HOW TO JOIN MEETING VIA ZOOM:
PRE-REGISTER sending your request to join the meeting to:
JudiAnn Carlsson email: TalkToUs@QuailValleyGardenClub.org
For Questions, text/call 713-854-2710
Opening: President Deborah Douglas
Inspirational Speaker: Sandy Cackowski
Program: “Bird Friendly Home and Habitat”
Speaker: Mary Anne Weber, Education Director, Houston Audubon Raptor and Education Center
She runs their Raptor and Education Center in southeast Houston and cares for the many hawks and owls and other animals that reside there. This program will highlight how to create a more bird friendly landscape at your home and will feature some of the live birds from the center.
February Gardening Tips:
Planting- Strawberries can be planted now; hanging baskets are an ideal way to grow the berries to avoid fungus and insects attacking the fruit. Tomatoes can be transplanted into pots that can be brought inside for frosts and freezes; later on (after last frost) they can be planted in larger pots or in the ground. Bluebonnets are available for transplanting to make a great spring show. It is past the prime time to set out seeds for bluebonnets.
Pests- Keep an eye out for loopers and aphids on cool season vegetables and annuals. Use the most organic solution possible for treating these in-sects. Check for scale insects on ornamentals such as camellias, hollies, mag- nolias, and Japanese blueberries. Treat with horticultural oil spray while it is still cool.
Lawns- Apply pre-emergent to stop spring weeds such as crabgrass, goose- grass and dallisgrass before they start. Corn gluten meal is an organic ap- proach, while Barricade is a non-organic approach.
Freezes- Continue to keep an eye on the weather and stay informed on night time lows.
Beds- Prune back perennials that are overgrown or have frost damage. This allows for a fresh spring start. Wait to cut back tropical plants until after the last frost, this includes hibiscus and bougainvilleas. Add in green annuals for spring color in the form of poppies, larkspur, hollyhocks, and delphiniums.
Pruning- Most shrubs, trees, and roses can be pruned now. Wait until after spring bloom cycles to prune spirea, azaleas, redbuds, and oriental magnolia.