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Complete Forecast for  Sep 04 2008

TOP JOBS

Sometimes life gets so busy that we begin to resent all the chores that keep our lives in order.

I have a friend who once said "Well, I did the housecleaning!" as though that should be that. Ah, if only that were true. We could accomplish so much in life, if we didn't have to deal with the repetition of the mundane.

It is the same in the garden.

Weeding, watering, fertilizing, raking, clipping, digging, trimming, etc., etc. If only it would take care of itself; we could just sit and enjoy. Such daydreams accomplish little, except perhaps buying a few days of rebellion and rest, until the obvious holds sway.

Now that we are having our typical winter-into-spring weather, that is: rain, cold, heat, sun, freezing, sleet, snow, hail, and threat of tornados, we know that spring can't be too far away. There is nothing dull about Texas weather in the late winter.

One day we are outside, sweating, ready to get the garden in order, and the next it is hot cocoa by the fire time. My beautiful tulip magnolias were fantastic this year, for the first time in many years, and overnight they were nipped by an early morning freeze. Camellia growers have the same problem.

First the blossoms are profuse, and then it is too hot for them to bloom. Then it gets cold again, and perhaps, they will come out for a while. As in the rest of life, flexibility is the key to coping with all the uncertainty.

Further south and west of Tyler, wild plums, and wild pears are turning the landscape white. It is quite amazing to see so many white trees in bloom. Redbuds are also blooming, adding bright pink here and there.

My crabapples are starting to think about blooming and leafing out; they will just wait for the right day. I am hoping the freezing cold will be gone by then, so I can enjoy their display. Happy times are ahead in the garden.

Some friends near Austin have a new home, which they are having landscaped. The challenge there is using deer-unfriendly plantings, so that the plants will not be eaten as quickly as they are planted. It is a bit daunting trying to find plants, other than cactus, that the gentle creatures won't destroy. The gardens look very different from ours, because of the relatively limited choices. It will be interesting and lovely when it is all arranged.

With several years of drought behind us, and probably ahead of us, use of native plants has grown very popular there with good results. Since conserving water should be the goal for all gardeners everywhere, picking native plants, which have adapted to drought conditions, will help in that process.

Five Tyler gardens are now open for tour, sponsored by the Smith County Master Gardeners. It will be a good way to see how local gardeners have managed to use interesting plants to create lovely gardens.

"What's Blooming In Our Garden'' is a regular feature of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Garden Page. It is written by Mary Claire Rowe, a Master Gardener with the Texas Cooperative Extension, and focuses on flowers and plant life around East Texas. To share your comments on gardening, write her in care of the Morning Telegraph.