THE GARDENING NEWSLETTER FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS DECEMBER 2019THE GARDENING NEWSLETTER FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS DECEMBER 2019

Our web site and the email version of this newsletter contain many color photographs, how-to-do-it diagrams, more complete articles, links to many gardeners references and many more answers to your gardening and landscape questions. Visit www.MilbergerNursery.com to sign up. We respect your privacy and we will not share your address or information with anyone not associated with this newsletter.

If you have gardening or landscaping questions we have the answers. Just ask any of the friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced nursery staff at Milberger’s Nursery.

PLANT QUESTIONS

Why isn’t plastic as good as fabric in preventing freeze damage? Plastic mounted on a frame and kept off the foliage is effective in keeping warm air within the plant crown. The problem comes when foliage touches the plastic. Plastic does not block the heat transfer when there is no insulating layer of air. Plastic is more like metal in conducting heat from solid to solid. A combination of cloth and plastic is very effective, especially if there is wind or moisture.

My potted spaths just flower when they want to, and unfortunately, that is too seldom. How can I encourage them to bloom? While the Peace Lily is considered to be a low-light houseplant, it requires considerable light to be a consistent bloomer. Normally blooming in the summer and fall, the Peace Lily makes an excellent potted plant for the home. It requires warm temperatures and soil should be very moist at all times.

Why is it best to prune in dry weather? It avoids the spreading of pathogens which might be carried by the moisture.

PLANTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Amaryllis A Long-Lasting Holiday GiftBy Larry A. Sagers

With millions of poinsettias being sold in this country each year, it’s easy to forget other plants that make popular Christmas gifts. Amaryllises, as they are commonly called, are likely the most regal of all the plants that grow indoors. With only minimal care on your part, they will transform from a leafless bulb into some of the most striking blossoms imaginable.

Like many other plants, Amaryllis are misnamed. True amaryllises are the belladonna lily or naked ladies. Amaryllis belladonna is native to South Africa. The plants we grow as interior flowers are called Amaryllis but are really hippeastrums. Despite being labeled as amaryllis, the hippeastrums are different plants from different areas of the world. They are native to tropical and subtropical Latin America. (MORE AMARYLLIS ON PAGE FIVE)

The Christmas-flowering Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is a prolific and long-lived bulb

that will produce its showy trumpets year after year with

a minimal amount of care. After the blossoms wither,

cut the flower stem one-inch above the base. Treat you

Amaryllis as a house plant, providing regular watering, feeding, and plenty of light.

3920 North Loop 1604San Antonio, TX 78247(210) 497-3760

To find us:Take the Bulverde Exit off of Loop 1604. The entrance to Milberger’s is next to the Circle K gas station.

Milberger’s Landscape NurseryOpen 9:00 to 6:00 Monday to SaturdayAnd 10:00 to 5:00 on Sundays

Gardening South Texas on the air at KLUP (am 930)Saturday and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

To have your gardening questions answered during show hours ONLY call 210-308-8867 or 1-866-308-8867

“LIKE” us

Facebook.com.milberger’s nursery

Follow us

@milbergerssa

Or on the World Wide Web atwww.milbergernursery.comnursery@milbergersa.com

PAGE 2 www.MilbergerNursery.com

MILBERGER NURSERY IS DONATING A PORTION OF THE SALES OF EVERY

FRESH CUT CHRISTMAS TREE TO THE SAN ANTONIO AREA SALVATION ARMY

And Annual Open House Saturday ~ December 7th, 2019

Dressed in Dickens costumes strolling through the nursery caroling all your favorite

traditional Christmas songs

Our Writers have the answers: Dr. Jerry Parsons is a well renown Horticulture Specialist who is retired from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in San Antonio; Dr. Calvin Finch is the retired Director of Water Conservation and Technology at the Texas A&M University System. The Gardening Newsletter for South Central Texas is edited by Marc Hess at mhess@hctc.coop.

THE GARDENING NEWSLETTER FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS PAGE 3

Cowboy Christmas

Hot Chili and Cool Music Sunday ~ December 8th, 2019

Prepared by

11am until the pot runs out!

Prepared by

11am until the pot runs

out!

11am ‘till the pot runs out!

11am until the pot runs out!

MILBERGER NURSERY IS DONATING A PORTION OF THE SALES OF EVERY FRESH CUT CHRISTMAS TREE TO THE SAN ANTONIO AREA SALVATION ARMY

100% OF PROCEEDS DONATED TO

11am - 3pm

11am - 3pm

Tasty sweet treats served fresh

11am - 3pm

Free rides through the forest of

11am - 3pm

Bring your camera! Great

Bring your kids by to see

South Texas’ Own

Playing and singing the very best in

11am - 3pm

Accepting donations to the

Compliments of Milberger Nursery

opportunity for fun family photos!!

SALVATION ARMY THE SAN ANTONIO AREA

Cakes are $2.00 each

Starting at 11am

Enjoy a bowl of delicious

traditional western country music

living and fresh cut Christmas Trees

San Antonio Area Salvation Army

Accepting donations to the

San Antonio Area Salvation Army

PAGE 4 www.MilbergerNursery.com

WINTER READY?

Cold Weather and Your PlantsBy Calvin Finch, retired Director of Water Conservation at Texas A&M University

Cold weather can put lawns in many neighborhoods on the road to dormancy. You can recognize dormancy by browning. The browning begins in the most open or lowest parts of the lawn, which are the coldest spots. The browning means that it is too late to fertilize the grass with a “winterizer” fertilizer. The lawn must have green fully-functioning grass blades to take up high levels of nutrients from fertilizer. Dormancy also means that it is time to cut way back on watering if you have not already done so. No level of irrigation will green-up a dormant lawn when the weather is cool. What the watering may do is stimulate weed growth.

St. Augustine grass is the last grass species to go dormant. Some winters it will stay green long after zoysia, buffalo, and Bermuda grass have quit growing for the winter. St. Augustine also is the most cold sensitive in terms of freeze damage. A dormant lawn is less susceptible to freeze damage.

There is another good reason to reduce lawn watering during the winter. Water companies determine sewer service rates during the winter on

the basis of average water use for 90 days during three consecutive billing periods beginning in

November and ending in March. The theory is that most of the water used during these months is used in the house, and all of that water goes down the sewer and must be treated.

It is not necessary to remove the leaves on tomatoes or tropicals that were tip-burned from the cold, but in situations where tomatoes and tender annuals were frozen back significantly it may be time to pull the plant. Collect the full-size fruit to ripen in the house and compost the rest.

A short, light freeze will probably not be hard enough to kill stems on woody tropicals like bougainvillea, hibiscus

or citrus. Still you should move them to freeze-proof shelter where it is possible and organize your protection for the next freeze.

A healthy well-watered plant survives cold better than a dried out plant, so watering when the plants are dry is essential, especially for one that is actively growing in the winter. That does not mean, however, that watering at the last minute before a freeze will contribute to cold tolerance. Cold tolerance is dependent on a plant’s genetics and its health at the time of a freeze.

You can find excellent quality mulches at Milberger’s Nursery for all of your landscape and flower beds. It won’t float away and when you apply at least two inches of mulch to all your landscape and around trees it will help protect your plant investment and keep your landscape looking good over winter.

For light freezes an agricultural fabric or old sheet draped over the plants may be enough and it is certainly easier than propping up a tent. There are many plants that do not need any protection from San Antonio winter cold. In your flower garden in the sun, the pansies, snapdragons, ornamental kale, calendula, dianthus, alyssum, and stocks will live through all, but the coldest weather. In the shade the cyclamen and primrose will bloom every day through a normal San Antonio winter. Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, carrots, rutabagas, turnips, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, and onions are also very cold tolerant.

THE GARDENING NEWSLETTER FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS PAGE 5

Visit Milberger’s Nursery to see our unique collection of Christmas decorations for home, hearth and yard. You will find the perfect gift for avid and novice gardeners on your list. Gardening gloves, hats, tools, seeds, books, birdbaths, fountains and much more. And for that hard to please, purchase a Milberger Landscape Nursery gift card for any denomination starting at $10.

PLANTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Amaryllis for Texas(CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE)

Bulb size is important. The size of the bulb determines the amount of stored energy. Larger bulbs usually produce more flowers, and the individual blossoms are larger. Smaller bulbs are less likely to bloom as well. Premium bulbs are very large and are sometimes as much as five inches in diameter.

Amaryllis produce extraordinarily striking flowers. You can purchase the plants while they are already blooming, but they are often fragile and difficult to transport when the flowers are present. Most people prefer to give or get the bulbs and then let those grow inside their homes.

The advantage of unpotted bulbs is that you can see the size and condition of the bulb before you plant it. Boxed or pre-potted flowers are readily available, too, but you must make certain they are not dried out or damaged before you buy them.

“In early spring, when it is not going to

freeze, you can move your holiday Amaryllis

to a shaded part of your garden. Then, again,

next fall, you can bring them back inside and

let them lift your spirits for another year.”

Place your new Amaryllis plant in a light area where it is not too hot. The most common mistake that growers make is overwatering the plants, causing the bulbs to rot. Keep the growing medium damp but not wet.

Initially the bulbs do not need water, but as the plant starts to grow, you must increase the amount of water. All of the energy the plants need to flower is already inside the bulb, so adding

fertilizer is not needed.

Most new hippeastra will bloom sometime between two weeks and three months. Some rebloom in a few weeks while others bloom only once a year.

Watch the thermometer, because high temperatures greatly reduce the length of

time the flowers stay attractive. Keep them away from heat registers, fireplaces or the

tops of televisions. Excessive heat also makes the stems stretch out and become weak and

floppy. Stake these to a dowel and tie it loosely to the stem if necessary.

After the plants finish blooming, you have to decide their fate. When cared for properly, amaryllis bulbs can flower for 75 years. While many prefer to discard them and purchase new ones each year, getting the plants to rebloom isn’t difficult.

PAGE 6 www.MilbergerNursery.com

Under the right conditions a Mexican Lime tree can grow to as much as six feet tall. The crown is dense, making the key lime an excellent shade tree. The bark is smooth and dark brown in color. White, fragrant flowers bloom in spring. When they first emerge, the petals have a slightly purple tinge that fades quickly. Flowers have both male and female parts, known as perfect flowers.

TREES AND SHRUBS

Easy, Sweet and Reliable Citrusfor Your Backyard By Drew MillerGrowing your own citrus tree can be a rewarding pleasure for a South Texas gardener. Not only are homegrown citrus fruit a real treat, but the tree itself can make a handsome addition to a patio or garden. With the “grow your own” movement in full swing, I decided to share with you my experiences with growing citrus in Texas.

The biggest concern with citrus trees in our area is keeping them warm enough in the winter. Most citrus can withstand temperatures as low as about 28 degrees, with certain varieties able to withstand 25 degrees. With a good strategy, it isn’t difficult to overwinter citrus. You can simply pull your pots into a garage or any room that stays above freezing. Citrus trees in winter will only need occasional water, maybe once a week.

When I lived in Austin, I used my garage to keep my citrus happy. In December, when the temps can drop below freezing, I would pull my trees into a cool garage. They would live there until spring when I would pull them out. Often, the trees would lose their leaves over winter and would look terrible. No worries though; if the trees defoliate in winter, they will recover just fine the following spring.

Citrus trees like a spot in full sun, but partial shade will also be just fine. Trees grown in a pot will need water regularly during the summer, maybe as much as once a day. Throughout the rest of the year,

every few days will be fine. Be sure to check the moisture level in your pots every

few days to determine when they need water. I recommend

using a granular slow-release fertilizer to keep

your trees productive. Seek out fertilizers made specifically for citrus trees. Follow the directions on the bag of fertilizer you decide to use. Minor insect/pest issues are easily solved with an organic pesticide.

Among my favorite varieties for Texas

are Satsuma manarins which are amazingly sweet,

particularly after they have been kissed by a few cold nights. Meyer

lemons do well here, too. They have fragrant flowers and quality large lemons that ripen in mid-winter. Meyer lemons are one of the only citruses that will continue to bloom even after they have set fruit. They bloom off and on nearly year-round and are just as useful as an ornamental as they are for fruit production. Mexican limes, Ruby

Red grapefruit, and oranges are other choices.

CPS’ Green Tree Rebate Program will reimburse customers $50 per tree for approved trees planted between Oct 1, 2019 and April 30, 2020. Trees must be five gallons or larger and from a qualified species list. Milbergers stocks the trees that meet the CPS Rebate qualifications. Application forms, instructions and guidelines are available at Milberger Nursery or at www.milbergernursery.com.

Subscriptions to Milberger’s Gardening Newsletter for South Central Texas are free, compliments of Milberger’s Landscaping and Nursery. The newsletter is published at the beginning of each month.

TO RECEIVE this free newsletter, complete this form and return it to Milberger’s Nursery or by calling (210) 497-3760. You can sign up on-line at www.milbergernursery.com.

We respect your privacy. Your name will not be shared with anyone not associated with Milberger Nursery.

SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE FREE

NAME _____________________________________________

ADDRESS __________________________________________

CITY ______________________________________________

STATE______________ ZIP CODE ____________________

EMAIL _____________________________________________

THE GARDENING NEWSLETTER FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS PAGE 7

December is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs. Planting now gives the plant time to establish its root system before the shoot growth develops in the spring. Less supplemental watering is required through the winter.

It is also an ideal time to prepare planting areas for spring planting. Temperate weather means that there is still time to plant or continue planting some of the cool-season vegetable crops depending on where you live.

Planting: It is not too late to plant pansies, the premier color plant for the winter here in South Texas. They’re hardy, will bloom over a long season, and come in a wide array of colors. The old-fashioned face varieties have been steadily improved for better garden performance, and many new varieties with solid or bi-colors without a face are now available. You can get anything from bold orange, yellow and red, to pale pastels. You can also plant flowering kale, Dianthus, calendula, viola, Johnny jump-ups, alyssum, and snapdragons.

Lantana, mallow hibiscus, Esperanza and other cold sensitive plants will freeze back to the ground

when it gets cold enough. After that, cut them back and they’ll bloom again when the warm weather returns. Most container plants react to the season by reducing growth rates.

Prune: This is the ideal pruning time for many trees and shrubs. If you have oak trees in need of pruning, begin now. It is especially critical in areas where the oak wilt fungus is a problem. Apply horticultural tree wound dressing on all oak cuts. Prune out dead, damaged or diseased wood from trees and shrubs. Avoid topping or dehorning.

On the lookout: Watch for pillbugs (sowbugs, rollie-pollies) eating seedlings and young transplants of flowering annuals such as bluebonnets, pansies, etc. Scale and other hard-to-kill insect pests may be overwintering on your trees or shrubs.

Odd Jobs: Do not allow heavy accumulations of leaves to pile up on the lawn area. If they get wet and pack together, the grass can be damaged. It is best to rake leaves or pick them up with a mower and bagger and place them in a compost pile.

Winter is an Ideal Planting TimeBy Dr. Jerry Parsons

DECEMBER GARDENING TIPS

For more detailed and complete Gardening Tips from Jerry Parsons go to www.MilbergerNursery.com and follow the newsletter link that reads “Monthly Gardening Tips.”

Milberger’s Landscape Nursery3920 N Loop 1604 ESan Antonio, TX 78247

PRSRT STDU. S. Postage

P A I DKerrville, TXPermit 89

A mockingbird watches from its perch in these branches of Possumhaw Holly. In springtime, the tree is covered with white blooms. The leaves remain dark green through autumn, eventually shifting to yellow as we head into winter. In the wintertime the tree is stunning in its minimalism, bare gray branches covered with small yellow to orange to red berries.

Christmas TreesMilberger’s has only the most reliable selection of Christmas Trees. Fresh cut, displayed and kept in water

Noble Firs

Nordmann Firs

Frazer Firs

A portion of all Christmas Tree sales will be donated to the San Antonio Area Salvation Army.