NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS

Kerrville Chapter

Website:  www.npsot.org/kerrville

 MARCH  NEWSLETTER - 2005

 NATIVES ON THE GROW

Dedicated to the understanding, preservation and enjoyment of the native flora of the Hill Country

 LANDSCAPING WITH NATIVE PLANTS

The program for our meeting on Tuesday, March 1 at 2PM will be given by Pat McNeal. It will be a slide presentation on selecting appropriate native plants for your garden.

 Pat McNeal is a recognized and well respected expert in the landscaping and plant communities. Utilizing his skills as a plant hunter and propagator, he owns and operates a unique wholesale nursery in central Texas. His operation, McNeal Growers, produces many special, uncommon and new plant species that are used in urban gardens and in many diverse types of restoration projects. Because of the unusual nature of the plant materials grown by McNeil Growers, as well as Pat’s extensive knowledge of so many plant species, Pat is often called as a consultant on a broad range of projects. During the past 15 years, Pat has been chosen to conduct surveys of endangered species for the government and ecological studies for state park planning. In addition, he has created landscape restoration planning and designs for commercial development and public and private projects. In his work, Pat seeks to promote a deeper understanding of the roles plants play in modern urban development, emphasizing the appropriate, informed and thoughtful utilization of plants resources for more sustainable land use. 

Pat has some intriguing opinions concerning native plants and wildflowers which will be quite interesting for us all to hear.

 The Kerrville Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas holds monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of the month (September through June) at 2:00PM usually at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St. in Kerrville.  These meetings are free and open to the public.  If you have any questions about the Native Plant Society of Texas or this program, please call Janey Crum at 238-3666 

 Calendar

 February 28 :6:30PM at Riverside Nature Center- Master Naturalists-Firewise Landscaping by Jan Fulkerson of Texas Forest Service .  Free and open to the public.

 MARCH 1  : 2pm at Riverside Nature Center-Pat McNeal  will give a slide presentation–Landscaping with Native Plants

 MARCH 8: 7PM at Gillespie County Ag. Extension Office, 95 Frederick Rd., Fredericksburg- Friends of Fredericksburg Nature Center- Paul Tybor from the Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District will speak on water in the Hill Country

 March 12: 2PM at Medina Community Library Meeting Room- Native Plant Society of Texas, Bandera County Chapter-Susan Sander gives presentation on Oak Wilt

 April 5: 2PM at Riverside Nature Center-Lottie Millsap will give a slide presentation on Wildflower Plant Families

 Door prizes will be available at our March meeting. Each member or visitor who signs in at the Welcoming Table will  receive a  free ticket for the door prize drawings of native plants. Members are encouraged to bring native  plants from their gardens as donations for door prizes

 GARDENING  TIPS

 If you like to garden , Texas is certainly the place to be as you can garden all year long!

February  is the recommended month for pruning many shrubs and perennials. This is done to invigorate the plant  and also to remove dead wood . Many perennials develop woody growth that decreases flower production and makes the plant look sparce and leafless in its interior i.e. salvia greggii  It benefits the plant to remove these  woody  branches to allow new vigorous growth to occur. Also cutting off about one third of the top growth on this plant increases bloom production.

Many plants regrow from the base of the plant in the spring and so the dead canes need to be removed. Examples of this are Turks Cap, Malvaviscus dummondii ,,and Maximillian Sunflower, Helianthus Maximiliani. Any plant or vine that blooms in the spring should not be pruned until after bloom.

Many grasses benefit from cutting as well- for example,  Indian Grass and Little Bluestem.  Feather Grass  from some accounts prefers to avoid the cutters.

 GAZEBO GARDEN

The Gazebo Gardens behind the library were installed by the Native Plant Society and Native Plant members are responsible for their upkeep. The Flower Garden contains mostly perennials  but also has trees, vines and grasses  The Cactus Garden contains mostly succulents found in dry areas of Texas

 Recently the Gazebo itself had fallen into disrepair and there was concern about its status. The good news is that the city is beginning refurbishment of the structure much to our satisfaction. It is a charming building and many citizens of Kerrville enjoy visiting the site and the lovely gardens.

The Wednesday after our monthly meeting is “Gardening Day” at the Gazebo Gardens and there is still some pruning of plants left to be done . Please bring your hedge clippers and loppers and meet fellow members on Wednesday, March 2 at 9AM. Master Naturalists receive volunteer hours for this project. See you there!

 REFRESHMENTS!

 Refreshments for our March meeting will be provided by Raul and Sandy Pena. Many thanks from those who enjoy a sip and a bite!

 Please send any suggestions or comments on this newsletter to the Editor: Julia Campbell jbcbell@ktc.com