By Tony Dean, [email protected]

There are 14 species and several varieties of wild onion in Texas. These herbs are biennial or perennial and all are strongly scented with an onion or garlic/onion scent. During early spring in Texas, underground bulbs (small onions) give rise to two long narrow leaves and a stalk that grows between the leaves which supports a cluster of small flowers. These flowers can be white, yellow, pink, red, or purple.

Wild onions belong to the genus Allium which includes not only onions, but also shallots, scallions, leeks, chives, and garlic, all of which are edible. Wild onions are common over much of the United States and grow in every region of Texas. They are adapted to almost every soil type.

Both wild onions and cultivated onions contain trace amounts of a toxic agent called N-propyl disulfide, which destroys red blood cells. The amount of toxins varies widely in plants, varieties and species, and a large amount would need to be consumed for poisoning to occur, so poisoning issues in people or livestock are very rare.

To read more, pick up a copy of the June issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

By Tony Dean, [email protected]

Many of us who live and work in the country take note of when mesquites leaf out in the spring. For most people, this is just a casual observation of life around us and a promise that warm weather is around the corner.

If you are interested in killing mesquite with an herbicide, “bud break” on mesquites is a significant event and signals the beginning of your planning for a successful control.
Mesquites go through a fairly predictable life cycle every year. This, of course, changes somewhat with location, weather patterns, soils, and other factors, but the overall process is very similar wherever you find mesquite.

To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

By Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker

It’s planting season for many and verbenas are high on the list. We had just fallen in love with Superbena Imperial Blue verbena and piled on a bunch of awards then, stop the presses! It has a new name which is now Superbena Cobalt. Not sure if this would be similar to Shakespeare’s ‘What’s in a name?’ scenario but one thing is for certain, it is even better than ‘The Garden Guy’ thought.

This year a cold spell of a few nights had ‘The Garden Guy’ moving containers to the garage for a series of nights in the mid-teens. It was about five nights straight, when they were afforded protection. Several of these containers had Superbena Cobalt verbena. There were three other containers of verbenas on the hillside that I did not move. All of them are now in a stage of riotous bloom.

To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.