Farm & Ranch
The Garden Guy — Coming into Rare and Colorful Beauty
By Norman Winter
All over the south, America’s most beautiful berry is stunning those who come across it in the wild. Those who have incorporated it into their landscape; however, are in a state of celebration. This berry is non-other than the American beautyberry, Callicarpa Americana.
In North Texas you’ll find it is native in Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, and Grayson Counties but is really not finicky on soil. Though it is native in 14 states, from Missouri, Tennessee to Virginia, Maryland and all states south from Texas to Florida, it has the common name French Mulberry. American beautyberry is an arching deciduous shrub that can reach five to eight feet in height.
Many gardeners are surprised to find it is in the verbena family. Like its other shrubby relatives, it is a pollinator magnet when in bloom. You really have to pay attention, though, to notice the intricately designed blooms as they tend to be hidden by leaves.
Amazingly, the blooms are quickly followed by hundreds of glistening berries.
The berries that catch our eye most often are those with the richest purple, a color fit for royalty. You’ll typically find them more prevalent in moist areas with richer soils of the forest floor but will work in the landscape in typical garden soils.
According to the USDA, the berries are eaten by over 40 species of birds. Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, American Robins and Eastern Towhees are a few of the notable birds you may find devouring the fruit and of even greater interest to North Texas farmers and ranchers is that it is relished by Bob White Quail.
To read more pick up a copy of the September 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Beauty berries make wonderful companions with shrubs like the variegated Kaleidoscope abelia. (Photo by Norman Winter)
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Rayford Pullen
Fall is here which means winter is closing in on us and before we officially get into winter, we need to make sure our factories are either producing or will be producing in a few months.
We have been pregnancy testing our cows this fall and if they are not bred or nursing a calf, we are bidding them adios. With annual costs somewhere between $900.00 and $1,000.00 per cow, those cows not producing a live weaned calf are costing us quite a bit.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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