# My first Home, When is the best time to plant?



## adanvjr (Mar 30, 2012)

Hey folks,

This is my first time posting here in the gardening section.

In June, I was blessed with my first house.
Did a number of improvements & repairs in the house.
I'm also going to focus on the landscape.

However, I want make some improvements that wont involve having to spend almost every weekend maintaining it. I'd rather be fishing on the weekends.

The front yard is mostly good.
St. Augustine grass mostly, with flower garden with new mulch.

There's a pecan tree in front yard.
I was thinking of surrounding it with a raised garden and planting bluebonnets and other wildflowers. * What's yall's take? When is the best time to start on this. Is it something that'll involve a lot maintenance?*

The backyard needs a good bit of attention. The previous owners had a dog that dug up parts of the yard and made it bare ground. I've been using a garden tiller to break up the the soil and some grass has been growing back, but not enough.

About 1/3 of the yard that does have grass is St. Augustine, the rest is some other grass that I don't like (it's prickly and not plush). On top of that there's a number of weeds & clover. I'll see if I can post pics later. *Should I just till everything out and re-sod? Or is there something I can do that'll be easier*

I've also wanted to plant some fruit plants that eventually become trees. Peaches, Oranges, and Avocados *What's yall's take? When is the best time to start on this?*

It know it's alot, but I guess it's best to start sooner than later


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

First, don't do the bed under the tree thing......the flower or what ever won't get enough sun, the tree will compete for water, and covering the root crown will stress the tree. When a tree is stressed it attracts pest.....its natures clean up crew.

Plant landscape now but wait until spring to plant citrus.

You can sod areas now as it will be established by spring.

Any bare spots will sprout weeds.....mow your grass high.....and don't use weed and feed.

Less is more when applying any chemicals and trying to "fix" what you think is wrong.

We are entering the time when things grow slow....so prepare for the spring....by summer it will be in full swing


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## adanvjr (Mar 30, 2012)

Okay.

Thanks Skipper.


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## capt.dru (Oct 24, 2009)

If you want to plant bluebonnets, the time to plant them is October, but depending on weather, you could get away with planting them in November. Pick a spot where it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Be aware that the pecan tree is gonna be dropping SOMETHING almost year round. If it is a big one..you might let it alone..If it is just a small one..I would dig it out and replace with a live oak or water oak...just my .02

I have tried and tried on bluebonnets without luck..but again that could just be me. LOL

Might look into begonias..lots of color..bloom all year round...are cheap...and only a really hard freeze will kill them...


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Nature plants bluebonnets in early june when the seed pods pop open on their own. It is really something to be standing in the middle of a field of flowerless bluebonnets and hear those pods start popping open and the seeds scattering. You should be ok if you get them planted by the end of october for the upcoming year. It is also best to scarify the seeds if you want them all to sprout.


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

Yes I seeded BlueBonnets in October-November and that's when to plant seeds. I saw some in 4 inch containers last week that can be planted.


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

Thumb up on fruit trees as they produce. Get a Meyer Lemon and oranges. Avocado you need two trees for fruit. Native plantings rather than grass. A good time to plant is now. Plants are still on sale. Large Azaleas are great. Oaks drop lots of leaves and can cause all sorts of problems. Limit the amount of grass if possible. DO not plant Asiatic Jasmine as it will take over everything. Do not cover tree trunks with too mulch or dirt


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Prune that pecan tree with a chain saw at ground level. 
They are good away from the house on country acreage, but not in a city yard. Like tortuga said, they are dropping something every season. 
You don't say where you are, or I missed it, but a Nuttall oak grows fast with a great pyramid shape. Tolerates occasional flooding. Nativ Nursery (Mossy Oak camo folks) sell them as we'll as Ty-Ty nursery in Georgia, mail order. 
Master gardener fruit/citrus tree sale at Pasadena fairground this coming Saturday.


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## Old Whaler (Sep 6, 2005)

Congrats on your first house! Nothing looks better that pretty landscape. See the link below from Randy Lemon of Gardenline. Great info and tons of help. Look at the tip sheets and go to Lawn Fertilization Schedule for dealing with the backyard

http://www.ktrh.com/onair/gardenline-with-randy-lemmon-25172/


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## adanvjr (Mar 30, 2012)

Okay, thanks yall.
I'm living in Katy, TX
Since I last posted, I've been removing weeds and shrubs from the lawn as I find them and breaking up soil. While there's lots of folks that give much care to their yards, there's a few that definitely don't, so I don't feel too bad. 


I rather leave the pecan tree alone, I like pecans.


I've also been buying a few things from the HEB garden section whenever I go food shopping.
I planted a rose bush bulb this past weekend.


Whaler, thanks for the links.
I remember there was a Texas lawn/garden radio show on 740 AM on Saturdays that was focused in the Houston area. With all the talk of spring coming early, Randy Lemon definitely didn't hesitate to advise to start fertilizing the lawn now. I'm going to do my best to follow his schedule and pray I'll have one of the best looking lawns in the neighborhood.


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## DuckMendenhall (Nov 5, 2007)

I would recommend the 6-2-4 fertilizer from Microlife (Azalea Food, the pink bag). You can use it everywhere (trees, roses, vegetable garden, yard, etc) it is organic so you would not need to worry about applying a tad too much. It should run you about $50 per bag, and I think covers about 4-5,000 sqft.

And to add on what shrubs or flowers to plant, I try and stick to perennials if I can help it and keep adding throughout the year.


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## adanvjr (Mar 30, 2012)

DuckMendenhall said:


> I would recommend the 6-2-4 fertilizer from Microlife (Azalea Food, the pink bag). You can use it everywhere (trees, roses, vegetable garden, yard, etc) it is organic so you would not need to worry about applying a tad too much. It should run you about $50 per bag, and I think covers about 4-5,000 sqft.
> 
> And to add on what shrubs or flowers to plant, I try and stick to perennials if I can help it and keep adding throughout the year.


Okay thanks.

Do the perennials last a good while?
I don't want to get something that'll last for 2 months max.
The HOA where I live often plants these pretty nice flowers, but they're all dead after 2 months.

I've been reading on Randy Lemmon's that the 10-5-15 is recommended for my region.


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## DuckMendenhall (Nov 5, 2007)

I am fond of bulbs (mostly Daffodils, you can pick some up that are in bloom now from Home Depot), they will most likely last until late March/April. They start throwing green chutes in January or nature's last frost. But the come up year after year. This is my first year for Delphiniums, they are awesome, to give you a hint of when to put Delph in the ground, I bought mine the week after Thanksgiving. You can try some, but I think you are too late. 

In the Spring, I try to plant wildflowers that are for our area...again probably too late for planting from seeds, but you can get some that are already started and pray for the best. This will be my first year for wildflowers from seed, I threw them out in December under our Shummard Oaks in the back yard. We shall see... 

In the summer months it is mostly roses, and butterfly weed. So let's talk roses...I like but do not love knockouts, low maintenance, drought tolerant, etc...but not my favorite. I would spend the extra money on roses, i.e. Julia Childs, Belindas...FYI Plants for All Seasons off 249/Louetta are running a sale for more than 4 or 5 I believe. If you decide on Butterfly weed, keep control of it, it will grow anywhere and every where. It is good for the migration of Monarchs.

Do not get me wrong, Annuals are great fillers for the garden and excellent for pollinators, we have quite a few annuals spread throughout the garden. Put some Gerber Daisy (can be considered an annual or perennial) in this past weekend, violas are nice, petunias, snap dragons are good fillers too. Once it heats up these will disappear.


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## adanvjr (Mar 30, 2012)

Okay thanks again.

I went to HGC this weekend and they were very helpful.

They recommended me the Nitro-Phos 10-5-15 for the lawn. (yes, they told me to avoid using Weed/Feed as well). 

I picked up a 9-piece of Celosias for about $8 and planted them in the flowerbed.
(They told me to keep them at least 12" apart from each other so they can fully bloom).

The rose bush bulb is already sprouting, so I must be doing something right.


Thanks again.


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