Tag: Garden View

It’s hard to resist buying mums this time of year. The plants have flowers in striking autumn hues and are available everywhere from local markets and nurseries to big box stores, which make them a fall favorite for porches and yards.

Lemongrass has been traditionally used by many cultures around the globe to calm tummy aches and relieve fevers, especially due to colds. It makes a refreshing tea served hot or chilled. And the plant is valued in the kitchen to enhance dishes as a culinary herb.

Herbs are a great, easy-to-grow, multi-use addition to any garden.

Each season gives us the fruits and vegetables we need, right when we need them!

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) produce a storage root that has a generous amount of Beta carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A. This root vegetable is very sensitive to cold. It is commonly treated as an annual and fresh transplants, called slips, are planted each year. In the Rio Grande Valley, planting is usually between March 15 and May 1. This plant thrives under warm conditions and will die off in a freeze. Texas is the fifth largest producer of this nutritious root in the United States.

Most of us are familiar with the scent of lavender. It is used in cakes and cookies, and commonly found in room sprays, perfume, floor cleaner and bath soap, to name a few uses. After all, its name comes from the Latin verb lavare, meaning to bathe. But there is so much more to this garden shrub!

What is a Master Gardener? Maybe you’ve heard the title or attended one of their programs, but what does it really mean? And how do you become a Master Gardener?

Incorporating plants into your home can beautify your space and create a positive environment. A variety of indoor plants thrive year-round, and can provide color in your home.

July is National Ice Cream Month and I thought it would be fun to explore the history of these frozen treats. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, there are 442 ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers in the United States. Texas has 27 frozen dessert manufacturers. In Pennsylvania, they celebrate an ice cream trail of their 42 creameries for tourists and locals to enjoy.

Texas gardeners usually sing the same tune this time of year — the heat is oppressive, and moisture is in short supply. Some East Texas and Gulf Coast gardens received rain from tropical storms, but many Texans are humming through the second verse with continued high temperatures and a lack of moisture.