Please, don't do this to your trees

This is a good example of how NOT to prune crape myrtles.

I about had a heart attack one fine fall day as I was walking with my family around my neighborhood. I was chatting idly, when suddenly I looked up and saw three of my absolutely favorite trees had been BUTCHERED.

Yes... butchered. Three magnificently tall crape myrtles with gorgeous trunks and beautiful stark bark had been hacked to half their size.

From across the street, I could see the the residents had been trying to do one of two things... make the trees short enough to not touch the power/phone/cable lines going to their home OR follow the very bad old wives' tale.

And that's just what it is... an old wives' tale, perpetuated by tree trimmers, landscapers and neighbors who just don't know any better.

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Categories: trees and shrubs |

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My garden is snoozing...

I'm back after a relaxing few days for the Christmas holiday... and of course I spent some of my time off in the garden -- cleaning up.
We gathered as many of the remaining pecans that we could... even climbing on the roof and gathering them there. I think we got about 4 more paper grocery bags worth. We chopped up leaves and bundled branches, hauling them to the curb.
I'm amazed at how much stuff one tree can drop on a yard -- branches, nuts, leaves... this tree -- as wonderful as it is -- can be a headache sometimes.

I've been worried about Limey.... Mexican lime trees do not like the cold, and we've had some very cold nights lately. Some of the new growth froze and some of the leaves have dropped, even though we covered the tree with a frost blanket. To help, we moved our rain barrel to right next to the tree and filled it with water. I'm hoping that the barrel is absorbing heat from the sun all day, which it will then release at night, helping to keep Limey warm.

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Categories: vegetables and fruits |

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There are always chores in the garden

You'd think that cold weather would put a damper on outdoor gardening tasks. Yes, winter is just days away and it's been cold. Yes, many of my trees have gone dormant, and yes, the tomatoes and squash are toast. But there's so much to do.

Take care of the garden tools
If there's one thing I'm not good at -- it's cleaning my tools and stowing them away in the shed. But that's exactly what I should be doing. I should be cleaning all the dirt and rust from my shovels and rakes and sharpening the blades and edges.
I need to run the lawn mower until the engine is dry and change out the oil. I should also take the mower in to a service shop for yearly maintenance. Now is the perfect time before the spring rush.

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Categories: general tips |

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Forlorn fig

This fig tree's roots are snarled.

My neighbor's been just dying to plant a shade tree in her front yard. Problem is... the only space available is inhabited by a little fig tree planted by the previous residents.

She hummed and hawed for a while over what to do, and finally settled on transplanting the fig to another area. She tackled the job over the weekend.

I advised her -- since the tree is small, but not as small as most nursery plants -- to dig a wide area around the trunk to accommodate the root ball. The tree has been in the ground about four years, and it should have put down some roots.

I was wrong.

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Categories: trees and shrubs |

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Eat Local Week

The first "Eat Local Week" kicks off tomorrow at the Austin Farmer's Market, as part of an effort to encourage Central Texans to try the wonderful food local food producers, farmers and restaurants have to offer.
The event, which runs through December 15, will include dishes from locally-grown ingredients at participating markets and restaurants.
For more information and a list of those participants and events, go to www.edibleaustin.com

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Categories: around Austin |

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