McCarty's Hollyhock

I got this photo of a honeybee preparing to visit the hollyhocks in the garden of Ray and Roxie McCarty.

Joe Daniel

February Feature Plant-Hollyhock

Family-Malvaceae
Genus-Malva
Species-Alcea (al Kee uh)

For those that attended the Cherokee County Master Gardener’s 2008 Garden Tour, they may have admired the many colors of Hollyhock in the Stone and Haberle gardens. These flowers were the Alcea rosea. The hollyhock can be perennial, biennial or annual depending on growing zone. For our zone 8 area, they will return each year. Seeds sown in the fall will usually bloom the following late spring or early summer. Seeds may be sown directly in the soil. These are also excellent for Winter sowing containers. When planting seeds in containers, it is best to soak the seeds in warm water for about 24 hours. The winter sowing method will help protect from animals or other pest. This method also allows the transplants to be planted in the desired locations of our gardens. Established plants often reseed themselves. Small seedlings are easy to transplant. Pinching the growing tips may produce shorter branching plants with more blooms. These will grow to a height of 4 to 6 feet and should be spaced from 18 inches to 2 feet. The hollyhock comes in many pastel colors and from pale white to black. Blooms may be single or double depending on the variety. Hollyhocks require average watering needs but need good drainage. Rich soil is not required but as in most plants may produce nicer specimens. Mature plants may be two feet across and are herbaceous. Bees, butterflies and birds are attracted to these plants. In windy areas, it might be best to stake these tall growing plants. Rust can be a problem for these plants due to the high humidity of our area. Removing the infected leaves at the first sign of infection can help with this problem. There are chemicals that can be used for treatment. Hollyhocks are great for the cottage garden look. Thomas Jefferson grew these beauties in his gardens.



Also often grown in our area are plants known as French Hollyhock. This is the Malva sylvestis. These produce much smaller blooms with the most common color being a striped purple variety. These produce much smaller seeds that reseed freely. The small seedlings can easily be transplanted or removed.

Changes in Landscape Irrigation Regulations

Below is an exert from the 1/23/2009 Denton Record-Chronicle

Aren't you glad you don't live in a Texas city of 20,000?

Installing lawn sprinklers in Denton and other Texas cities costs more this year thanks to new state-mandated regulations aimed at saving water.

Denton nearly tripled its irrigation permit fee to recoup the cost of newly required inspections, joining other cities that have increased fees in recent months.

The state required cities with populations of 20,000 or more to pass landscape irrigation rules by Jan. 1 that are at least as strict as Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards. Among the changes, people installing sprinkler systems must present plans for city approval, and cities must inspect systems to make sure they comply with the rules.

“In the past, we have never asked for plans for sprinkler systems,” said Kurt Hansen, Denton’s building official. “Our biggest concern was that the irrigators install the backflow prevention device correctly. Now the irrigators, before they start a job, need to come and bring us a plan.”

Also, beginning next year a licensed irrigator or irrigation technician must be present when a system is installed or repaired. Homeowners still will be able to perform the work on their own property without a license.

Norman Werback, who runs a Corinth-based irrigation business, called the regulations “the biggest changes in the industry since state-mandated licensing.” He supports the state’s overall goals but shares the fears of many in the industry that the changes will drastically increase the cost of new systems.

“There’s a lot of unknowns, including how it affects repairs,” said Werback, who owns Wet Dog Irrigation. “I want homeowners to understand that we didn’t triple our prices just because the economy went bad.”

With the rules, irrigation systems join the ranks of electrical, plumbing and other systems in homes and commercial buildings that must be inspected and held to specific design standards.

The plan reviews and inspections are forcing some cities, including Dallas, to hire additional staff. Some are hiking their permit fees significantly — in some cases tripling or quadrupling their fees to $175 or more.

Featured Plant - January

Copper Canyon Daisy, Mexican Bush Marigold, Shrub Marigold, Mount Lemmon Marigold





Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Tagetes
species: lemmonii

Form: Shrubby herbaceous perennial forming rounded mounds of 2-4 ft high and wide
Hardiness: USDA zones 8a - 11
Exposure: Native to Southwest United States and Mexico, place this plant in Full Sun in the hottest area of the garden
Blooms: Color is yellowish-orange, blooms best in the Fall, but will have some blooms from Spring to Fall
Water: Drought tolerant and suitable for Xeriscaping
Soil: Adaptable, prefers alkaline soil but does well in mildly acidic soil
Propagation: Seeds or stem cuttings
Notes: Attractive to bees, butterflies, and some birds. Resistant to deer. Foliage is strongly aromatic with hints of licorice, anise, and citrus fragance.

Texas Master Gardener State Conference

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April 23-24 & 25, 2009
Marshall, Texas

Registration Information Forthcoming!!!
Our Goal - To have registration information up by January 1st!

Make plans to join us for the 2009 Texas Master Gardener State Conference, that will be held in beautiful East Texas. The conference will feature world class azaleas, dogwood and crape myrtles, as well as unique bed & breakfast establishments, just to name a few. This year, something new, the Earthkind Rose Workshop, an all-day session will be presented the day before the '09 conference and will feature some of the most renouned experts in the earthkind rose field!! Information on registration for this workshop will be added to the regular registration form, come a day earlier and don't miss-out on this added feature!
Keep checking back often!!

Flowers and the Hospital

The article below is from Dr. Charles Halls Blog.
I think most Master Gardeners felt sure of this trial's results.

Effects of Flowering and Foliage Plants in Hospital Rooms

According to a new study recently published in HortTechnology, plants and flower in hospital rooms have definite healing benefits, especially for anyone recovering from surgery.

Researchers studied ninety patients recovering from appendectomy, assigning them randomly to hospital rooms with or without plants. During recovery, the patients were able to see eight varieties of flowering plants or foliage.

Scientists measured recovery times, heart rate, temperature and blood pressure, perceived level of pain, fatigue and anxiety levels. The results showed that plants and flowers facilitated recovery from abdominal surgery, as evidenced by less pain medication use, lower heart rate and systolic blood pressure, and decreased anxiety levels in the hospital patients who were exposed to plants and flowers.

In addition, the patients indicated greater satisfaction with their hospital rooms, when compared to the control group. The study concluded that plants and flowers are good medicine when it comes to promoting recovery from surgery

Overton Seminars

FYI: The Overton seminars for 2009 has been published. All the seminars are from 1PM - 5PM.

January 15 - Jayla Fry, Texas MG Coordinator (the Texas MG program, and
Intro to Earth-Kind Landscape Gardening

January 27 - Scott Ludwig - Extension IPM Entomologist - (Entomology and
Pesticide Safety)

February 3 - Karl Steddom - Extension Plant Pathologist - (Plant
Pathology)

February 19 - Jim McAfee - Extension Turfgrass - (Turfgrass/Weeds)

keith