Planting Trees   Earlier this week, the Williamson County Master Gardeners and I got to visit a third-generation nursery in De Leon, Texas, that grows and sells many of the pecan and fruit trees that are grown throughout Texas. Winter is a great time of year to plant pecan and fruit trees, so the staff at the nursery were running to fill orders. If you are thinking about planting trees this month, you need to know some important things about properly planting your tree. You can do everything… Read More →

If there is one time of year that gardeners should earn a rest, you might think winter would be it. Gardening does slow down in the winter, but a gardener’s task list is never completed. Pruning is a great winter task that I look forward to because it means spring growth is just around the corner! Pruning is used to train plants, maintain plant health, improve quality of flowers, fruit or foliage, and to restrict growth. Advances in plant breeding and selection have provided a wide range of… Read More →

A Benefit to the Winter Blues: Chill Hours Cold temperatures arrived in Williamson County in a hurry this year! I hope were able to cover your plants to protect them from the freezing temperatures.  I have to admit that I am a summer lover and I really do not like the short daylight hours and cold temperatures of winter.  There is one bright side to the cold: a winter with enough cold hours makes for a good summer crop of peaches! Many of our favorite summer fruits like… Read More →

Mistletoe is a fun holiday tradition, especially for those looking for some extra Christmas kisses. The mistletoe plant is not quite as romantic as our holiday tradition would have you believe. Mistletoe (Phoradendron tomentosum) is a parasitic plant that lives on hardwood trees like oaks, pecans, elms, and hackberries.  It is an evergreen plant, but we probably notice it more this time of year because the bright green shows up more after the trees drop their leaves. The female mistletoe plants produce a small, white flower and a… Read More →

  Twig Girdler One interesting aspect of my job as a horticultural extension agent is the bug questions and samples I get to see. Just last week, a client brought in a photo of a Tramea onusta, a red saddlebags dragonfly.  Another client sent a photo of a tomato hornworm.  Some of the photos have beautiful and interesting bugs, but usually the questions focus on insects that are causing problems. Over the last few weeks, I have received several phone calls from homeowners who have small tree limbs… Read More →

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