East Texas Gardening

One of the finest plantings of crapemyrtles (Ok, what spelling do I use - crape myrtle, crapemyrtle, crepe myrtle, crepemyrtle??? - I digress here for a bit..... David Byers book Crapemyrtle, A Grower's Thoughts, Owl Bay Publishers obviously uses "crapemyrtle". Byers, a very well-known authority and grower of these fine plants, gets into the issue of common names, adding one I had not thought of - crape-myrtle. He admits that there is no uniformity, nor agreement among the most knowledgeable plantsmen, both dead and alive. Me, I just am not a very good speller, so I may spell it with an "a" one time, and an "e" the next. So, bottomline, it really doesn't matter a lot - it's a great plant, regardless of what you call it.)

Okay, where was I - yes, a magnificent planting of mature (at least 25 years old), never-been-hacked-back, 'Muskogee' crapemyrtles can be found in the Heritage Rose Garden, located in the Southwest corner of the Tyler Rose Garden. I haven't counted how may there are lining the southern and western perimeter of this garden, but there are at least 9 of them - well spaced, allowed to grow to their full potential. They are beautiful in bloom, but perhaps the most enduring quality is the sinuous multi-stemmed trunks.

Right now the grey bark is exfoliating in long, narrow sheets, to freshly reveal the smooth, tan inner bark. The ground beneath is littered with the shed bark, making a really interesting sight.

The Heritage Rose Garden overall is also looking great for the middle of summer, and is worth a visit at any time of year. Perhaps more on the Heritage Rose Garden next time.

2008 has been a slower year for mole activity at my home. I've trapped a few of them, but recently, one has been a bugger to catch. I knew there was one in the area - tunnels directly under a newly planted vegetable garden; mounds in the middle of the backyard lawn; and an occasional mole run to try trapping.

I finally spotted a large tunnel system where I've had success previously. Picking a straight-away, I set the Out-O-Site trap in the sandy, dry soil. I check the traps daily. If they are not sprung, I'll probe around the trap to see if the mole made it through without tripping the trigger. This happened probably 5 or 6 times over a week period of time.

I finally decided the dry, sandy soil was being pushed through rather than up, which springs the trigger. So I got a gallon of water, and wet the run on either side of the trap, and then wet the soil plug under trap so there would be a little more resistance when the mole pushed through. It worked the first time!

I think this may be why I was able to catch so many last year - it rained almost daily up until July, and I caught most of them in the early part of the year. So, if you're having trouble catching moles in dry, sandy spots, try wetting the soil.

I just wanted to make a short note to encourage folks hassled and bothered by moles. I got the 4th one this year, including 3 in the last 4 days. I've mentioned before - try trapping in the same run, especially if the tunnel is a bit deeper and larger. At this time of year, family members are probably using the same tunnel system to get to various feeding grounds. Earlier this year I caught one mole, and about a week or 2 later, they were using that tunnel again.

I probably had to reset the trap (Victor Out O Site) at least 6 or more times before I got it. It was just passing through without tripping the trap. The last time I made sure the trap was as deep as I could go without it being in the tunnel pathway, and made sure the "jaws" were perfectly straddling the runway. I also make sure there is no soil blocking the other end of trigger, so when it is pushed up on the action end, it can move up with out resistance on the other. - - Persistence pays off!

More and more folks are being drawn by the allure and romance of growing wine grapes. But before getting involved, it pays to do your homework on this intensive enterprise.

Fran Pontasch, North Texas viticulture adviser for Texas AgriLife Extension Service, announced a July 22 workshop in Stephenville, designed for persons thinking about, or already are growing, wine grapes. Pontasch serves the North Texas area, which includes Tyler, and will be conducting the workshop at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Stephenville from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 22. The program will present "the basic know-how of commercial wine-grape production as well as some of the economics associated with a owning and operating a commercial vineyard." Some of the topics addressed at the workshop will include site selection, risk factors, vineyard labor and operational costs.The fee is $100 and includes lunch, beverages and study materials. Pre-registration is required to ensure space and to get an accurate lunch count.

For more information, contact Pontasch at 254-968-4144 or fmpontasch@ag.tamu.edu or see the news release at: AgNews

Mark you calendars June 26 for the Horticulture Field Day. This is a fun and free event, where you can see the latest flowering plants going head-to-head in the field at Texas A&M at Overton. You can vote for your favorites, which eventually become the "People's Picks" and listed at the flowers.tamu.edu web site. It starts at 8:30 at the Horticulture Farm north of the Overton Center, and then moves mid-morning to the Center where you can enjoy more flowers at the Demonstration Garden. After lunch, enjoy presentations by Dr. Brent Pemberton, Texas AgriLife Research horticulturist, and Jimmy Turner, research horticulturist at the Dallas Arboretum, on what's new and exciting in the world of annuals and perennials, plus a talk by Dr. Terry Stallman, AgriLife Research horticulturist on Container Gardening Research Trials. Click here for the a map and schedule.