Latest / ATXGardens Podcast / What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (Nov. 15–30): Understanding Zone 9

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What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (Nov. 15–30): Understanding Zone 9 · ATXGardens Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Hi listeners, I'm Colleen Dieter, landscape consultant and certified arborist at atxgardens.com.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the ATX Gardens Podcast, where every other week I share simple, timely tips for what to do in your Central Texas garden right now.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you're watching on YouTube, tap like and subscribe for more gardening help.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hi gardening friends, this is Colleen Dieter, and this episode we're talking about what to do in your garden in late November.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: And this episode is sponsored by ATXGardens.com.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get going.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now in general, it's Thanksgiving time, and I want to thank my friend Leah for the long-term lending of this podcast microphone to me.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think of her every time I record.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: She and I used to have a podcast together called The Horticulture Rati.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: And those episodes of the Horticulturati are still available on all the podcast platforms.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: So if you like this podcast, you might also like the Horticulture Rati if you haven't heard it yet.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll put a note in the show notes about Horticulturati podcast.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So in general, in the second half of November in Austin, we are transitioning to uh the winter season.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I know winter is very confusing in Austin for people who are not from Austin.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are from a place that is further north, you will think that Austin winter is funny because it's so mild.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: But some of the trees do lose their leaves.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the trees lose their leaves, and we get uh the sun coming at a lower angle, and the days are a little bit shorter, but it's not as dramatic as it is in places further north.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're from California or Florida or other parts of the Gulf Coast, you're gonna think that we have more of a winter than you did there.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome to Austin Winter if you have not experienced it yet.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I consider winter in Austin to be about Thanksgiving time until the last week of February.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's Austin winter.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a time when we are likely to have periodic freezing temperatures.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean that literally like 32 degrees or lower, usually just around dawn here and there a few times, but usually twice a year we'll have a really hard freeze where it gets down maybe to 20 around there, um, or even lower.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we get snowstorms or ice storms too.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: And usually we've got a period of two to five days where there might be below freezing temperatures and some ice or snow.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's usually not a huge deal, but you know, the city will shut down for a day or two, and people get a day, special snow day off of work, and it's all very exciting.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: So that's Austin winter in uh in a little bit of a nutshell.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so in the last episode, I talked a little bit about what to do at this time of year to prepare for freezing weather.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: And the important thing is to consider which plants might need to be covered or protected, otherwise protected when temperatures get below 32 degrees.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: And our first average freeze in Austin is around December 1st.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: And trying to determine which plants to cover and which ones are gonna be okay is really important.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so I want to talk about that a little bit more in depth in this episode.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: You do not generally have to cover all of your plants unless you have all non-native tropical or Mediterranean plants in your yard.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: So over the past few years, I've had customers of mine who felt like they had to cover everything in their yards when there was a freeze, and that's just not true.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: When in doubt, you can research your plants and figure out which USDA cold hardiness zones they are hardy to.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And in Austin, we are zone nine, and surrounding areas and places for a little further north of Austin might still be zone eight.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of folks have been asking me recently about plant hardiness zones, and I've also heard a lot of people misusing the plant hardiness zone.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I really wanted to include this extra info in the podcast today to kind of set things straight, get everybody on the right track.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: So perhaps you've seen USDA plant hardiness zones listed on plant tags or in articles in on the internet or magazines, or maybe you've even seen the USDA plant hardiness zone map.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what is that all about?
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: What does that mean that we're in zone nine?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: What is the USDA plant hardiness zone system?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: So the USDA takes the lowest temperatures that an area experiences over many years and they average that out.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't represent the extreme lows.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: So the extreme lowest temperature that an area might experience.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's gives just the average.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: And the plant hardiness zone system and the maps that the United States Department of Agriculture makes is only about cold and nothing else.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so it only has to do with a cold temperature that a plant can tolerate, and that only applies to plants that live for more than one year.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: So the plant hardiness zones are not really relevant to vegetable gardeners, but they are relevant to folks who want to grow perennials and trees and shrubs.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: So because of climate change, the USDA adjusted the plant hardiness zone maps a few years ago.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: And Austin used to be zone eight, and now we are zone nine because our lowest average temperatures over the last 20 years or so have gotten warmer.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: However, we have been experiencing colder lows in the last five years, including February of 2021 in winter storm Uri, also known as the snowpocalypse.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: December 23rd, 2022, it got down to 16 degrees.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: January 2023, we had the really bad ice storm, also known as the tree pocalypse.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: And January of 2024 was Austin's coldest January in 17 years.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: The high temperature on January 15th of 2024, the high temperature was only 24 degrees.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: So it was really cold.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: So even though our climate zone has been changed to zone nine, my feeling is that our winters have become more extreme.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So even though the average low temperature in the past 20 years has gotten warmer, in the past five years, we've had certain nights or certain periods of time that have been so cold that it has killed plants that are hardy to zone nine.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I still am planting plants that are hardy to zone eight.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: A little bit colder.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still going by the old plant hardiness zones and feeling like Austin is zone eight.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not excited about planting zone nine plants here in general.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: But the USDA hardiness zones are only about cold temperatures.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: It does not take into consideration heat in the summer and how much rain an area gets and the types of soils.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: So it's only about cold and it's only applicable to plants that live for longer than one year.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so it's really important to not misinterpret uh the USDA zone map and try to understand how it can be helpful to you as a home gardener, and you'll want to make sure when you're looking for perennials and shrubs and trees for your yard to get plants that are USDA zone nine hardy in terms of just cold.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: And even like I said, I am airing on the side of still looking for zone eight plants.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you shop for plants that are native to Central Texas, then you won't have to worry about any of that because they are all generally cold hardy here and well adapted to the amount of rain that we get and well adapted to the heat.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, because winter is coming, winter is a big time for maintenance in the landscape in central Texas, and you'll need to know how to care for all those plants during the winter, and it involves a lot of trimming.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: So check out my three-volume set of booklets called Let's Care for Texas Plants, which is available digitally and on hard copy at atxgardens.com to help you understand how to care for all of your plants going into the winter time.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: On to the main part of the podcast, which is starting with our trees and shrubs, what's going on with the woody plants?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: So just like in the last episode, it's still tree and shrub planting time.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great time for transplanting as well.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great time for planting and transplanting woody vines.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: The vast majority of woody plants like oaks, apples, hollies, pears, they can tolerate cold temperatures in the winter when they are dormant and not actively growing.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said in the last episode, there's just a small number of woody plants that are not okay to plant in the winter because they can't handle cold weather when they are newly planted.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Things like figs, pomegranates, and low quats, because they are native to the Mediterranean or tropical places.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: So plants that are native to Mediterranean regions or South Africa, Australia, or tropical places, wait until March to plant them.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: If you have them in pots, keep them in pots this winter and pull them indoors when there's freezing weather, and then plant them in March.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll give you the heads up, of course, in March and future episodes about when it's time to start planting those guys.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: But all of the other woody plants like oaks, persimmons, Texas mountain laurels, desert willows, all of those plants can get planted all winter long.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: They are totally fine with freezing weather.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do not prune any of your woody plants now.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Pruning will stimulate new growth, and we do not want them putting on any new growth right now.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: They need to stop growing and slow down and prepare for the winter.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I'll let you know when it's time to start pruning again.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Do not fertilize any of your woody plants right now either.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Again, fertilizing will stimulate growth, and we want them to slow down.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Your tree leaves might still be falling at this time of year.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really good to leave them as free mulch in your flower beds.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: A layer of about three inches deep of tree leaves is really good for your trees and shrubs.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure that those leaves don't cover up any tiny plants that you're trying to grow, like columbines, cedar sage, lyre leaf sage, sedges.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the leaves can fall on those plants and block the light to them, especially trees that have larger leaves like magnolias, sycamores, burr oaks, stuff like that.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Those big leaves can land on top of those plants and then block the light from getting to them.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure you clear the leaves away from those little bitty plants that you're trying to keep in the shade.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is the best time of year for cutting down and removing unwanted woody plants as they go dormant for the winter and they're less likely to grow back.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've got china berries, logustrums, mandinas, stuff like that, those invasive woody plants, it's a really good time to cut them down now and get them out of there, and you'll be more satisfied because they're less likely to grow back.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: What's happening with our fruit trees?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: So just like in the last episode, stop fertilizing right now.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Don't fertilize any of your fruit trees at this time of year, especially citrus trees.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: We need them to slow down and stop growing so that they can be ready for winter.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Just like in the last episode, too, for your palm fruits, apples, pears, and quince, and your stone fruits like peaches, plums, nectarines.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: When your trees drop most of their leaves, spray them with a copper fungicide or lime sulfur or Bordeaux mix to prevent fungal diseases.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: I personally use copper on my plum trees because it can help control bacterial diseases too, like fire blight.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: I need copper in my soil.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: My soil is short on copper per my soil test.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: So when I spray the trees with copper and it drips down into the soil, it can help amend the soil a little bit with some copper.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: So take a look at that in the show notes.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good idea to gather up your shade trees from parts of your landscape where you can't let the leaves sit and spread them out in the orchard as a mulch.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: You can mow over them to chop them up to add organic matter to your orchard.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good idea to paint the trunks of your stone fruits and palm fruits white.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: At this time of year, use white latex paint diluted with 50% water.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that helps prevent sun scald and freeze damage on the trunks and can also deter insects and animals.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: So that's it for fruit trees.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now moving on to perennials and bulbs and our ornamental grasses.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: So this time of year, it is definitely too late to plant perennials, succulents, bulbs, and grasses.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, stop planting them.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do not acquire more of them if you can avoid it.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any on hand, you get to decide if you want to try planting them in the ground right now and risking the situation where they might freeze right after you plant them.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that could kill them because they're not well established yet and they might not grow back in the spring.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: On the other hand, if you plant them in the ground now, we may get a stretch of warm weather and no freezes for a while, and they have the opportunity to get established and they might be totally fine.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: So if you look at your extended forecast, if you can and you don't see any freezes in the forecast, you may be okay planting them right now, and they may be more likely to survive in the ground than they would be if you're trying to keep them alive in pots all winter long.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: If you decide to keep them in pots, if you've like purchased some perennials, succulents, grasses, that kind of thing, and you've got them in pots and you're not sure if you want to put them in the ground or not, you know, you have to protect them from freezing weather all winter, and you also have to keep them watered in the pots, which can be challenging in the winter because the pots dry out so fast compared to the ground.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you just have to decide if you're willing to take the risk that a freeze might kill them, or if you're willing to try to keep them alive in the pots all winter until it's time to plant them in March.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, keep listening to the podcast and I'll let you know when it's time to start planting perennials and succulents and grasses again.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, be sure to monitor your soil moisture for perennials, especially if they're newly planted.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you just planted them this fall, make sure that you're monitoring the soil moisture because it can be really hard in the winter time to tell if the soil is just cold or if it's actually still moist.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: If we go for about two weeks without rain and the weather's been warm andor windy, make sure you check and make sure the soil is moist.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: You want it to be moist like a rung out sponge.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: If your perennials and grasses are newly planted this fall.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I've included in the show notes a Link to a soil moisture meter to help you determine if the soil is moist or not because it's so difficult in the winter to tell if it's cold or if it's moist.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: So check that out.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's on Amazon.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: I am an Amazon affiliate, so I get commissions if you buy stuff through my links.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now it's time for the mid-episode sponsor break.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And please listen to till the end of the sponsor break because I'm going to announce some upcoming classes and events at the end.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel inspired by the ATX Gardens podcast, but don't have the time or the back to do it?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: Hire Garden Bug.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: We do the jobs that you don't want to: weeding, mulching, planting, pruning, small installations, and more.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you need recurring upkeep, a one-off project, or a full-on garden reset, this bug does it all at garden-bug.com.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: Mention the ATX Gardens Podcast and get a free quote.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's garden-bug.com.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: We'll get dirty so you don't have to.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Hey y'all, this is Colleen Dieter here with the ATX Gardens Podcast.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want personalized help with your landscape, book a consultation with me today at atxgardens.com.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: We'll walk through your yard together, answer all of your questions, and create a strategy that feels doable.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: I specialize in helping do-it-yourselfers by alleviating their anxieties about their yards.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: This week I helped Sean in Hyde Park, who just purchased her first home.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: And she's got two kids and was looking for ways to create areas that were accessible for them and safe for them to keep them from running out into the street, which is really busy.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: They live on a busy street, and she wanted to know what plants would thrive in the light level that she has and the type of soil that she has, and that would be fun for her kids to interact with.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: So when I left, Sean was armed with the information that she needed to get started on all her projects, and I gave her tips about how to make the yard fun for her whole family.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: So if you need some help reaching your landscape goals, make an appointment with me at atxgardens.com.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, November 21st, I will be leading a tree identification walk from 10 to noon at Circle Acres in Southeast Austin.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: Go to atxgardens.com and look for events and follow the link there to register.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to learn more about trees in central Texas and also how to collect tree seeds to help prevent extinction of important tree species in central Texas, please join me.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of fun.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: You'll get to know all of the amazing trees that grow around here in Central Texas.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then mark your calendar, save the date for the last Saturday in January, which is January 30th.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: That is National Seed Swap Day.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: And Central Texas Seed Savers will be having our big seed swap at the Central Library in downtown Austin.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: And there will be more details to come on future episodes.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you'll join us there.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's always really, really fun.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on with our vegetables and herbs in the last half of November?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, in November, get ready for freezing temperatures, like I've been talking about in the whole episode, but it's especially true with your vegetables and herbs because they really all do need to be covered for the most part.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that watering is even more important than covering.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Making sure the plants are fully hydrated in the winter before a freeze is really important because a fully hydrated plant takes longer to freeze than one that is dehydrated.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: Again, check out that soil moisture monitor that I have in the show notes.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: So another great thing to do at this time of year in the vegetable garden, if you haven't yet, is to make sure that the vegetable garden is completely mulched.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: So add some shredded tree leaves or grass clippings or pine needles, make really great mulch for the vegetable garden.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Get something like that to cover the soil in the garden, and that will help retain moisture and warmth in the soil, and will help all of your plants make it through any freezes that we might have.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, at this time of year, I generally recommend for home gardeners to mostly stop planting now for the winter when it comes to vegetables and herbs.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're a market gardener or a professional farmer and you have a really good system for protecting crops from freezes like high tunnels, then you would continue planting to have a more continuous harvest of fresh crops.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: But for home gardeners who tend to be less prepared for freezes, planting now and in deeper into the winter can be a little bit risky.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: So new vegetable and herb plants and seedlings are more vulnerable to freezing temperatures than those that are well established.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: So planting throughout the winter when freezes are more frequent can be risky.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: Those little plants, new plants that are tender, can be killed by cold, whereas better established plants may not be killed by freezing temperatures.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you don't mind taking a risk and losing some of your vegetables and herbs, you know, planting now and into the winter could still be enjoyable and productive for you if we have a warmer than average winter.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: So it's totally up to you to decide what level of risk you're willing to take on.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you've got some seeds and you just really want to get out there and plant those seeds, there's nothing wrong with that.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: You certainly can.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to take into account that they're more likely to die of from freezing than the plants that were planted earlier in the fall.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're willing to take the risk, right now you can plant artichokes as small plants, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, and leeks can all be planted as small plants from transplants.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: Collards can also be planted from seed, too.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: So you could get seedlings going.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: There's still a little bit of time to plant garlic.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: Just go ahead and make sure you plant those individual garlic cloves pointy side up.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: They're great around the edge of the garden in little spaces.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: They don't take up a lot of space, so you can fit them in in between other plants.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: You can also plant shallots now from bulbs or transplants.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's also a good time still for planting onions.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: I like to wait until January to plant onions from sets.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I talked about that in previous episodes because I felt like the onions just kind of sat there until the days started getting longer.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: But you still can plant seeds or sets or transplants at this time of year, and they'll probably be okay.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I've found that I've had more success waiting until January to plant them from sets.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now again, if you're willing to take on the risk of freezing temperatures, damaging the seedlings, you can still plant seeds of fava beans, beets, turnips, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, cool season greens like mustard, Swiss chard, arugula, and lettuce.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: Radishes, of course, they're really hard to kill.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: So radishes are pretty much good all winter long.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: Dandelions, chicory, ridiculo, onive, and spinach are all good from seed now if you're willing to, you know, take that little bit of risk.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now same thing with the herbs.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: So again, you can plant from seed cilantro, fever few, dill, parsley, calendulas, and chamomile.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you can also plant garlic chives, oregano, thyme, sage, mint, lemon balm as small plants.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: But again, if they're not well established and we get freezing weather, um, the freezes might kill them.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: And even if your vegetables and herbs are well established, you should definitely make sure they're well watered and covered if there's going to be temperatures of 32 degrees or lower.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Hope that that was clear and helpful.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: It is confusing.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: All right, now what about our wildflowers?
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on with our wildflowers at this time of year?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: In the winter, we don't think about wildflowers very much, but this is the time of year when the little baby seedlings are sprouting up.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: So look for them.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: I included in the show notes a link to Native American Seed Company and their page for blue bonnets.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: And you can look through the photos on that web page to find out what baby blue bonnets look like.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: So that way you'll know if your blue bonnets are coming up and you won't mistake them for weeds.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, on to the activism portion of the podcast.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna do the same thing that I did in the last episode, which is letting you know about the Big Bend region of Texas and the border wall that's being built there.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: There's already been bulldozers driving through Big Bend National Park, a place where you and I, as citizens, would not even be allowed to pick up a rock and take it home.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Trump administration has skipped over the Endangered Species Act and tons of other laws that were put in place to protect national parks and has already started bulldozing there.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_00: Fortunately, there's been some stays in the courts where now work on the border wall in the national park has stopped, but it's still going on in other parts of the Big Bend region.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm participating in the Big Bend Borderlands Bio Blitz on iNaturalist.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a link to information about the iNaturalist project and the Bio Blitz website in the show notes.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can visit the No Big Bend Wall website and sign the petition and call your representatives and senators and tell them that you're against any development of any kind of border wall, but especially in the Big Bend region and really all of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is very environmentally sensitive.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: And any wall construction that happens uh not only is destructive to the land and endangered species that need access to the river, but also just spiritually rude to our neighbors in Mexico, at the very least.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's the least I can say about it.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks so much for listening.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_00: I so appreciate y'all tuning in and you know subscribing to the podcast.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: That wraps up today's episode.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_00: Please check the show notes for links to everything I mentioned.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if you enjoyed the ATX Gardens podcast, I really hope that you'll tell your friends and other gardeners about it because it helps me to grow my show.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Colleen with ATXGardens.com and I'll see you next time.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the ATX Gardens podcast.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: For show notes, tools, and to book a consultation with me, visit atxgardens.com.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: Happy gardening.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: See you next time.