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The Garden Guy- Move Over Fans: The Scaveola Has Become A Star
By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
The Garden Guy was a scaveola guru when scaevola was not cool. Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, let me explain. The year was 1997, and your humble columnist was the coordinator of the Mississippi Medallion Award program whereby we selected outstanding plants for promotion, based on how they performed in trials. That year, we chose Proven Winner’s New Wonder scaevola as one of the Mississippi Medallion Award Winners.
It just so happens that Louisiana chose New Wonder scaveola as a Louisiana Select Award Winner and Georgia chose New Wonder scaveola for their Georgia Gold Medal Award program. Louisiana and Georgia still recognize outstanding plants but under different names. This little flowernamed after a Roman hero Mucius Scaevola may now have a star associated with his name.
Gardeners may not know or even wish to know that this hero decided to show his bravery by burning his right hand off and showing no pain. Thus, scaevola, a fan shaped flower reminiscent of a hand, later became a prized flower. Now however, still botanically named Scaveola aemula, the flower has evolved to a star as the Stardiva series makes its debut under the Proven Winners label in 2025. It is funny as the tag says, Stardiva fan flower, even though it is now a star.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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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