Author Archives: katherine.whitney
Lingering Frost Damage
In the week after Winter Storm Uri, one of our state horticulture specialists commented that we would be answering freeze damage questions for the next year. He was right! We are nearly six months post-freeze, and I answer freeze related questions daily. The top two concerns that I hear about are trees that only have shoots coming out on the trunk and main branches and trees that have big cracks on the trunk. The Texas A&M Forest Service released a great article this week to help homeowners determine… Read More →
Battling Armyworms
Armyworms are on the move! Usually, we do not notice these little brown and yellow striped caterpillars crawling through the lawn. The weather conditions this year with all the rain has made for a heavy infestation of armyworms in parts of the county. These worms march army-like in a line and can eat a whole lawn before you know what hit you! The armyworm moths fly and mate at night, and a female can lay up to 1,000 eggs in masses on host plants, the underside of leaves,… Read More →
Watering Potted Plants
Potted plants are a fun way to add some accent color and greenery in your home and landscape. I particularly love to grow geraniums in pots, and I have a decent track record of keeping them alive through the winter months. I also love to hang potted ferns on my front porch. Sometimes with potted plants it can seem like there is a fine line between too much water and not enough water. A general rule of thumb for healthy potted plants is to use pots that have… Read More →
Stinging Caterpillars
One of the best parts of gardening is just taking time to observe the activity of nature. The list of gardening tasks can be long: planting, weeding, watering, mowing, picking, pruning, and the list goes on. But in between all the activity, I enjoy slowing down to observe all the life in my garden. This week, when I slowed down to look, I noticed a big fluffy caterpillar making itself at home in my lamb’s ear. It was tempting to run my finger along the fuzzy hairs of… Read More →
Summer Vegetables
We have been blessed with some good rain over the last couple of weeks, and gardens are blooming and producing great right now. My biggest problem right now is making sure I beat the squirrels to my tomatoes. June is a fun time to garden because of all the harvest coming in right now. Tomatoes, blackberries, squash, green beans, and many more crops are ready right now. June is also a good time to start thinking ahead to a few other crops like okra, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins…. Read More →
Trees After the Freeze
In the early days after Winter Storm Uri, the message from horticulturists and arborists was “Be Patient.” We wanted to see which plants were able to rebound from the freeze as they started the normal spring leaf out. Fortunately, many of our trees, shrubs, and other ornamentals are doing great! Nearly four months later, horticulturists and arborists are still preaching the same message about plants that don’t seem to be doing very well. Trees are generating the most cause for concern, specifically some live oaks, Monterrey oaks, and… Read More →
Water-Wise Lawns
The rainfall over the last couple weeks has been a blessing in Central Texas after a dry fall and winter. According to the national drought monitor, 72.19% of Williamson County is abnormally dry right now. In abnormally dry conditions, producers begin supplemental feeding for livestock, planting is postponed, forage germination is stunted, hay cutting is reduced, and grass fires increase. I usually like to write about happier topics than drought, but I am concerned about the long-term forecast for a dry summer. Not everyone is a farmer and… Read More →
Update after the Freeze
Beautiful spring weather is here, and we are really starting to see the true extent of freeze damage from the Winter Storm in February. In the first weeks following the freeze, the main message was to wait and see how plants responded this spring. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well most plants are doing! Roses are just gorgeous this year and seem to be making up for the cold weather. Texas Mountain Laurel gave us all a scare because of the ice damage, but they are… Read More →
Cankerworms (“Inchworms”) are here!
2021 will go down in history for some interesting events like the historic freeze. I admit I did not expect a plague of cankerworms to be the next hot topic, but in our current times, anything seems plausible. My phone has been ringing off the hook this week with calls about worms all over the trees and hanging from long silk threads. The weather is beautiful, and we are all enjoying time outside, but it’s not much fun to have a cankerworm drop down your collar or land… Read More →
Lady Beetles (“Lady Bugs”)
This week the Master Gardeners found a whole herd of lady beetles in the demonstration garden. Beetles or other insects are not always a fun find in the garden, but lady beetles are a good friend to have. Did you know there are more than 450 different species of lady beetles in North America, and more than 5,000 worldwide? They come in all sizes and color patterns. The twice-stabbed lady beetle is black except for two red spots, and the spotted lady beetle is dark pink with large… Read More →
