Outdoor
The Garden Guy: Award-Winning Plants Will Keep You Beautiful Until Frost
By Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
The arrival of July is when gardeners in the south double down, making sure they have selected plants that barring an unprecedented weather event will bloom until frost. That totals out to a 150-days plus. If they bloomed all of May too then we can round that up to 180 days, probably more, and which means a half of a year.
That is a tall order for a summer but The Garden Guy has three plants to recommend that not only will bloom into December, but will bring in hummingbirds and butterflies until you see the frost on the pumpkin, so to speak. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that these have been perennial in my zone 8a landscape for four years.
Luscious Lantanas
There are 12 selections in the series and despite being listed as hardy to zone 9a, mine have been coming back in my garden which is just northwest of Columbus, Ga. I expected catastrophe after December’s Arctic blast but this was simply not the case.
Picking a favorite is hard but I love Marmalade. The orange is so vibrant and plays so well with blue companions. I love Citrus Blend, Royale Red Zone, Citron and Golden Gate. Luscious Royale Cosmo, however, is incredible. It is a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors and you would swear it had an innate ability to choose its colors to work with companions. I’ve had several species of butterflies visit it and it for sure is a hummingbird favorite.
To read more, pick up a copy of the July issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Jelly Cocanougher
Delicate microbes buried just beneath the surface. We walk by them, unbeknownst to us. Spores, spawn, and sclerotia, each with distinct characteristics. It is said that these fungi are all connected, speaking to one another as they populate the earth. The interconnectedness of all living things and the decaying world, such beauty lies within these otherworldly alien organisms.
By: Landon Moore
Landon Moore is the Wise County 4-H President and a member of the Wise County 4-H County Council. He is involved in beekeeping, as well as raising rabbits and poultry.
This essay was one that he wrote, and it was named the champion for both the Texas and National chapters of the Foundation For The Preservation of Honey Bees.
Varietal honey is honey that comes from a single source.
This honey has a flavor derived from the source flower and can even have a similar scent. In general, lighter colored honeys have a more subtle taste and dark honeys are more intense. Varietal honey has been compared to wine, in that honeys produced in different years can be distinguished, even if they come from the same flower and location.
This phenomenon is called terroir and is responsible for the individual taste of each honey harvest.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
Early in the summer, I was sent a press release that caused one of those holy wow moments. The headline said it all, “Proven Winners ColorChoice Expands Catalog with the Addition of Hollywood Hibiscus.”
I had already become familiar with the Hollywood Hibiscus series and was thrilled that the Proven Winners was adding this to their lineup.
This flower is nothing short of beautiful and exhibits prolific flower production. The flowers show three distinct colors, deep red in the very center, then the majority which is a rich rose pink with lighter pink to white along the margins.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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