Never Too Early Garden Start

 … in the spring to begin reviving the garden.

But if I knew then what I know now about the topsoil in the yard around my San Antonio home, when I first moved in, I would have hired someone to come in with a small bull-dozer and scrape off the top few inches of topsoil. Then I would have had a third of it put back into place, and mixed with another generous third of sand and a final generous third of well-rotted compost.

This is what I have finished up with in most of those places where I have plants growing, by the way – doing it at the very start would have saved a lot of time and trouble. The prevailing topsoil around my neighborhood is clay – splendid for making adobe bricks from. It’s dense, heavy…

Reviving the Garden – Tomatoes

by Julia Hayden

So, round two of reviving the garden has been undertaken, thanks to my daughter finding several of those Topsy-Turvy suspended tomato-pot gadgets at the severely marked-down shelf at the local HEB. You know, those things that are actually a heavy insulated plastic bag, with the tomato growing out of the bottom? Theoretically, it spares having to park them in cages, and the warmth of the sun and the water all get to the roots of the tomato plant, with the result that you have just oodles and oodles of ginormous fresh tomatoes hanging from the branches of the tomato plant hanging out the bottom of the suspended tomato-pot thingy. So, we bought some marked down tomato plants and a bag of extra-nice…

Reviving the Garden

by Julia Hayden

Gardening with me comes in fits and starts, and it depends on a lot of things – is it too blazingly hot to spend much time out of doors? Are the various native plants relatively thriving? Was there enough rain to keep everything relatively well-watered without having me spend a lot of time out there with a garden hose? I did myself a favor a good few years ago, by taking out the grass and doing xeriscape, but that was something done in gradual stages, and as soon as it was done I sold the lawn mower to a neighbor for 45$. Month in, month out, all the way around the year, the water bill runs about 30$, and the yard usually doesn’t look too bad. At it’s very best, of course – it looks darned good. Alas, it…

Annual Festival of Flowers

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May 29 (Sat) 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The 13th Annual Festival of Flowers is San Antonio's most exciting gardening-exclusive event. Presented by SAWS (the San Antonio Water System). The SAWS-sponsored event features a plant giveaway, landscaping workshops, and plant sale. Also, get landscaping ideas and expert advice on gardening and outdoor living environments. Don't miss out on the cooking demonstrations and wine tastings.

It's a day of informative seminars and shopping for plants, landscape materials and gardening accessories. It's a time to swap plants and seeds at the City-Wide Plant Exchange — the largest exchange in the state.

See…

Created Friday, 13 April 2007 11:58

FIesta Parades

Written by Randy Watson

The famous Fiesta® San Antonio was birthed with a parade.  It\'s no surprise that parades continue to be one of the largest attractions during the 10-day celebration. Of all the parades held during the annual event, there are three that are a must-see for Fiesta attendees.  These are The Texas Cavaliers River Parade, The Fiesta Flambeau, and the parade that started it all, The Battle Of Flowers.

Texas Cavaliers River Parade
In 1926, the Texas Cavaliers was formed by John Carrington to preserve the ideals held by the heroes of the Alamo.  The Texas Cavaliers had another purpose – to name King Antonio.  Each year, a king is selected from the members of the…

Created Monday, 09 April 2007 08:47

Xeriscape

Written by Randy Watson

Xeriscape landscaping is a revolutionary, comprehensive way of conserving water and protecting the environment. The dwindling supply of high quality water and it\'s inefficient use in Texas has placed the future prosperity of the great state into question. In South Texas, roughly 25 percent of the water supply is used for either landscaping or watering gardens. Increasing population, limited water supply, droughts, and fluctuations in rainfall have all contributed to this critical issue.

While more traditional landscaping techniques address a couple of water conservation concepts, the Xeriscape method incorporates seven basic principles that all have the precise intention…

Created Monday, 09 April 2007 08:42

Flower Gardening

Written by Randy Watson

If any form of gardening could ever be considered a national pastime, it would undoubtedly be flower gardening. Flower gardening can be a hobby, decorative purpose, or even a profession. The motive for building one can be beauty, boredom, obligation or a challenge. Whether it be a novice gardener or a Master Gardener with 30 year experience, any one with a small plot of land is able to create their own functioning garden, equipped with their favorite flowers and personal touch.

The secret to building a beautiful flower garden is to always know what you are planting and when you are going to plant it. There are two types of flower gardening, organic gardening and…