Question of the Month for May 2021: My family has moved to north Texas from out of state. Can you give me some guidance on how to pick the right plants for my landscape?

My first experience with Texas Master Gardeners was a conversation I had with a nice lady at the local plant nursery. I was replacing yet another perennial that had died in the hot Texas heat. When I moved to Texas, I learned the expensive lesson that there is a learning curving for proper plant selection. As we were talking, she introduced herself as a Master Gardener and with a smile she simply said “right plant, right place”.

Mystery and magic…. those are the words that come to mind when thinking about a secret garden.

For centuries, gardens have been divided into different parts for different uses, mainly for practical purposes.  In modern times, the idea of creating a secret area with an element of surprise – a secluded space to enjoy the beauty of nature and outdoors – has grown in popularity.

As spring planting time approaches and the recent winter storm of 2021 fades into memory, you may be wondering what plants to choose to replace those you may have lost or to enhance your existing North Texas landscape. Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas has put together a “Top 100 Plants for North Texas” list that should help you make informed decisions. 

The record-breaking cold temperature, during the third week in February 2021, potentially caused cold injury to a number of plant species in North Texas. Plant cold hardiness is a term used to describe the extreme winter temperatures that a plant can tolerate without significant damage.

There is no way of currently knowing the extent of the damage or whether your plants will survive or not. It will take several months to know, if or when, they start to resprout.  

Historically, Americans turn to gardening when going through difficult economic times. Not only do gardens provide nutrition and a sense of food security, they also help people feel more control over their food source and provide healthy exercise.

There are several different approaches to fertilizing your vegetable garden. Collin County Master Gardeners are research-based gardeners who work with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and follow tested and proven gardening methods. For decades the common practice has been to fertilize the plants and not spend much energy working with the soil. Over time more and more fertilizer is needed to get a good yield from the garden. While this approach certainly works, research now shows the quality of the soil is very important in growing plants and having a healthy garden in the long run. Let’s see what the research now shows…

Do you have a space you just don’t know what to do with? Maybe its in an awkward area of your yard, it receives too much shade/sun, or honestly you and your family never set foot in that area. Keeping Earth-Kind® principles in mind, why not create an attractive and environmentally beneficial wildlife garden?

Having a vegetable garden in the backyard can be a great activity for the family. Your family will benefit from fresh produce to serve at meals, gardening is good exercise and gardening can be a family activity with a lot of hands helping out. It is also an opportunity to learn a little something about nature. You will learn about plants, soil, insects and weather, and how they all interact together.