Spring Pre-emergent Weed Control

Now, early March, is the time to apply your twice annual pre-emergent weed control, if you choose to use one. This timing is for North Texas – if you live further south (Zone 9 or greater) you will need to apply it earlier, and if north (Zone 7b and lower) apply it later. We at Desiree Gardens don’t really do lawns, and what little lawn space we have is usually dedicated to native wild flowers. But we know this is not for everyone. If you have a wild-scaped lawn like we promote, you DO NOT want to apply pre-emergents and definitely do not apply a broad leaf weed killer. If however you have a well manicured lawn, you will want to apply your pre-emergent now in the first week of March. This will help control crabgrass, spurge, henbit, and rescuegrass. This should be reapplied in early June, and again in…

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February is here, and it’s time to get ready for spring!

February begins to herald the change to spring here in North Texas, and while we often get some of our hardest freezes in February it’s also the time when your garden will begin to wake up. Most plants use a combination of available sunlight, as the days grow longer, as well as soil temperature to decide when to come out of dormancy. Now is also the time to begin planning your spring garden. But what needs to be done now? This is the perfect time to prune woody trees and shrubs, except for oaks, while they are still dormant. Any remaining ornamental grasses and perennials should also get a trim to be ready for spring, although there are some exceptions: plants like wisteria set their buds in the fall and should not be trimmed until later in the spring after flowering. If there are any deadfall, loose brush, or annuals…

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After a hard freeze, don’t panic! How to evaluate damage.

Well, we’ve finally emerged from the frigid ice-box that was North Texas these past few days. Hopefully you’ve been able to shelter your most sensitive plants through cleverly designed micro-climates, deep watering, and judicious use of frost cloth. Frost cloth is remarkably effective in the day time when properly applied: it provides a 5°F to as much as 10° rise in temperatures during the day time. That’s more than adequate for most plants as it brings our lows in the teens up to 25° plus. The danger comes at night when their effectiveness dwindles, leaving plants to rely on adequate water and ground temperature to help them weather the storm. The most important thing when evaluating frost or freeze damage is not to panic. Some damage is easy to find: black or mushy leaves and stems are easy to find on non-woody plants and can be removed straight away, but…

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Freeze Warning! How to protect your plants.

We are on the cusp of a frigid couple of days this week, and with temperatures dropping into the single digits even some of your hardiest plants may need a little bit of help. Let’s start by going over plants that will do fine in this cold: Any trees or shrubs that have lost their leaves for the winter will be fine. They are dormant and, absent the roots actually freezing, should be fine. One exception is container plants. Any trees or shrubs – any plant really – that is in a container should get special attention as this cold snap can freeze the roots of container plants far easier than plants in the ground. All of your winter annuals should be fine, and some perennials that have managed to stick around this long, even if they won’t tolerate the cold without dying back to the ground, will be okay….

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