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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…
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Join us at the Earth Day Open House Celebration
Save the date for the Lakeway Garden Club Earth Day Open House celebration at the Lake Travis Community Library on April 22nd from 12noon to 2pm. 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 even have a fun Earth Day activity for kids to enjoy. See you there!
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How to Outsmart your Weeds Naturally with Corn Gluten
Corn gluten is a natural pre-emergent herbicide to help control annual lawn and garden weeds. Corn gluten prevents a majority of annual weed seeds from sprouting. The dry corn gluten is also a fertilizer containing 9% nitrogen. The liquid form is very convenient, employing a hose end attachment on the bottle for easy application, but does not provide the fertilizing component. Timing is the most important factor in the effectiveness of corn gluten. Corn gluten must be present on the soil before weed seeds sprout (germinate) in order to be effective. Apply corn gluten in late winter and late summer/early fall: Mid-January – This application of corn gluten helps control spring and summer weeds, such…
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2023 Earth-Kind Field Day
Join us at the 2023 Earth-Kind Field Day this spring! Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Travis County Master Gardeners announce their spring 2023 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day to be held Saturday, March 25th from 9 am to 1 pm at the Travis County AgriLife Extension office located at 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX 78721 (map). Parking is available along Smith Road. The event is free and open to the public. The spring 2023 theme is Container Gardening 101 – for indoor and outdoor gardening. The first 100 attendees will receive a free 5.5″ eco-container and saucer. Workshops will teach participants about houseplant care, growing ornamentals or vegetables in pots,…
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Helping Damaged Trees after an Ice Storm
If your oak trees were damaged by a recent ice storm, you may be wondering what you should (and shouldn’t) do to clean up the damage while also protecting them from oak wilt. While painting fresh wounds on oak trees is important to prevent the spread of oak wilt, wounds that were caused by the ice storm are no longer fresh. In cold conditions, trees quickly stop exuding sap and sap-feeding beetles are not active, so it is unlikely that oak wilt will spread as a result of an initial ice storm event. Things that should be addressed right away include: Broken limbs on roofs, fences or other structures Limbs…
