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Be Water Wise and Build a Rain Garden
Rain gardens are a great way to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and add beauty to your yard. They are shallow, vegetated depressions that are designed to capture and filter stormwater runoff and are especially beneficial in areas like Central Texas, a region that is prone to flooding. Here are some easy steps to create a rain garden in your yard: Choose a location. The best location for a rain garden is in a low-lying area that is close to your home’s downspouts. This will help to ensure that the rain garden captures as much stormwater runoff as possible. Prepare the soil. The soil in the rain garden should be…
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Planting “Deer Resistant” Flower Gardens in Central Texas
Deer are a common sight in Lakeway and Central Texas, and they can be a nuisance to gardeners. They love to eat young transplants of all kinds and will often nibble on most plants to “test” them out even if they are considered “deer resistant”. But if you’re looking for ways to keep deer out of your flower beds, there are a few things you can do. One option is to plant native deer resistant flowers. There are many different types of deer resistant flowers available, so you can find ones that will fit your garden style. Some popular deer resistant flowers for Central Texas include: Black-eyed Susans Bluebonnets Coneflowers…
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May in the Garden – 2023 Edition
Greetings, Lakeway gardeners! The month of May can be an exuberant (and sometimes an exhausting) time in Lakeway. There is just so much to see and do in the garden! Roses are blooming, birds are singing and pollinators are buzzing with all the flowering excitement in our gardens. The humidity and severe storm chances are starting to rise, so an early morning garden work habit is key to staying cool. And remember to get out there and start weeding before they take over and make your yard work much, much harder! Thanks so much to everyone who attended our first ever Lakeway Garden Club Open House celebrating Earth Day on…
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Five Easy Steps for Creative Ikebana
Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging. It is a centuries-old tradition that has evolved over time, but it still retains its core principles of simplicity, asymmetry, and harmony. Ikebana is a great way to bring beauty and peace into your home, and it can also be a fun and creative outlet. Here are 5 easy steps for beautiful floral arrangements. Remember there is no right or wrong way to create an ikebana arrangement! The important thing is to have fun and create something that you find beautiful! Choose Your Container Start by selecting your container for the arrangement. Ikebana containers are typically low and shallow but they can…
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April in the Garden – 2023 Edition
Greetings, Lakeway gardeners! Will April showers bring May flowers? Only time and a few heavy rainstorms will tell. April is a wonderful month to be in the Lakeway garden with your hands in the dirt. The danger of frost should have passed (the average last frost day for the Lakeway area can range all the way to April 10th), but be prepared in case of a surprise late freeze. April is the time of year that all warm season plants can be seeded or transplanted. It’s also the official start of regular lawn mowing and irrigation. Flowers, pollinators, hummingbirds, trees and many spring vegetables flourish this month too. The delicate purple wildflower with the…
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Celebrate Earth Day at the Lakeway Garden Club Open House
To celebrate Earth Day, the Lakeway Garden Club is hosting their first Open House at the Lake Travis Community Library on April 22nd from 12-2pm. The Lakeway Garden Club will offer an overview of the club, its upcoming projects and how to become a member for free. All are welcome to join us for some light refreshments and to learn about gardening in our area including native plants, vegetable gardening, container gardens, water wise planting etc. We will also offer an area where you can ask an expert gardener questions about growing vegetables, native plants and more. There will be a fun Earth Day activity for the kids too! Don’t miss…
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Ten Native Plants You Can Eat
With these native plants, you can feed wildlife and enjoy the fruits of your labor during holiday meals and other times. It’s hard to imagine a Thanksgiving meal in New England without the traditional dollop of cranberry sauce. For many southerners, holiday celebrations would be incomplete without a bowl of warm persimmon pudding. We may not think of these fruits as being as “American as apple pie,” but in fact both were flourishing on this continent long before early European settlers imported the first apples to our shores. Cranberries, persimmons and other native fruits are among the true American native originals. They’re also the epitome of “locally grown.” As we…
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Let’s Grow: WaterWise Gardens with the Lakeway MUD
Lakeway Municipal Utility District (LMUD) is hosting a week-long series of water-related speakers from March 27-31 at their district office (1097 Lohmans Crossing). Join us on Monday March 27th at 2pm when the Lakeway Garden Club shares tips for successfully growing drought-tolerant, low-maintenance native plants and how to create a WaterWise garden! The Lakeway Garden Club is free and open to all local area residents. For information about the Lakeway Garden Club, visit https://lakewaygardenclub.com
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Know the 6 D’s of container gardening
To be successful at container gardening requires more than just a pot and a plant. The “6 D’s of Container Gardening Success,” as presented by Texas Master Gardener Kirk Walden, highlights how to have better plant-growing results, with the information given in manageable — and memorable D-letter — chunks. The six D’s are: Design Dirt Diameter Depth Drainage Daylight Of course, each topic has subsets of information. Design Gardeners need to keep in mind how much space is needed. Also, they should bear in mind the purpose of the garden, such as whether it is ornamental or intended to grow fruits or vegetables. There are numerous styles of gardens ranging…
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March in the Garden – 2023 Edition
Greetings, Lakeway gardeners! Will March come in like a lion or lamb this year? Regardless, it is a bountiful time in the Lakeway garden. Flowers, bees, butterflies, trees and spring vegetables will begin to flourish this month. In my garden, the most anticipated moment is when tiny asparagus stalks begin to poke through the dirt – then I know spring is almost here! As we head into warmer temperatures and leave the prospect of frost damage behind, remember to review the Veggie Planting Calendar to plan your spring veggie garden. This Texas AgriLife Extension Vegetable Garden Planting Guide will show you all the ideal times to plant in order to…
