The Cultivated Gardener

10/01/2026

Bye-bye you long hot summer!

09/27/2026

Goodbye Summer Hummers (Greg Grant, 9-27-26)
Every spring, I wait for old friends to arrive. Thanks to years of coevolution, they normally show up when the native coral honeysuckle and red buckeyes are in bloom. By September, however, it is time to start saying goodbye to our beloved ruby-throated hummingbirds.
I’ve been in love with hummingbirds since Marie Daly introduced me to them at her three feeders on Tryon Road in Longview as a kid. She even gifted me my very first feeder. We should all do the same for a child in our lives.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the familiar hummingbirds of East Texas. Males are unmistakable with their brilliant ruby-red throats, which can look black when the light hits them wrong. Females and young birds lack the red throat, but all are tiny, energetic, and seemingly always hungry.
Many of the hummingbirds we see now are already traveling south. Adult males generally begin migrating first, followed by females and young birds. At the same time, hummingbirds from farther north are passing through East Texas, so September can produce some of the busiest hummingbird activity of the year.
Their destination is primarily Mexico and Central America, where they spend the winter before making the journey north again next spring. Some cross the Gulf of Mexico in a remarkable nonstop flight, while others follow the Gulf Coast around Mexico. For such a tiny bird, either route is an amazing accomplishment.
There is an old myth that leaving hummingbird feeders up in fall will prevent hummingbirds from migrating. It will not. Migration is primarily controlled by changing day length and internal biological signals, not by whether your feeder is still hanging outside. Keeping feeders available can actually help migrating birds replenish the enormous amount of energy they need for their journey.
I leave mine up well after the main migration has passed. Late hummingbirds sometimes appear, and occasionally other hummingbird species wander into Texas during fall and winter. Keep feeders clean and filled with fresh sugar water made from four parts water to one part plain white granulated sugar. There is no need for red dye.
Of course, feeders are only part of the story. Hummingbirds need flowers and insects too. Native and well-adapted plants that bloom in late summer and fall provide natural fuel for migration. Turk’s cap, salvia, esperanza, flame acanthus, shrimp plant, and other nectar-producing plants can help turn a landscape into a hummingbird rest stop. Avoid unnecessary insecticide use as well because hummingbirds depend on tiny insects and spiders for protein.
Perhaps that is why September hummingbirds seem especially precious. We know their time with us is growing short. Soon the frantic chases around the feeder will become less frequent. One day we will realize that the little bird we watched yesterday may have been the last one of the season.
So enjoy them while they are still here. Keep the feeders clean, keep the flowers blooming, and wish these tiny travelers a safe journey south. There are few things as precious in our gardening world as our hummingbirds, and I can’t begin to fathom a year without them.
Greg Grant, Ph.D., is the Smith County horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Tyler. He is the author of Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, Texas Home Landscaping, Heirloom Gardening in the South, and The Rose Rustlers. You can read his “Greg’s Ramblings” blog at arborgate.com, find his “In Greg’s Garden” column in each issue of Texas Gardener magazine (texasgardener.com), or follow him on Facebook at “Greg Grant Gardens” and “Pines, Pawpaws, and Pocket Prairies.” More science-based lawn and gardening information from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service can be found at aggieturf.tamu.edu and aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu or by contacting the Smith County Master Gardener Help Desk at [email protected].
Image caption: Hummingbirds benefit from extra nectar when preparing for fall migration.

09/25/2026

A 50% U.S. tariff on a range of Canadian goods is creating new challenges for one of North American horticulture’s most interconnected supply chains.

Following the breakdown of U.S.-Canada negotiations on Aug. 22, the United States imposed a 50% tariff under Section 338 on products including live orchids, fresh-cut orchids and other flowers, dormant bulbs, unrooted cuttings and slips, and other propagative plant material. The affected horticultural imports represent an estimated $158 million in annual trade, according to AmericanHort.

The effects extend beyond the border crossing. Canadian growers who rely on U.S. customers are suddenly faced with a dramatically higher cost, while U.S. importers, wholesalers and garden centers must decide how much of that increase they can absorb and how much must be passed along to consumers.

Read more, with insights from OutFront PS, CosMic Plants, Kankakee Nursery and the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association, at the link below:

https://www.nurserymag.com/article/united-states-canadian-section-338-tariffs-trump-administration-horticulture/

09/19/2026

What a challenging Texas summer at the plant farm with endless triple digit temperatures, lack of rain and complications due to the weather. Our water system was down for what seemed to be weeks, and we had to water with one hose & low pressure. Insects need water too, and ants of all kinds were seeking water inside, in nursery containers or anywhere there was supplemented water. The trees defoliated. It’s their natural defense to drop their leaves during drought and extreme heat. It was too hot for gardeners to want to garden plus water seems scarce which means lack of sales. One hot August day we were delivering cole crops and most of the order flopped over and wouldn’t stand up making the delivery undesirable. We will be reevaluating what we grow and when for fall 2027. There’s always room for improvement to be successful. Now onward and hopefully the rest of this fall season runs smoothly. Kudos to the plant varieties that could take the extremes and stay alive.

09/05/2026

Today’s point of view…

08/20/2026

It might be 105F outside, but this fall crop of veggies and annuals are looking gorgeous. Delivery begins next week. It’s time to plant all the brassicas with a touch of fall color.

08/19/2026

08/18/2026

Hardy plumbago makes an excellent ground cover for partial to full shade. The electric blue flowers appear from spring until fall and attract beneficial insects and birds.

04/27/2026

Growing Southern Peas (Greg Grant, 4-26-26)
When you say “pea” to most gardeners in the world, they think of “English” peas that thrive in cool moist environments. But to most Southerners, a hot weather legume from Africa, more related to beans, is the norm. Despite what others say about our peas being “cattle food,” many of our ancestors dined on them practically daily throughout their lives. They are easy to grow, productive, and nutritious, being high in both fiber and protein. Southern peas come in many varieties and colors, including both standard types and plump ones crowded into their pods known as “crowders.” I never met any fresh Southern pea I didn’t like. You can get peas dried or canned, but none holds a candle to fresh ones from your own garden or a local farmer.
Southern peas are a warm season crop that can’t tolerate frosts or freezes. They can’t even stand cool days or nights. They thrive on heat, so should be planted well after the last frost. This is generally April or later in East Texas. They can be planted anytime up until July 4th, which means if you start early, two crops can be produced each year. Southern peas are easily planted from seed. Once the seedlings are established and about 3-4 inches tall, thin them to 6-8 inches apart.
Southern peas require full sun (at least 8 hours of direct sun each day). They aren’t terribly picky about soil types but should be planted in areas that drain well. Incorporate 1 pound of a complete garden fertilizer (13-13-13, 10-20-10, etc.) per 100 square feet of bed or every 35 feet of row. When I have enough, I use chicken litter. They do not require sidedressing with additional nitrogen fertilizer like most of our other crops. The ideal soil pH for growing Southern peas is 6.0-7.0.
Create a raised row about 4-6 inches high and 16-24 inches wide. Multiple rows should be around 36 inches apart. Open a shallow trench 1 ½ inches deep with the corner of a hoe or a stick. Drop the seed several inches apart to insure a good stand. Cover lightly with loose soil using a hoe or garden rake. It takes a decent sized block or row of peas to produce enough to eat or freeze, so they aren’t adapted to container culture.
Southern peas are easy to grow and fairly drought tolerant. My most frequent problem is aphids which can be controlled with an appropriate insecticide applied following all label directions.
Depending on the variety, Southern peas are generally ready to pick 70-90 days from planting the seed. Pick fresh peas when the pods become yellowish, reddish, or purple, depending on the variety and when the peas are plump inside. Be sure and pick them before they turn brown and dry out. The peas should pop out easily when you press on the pod seam with your thumb. Peas picked too green are much more difficult if not impossible to shell. Small, thin, undeveloped pea pods are sometimes picked green and cooked as “snaps” with the shelled peas. It’s easy to save your own pea seed for next year by picking, shelling, and saving the dried peas in the freezer.
Some recommended Southern pea varieties for Texas include Black Crowder (crowder), California #5 (black-eye), Cream #40 (cream), Mississippi Silver Skin (crowder), Pink Eye Purple Hull (purple hull), Zipper Cream (cream, crowder), and many more. Black-eyed peas, cow peas, crowder peas, and field peas are all different names referring to our Southern peas which are native to Africa and should be a staple on every East Texas table. In East Texas, pink-eyed purple hulls and creams tend to be the most popular with black-eyed the least.
Greg Grant, Ph.D., is the Smith County horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Tyler. He is the author of Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, Texas Home Landscaping, Heirloom Gardening in the South, and The Rose Rustlers. You can read his “Greg’s Ramblings” blog at arborgate.com, find his “In Greg’s Garden” column in each issue of Texas Gardener magazine (texasgardener.com), or follow him on Facebook at “Greg Grant Gardens” or “Pines, Pawpaws, and Pocket Prairies.” More science-based lawn and gardening information from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service can be found at aggieturf.tamu.edu and aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.
Image caption: Southern peas are easy to grow, and nutritious.