UPDATE: "Recovery of Plants After Harvey" February 14, 2018 Program

FYI!  We are trying to decide where to have our next meeting.  Hurricane Harvey has left us without a meeting room.  I will let everyone know a/s/a/p!!!

=============================================
OK Herbies!  We are having the program that was scheduled for last month.  Here is the information!  Hope to see everyone there!


Our next meeting on "Recovery of Plants After Harvey" will on be Wednesday, February 14, 2018 at Mimi Baugh's house located at 133 Prairie Road, Fulton, Texas.  We will meet at 10:00 a.m.  Hope to see everyone there!

Cindy Meredith will have herbs for sale from her business The Herb Cottage http://www.theherbcottage.com/. 

Hope to see everyone there!

Winter Holiday Luncheon

On behalf of our members, I want to say that our luncheon was a great success with lots of good food, friends and conversations.   A special thanks to Ruth Hoese for opening her beautiful house for our luncheon. 

Our next meeting on "Recovery of Plants After Harvey" will on be Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at Mimi Baugh's house located at 133 Prairie Road, Fulton, Texas.  We will meet at 10:00 a.m.  Hope to see everyone there!  

• Cookies Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
  8 Tablespoons Butter (1 stick of butter) 
  ½ Tablespoons fresh Rosemary, finely chopped (1 ½ teaspoons)
  ¼ Cup superfine sugar 
  1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 
  Sugar 
  Cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Work in the flour and rosemary to make soft dough; shape into a ball.  Roll out on a floured surface until ¼ inch thick, cut into rounds with a 2” fluted cutter.  Bake on a greased baking sheet in a 325° oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the shortbread changes color.  Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar.  Makes about 12 cookies.

So because I have friends of many faiths, at this time of year I say "Happy Winter Holidays"! Whatever greeting you choose to use say it from the heart and allow others to choose their greetings! We are all here on this one little planet, and we should all say "PEACE"! 

HAPPY WINTER HOLIDAYS!!

Herbie a/k/a Linda 

Information for upcoming information for Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group

Hey Herbies! 

 

Pam Stranahan presented an excellent program yesterday, along with food samples, on "How archeologists determine what prehistoric folks ate!!" It was a great program! Thanks so much Pam! For any of you that are interested in this subject, and have a Facebook account, check out Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute for more information on some of ways they can determine what foods were eaten. Pam also gave us a couple of websites to check out: www.txarch.org and www.texasbeyondhistory.net.  Both sites have lots of good information about Texas archaeology. Also she had a very informative book on the subject Mother Earth’s Mercantile: Plants of the Four Corners Area and Their Uses Through Time www.crowcanyon.org/publications/mother_earths_mercantile.asp. 

 

Pam is on the Board of The Friends of the History Center for Aransas County www.aransashistorycenter.org/about-aransas-history-center.   They are having a Grand Opening for their new office on Saturday, May 17, from 10:00 until noon at 801 E. Cedar Street, Rockport, Texas www.aransashistorycenter.org/upcoming-events.  The historic house will have gardens planted and Pam asked our group, Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, if we would be interested in planting and attending to the herb garden. We voted a YES; we would like to do this. We will get back with more information at a later date! If you have this Saturday free, go over and check out the place.

 

For any of you that are interested, we are giving a program at the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center www.stxbot.org on Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 until noon. The program is "Culinary Herbs 101: Growing, Harvesting, Using" and we will have information handouts, recipe handouts along with tastings and some herbs for sale. So far, Cindy, Lois, Pat and I are planning on participating. If anyone else is interested, please contact me a/s/a/p!

 

Our May 14 meeting will be a Field Trip to the Herb Cottage owned by our member Cindy Meredith www.theherbcottage.com.   We will meet at the Ace Hardware parking lot and depart promptly at 8:00 and car pool up. Be sure to bring your lunch and any goodies that you might want to share. It's always a fun trip to visit Cindy's place out in the country and always lots of wonderful plants! Please RSVP, yes or no.

 

Nice weather is here finally, so go out and play in the dirt!

Great Gardening,

Linda

March 2013 Newletter

Hello Herbies!

I know everyone has been busy, but you did miss a really great program about Mandrake. http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-13-2013-program.html  Cindy did a great job, and it was enjoyed by all that were there. Cindy has ordered Mandrake seeds, so maybe we can try growing some soon. It is a very pretty plant, . . .just don't uproot it or else! 

Photo from Wikipedia.

Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family (Solanaceae).

Also, I had a list of recipes for dog biscuits that some of you asked for, so if you want the recipes, let me know and I'll forward them to you!

Hope to see everyone for our April 10, 2013 program which will be presented by me on Piperaceae (pepper family). There are a whole lot more than just black pepper Piper nigrum!  

After some discussion, we took a vote and decided that since so many of us travel in the summer and have family and guests visiting, that we are not going to have programs in June or July! 

Also for those Herbies that just love herbs, The 18th Annual Herbal Forum Festival Hill, Round Top, Texas will be held Friday and Saturday March 22 and 23, 2013.

For more information check out website: http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com/2013/03/from-website-httpfestivalhill.html or website: http://festivalhill.org/events/herbal-forum/  
 

They have workshops scheduled for Friday and a wonderful array of presenters scheduled for Saturday and a Plant Sale and other shopping choices, i.e. Shopping Galore!
Plant Sale sponsored by The Herb Society of America -Pioneer Unit
“Thyme Well Spent” Gift Shop Herbal Forum Book Store
“Thyme Well Spent” in the Garden
 

And if you haven't been to Festival Hill, you really need to go. It is a wonderful experience and the gardens are out of this world!  Check out website: http://festivalhill.org/campus-facilities/gardens/.

L'Ella is a member of the Aransas Pass Woman's Club and announced that they are having their 9th Annual Style Show & Luncheon next month. Here is the information and website: http://thewomansclubofaransaspass.org/index.html.   Sounds like a fun event.

9th Annual Style Show & luncheon

Basic Information:

Your tax deductible* donations go toward local graduate senior scholarships and local charities. Last year we were able to give several additional scholarships based on the generosity of our sponsors. Our silent drawing items and theme baskets vary and grow each year as we try to find something to interest everyone. Our ladies put a lot of effort into this event and it gets better each year. We hope that you will join us and have a great time!

Friends Working Together...To Build A Brighter Future

The Woman's Club of Aransas Pass

Tickets purchased online can be picked up at Will Call table on day of event.

Date: April 13, 2013

Time: 11:00 am (Doors will open at 10:30)

Theme: Hawaii

We are starting to get our Annual Style Show planned out. Tickets are available online and soon we will have more information and flyers available. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support of our event.
 

*See your tax professional for more information.

Purchase tickets or sponsor our style show below. A convenience fee has been added to the online prices. Thank you for your support!

If you are around, don't forget the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale March 23, 2013 from 9 to 1 at website: http://aspmastergardeners.org/.

Saturday, March 23, SPRING PLANT SALE, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Coastal Oaks Garden at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-Aransas County, 892 Airport Road, Rockport. Click Plant Sale List Spring 2013 for the list of plants for sale. Click Plant Sale Pictures Spring 2013 for pictures and additional information.

Don't forget to read our Rockport Herbies Blog http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com/  with lots of good information about herbs, gardening and cooking!

Hope to see everyone next month!

 

Linda a/k/a Herbie

Male Gulf Frittilary on Blue Passion Flower Vine, photo by Linda T. Collins

 

More Herb Information coming sooon!

I am working on some new articles to post. Two that will be posted soon are on:

I. Bay: Basically, there are five different trees that are referred to as bay trees.

1. Laurus nobilis, which is what we consider to be the "true bay", is also known by the common names of bay laurel, sweet laurel, laurel, or sweet bay.

2. Umbellularia californica, also known by the common names California Bay or Oregon Myrtle, is often sold by spice companies as California bay and is a substitute for the L. nobilis.

3. Persea borbonia, also known as Red Bay, is what we see growing here on the coastal bend.

4. P. borbonia var. pubescens, is known as Swamp Bay, and it also grows here on the coastal bend.

5. Magnoliaceae virginia, also known as Sweet Bay, is in the Magnoliaceae family and produces a beautiful white flower very similar to the Southern Magnolia flower. It grows in acidic soil and is found in East Texas.

and

II. Luffa gourds a/k/a Loofahs with origins in Asia. They have about 8 species and belong to the Cucurbitaceae family which also includes squash, pumpkin, cucumber, and many types of melons. Be sure to check out the GOURDS PROGRAM presented by Pat Baugh for more information about lots of other gourds!

Until then, Great Gardening!

SWEET ANNIE- Under-used plant in the Artemisia family

Be sure to check out Cindy's May Newsletter about Sweet Annie!

It is a sweetly scented herb, as the name suggests. From the large Artemisia family, Sweet Annie is one of the few annuals in the group.

For the rest of the story, click on the following link:

http://theherbcottage.com/5-11_sweet_annie.html

SEVENTH ROCKPORT HERB FESTIVAL

Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Paws & Taws Fulton Convention Center, 402 N. Fulton Beach Road, Rockport-Fulton, TX

Presented by the Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group

SPEAKERS

On-going Anita Reeves, A-ReMark-able Experience, Distillation Demonstration

9:00 a.m. Judy Barrett, author of What Can I Do With My Herbs? and What Makes Heirloom Plants So Great? and publisher of Homegrown.

10:30 a.m. Susan Wittig Albert, author of China Bayles series and Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series

Noon Chef Kevin Argetsinger, graduate of Del Mar Culinary Art School, presenting a cooking demonstration.

1:30 p.m. Jeff Transeau, Charta Olives, Growing Olives in Texas.

VENDORS

A-ReMark-able Experience
Annette’s Plumerias
Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners
Charta Olives
Earthworks Nursery
Garden Charms
Judy Barrett’s Books
Lilling Taylor Herbal Products
Lucia’s Garden
Mary Ware Glassware
Murder by the Book
Nile Valley Herbs
Susan Layman’s Herb Boxes
The Herb Cottage
Todd’s Home Grown Veggies

Our Thanks to: Holiday Inn Express

MASTER GARDERNER FALL PLANT SALE

This post is to let everyone know that the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardener Fall Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Green Acres. The address is:

Green Acres, 611 East Mimosa Street at Pearl Street, Rockport, Texas, 361-790-0103

I made an order for herbs with Perennial Favorites, and they delivered some really nice herbs last Thursday which will be for sale on Saturday!

There will be an assortment of basils, oreganos, thymes, mints, parsleys and fennels to name just a few herbs for sale. And we have a limited amount of vetiver grass which is a wonderful ornamental grass.

Be sure to check out this website entitled Vetiver Grass: The Sweet Smell of Erosion Control.


My vetiver grass growing in my yard.

See you all next Saturday!

Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners News Column Archives

While doing some research today, I came across the following website with lots of great gardening articles written by the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners. Be sure to check out News Column Archives.

http://www.aspmastergardeners.org/

July 14, 2010 Meeting

SUBJECT: “FORMATION OF THE HERB SOCIETY OF AMERICA AND THE WOMEN WHO STARTED IT” presented by Cindy Meredith

WHAT: Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group

WHEN: Second Wednesday of every month, next meeting July 14, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas

WHY: To educate those interested in herbs.

The Herb Society of America is a very influencial organization. Come hear how it came to be. Everyone is invited to our next herb & rose study grooup to participate in this program.

Our herb study group was founded in March 2003 and meets the second Wednesday of every month at the ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas at 10:00 a.m. to discuss all aspects of using and growing herbs including the historical uses of the herbs and tips for successful propagation and cultivation. We are open to the public. Some members of the group are available as speakers to other audiences.

The Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, founded in March 2003, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to increasing public knowledge and awareness about herbs.

Check out http://www.herbsociety.org/.

The Herb Companion

Hey Herbies!

I've been working on an article about lemongrass, but it's not done yet. So in the meantime, I decided to let you check out The Herb Companion website. Be sure to check out their 4 No-Cook Sauce Recipes which sound great!

Great Gardening!

Dee Gonzales and Go Texan

Dee Gonzales with Go Texan was very helpful with our 6th Rockport Herb Festival. And next year, Dee and Go Texan are going to help us even more! YEA! Thank you Dee and Go Texan!

Here are some of their publications that you might find interesting:

Restaurants and Food Events

Recipes and Cooking Tips

Go Texan Herbs

Olive Oil Recipes

Growing Olives in Texas

Starting a Vineyard in Texas

And check out their website for lots of great information!

Plant Sale

The Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale will be Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. It will be in the back of Green Acres, which is at the corner of Pearl Street and Mimosa Street here in Rockport.

I had herbs delivered on Wednesday from Don Cox with Perennial Favorites in Brownsville. They are beautiful 4" herbs that smell heavenly! There are not only herbs, but tons of other plants!

Come on down tomorrow if you are around. For information call: 361-790-0103

HUMMINGBIRDS

I've had several hummers overwinter here this year. I've had RT's and BB's. And because of the freezes, I have kept feeders out all winter long. And most, not all though, of my plants came through the freezes without major freeze damage. My rosemary plants (maybe 10 of them) have been blooming since early January, and that has been a main source of food for the hummers this winter. And my bottlebrush just started blooming and they are feeding on it too.

I have noticed that I am seeing more and more of them, so I guess they are getting ready to head up north for the summer.

And I've been seeing and hearing the martins that are arriving!

Whether you are a birder or not, you really need to watch this episode about hummingbirds. One of the banders, Nancy Newfield, used to come to Rockport and band the birds. I've met her on several occasions.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/hummingbirds-magic-in-the-air/video-full-episode/5475/

Photo by Linda Turner Collins taken on Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras

Give the earth time to warm up again.

Everyone is rushing outside and pruning back and pulling up plants that look like they are dead. Hold off before you take those drastic deeds. Give the earth time to warm up again.

Michael Womack, Horticulturist and Executive Director of the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, wrote an article in the Caller Times basically telling us to wait until it warms up. Pruning too early encourages new growth, and then we get hit with another cold spell which can cause the plants to stress.

I have lots and lots of plants that look dead, but I'm waiting to see. I've had this happen before, and was pleasantly surprised when even though the plant looked dead, that they came back from the roots.

Patience, strong plants may return in summer

By Michael Womack
Published Saturday, March 6, 2010

 

CORPUS CHRISTI —The spring gardening bug has finally hit. Temperatures are rising. The sun has come out, and everyone is tired of looking at the freeze damaged plants outside. So with bypass pruners in hand, I expect to see a lot of gardeners busy cutting back plants.

In the Corpus Christi area, we are seeing plants sprout. That provides a good indicator of how far back you need to prune. If you have a 6-foot firebush and only see new growth 2 feet up, then don’t expect new growth at the tips later. Cut it back to just above the new growth.

Gardeners living inland and in northern parts of the Coastal Bend probably are not seeing as much growth yet due to cooler night temperatures. If you are not seeing green leaves yet, don’t give up hope. Use the fingernail scratch test to find green wood. That’s where you want to cut.

The hardest hit tropicals seem to be hibiscus, Indian carnation, ixora, tropical milkweed, Hawaiian tree hibiscus, ti plants and angel trumpets. Lush foliage tropicals like ficus species and the standard schefflera also froze severely and are not showing signs of regrowth yet.

Here’s where patience may pay off. If you are depressed with looking at sticks and think that planting a new plant will give you quick results, you may be selling your current plants short. I would suggest waiting a few weeks before ripping up your plants. They might not look very good now, but keeping these plants may give you an advantage in the long run.

Even plants that were frozen to the ground may have viable stems at ground level. I’ve seen hibiscus freeze to the ground and come back full and vigorous later in the spring. Some tropical species simply need more time and warm weather before sprouting. You should see some growth by mid to late April. If not, then you are definitely ready to replant.

If you simply can’t wait to see something blooming, consider planting annuals that will provide color for a few months while you wait to see if your tropicals will recover.

The roots are the key. Even if your frostbitten plants look dead right now, they have an established root system. A strong, healthy root system will provide more water and nutrients for new growth than a new plant, resulting in faster growth than a new plant. New plants will focus a lot of energy on their root system the first year or two. We call that process “establishment.”

Establishment is also important to help a plant survive stresses. A newly planted shrub or perennial will require more water during the summer heat because the smaller root system will use the available water quickly trying to maintain healthy top growth. A plant with an established root system will be more tolerant this summer because it has a larger area from which the plant can pull water necessary for survival.

Michael Womack is a horticulturist and executive director of the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center. Contact him at wmwomack@gmail.com.

You might want to read his article Patience, strong plants may return in summer.

Trees

Photo taken by Linda Turner Collins on the Tippecanoe River, Indiana.


Hey Herbies!

OK, I know that we are "Herbies", right? However, I do know that we also love our trees, especially here in Aransas County. So I thought that I would post some "tree" information on our Rockport Herbies blog.

Ruth and I attended a tree seminar here in Rockport this past Saturday, February 20, 2010. It was interesting even if the speaker dwelled on chain saws more than I cared to hear. However, I did learn some new information about trees.

Tree Paint
Do not use tree paint on trees with the exception of Oaks and Citrus. Make sure you paint within 30 minutes of the cut otherwise don’t bother. One man said that he uses Elmer’s Glue (I have to assume Elmer’s Wood Glue.) to seal wounds and it works. Who knows?

No Spiking Trees
No spiking trees regardless of what type of tree they are. Since I didn't know what tree spiking was, I researched it and here is the information that I found: Tree spiking is a form of sabotage which involves hammering a metal rod or other material (commonly ceramic) into a tree trunk in order to discourage logging. And that Tree spiking was declared a federal felony in the United States in 1988.

Training Trees
Training trees, so start young, between 2 to 3 year old trees. Tallest limb with bud has control of the tree so don’t cut the tallest limb when pruning. This limb has the energy for the tree and cutting it will cut off the energy to the rest of the tree.

Palms
If you are going to prune, do not remove more dead fronds than there are live fronds on the tree.

If you are going to prune then do so not more than the 3 to 9 o’clock position.

If you are going to prune then don’t prune in the fall because it provides insulation to the palm and shelter for wildlife.

The palm tree should have a 360° crown which includes the brown fronds (skirt) on the tree which:

Provide habitat for wildlife including bats;
Provide insulation for the palm;
Provide food for the palm even though the fronds are brown.

Planting
When planting a tree, dig the hole to only the depth of the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide. I read that Malcolm Beck suggests digging a square hole opposed to a round hole to encourage the roots to expand outward.

Do not add any thing into the hole other than the tree, i.e. no mulch, no compost, no fertilizer, no potting soil, etc.

Put the tree into the hole, slightly higher than the rest of the land; put in the soil that was removed from the hole. Do not add any potting soil or other amendments; use only the soil that was removed.

I remember that Michael Womack said that if you need to stake a tree after planting, then be sure to use 3 stakes at equal distances and secure with a soft retainer of some sort and do not use wire which can cut into the bark of the tree. I use old panty hoses and sometimes new ones. I used to buy lots of them, and since I no longer wear them, I thought that it would be a good way to get rid of them. Michael also said not to keep the trees staked for more than 6 months. However, with living here on Live Oak Peninsula, I feel that 12 months is a better choice.

It should be noted that if the roots are bound, you can try to separate them just a little to encourage new growth. Michael says you can run a sharp knife into the roots to encourage them to spread out.

Safety
The speaker did say to make sure the person that wants to trim your trees has insurance. If not, don’t hire him. If he gets injured on your property, you as property owner, are responsible, i.e. liability. Make sure you have insurance and be careful.

Sanitation
Citrus trees: sanitize after each cut.

Other trees: sanitize between different trees.

Don’t leave tools in bleach water (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) too long because they will rust; oil after they have been sanitized.

Can use 70% active brand of Lysol and not some of the weaker solutions.

Heat can sanitize, but only do so as a last resort because extreme heat can alter the tools.

Oak Wilt
Some of the things that I learned were that Oak Wilt isn’t that far away from us. When I asked how far away, the speaker didn’t know. I asked if it was as far as San Patricio County, and he said yes he thought so. Ruth stated: I suspect oak wilt is still not any closer than Goliad, not that far away but has been that close for a long time.

And so Ruth did her research and here is an Oak Wilt website for Texas. And here are some maps showing the counties that have occurrences of oak wilt.

Pruning
And in my research I found a really good website by Texas A&M on pruning.

TREES

by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

"Trees" was originally published in Trees and Other Poems. Joyce Kilmer. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1914.

Trees courtesy of website: http://www.poetry-archive.com/k/trees.html

Now go plant a tree!

GREAT GARDENING!

Photo taken by my Dad, Wayne Turner on the Tippecanoe River, Indiana.