cooking dinner outdoors... welcome to La
Dolce Vita Guide to Gardening. Another great blog from Alexa
Hotz in Gardenista.
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Roasted butternut squash soup: 'When the hot days of summer
give way to fall’s wisps of cool air, winter squash bursts from our
markets in abundance. Take advantage of this seasonal favorite by
turning it into a kid-friendly soup sprinkled with crumbled bacon
and salty roasted pumpkin seeds.' Edible Dallas & Fort Worth
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Central Texas Gardener: On the road to zero waste. From compost
to water, we get resourceful! Visit a garden built on scavenged re-
cycles. On Sat. 4 p.m., Sun. at 9 a.m. KLRU
Fall asters (aka frikarti asters) display beautiful color and form. (photo: wiki)
6 Fall Color Perennial Favorites
by Chris Winslow
The cooler temperatures of October bring out some beautiful fall
color from a number of perennials that just seem to flourish and
thrive in our central Texas region.
Chrysanthemums for example - from the aster family - come in a
vast array of colors, are easy to grow, and return year after year.
Breaking dormancy in the spring, 'mums will grow to 2 x 2 feet
during the spring and summer and will set bud during the shorten-
ing days of fall. Some will show color by late September while
others bloom through October into November.
A sunny, well drained location with ample compost and slow rel-
ease organic fertilizer are needed for 'mums to excel. One of my
favorites is country girl. The combination of silvery foliage with
deep golden flowers is awesome! (in stock: $7.99 1 gal.)
Frikarti Asters (also known as 'monch asters') grow to the same
size as 'mums and have lavender-blue flowers. Grown under the
same conditions, they add their pretty color (as you can see from
the photo above) to our landscapes without any fuss. (in stock:
$7.99, 1 gal.)
Both 'mums and asters also provide an opportunity for a welcome
late feeding for traveling butterflies and bees.
Another showy group is the genus Salvia. Mexican bush sage (Sal-
via leucantha) puts on a huge display of purple and white flowers
on plants with silver like foliage with white stems.
Pineapple sage (Salvia rutilens) has deep scarlet flowers, and humm-
ingbirds love 'em!
There are two perennials in the marigold family that strut their stuff
in the fall. Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida), also known as
Texas tarragon, produces small yellow flowers on anise-scented
foliage. (in stock: $7.99, 1 gal.)
Copper Canyon daisy (Tagetes lemonii) displays larger daisy-like
flowers on some very aromatic foliage. This plant blooms late Oct-
ober through November. (in stock: $7.99, 1 gal) Both of these per-
ennial marigolds, along with the salvias, are deer-proof.
American Beautyberry is another fun fall perennial to consider
adding to your garden. Found in the woods around Austin and
throughout east Texas, this deciduous native shrub blooms in the
spring with white flowers, followed in the fall with a display of
clusters of startling purple (and sometimes white) berries clinging
to the branches.
Beautyberry loves shade to part sun and needs some supplemental
watering. The berries are popular with the birds and can disappear
before you know it. (in stock: $9.99, 1 gal)
Take a drive in the Hill Country as the days get cooler. Some of
fall’s colorful secrets can be found along the roadside. Happy gar-
dening everyone!
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
