Confession time - I still haven't pruned the roses! Last year I put it off until the bushes had started leafing out and swore that I'd do better this year. Hmmm, if I don't get busy I'm not going to make it. It's on my ever expanding list of things to do today.
Although there is probably still a bit of cold weather ahead of us this year, it is certainly time to get the vegetable gardens going. Get your cold weather plants in now! By June, it's just too hot in NE Texas for peas, lettuce, spinach and all your other favorite cold weather veggies. I put the kids and husband to work over the last few weekends and now have a nicely tilled garden fertilized with rabbit and chicken droppings. My daughter and I spent yesterday morning planting seeds. The rows are crooked, but I'm hoping the plants will forgive us! My husband and oldest son spent the afternoon fixing the raised beds - tightening all the loose screws and repairing boards, and I cleaned them out and got them ready for planting. Today is asparagus planting day. It's a new venture, but experimenting is a great way to learn.
Oh yes, and I have to prune the roses!
Texoma Gardening focuses on gardening, homesteading, wild foraging, and country life in North Texas & southern Oklahoma.
Have you ever tried planting Hydrangeas in this area? I need some sort of flowering shrub to put up near the house, and would love some suggestions!
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I have terrible luck with Hydrangeas. I don't know if it's just me, or it the soil and climate around here just don't support them. I do have a couple of Sage bushes growing in front of our house that seem to thrive with almost no attention on my part. They aren't quite as attractive, but do flower on occasion throughout the summer. They have been here for more than seven years, and the only care I give them is a prune every now and then.
ReplyDeleteMe again... the other bush/shrub that seems to grow nicely here with little care is the peony. I have some on the north side of the house, so they get quite a bit of shade during the afternoons. They have been thriving for several years and have lovely flowers. I'm looking forward to planting more.
ReplyDeleteAgreed and assuming you live in the Texoma area, Morgan. Though the stores are selling them in droves, I also don't have a lot of luck with them.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a special love for hydrangeas, you can probably still pull it off. I would recommend finding a partially sunny area to plant them in. A hydrangea in our Texas full sun might cook. I'd also recommend treating the soil you plant it in to ensure that there isn't too much of our black Texas gumbo in it and to add acidity. There are special mixtures you can buy at the garden store to do that.
Desperado sage works very well around here and can grow quite large. Butterfly bush is another good choice, though it can lose its leaves in cold winters. And of course, the sun lover: rose bushes. These guys need water, but they can make you look like a rose expert with how easily they grow out here!
Hope we've helped. Good luck!