April
- Ignore the white web covering on the trunk and limbs of some trees. Beneficial insects, bark lice, are at work.
- Pick perennial flowers and “dead head” so that plants will bloom longer.
- Ornamental grasses add variety to the landscape. Try some.
- Feed camellias and magnolias with azalea food scratched into the soil and watered.
- Be a “friendly” neighbor and plant colorful flowers in your front yard, as well as in your backyard, to help beautify your street!
May
- Fertilizers will be good for trees if applied this month. If new growth was more than 6” fertilizing is optional; 2” to 6” you could consider fertilizing; less than 2” it would be a good idea.
- Remove flowers of coleus, caladium and copper plant to make foliage even more showy.
- White flowers make a shady area look lighter and brighter.
- Feed crepe myrtles and other summer blooming shrubs. Also feed agapanthus (lily of the Nile).
- Have you included plants in your yard that attract butterflies and hummingbirds? Some of them are althaea, buddleia (butterfly bush) butterfly weed, cupheas, daylilies, hamelia (hummingbird bush) hardy hibiscus, lantana, pentas, salvias, trumpet vine, dwarf ruellia and passionflower vine.
June
- June is the beginning of the hurricane season. Remove dead branches and dead trees before a storm is forecast. Also, do you have any leaning trees that could be at risk from the prolonged rain of a hurricane causing them to topple?
- If you have any professional tree removal done make sure the company is insured. It is wise to be present when tree pruning is done.
- There are some palm trees in Kingwood. If you plan on one it should be planted between May and August.
- Fertilize waterliles every 2 weeks. Cut off the dead flowers. Watch the waterlevel in ponds and replenish when the level drops.
- Compost and earthworms are wonderful additions to the garden at anytime.
- Drought tolerant plants bloom less when they are watered too much
Conservation List
For Coastal Prairie Dist IV:
Threatened:
Elmendrof's onion
(Allium elmendorfi)
Texas windmill grass
(Chloris texensis)
Coastal Gayfeather
(Liatris bracteata)
Branched Gayfeather
(Liatris cymosa)
Grand Prairie Evening Primrose
(Oenothera pilosella)
Correll's False Dragonhead
(Physostegia correllii)
Chapman's Orchid
(Platanthera chapmanii)
Welder Machaeranthera
(Psilactis heteracarpa)
Houston Daisy, Houston Machaeranthera
(Machaeranthera aurea)
Houston Meadow Rue, Texas Meadow Rue
(Thalictrum texanum)
Threeflower Thurovia
(Thurovia triflora rose)
Endangered:
Texas Prairie Dawn, Texas Bitterweed
(Hymenoxys texana)
Texas Trailing Phlox
(Phlox nivalis)
Navasota Ladies Tresses
(Spiranthes parksii)