Shade Tree
We hear a lot these days about how important native trees and plants are. Cedar Elms are one of my favorite native Texas trees. Here are five of the things I most love about cedar elms! GREAT FOR URBAN YARDS! Cedar Elm doesn’t grow as wide a canopy as some shade trees so it’s a…
Read More
Today was our first opportunity to get out in the fields and get a good look at the damage last weeks arctic blast did to our fields. Even though the three rows pictured above are all Date palms, one is canarensis and the other two are roebellini. Clearly, roebellini is more cold sensitive. They are…
Read More
Sunday was the perfect day to spend outdoors – cool and sunny. After burning the branches already in the fire pit, we wandered through the yard trimming dead wood to keep the fire going. It gave us a chance to take a good look at our trees – how they’ve grown, what looks good, and what…
Read More
A signature plant of south Texas, the mesquite tree’s popularity as a landscape tree is growing rapidly. Its spreading canopy gives dappled shade and relief from our brutal summer sun. The mesquites pictured above are growing along a slope leading down to a resaca. Mesquite trees are not picky about the soil…
Read More
I am hoping that this winter the stars will align and we will have the perfect conditions for some of our trees to give us a little fall color. Cedar Elms are one of the few species that show off their bright yellow and golden orange leaves. This Texas native is often overlooked but has lovely characteristics and is…
Read More
When Planting Trees, PLAN Ahead At a tree farm, we think about trees and planting trees all year long. But in Texas, October is Arbor Month. Fall is the best time to plant trees in Texas so the farm usually gets lots of calls then from cities and schools and clubs asking about tree planting.…
Read More
Prime tree planting time is just around the corner. Everything resource out there agrees that Fall is the best time to plant a tree. But, have you ever stopped and wondered why? Less Stress Do you find moving stressful? I know I do and trees and plants do too! The heat of summer adds stress…
Read More
The following is a post from a few years ago on our old blog. Since we are nearing our dry season, I thought it would be a good re-run! In our neck of the woods, we often go for months without measurable rain. Driving around the Valley, it appears that lots of people have just thrown their arms in the…
Read More
The honey mesquite tree (Prosopis glandulosa) is a pod-bearing tree native to South Texas. This time of year, you may notice the sap oozing from parts of the trunk and branches. Well, that’s exactly why it’s called HONEY Mesquite. Some may say it’s for the sweet, honey producing flowers but I don’t think it’s that…
Read More
With hurricane season beginning within the week, it’s a great time to assess your trees and try to anticipate which might be vulnerable to wind damage. Typical wind damage includes loss of limbs, split trunk, and total uprooting of the tree. After Hurricane Dolly, we had a 50 or 60 year old Ash tree…
Read More