Xylem & Phloem

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my upcoming plans to leave my home in Dallas and move south to Port Aransas. Though I am sad to leave behind the home and garden that I love so dearly, I am overjoyed to be starting a new chapter with the special person in my life. BUT HAVE NO FEAR! Xylem & Phloem will not be left behind! This blog will certainly gain new life from my experiences tackling a new gardening climate -- just blocks from the beach no less!

This is a wonderful time in my life, so full of opportunity. In a few weeks, I will be graduating from Southern Methodist University with a Masters degree in Business Administration. The past two years, I have struggled to find my place among students that are determined to climb the corporate ladder. For me, getting an MBA has never once been about landing the perfect job or securing a big salary. Many classmates talk about dreams of driving fancy cars, owning big mansions, and leading Fortune 500 companies. But my aspirations are far more basic. For me, going to business school was not about getting a prestigious degree. It was about acquiring the tools that will help me create a business that makes a difference and that makes me happy. Perhaps it will be a gardening business. Or maybe a non-profit. Whatever form my entrepreneurial aspirations take, I will always be grounded by my love for gardening and tending the land. When you garden, nothing is more awe-inspiring than the evolution of one tiny seed into a magnificent, blossom-laden plant. No Bentley, or mansion, or corner office will ever satisfy me as much as digging my hands into the earth come springtime. For this, for my love of gardening, I am so very grateful.

So please join me as I embark on a very exciting new adventure. I can't wait to share my coastal gardening experiences with you!

Callie 

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Photo Source: Stoke's Tropicals 

I am hyperfocused on blooms these days... Perhaps all the spring pollen is going to my head!

If you are like me, you have several bromeliads lying around the house without any dramatic blooms on them. I want to get those suckers blooming, so I did a little research that I would love to share with you. Check out some of these hints:

1. To encourage blooms, an HGTV article suggests placing the plant inside a paper bag with an apple for three or four days. Apparently, the ethylene gas will force the bromeliads to form a flower bud.

2. The same HGTV article also suggests hiking up indoor heat to 75 degrees.

3.  Bromeliad Society International proposes adding Epsom salts to the plant to help promote growth and encourage blooms.

4. BSI also reminds us that 99% of bromeliads only bloom once.

Looking for a good online source for bromeliads? Try Stoke's Tropicals. 

Posted by Callie at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Are you disappointed year after year by your hydrangea's poor blooming? There could be a number of reasons why your hydrangea is covered in green foliage with no blooms in sight. Here are some tips to keep your hydrangeas happy, healthy, and full of magazine-worthy blossoms:

1. DON'T PRUNE! I know that many of you are tempted to cut back your hydrangeas once the flowers and foliage dies back in late fall and winter. Any pruning, however, threatens your plant's ability to create blossoms during the following spring. Most heirloom and classic varieties of hydrangeas only bloom on the previous year's growth. Let me explain: each year hydrangeas develop new branches. These new branches, however, will not create flower buds until the NEXT season.

Here is a photo of one of my hydrangeas. See the new buds? These buds are growing on last year's growth.

If you cut back your hydrangeas, you are cutting off any chance for blossoms the next year. If you feel the need to prune, only snip off dead flowerheads or old, dead canes that do not show signs of budding come spring.

Keep in mind that many professional hydrangea growers never cut back the plants at all, preferring to leave dead flowerheads on the plant to provide winter interest and food for hungry, seed-loving birds.

Hydrangea.com has a page dedicated to correct hydrangea pruning here.  

There are, however, new exceptions to his rule. New varieties are being developed every year to satiate the public's appetite for no-fuss, repeat blooming hydrangeas. In my landscape, I have a mix of traditional and care-free varieties.

In my front border, I have planted a row of Blushing Bride hydrangeas. This a gorgeous variety with blooms that are pure white, maturing to a blush pink or blue, depending upon your soil acidity. Blushing Bride is part of the Endless Summer series from Bailey Nurseries. Unlike traditional varieties, Blushing Bride blooms repeatedly through the spring and summer. The plant also bloom on new and old wood alike.

2. Protect hydrangeas in early spring after buds begin to emerge but spring frosts still threaten. As mentioned above, hydrangea flower buds develop on the previous year's growth in early spring. Many times, bud emergence is well before the last frost date for an area. (I had some frost damage to mine this year.)

To ensure that you get the most bang for your buck in terms of blossoms, take care to protect your hydrangea plants during the final weeks leading up to spring when sudden frosts are still likely.

UPDATE: Hydrangea Craft at MarthaStewart.com: Check it out! 

Posted by Callie at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I imagine many of you have heard about the problem of our diminishing worldwide bee population thought to be a result of global warming. As gardeners, we all know the important role that bees play in a garden's harmonious eco-system, and now there is a way for us to contribute to the creation of the first real map of the state of bees across the nation. For more information about the National Bee Survey and ways to participate, check out this blog entry on OrlandoSentinel.com, or visit http://www.greatsunflower.org.

Posted by Callie at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few days ago, I mentioned my obsession with a great website called PerpetualKid.com. Now that my shipment of goodies has arrived, I have another reason to completely adore this company...

Not only did my shipment arrive promptly, but PerpetualKid.com packages using water-dissolvable starch packing pellets!!! This is a fantastic, earth-friendly way to safeguard packages, and I don't know why every other company in the world sends shipments this way. If you haven't seen these pellets before, you just pour them into the sink and douse them with water. Within seconds, the pellets have completely dissolved! No more styrofoam pellets in landfills or fluttering down the street! Xylem & Phloem loves Perpetual Kid!

Posted by Callie at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)