Ye Olde Quail Creek Garden Club

by Caro Dubois

During a recent beautification project at Heron Hollow, I was surreptitiously (by Gina Almon) voted President of the Quail Creek Garden Club. Evidently, there was a garden club previously and although I was not a member of it, I want to extend an invitation to all who are interested in gardening or NACA beautification projects to join us for bi-monthly meetings in 2009.

The gardening project at Heron Hollow on November22 involved weeding a flower bed and planting seeds that I had gotten at Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg. I always buy too many seeds when I go there. I don't know how to control myself when buying seeds and plants - my plans are always bigger than my abilities. Anyway, Gina and Brian Almon, Don Freeman, Susie Milam, Sherry Pyle and I weeded, edged the flowerbed with stones, picked up trash and mowed the park. We planted bluebonnets, poppies, Indian paintbrush, coneflower, coreopsis, and a wildflower mix. Gina added a sign designating the Quail Creek Garden Club project. We were even blessed with some rain on Thanksgiving weekend to get the seeds started on their way. We are anxious to see sprouts in December-January, and flowers from spring through summer.

There are many locations throughout NACA that could enjoy plantings of flowers or plants and shrubs. If you have any suggestions, please join us for the first revival meeting of the Quail Creek Garden Club. It was suggested that the name of the club be Ye Olde Quail Creek Garden Club, because of the general age of the participants at Heron Hollow - but we don't want to discourage any young, strong members of NACA from joining us!

Based on our agreement to meet every other month, I am planning to apply for the following meeting dates at the Library for the remainder of the year: March 28, May 30, July 25, September 26 and November 28. We will discuss beautification projects for NACA, and seasonal chores for the garden.

If you have suggestions for projects, speakers, or topics please come to our meetings and/or call/e-mail me.

Caro Dubois
835-0943
cdubois1@austin.rr.com

Check out the March article!

Gardening Tips for February

hummingbird

Whether you are interested in vegetables, flowers or planting new shrubs and trees, there is a lot you can do in Central Texas in February and March to enjoy the "fruits of your labors" later this year.

Prepare garden beds for spring - weed, turn the soil and work in compost and fertilizer to vegetable and flower beds in preparation for planting. Have your soil(s) tested for components and deficiencies. Add minerals and organic fertilizers at least a week or so before planting.

Prune and feed roses in February. Apply pre-emergent weed killer to lawns in February.

Plant in February: artichoke, asparagus, carrots, beets, broccoli, chard, collards, leeks, leaf and head lettuces, onions, parsnips, radishes, potatoes, peas, rutabaga, shallots, spinach, turnips. Also all hardy perennial herbs: chives, oregano and thyme, and cool-season annuals or biennials such as dill, fennel and parsley. Flowers: all perennials can be planted now; annuals - African daisy, alyssum, balloon flower, calendula, English daisy, dianthus, dusty miller, forget-me-not, Iceland poppy, larkspur, lobelia, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansy, snapdragon; and seeds: coreopsis, cosmos, echinacea, salvia.

Whether you are a "traditional" or "organic" gardener, there are many websites here in Austin and around the world to get more information, answer your questions, obtain plants, or to plan your next gardening project. To learn more about gardening in our neighborhood, attend the meetings of the Quail Creek Garden Club.

~Caro Dubois