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freeze the seed in ice cube trays and

plant them as it is much easier to han-

dle the small seed. Since parsley has a

rather long taproot it is best to trans-

plant while young. Parsley likes rich,

well-drained soil but must be kept

moist and will grow in full sun or light

shade. It makes a great border as

well as a great pot plant. Mulch for

winter or put in a greenhouse.

Parsley is a biennial and flowers will

appear the second year. They should

be pinched off quickly as they affect

the flavor and foliage life. In Central

Texas it is usually best to treat pars-

ley as an annual as the flavor is much

better on first year growth.

Another variety

of parsley, Pet-

roselinum cris-

pum var. neo-

politanum, is

the Italian or

Genovese parsley, more commonly

(Continued on page 4)

L i t t l e R i v e r B a s i n M a s t e r G a r d e n e r A s s o c i a t i o n

October-December 2010 Volume 3 Issue 4

Petroselinum

crispum

var.crispum

(Curly leaf

parsley), the powerhouse of the

herb garden has just about all the

pluses one could want from any herb.

It is full of good-for-you nutrients;

good for your breath; tastes great

sprinkled on pasta or eggs; and is the

best garnish ever. As a part of the

carrot family it is high in beta caro-

tene as well as a source for vitamin

B12, chlorophyll, vitamin C and cal-

cium. So grab a packet of seed and

get started.

Now is the time to plant parsley in

Central Texas as it performs better

in cool weather. It is quite slow to

germinate and seems to work best if

the seeds are soaked for up to 3

days, changing the water daily. It will

usually take up to 3 weeks for these

seed to sprout. Some people like to

Inside this issue:

Fall to Early Winter Turf grass

Practices for Home Lawns 2

Legends of Christmas Decorat-ing

3

Garden Dip 4

Fall’s the Time for Transplant-ing Trees and Shrubs

5

Tequila-:Lime Shrimp 6

LBJ Wildflower Center Plant Sale

7

Culantro 8

Pumpkin Soup 9

EarthWords staff: Anne Barr Ann Collins Katherine Bedrich Pat Camp Janice Johnson Bonnie George Susan Humble Dorothy Rachui Sherrie Shutt Pat Runcie Michael Vidrine Shawn Walton

Master Gardener supporters from Texas AgriLIFE EXTENSION: Jon Gersbach, Cheryl Walker, Marcia Felton and Diann Mitchell.

Contact us at:

[email protected]

The Texas Master Gardener of Texas activities

are coordinated by AgriLIFE EXTENSION,

Texas A&M System. Texas Master Gardener

programs serve all people regardless of socio-

economic level, race, color, sex, religion, disabil-

ity or national origin.

2007 Texas First Place Award Winning Newsletter

Small Division

EarthWords is a bi-monthly publica-tion of Little River Basin Master Gardener Association to educate and inspire our gardeners in an entertaining format.

Jon Gersbach, MS

County Extension Agent

Milam County

254.697.7045

[email protected]

LRBMGA DEMONSTRATION

GARDEN

2006 2nd Place Winner of State

Project

State Junior Master Gardener

of the Year 2008

Nathan Schupp of Cameron

EEEarthartharthWWWordsordsords

Photo by Kirby Anzaldua

IT’S TIME TO PLANT PARSLEY AND

CILANTRO By Pat Runcie

EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 4

October-December 2010

early December. In the Sep-

tember application, if phospho-

rus and potassium levels are

high to very high, then apply ni-

trogen only. Otherwise, use a 3

-1-2 to 4-1-2 fertilizer ratio. In

the late November to early De-

cember application, apply nitro-

gen only regardless of the phos-

phorus and potassium status in

the soil.

Mowing:

With recent rainfall and drop

in temperatures, the growth

rate for the warm season turf

grasses is starting to increase

over the growth rate for the

late summer months. It is very

important to mow these warm

season turf grasses at the

proper height and frequency to

avoid placing stress on the turf

grass plants going into winter

dormancy. Mowing at the

proper

height

and fre-

quency

will pro-

duce a

denser

stand of turf grass in the lawn

and will encourage a better root

to shoot ratio. A dense stand of

turf grass will aid greatly in

helping to reduce the amount of

winter weeds in the lawn.

Mow often enough so that you

do not remove more than 30 to

40% of the leaf tissue. For most

warm season grasses, this will

mean mowing at least once per

week in early to mid-fall months.

However, for some grasses such

as hybrid bermuda grasses, it

may be necessary to mow twice


Jon Gersbach

Milam County Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources

Fertilization

Fall is one of the most impor-

tant times of the year to make

an application of fertilizer to

the warm season turf grasses

such as bermudagrass, St.

Augustine grass, zoysia grass,

centipede grass and buffalo

grass. In fall and early winter

months, the number one priority

for food produced by the turf

grass plant is stored carbohy-

drates. Generally, late Septem-

ber to mid-October is the ideal

time to fertilize our warm sea-

son turf grasses in this area of

the state.

For bermuda grass, apply ap-

proximately 1.0 lb. of nitrogen

per 1,000 sq.ft. and for the rest

of the warm season turf grasses

apply approximately 0.5 to 0.75

lbs. of nitrogen per 1,000 sq.ft.

If the soil level of phosphorus

and potassium is high to very

high, then all you need to apply

is nitrogen in the fall. If the

soil is low to moderate in phos-

phorus and/or potassium or if

the homeowner doesn’t know

how much phosphorus or potas-

sium is in the soil, then use a 3-1

-2 to 4-1-2 fertilizer ratio.

For cool season turf grasses

such as tall fescue, apply 1.0 lb.

of nitrogen per 1,000 sq.ft. in

mid to late September and then

apply 1.5 lb. of nitrogen per

1,000 sq.ft. in late November to

TURF GRASS RECOMMENDED FALL MOWING

HEIGHT (Inches)

Common Bermuda grass 1.5 to 2.5

Hybrid bermuda grass 0.75 to 1.5

St. Augustine grass 2.0 to 3.0

St. Augustine grass (shade) 3.0 to 4.0

Zoysia grass (japonica) 1.5 to 2.5

Zoysia grass (matrella) 0.75 to 1.5

Centipede grass 1.5 to 2.0

Buffalo grass 2.0 to 4.0

Tall Fescue 2.0 to 3.0

Fall to Early Winter Turf grass Practices for

Home Lawns



WREATHS:

Many of our favorite plants

for holiday wreaths have ac-

quired significant symbolism

from the legends and traditions

passed down by one generation

to another.

Regardless of the season,

wreaths represent the circle of

life, everlasting and without

end. There are many ways to

forms a base for your wreath:

woven vines, straw wreath, wire

circle or florist foam form.

Your creations can be as simple

as using shrubbery gathered

from the yard or woods, bright-

ened with bundles of fresh

herbs and colorful flowers.

A variety of culinary herbs

can decorate a small wreath to

hang in the kitchen ( bay leaves,

rosemary, spices—cinnamon

sticks, cloves, allspice and star

anise, even garlic heads)

A living wreath made with ivy

or small leaved herbs makes a

long-lasting holiday decoration.

Simply insert the materials in

damp moss or florist foam—

keep it on tray and sprits it of-

ten to keep fresh. Christmas

wreaths can be placed on the

door, over the mantel, or used

as tree ornaments, package

decorations, napkin rings and

Advent wreaths.

Plants used in the wreath

might include: laurel branches,

LEGENDS OF CHRISTMAS DECORATING

magnolia leaves, rosemary, sage,

holly, mint, parsley, oregano,

thyme, artemesia (yellow), box-

wood, lavender,

PLANTS:

Legends give meanings to

many of the plants used during

the holiday season.

Rosemary is said to be named

for the Virgin Mary. According

to legend The Blessed Mother

was washing the Christ Child’s

linen and hanging it to dry on

rosemary bushes growing

around the manger. The bush

had always borne white flowers

but ever after was crowned

with lovely blue blossoms, sym-

bolizing the color of Mary’s

eyes and also her robe or cloak.

Rosemary was traditionally used

as a seasoning in the Holy Land.

Ivy and other vines remind us

of our human frailness in need

of divine support. Any ever-

green plant that did not shed

its leaves was considered magi-

cal by early man, and symbolic

of returning life.

Pennyroyal was said to have

bloomed at midnight when

placed in the baby’s crèche.

Lavender is known as Mary’s

washing herb and should be in-

cluded as an important herb in

everyday life.

Spearmint, peppermint, cost-

mary and oregano belong on

holiday wreaths because all

would have been familiar to

people at the time of the birth

of Christ.

Juniper like plants of the Holy

Land were said to have pro-

tected the Holy Family in its

flight. Pine boughs are often

used because of the story of

how God placed lights along its

branches when he saw that the

pine was unhappy because it had

no gift for the Holy Child. The

Babe smiled when He saw the

lights and so pine (juniper, ce-

dar) forms the foundation of

our favorite traditional holiday

wreath.

THE GOLDEN TOUCH:

The use of the color yellow or

gold as a symbol during the holi-

day season is prevalent in many

cultures. Yellow was originally

associated with the worship of

the sun, but with the advent of

Christianity was changed to

symbolize ―the light of the

world‖. The color represents

―new hope in a darkened world‖.

Always include some yellow in

your holiday wreath…..

Marigolds, calendulas, Mexi-

can mint marigold and yellow

pansies…..The golden color also

represents great value as wit-

nessed by the gift

of gold brought by

the Magi to the

Christ Child.

By Pat Camp



called flat-leaf parsley. Chefs

and great cooks prefer this vari-

ety for its strong, sweet flavor.

The stems of this type are also

edible. This type will usually ger-

minate quicker than the curly

leafed variety.

Coriandrum sativum (Cilantro)

(Continued from page 1, ―It’s Time to Plant Cilantro and Parsley‖)

the next year’s crop should it fail

to reseed and you will have cori-

ander which is the spice from the

cilantro seed.

Here are a couple of my favor-

ite recipes using parsley or cilan-

tro.

should also be planted now as it

loves the cooler weather. When

planted in the flower bed or herb

garden, cilantro will easily reseed

itself. It should be planted in

full sun. Use it as much as possi-

ble, as it will quickly bolt as soon

as it gets warm. Remove a few

seed heads and dry them in a pa-

per bag and you will be ready for

1 ½ cups parsley 2-ounce can anchovies, drained and chopped (or 1

tablespoon anchovy paste)

3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (lemon pre-

ferred)

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon or fresh Mexican mint

marigold, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon fresh chives ½ teaspoon lemon zest

4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

2 medium-size shallots, minced ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ white onion, minced 2 tablespoons Parmesan, freshly grated

12 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces sour cream

Using a food processor or knife, mince the fresh herbs, garlic, shallots, and onion. Blend in the re-

maining ingredients, whisking in the oil last. Chill several hours; adjust flavor before serving.

Great served in a hollowed-out purple cabbage with veggies or crackers or thin

with some lemon juice and serve as a salad dressing.

Makes 2 cups.

(From The Herb Garden Cookbook by Lucinda Hutson)

GARDEN DIP From the Kitchen of: Pat Runcie



FALL’S THE TIME FOR TRANSPLATING TREES AND SHRUBS

By Janice Johnson

falls from the roots, the plant’s

survival rate is less than fifty

percent.

Do not carry the plant by its

trunk; lift it by supporting the

root ball cylinder. Move it to

the new hole. Carefully remove

the burlap or blanket. Fill any

voids around the root ball with

the soil you dug out, and water.

As you fill the hole with soil,

stomp the soil into the hole to

eliminate air pockets. No soil

amendments are recommended

when planting a tree, so no com-

post, peat moss or mulch should

be added to the backfill. Once

the hole is filled, build a four

inch tall berm around the edge

of the hole. Fill the berm with

mulch, and water. Filling the

berm with mulch reduces evapo-

ration, moderates soil tempera-

ture, and helps control weeds.

If you are not planting the

newly-dug plant immediately,

place the root ball cylinder in a

container as close to the same

size as possible. Water, and

keep it in a shady location until

spring growth begins.

Doug Welsh’s recommenda-

tions for newly planted trees

are:

right after planting, water

tree by filling bermed basin

with water


circle in the soil around the

plant, with each cut twelve

inches deep. Space each cut

one width of the shovel apart,

so every other width of the

shovel is cut, which will basically

perforate the soil. This process

allows some roots to remain in-

tact. New roots will grow from

the cut roots during the fall and

winter, which will increase the

chances of survival.

Complete the transplanting

process in late December or

January. Dig the new hole be-

fore you finish cutting or re-

moving the plant from its cur-

rent location. The new hole

should be a couple of inches lar-

ger in diameter than the plant

you are transplanting, but no

deeper than the root ball. Dig a

cylinder-shaped root ball six-

teen to twenty inches in diame-

ter, and twelve inches deep.

Finish cutting the uncut portion

of the circle around the plant

(the portions of the perforated

circle not cut in the fall). Dig

on the outside of the cut circle.

Cut below the soil cylinder root

ball to cut the remaining roots.

Slip burlap or an old blanket un-

der the root ball and gather the

blanket ends together at the

base of the trunk or main stem

to help keep the root ball intact.

It is important to not let the

root ball fall apart; if the soil

According to Doug Welsh’s

Texas Garden Almanac, the best

time to transplant trees and

shrubs is in the late winter,

when they are most dormant.

Transplanting during other

times of the year significantly

decreases the success rate. In

addition, larger trees or shrubs

have a lower chance of survival

when transplanted. Mr. Welsh

recommends that if a shrub is

over four feet tall, or if the

trunk of the tree is more than ¾

inch in diameter, you should hire

a professional to transplant it.

Another alternative is to simply

cut it down and replace it. The

size of the root ball needed for

that large a tree or shrub is two

to three feet across, which

would be too large and heavy to

handle.

Preparation of the tree or

shrub to be transplanted begins

in the fall, by pre-cutting the

root ball you will dig and trans-

plant in late winter. Using a

sharpshooter shovel, cut a six-

teen to twenty inch diameter



ing in the fall months. Again,

watering in the evening to night-

time will encourage disease ac-

tivity such as Large patch.

(Adapted from information

from Dr. James McAfee, Turf

grass Specialist)

gation every 4 to 5 weeks if

adequate rainfall does not oc-

cur. Note, on sandy soils, I

would recommend watering

every 3 to 4 weeks during dor-

mancy period if adequate rain-

fall does not occur.

Avoid overwatering in the fall

months. Applying excess water

encourages disease problems

such as Large patch, particularly

in St. Augustine grass and cen-

tipede grass lawns. Also, avoid

late evening to nighttime water-

per week to prevent removing

excess leaf tissue.

Irrigation:

In fall months, apply approxi-

mately 1.0 inch of water per

week if adequate rainfall does

not occur. You can actually ap-

ply less than this amount and

still have a healthy stand of

turf grass. In winter dormancy

period, apply supplemental irri-

(Continued from page 2, ―’Fall to Early

Winter Cultural Practices for Turf grasses

in Home Lawns‖)

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined ½ teaspoon lime zest

3+ tablespoons butter ¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 large cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons tequila Lime wedges for garnish

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

TEQUILA-LIME SHRIMP From the Kitchen of Pat Runcie

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat. When butter

is melted, add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes, stirring and turning until pink.

Stir in tequila, lime juice and zest, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro over

shrimp and cook 10 seconds.

Serve over rice or angel hair or thin spaghetti. (I prefer to use the spaghetti and stir in into the

shrimp mixture so that all strands are coated with the butter and oil. You may need to add extra oil

or butter.

Garnish with the lime wedges.

Gardens, like money in the bank, accumulate interest as they grow



Members Only Preview

Sale Friday from 1 to 7

p.m. Friday's preview sale

is exclusively for members

of the Wildflower Center.

Become a member online

or at the Preview Sale.

If possible, bring your

own wagon to haul your

purchases

Plants may be purchased

and held for pick-up

Enjoy guided walks

through the gardens on

Saturday and Sunday

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants,

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days

Children can keep busy

with activities in the

Courtyard

Jim Stanley, author of Hill Country Landowner’s Guide, speaks in the Audi-

torium, 11:30 a.m. Friday,

October 8. Friday noon to

2 p.m. Wes Marshall signs

The Wine Roads of Texas.

On Saturday, Susan

Tomlinson, author of the

Naturalist’s Notebook,

speaks at 11 a.m. and signs

books until 2 p.m. Kathi

Appelt signs Keeper, 1 to

3 p.m.

Andy Rhodes signs Moon Handbooks: Texas, and Jill

Nokes signs Yard Art and Handmade Places, 1 to 3 p.m.,

Sunday, Oc-

tober 10.

Hours:

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m,

Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission $8 adults, $7

seniors and students, $4 UT

faculty, staff or students

with identification, $3 chil-

dren 5 through 12, members

and children under 5 free.

LADYBIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER FALL PLANT SALE

OCTOBER 8-10, 2010

THE REAL MEANING OF PLANT CATALOG TERMINOLOGY: "A favorite of birds" means to avoid planting near cars, sidewalks, or clotheslines.

"Grows more beautiful each year" means "Looks like road kill for the foreseeable future."

"Zone 5 with protection" is a variation on the phrase "Russian roulette."

"May require support" means your daughter's engineering degree will finally pay off.

"Moisture-loving" plants are ideal for landscaping all your bogs and swamps.

"Carefree" refers more to the plant's attitude than to your workload.

"Vigorous" is code for "has a Napoleonic compulsion to take over the world."

"Grandma's Favorite" -- until she discovered free-flowering, disease-resistant hybrids

http://www.wildflower.org/join



October 20, Monthly Meeting, 9:00am at the Triangle Demonstration Garden. Reclaiming

the herb garden.

November 17, Monthly Meeting, Time TBD, Visit a vineyard in Milam County and learn how

to grow grapes. (This meeting will be in the afternoon or evening)

December 15, 6:00 pm, Anne Barr’s for our Christmas social. Bring your favorite dish for a

covered dish supper.

CULANTRO

If you like cilantro but have

trouble nursing it through our

long hot summers, you might like

to try Culantro(Eryngium foe-tidum).

Culantro is a native to tropi-

cal America and the West In-

dies. It also grows in many Car-

ibbean islands like Trinidad and

other beneficial insects. Plants

around the garden have also re-

portedly provided good defense

against aphids.

Culantro is reported to be

rich in calcium, iron, carotene

and riboflavin.

The plant had been used to

treat fevers and chills, vomit-

ing, diarrhea and in Jamaica for

colds and convulsions in chil-

dren. The leaves and roots are

boiled and the water drunk for

pneumonia, flu, diabetes, consti-

pation and malaria fever. The

root can be eaten raw for scor-

pion stings and in India the root

is reported used to alleviate

stomach pains. The leaves can

also be used as an appetite

stimulant.

Tobago. It has been used ex-

tensively in the Far East, Latin

America and the Caribbean. In

Asia, cilantro is very popular in

Thailand, Malaysia and Singa-

pore often to replace Cilantro.

Culantro is very similar in

taste and aroma to Cilantro but

it’s appearance is quite differ-

ent. Although it will grow in full

sun, shade is recommended to

get better and fuller leaf

growth. The leaves are the edi-

ble portion of the plant. The

blooms should be pruned to pro-

mote better leaf growth.

The plant likes sandy loam

that is kept moderately moist.

The plants are relatively disease

and bug resistant. There is an-

tidotal information that indi-

cates that cilantro attracts la-

dybugs, green lacewings and

The flowers shoot out in spikes and should be

pruned to promote growth.

LRBMGA 2011 CLASS

EACH WEDNESDAY JANUARY 12-May 11, 2011

CAMERON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, 9:00AM TO NOON

LET ALL YOUR FRIENDS KNOW WHAT FUN IT WILL BE



We’re on the Web :

http://grovesite.com/mg/lrb

President - Connie Anderle

Past President - Ann Collins

1st Vice President - Anne

Barr

2nd Vice President - Vivian

Dixon

Recording Secretary -

Susan Humble

Corresponding Secretary -

Bonnie George

Treasurer - Janice

Johnson

Historian - Pat Runcie

Board Member – Pat Camp

L i t t l e R i v e r B a s i n M a s t e r

G a r d e n e r A s s o c i a t i o n

Got questions? Ask the experts at:

http://aggie-

horticulture.tamu.edu/

plantanswers/web.html

and http://

www.plantanswers.com/

PUMPKIN SOUP From the Kitchen of: Pat Camp

½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, one

turn of the pan 1 ¾ Tbsp. poultry seasoning

1 Tbsp. butter ½ Tbsp. hot sauce

½ fresh bay leaf 3 cups chicken stock1 14 oz

pumpkin puree

1 rib celery with greens, finely

chopped

1 14 oz pumpkin puree1 cup

heavy cream

½ yellow onion, finely chopped 1 cup heavy cream¼ tsp freshly

grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 ½ Tbsp all purpose flour

Heat medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat.

Add the oil and melt the butter.

Add bay leaf, celery and onion.

Season veggies with salt and pepper.

Cook 6 or 7 minutes until tender.

Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, and then cook flour a

minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk

in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth.

Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit.

Add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until

ready to serve

for the first week after

planting, water every day

with one quart to one gallon

of water each time

for the second week, water

every other day, with two

quarts to two gallons of wa-

ter each time

(Continued from page 5, ―Fall’s the Time for Transplanting Trees and Shrubs‖)

to have the tree develop a

root system large enough

for the tree to thrive on

only natural rainfall.

Source: Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac, Texas A&M University Press, 2007

for the third week, water

every third day, with two

quarts to two gallons of wa-

ter each time

for the fourth week and

thereafter, water once a

week if needed. The goal is

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