Sex in the Garden With Tex

Here’s my weekly (natch) Saturday roundup of garden articles of interest:

1. You can’t take the ’70s college student out of the middle-aged boomer.

Before the words recycle and repurpose came into use, when macramé was prominent, it was commonplace to furnish first apartments with discards and inexpensive foliage plants.

Carl Youngberg and David McNair haven’t been able to shake their youthful habits. They head out for their morning walk and are likely to return lugging a discarded door or a declining plant picked up curbside. Their shared prowess at salvaging has transformed a respectably landscaped back yard into lush but quirky outdoor rooms where, from spring through fall, they linger over morning coffee, entertain friends and wind down evenings relaxing in the pool.

Read more here:

2. A national poll conducted in January for Scotts Miracle-Gro suggests there will be a 20 percent increase in vegetable gardening over last year.

Retailers scrambled to keep up with demand in 2008, but this year they’re prepared. Local retailers have expanded their inventory of vegetable transplants, and North Haven Gardens, for example, has built several new display gardens to show customers how to plant and what to grow in their own personal versions of a Victory Garden — both in large containers and in raised beds.

In North Texas, early spring is prime time to get nutritious vegetables going before the heat and humidity can take their toll on tender young plants. You can plant onions, potatoes, lettuces, spinach, peas and root crops like carrots, beets and radishes this month.

Get your veggie fix here:

3. Gardeners demand a lot from plants: good looks, low maintenance, and flowers and fruit to attract wildlife. Natives can live up to those expectations.

When we asked Linda Knowles her 10 favorite natives, she quickly shared the list below. A Texas Master Naturalist and president of the Houston Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, she’s especially drawn to this group.

In fact, she says, “This list of 10 great natives could easily be expanded to a list of hundreds; there are so many other great native plants that could be grown. Texas has more than 5,000 native plants, second only to California in the number of native plants.”

What are those great natives (at least for Houston)? Check it out here:

Some gardening book suggestions, courtesy of The Washington Post, via another newspaper. One book is by Texans.

An owner of a very good nursery, Blue Moon Gardens, near Tyler, Texas, recommends the cigar plant (Cuphea micropetala). Why?

This no-hassle perennial is drought-tolerant and has fabulous flowers in the fall that are magnets for hummingbirds.

This stalwart, handsome plant demands a large garden with plenty of room. Its tall, upright posture creates a strong background for shorter structural plants. The flashy blooms in fall seem out of character, adding a touch of flamboyance to its usual sturdy demeanor.

 Find the rest here:

Houston garden writer Kathy Huber recycles tips for freeze abatement: “Our winters may be so mild there’s little or no frost, and when this happens, even tender plants such as impatiens and crotons may pull through. But gardeners should keep an eye on forecasts to be prepared for a freeze.

“Follow these steps to help your plants survive freezing temperatures and rain:”