I n my last fruit tree article, I covered peaches, plums, apples, pears and pecans. These are all wonderful choices, but the options in home fruit trees far exceed those five basics. For example, you can also grow pomegranates, persimmons, loquats, and figs. All four are super-easy to grow in centra...

By Amanda Moon I t is fruit tree planting time again. When properly planned, planted and cared for, many of the basic fruiting trees can do quite well here in central Texas.   Apples, peaches, plums, pears and of course the state nut – the pecan – are all possibilities for edible specimens and/or sh...

D uring this time of year you will see landscape crews cutting or topping back crape myrtles. Some of my customers have been asking me if this is the correct way to prune this beautiful plant. In a word . . . no!   Radical pruning of crepe myrtles will scar them terribly. ‘Knuckles’ are created that...

1. P lant fruit trees. Peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates… and apples and apricots too. These all do well in this area. For those with limited space, or with an appetite for novelty, try a ‘four-in-one’ grafted apple or pear. These have four different varieties grafted onto the same tre...

By Chris Winslow L ast spring was the first time I had tried to grow a crop of leeks in my south Austin garden. It was so successful that I want to share all of the info that I have on this easily-grown and highly nutritious plant. Placed in the genus Allium and the family amaryllidaceae, leeks are ...

T his is a good time to start planning for your tomato crop this spring, and hopefully the five helpful hints below will get readers on the path to a successful tomato harvest. Plant early: Large fruited varieties need to set early before our 95 degree days and 75 degree nights become the average. A...

By Chris Winslow F or me from now until the middle of February always brings with it a sense of celebration: it’s Irish potato season. Woo-hoo! This is one of my all-time favorite crops to grow… and to consume. Potatoes are a cool season crop. They do very well if you plant them in the late winter, ...

1. P erennial pruning. The December cold spell and the recent freezes should have frozen back all perennials. Cut your native and adaptive perennials back to a few inches above the ground and mulch. Mixing some organic compost with the mulch will assure some nutrition to build beautiful new growth t...

T ’is the season, and I’m sure at least some readers have sung ‘We Wish you a Merry Christmas’ in the past few days, which includes the line “now bring us some figgy pudding.’   This seasonal pudding dates back to 16th century England, and was a mixture of custard, croutons and mashed figs. (There a...

By Chris Winslow T he poinsettia has an assured spot at this time of year as being top of the ‘potted plant pops.’ In this country alone we buy about 75 million… and we see them all over the place, in our offices, homes, shops and restaurants.  No Christmas holiday decorations are complete without s...