Native Son: December 19, 2024
Dearest Loving and Forgiving Santa,
I did my part; tried to be kind, generous, and honest … PLUS, I got that long-overdue haircut that Neil secretly wanted to personally give me.
In consideration of your precious time and money, I’ve made you a Wish List for any gardener from Texas.
Your Favorite,
Stevie
Wish List for Every Gardener from Texas
1. One kind summer – and by that, I mean one where the thermometer doesn’t explode.
2. One fire ant bite-free weekend … for everybody.
3. One hail-free spring. And no, it doesn’t count if the car is in covered parking … we’re worried about the garden.
4. One less early freeze that always kills my Candle Tree seeds.
5. One less late freeze that always knocks the blooms off my Cherry tree.
6. One coupon book for “Please Rain!”
7. One coupon book for “Please Stop Raining!”
8. One instruction book: “How to Get Deer to Eat Poison Ivy & Briars Instead of Everything Else.” (Oh … and Wendy Stoll needs a copy, too.)
9. One trillion dollar dehumidifier, just for Houston.
10. One winter — just ONE — where nobody goes out and commits Crape Murder!
Now, if YOU’RE the Santa at your house…
Every Texas Gardener’s Realistic Wish List
1. One gift certificate to a LOCAL nursery & garden center. Forget the big box; go local. On my part, I’m heading to Weston Gardens In Bloom, in southeast Fort Worth. Tough plants, smart staff, and a historic garden for you to see their plants in action.
2. One dozen of THE finest water wands I have ever found in more than 45 years in horticulture … DRAMM One-Touch Rain Wand. Accept no substitutes; this is the one you want. Available at LOCAL garden centers.
3. One pair of Felco #2 with a leather scabbard. Best all-around pruner I’ve ever found. It’s kinda like good work boots – they cost a little more, but worth every penny. Hmmm … also available at your LOCAL garden centers.
4. One compost tumbler bin. This is for the small stuff – kitchen veggie scraps, eggshells, spent annuals, etc. – that can produce compost in a short time. Hmmm, I wonder where you can find one of these? (Say it together now, “At our local garden center!”)
5. One pallet of premium potting media. You think one of these Master Gardener husbands would figure out that all of his wife’s friends are gardeners, so if he buys a whole pallet of the good stuff and shares a little, he’s a hero for life to all of these ladies. (Tommy Parker and Danny Turpen – I’m talking to you.)
6. One lovely Live Oak selected and planted by The Tree Place in SE Fort Worth. I know, there are lots of places that can do this, but I’ve never had more fun at any nursery. Great folks, great trees, great experience.
7. One gift certificate to Whiz-Q Stone. No better place to go and discover a world of stone products you never knew existed. Great folks, great stone, and just down the road from The Tree Place.
8. One million dollar gift certificate to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Hands-down the best seed catalog I’ve ever seen. From the ordinary to the bizarre … my kind of place! (rareseeds.com) For those native plant enthusiasts, try Native American Seed (seedsource.com), and their “better than most textbooks” catalog. (My words; not theirs.)
9. One Family membership to my local botanic garden or zoo. Most memberships offer reciprocal admissions to HUNDREDS of other gardens/zoos, which makes this a killer deal.
10. One zillion-dollar shopping spree at Calloway’s Nursery. Grab a cart – and it doesn’t matter which way you go, you will find something you love. Great products, exceptional staff, and something you might not know … decades of this Texas company supporting Texas horticulture through scholarships, education, and setting the highest standards in the retail industry. All this and top-shelf plants, too!
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Come and see me! I’ll be giving a free program at:
Tyler Nature Center, 11942 FM 848, Tyler, TX 75707 – Jan 13, 2025 at 2pm
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I need a road trip! Let me know if you’d like me to come and speak to your group sometime. I’m low maintenance, flexible, and you know I like to go just about anywhere. No city too big; no town to small. Just send me an e-mail at stevenchamblee@yahoo.com and we’ll work something out.