- Hi, I'm John Hart Asher.

This week on "Central
Texas Gardener,"

discover the deep roots behind
our response to fragrance.

Ann McCormick explores how
memories impact our preferences.

Susan Snyder and Mark Hathaway

applied imagination,
sweat-labor,

and innovative recycling to
their first home's empty yard.

Daphne answers your
questions and Molly Pikarsky

has your Backyard Basics tip.

So, let's get growing,
right here right now!

- [Announcer] Central Texas
Gardener is made possible

by the generous support
from Lisa and Desi Rhoden.

Thank you.

(bright music)

- When Susan Snyder and Mark
Hathaway went house hunting,

their top priority was a
large yard with lots of sun.

See what they did with
imagination, sweat-labor,

and innovative recycling.

- [Narrator] Sun and
space for gardens,

those were tops on Susan
Snyder and Mark Hathaway's list

when they went house hunting
in 2014 after years of renting.

We wanted to come in
and have a blank slate

to create gardens.

And sometimes when you're
looking for houses,

there's already a
lot of landscaping

that has been put in place.

So when we found this,
we were so excited.

- The first straight bed that
we put in with cinder blocks

and we decided to
inset it in the ground

because the previous, the
previous gardens we had,

the water would run off.

We could put them
sunk in cinder blocks,

we could water and
not have runoff.

And then we could use the
side holes to plant plants.

So I bought a bunch of cinder
blocks and then in July

I thought it'd be a great
idea to start digging.

I was so defeated after
six cinder blocks.

It was very gratifying
to finally get it in

but it was a lot
of work at first.

We actually had someone help us

and install cedar fence posts
into the ground and concrete.

And then we had a cattle
panel put on that.

- [Narrator] Its
airy frame harbors

seasonal climbing
crops like peas,

beans, cucumbers, and
even morning glories.

While renting, Susan
had learned the basics

at a community center
vegetable gardening class.

- I went home and we had
our little four by four

square foot garden
that we built.

And so it's just kind
of literally blossomed

from there, you know,
just learning as we go.

- We're both from the Northeast

and so there's one
season, only one season.

And my parents had
a garden growing up.

My grandparents had
a garden growing up.

I send pictures to
my relatives up north

and they're jealous in
the snow and the mud.

- [Narrator] To
round out the garden,

they arranged limestone
beds with a centerpiece

of flowers and
water for wildlife.

They chose limestone,
like the cinder blocks,

for long-lasting durability.

- [Susan] And then we played
around with different designs

for the limestone beds
to see what would work.

And we wanted to be able to
walk around and you know,

make it easy to plant things
and reach across the bed.

- [Narrator] The
design allows them

to circulate crops every year.

Pine straw mulch protects
plants from splashing soil

but doesn't clump
and allows rainfall

to easily meet the soil.

This year, statuesque onions
frame the outer borders.

- We just mostly have
Texas sweet white onions

and I have 75 in the ground.

And these go in
the ground really

before the first of the year.

They're usually in by
the end of December

or first week of January.

And then we're usually able
to harvest them by mid-May.

And so when we harvest them,

we'll keep some out
on the counter to use,

but then we usually chop
the rest up and freeze them.

And we have them
pretty much all year.

And we do the same
thing with the tomatoes

'cause we have 13 tomato
plants in the ground.

- My grandmother,
Depression era taught me

how to cut the tomatoes
in half and you put them

on wax paper in the freezer
on like a cookie sheet.

And then when they
freeze, you pull them out

and put them in Ziploc bags.

And you just keep freezing
them, putting them in there,

so we end up with all
these huge Ziploc bags

full of frozen tomatoes.

So then you can take those
out whenever you want them.

My Grandmother Rosemarie
Bernardi Hathaway,

she had a garden in
Massachusetts where we grew up.

And the story that it
was always something

that was amazing that
there was cucumber salads

and the cookouts that our house

in the summer were spectacular.

And the stories that I hear
is my great grandfather

who was from Italy he would
come out for the summer

and he would go
through that garden

and even at the
end of the season

he could pluck
things out of there

and make minestrone soup
or anything out of it.

I got really into pickling
about 10 years ago

and she sent me all of
her handwritten notes.

- [Narrator] They
renovated an existing bed

that had been edged with
composite landscape timbers.

- We spent a couple of days
just clearing out the whole bed.

It was pretty overgrown.

And so over the past few years

we decided to turn
it into a rose bed.

We've got Belinda's
Dream and Cecile Bruner

and Grandma's Yellow and just
a bunch of miniature roses.

- There was originally
a lattice screen

with the roses that we had there

that was attached to the fence.

Well, we know it's
our neighbor's fence

and so we figured if they
have to replace that fence,

they're gonna have to
tear the whole thing down.

I built it out of cedar
lattice so it wouldn't rot

and I framed it with
cedar fence pickets

and I kind of sandwiched them.

What I did was I took
a eight-foot rebar

and I just drove
it into the ground

so it's standing on the
rebar kind of the sandwich

sitting over the rebar.

I did attach a couple of
little pickets to the fence

to hold it in place,
but if the neighbor

ever replaces the fence, I'll
just be able to cut it free.

- [Narrator] Young evergreen
star jasmine and crossvine,

along with summertime
passion vine,

have plans to fill the frame.

The first year, they thought

they'd nailed this garden thing.

But it was spring 2015
with historic rainfall.

- And so we thought, oh my gosh,

we just have the magic touch.

And then we realized
the following year

when we were in drought
and it wasn't so easy.

But I think that first year

really is kind of
what hooked us.

And since then we've
learned that, you know,

Texas can be a tough, tough
place at times to garden.

- [Mark] So that's for us
is getting a large rain tank

and we're trying to use as
much rain water as possible.

The one in the backyard
here is 1,500 gallons

and then we have a 90
gallon in the front

and a 65 gallon in the back.

- [Narrator] But they don't
use their reserves on the lawn.

- Every February get a
couple truckloads of compost,

spread it out, and then
let it fend for itself.

- [Susan] I'm shocked
at how much compost

makes a difference.

- I used to do the compost
pile more out in the open

and we realized we
had this special spot

hidden behind the bushes
back in the corner.

So we have named
it compost corner

and back there we can
hide the neighbors' leaves

off the street and all
the bags of leaves.

Nothing goes in the trash

and of our scraps
though everything.

So it's nice 'cause we
could have two piles,

one resting, one working, and
plenty of room to flip it.

The pond was a project
that had a good start

and like I couldn't figure
out how to finish it.

- [Narrator] The heavy clay
meant backbreaking work,

but they wanted National
Wildlife Federation Certified

Backyard Habitat status,
which requires a water source.

- [Mark] Could have done
it a little bigger now

in retrospect, but
I really like it.

It's a sound and,
and just building up,

so to look like a spring
coming out of the bamboo there.

- [Narrator] Nearby, they
defined a patio with flagstones

and a cinder block wall
topped with container plants.

For a distinctive table,

Susan created a mosaic
top with discarded tiles.

She repurposed its base
from a rotted out fire pit.

- [Susan] There's actually
another mosaic table

back there that I made.

I'd found that table at Goodwill

and it's all sort
of wrought iron

and I found this glass plate
at a thrift store for $4.

It's fun to do that stuff,

when you can be creative
with secondhand things.

- That little bench,
20 plus years ago,

a neighbor, my
next door neighbor,

he was a stone mason
and he was helping

build the Bob Bullock,
Texas State History Museum.

And so they let all
the workers take home

the little scraps of
stone from the facade.

And so finally they
all, there you go.

Let's make a little,
little bench out of it.

- [Narrator] They
turned a back corner

into an outdoor kitchen with
project workspace and storage.

To give this new
room a colorful wall,

they turned once again
to cinder blocks,

colorized with liquid iron
sulfate and a paintbrush.

- [Susan] Keep in mind though
is you don't want to do it

over any, you know, concrete,
driveway or anything like that

that you don't want
to turn orange.

- [Narrator] Since most
of the garden's in sun,

here's where they stage colorful
shade lovers in containers.

They jazzed up the
screened-in porch

as another living room,
including for their cats.

- We want to bring
wildlife into this yard

and we have a lot of
different songbirds.

And, we have all kinds
of lizards and toads

and just all kinds of wildlife.

So we, we don't
want them out here,

you know, interfering
with all of that.

The porch was here
when we moved in.

But it wasn't really
used very much.

And so it had been painted
sort of a very dark,

dark, dark olive green.

I actually grew up on a
street in upstate New York

called Morningside.

And our house was this color

and it was my mom's
favorite color.

And so we looked for the
same shade of yellow.

So we had taken a course
with a guy named Dan Phillips

at the Phoenix Commotion
several years ago

out in Huntsville
and he's amazing

and he's doing all of
this incredible work

with building houses
for low income people,

using pretty much all
recycled materials.

And so we had learned
mosaic making from him.

- [Narrator] From around town,

they collected
discarded and demo tile.

Over several learning
curve weekends,

they designed a tree that unites

their growing philosophy
indoors and out.

- Austin is such an
amazing place to garden

because there are so
many knowledgeable people

and experts who are willing
to share their inspiration

and their knowledge.

So we've just learned by
talking to lots of people

and experimenting
and seeing what works

and trying new stuff next year.

- I'm John Hart Asher

from Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center,

stepping in for Tom Spencer,

and today we've got
Ann McCormick here

with the Herb 'n Cowgirl.
- Yep, got it right.

- I see what you did there.
- Yup.

- And today we're
gonna be talking about

the old oil factory, so the
role of fragrance in gardens.

- Yes, when we're putting
together a garden,

we think of how
it's going to look,

and to look at different
seasons of the year,

but there's another aspect

that we don't think
about as much.

If I said to you, "Let's
go out to the garden,"

it would immediately bring
up certain aromas to them.

And as we go through life,
we also pick up aromas

that we particularly like
or particularly don't like.

I grew up in an
area for instance

which had lots of eucalyptus
trees in Southern California

and to this day, the
scent of eucalyptus

brings me back home
to Southern California

just instantly, there I am.

- Memory of all of
the sort of senses,

really that fragrance
is essential.

- It really connects
very strongly to memory.

Another memory I have
again of childhood

is my father's parents died

within a few months
of each other

and there were stocks, the
flower stocks at the funeral

and it was years
before I could abide

the smell of the stocks because
of the sad memory of it.

And I'm sure everyone has
something along those lines.

In fact, actually, before I
became the Herb 'n Cowgirl

when I was a little girl,
I tried my first hand

at creating potpourri but I,
Christmas, loved Christmas,

I adored having the
Christmas tree in the home

'cause it just fills the house.

- Sure.
- With the aroma.

To me it was just a
wonderful, wonderful smell.

It was the end of
the Christmas season

and the tree was about to go out

and I decided I wanted
to preserve that.

I got a little container
and I collected

as many of the leaves
as I could from the tree

to get into there.

So during the year, whenever
I wanted to smell that,

I could just lift the top
and smell the pine scent.

It was just a happy memory

and it was a way of hanging
on to that happy memory.

And I think that with aroma,

we can definitely
bring back memories,

bring back feelings, most
religions of the world,

for instance, use incense.

People haven't perhaps
thought of that

but certain smells, certain
incenses are associated

with the divine and a
connection with God.

And so that is why they're
often used in ceremonials events

in churches and
all over the world.

I've studied many
pre-Columbian history

and they used incense.

There's very, very few
religions that don't use

some form of incense to invoke

or encourage the
sense of the divine.

- I found there's
over 1,000 cells

that are really dedicated
to smells themselves

as opposed there's only four
for light, or four for touch.

So it's an integral part of us.

- Scent also affects how we
eat, and definitely our memory

because if it's
doesn't smell good,

no one is gonna to wanna
take that first bite.

So I could definitely see
that example in spades

when I would teach a
class on potpourri.

I'd explain what botanical
materials we had there

and I also had of
course essential oils

which is a part of
make a potpourri.

But I waited 'till the
last minute to open that up

because even these tiny bottles,

you open that up and it
just throughout the room.

And we got to that point
and I opened up one of them

and one of the women
went, "Oh my goodness,"

she could hardly,
it was patchouli,

it's one a lot of people
just adore, patchouli.

- Sure, sure.

- And I had another every
day experience once with,

I used to work with
a man from China

and I had a cup of cinnamon tea

and he one day confessed to me
that he just hated the smell

of that particular
tea that I drank

and I asked him why and he said,

"Well when I was a child,

"my mom would treat
me for medicines,

"folk Chinese medicines, they
would add cinnamon to it,"

and so he associated
it with being sick

and having to down
something he didn't like.

I imagine everybody,
if you think about it,

you come up with
one or two things

such as you have a
really strong, positive,

or negative response to scent.

- Sure.
- To scent.

- Well let's get into
some details here

because we're gonna
be talking today

about the fragrance wheel as
opposed to the color wheel.

I think a lot of people
know about the color wheel

but not the fragrance wheel.

- Oh yes, we learn about
that in grade school.

The fragrance wheel is actually
a relatively new creation.

Of course, we've had
incense and perfumes

and all sorts of
things like that

since the beginning
of recorded history,

but they're dependent
upon individuals

who had extraordinary noses,

who had the ability
to distinguish once
scent from another

to know what to add to something

to make it better
or make it stronger

or make it more
masculine, more feminine.

And some time shortly
after World War II,

at the point where people
were starting essentially

to apply science to just
about every aspect of life,

we came out of the 19th century
wondering what was going on

and finally we had the tools

and they had more of
the tools at that point

to be able to analyze scent.

Still the perfume industry
depended upon the nose.

- So as I understand it, the
contemporary fragrance wheel

breaks out into four
primary components?

- When you look at
them, you realize

that you probably fit
primarily into one of them.

Just as you will tend to
prefer certain colors,

I wear lots of blue,
I must confess,

it's the dominant
color in my closet.

And probably in the scent world

there's a section of
that wheel that would be

where I would go for
say my personal scent,

although for cleaning the house,

I wouldn't necessarily
want the same thing.

- [John] There's fresh,
floral, oriental, and woody.

- Yeah.

Now fresh, anyone who cleans,
you go down the cleaning isle

on the local grocery store

and you're gonna see
little tags on it,

fresh clean scent, fresh
linen scent, outdoor,

because it's part
of that section

we associate with cleanliness.

A significant element of that

is because some of
the essential oils

and some of the
materials we used to use

when we made our own cleaning
agents were from this group.

And so, we remember
how the house smelled

when grandma cleaned,

so mom does the same
thing as far as the scent

because it just smells good.
- It pass on.

Yeah.
- And you feel

like that's definitely
a sign that it's clean

although it doesn't
necessarily mean there's no,

it doesn't describe whether
or not there are bacteria.

The next one I think is

- [Both] Floral.

- Floral now, that's
one that will hit more

into the personal perfumes,
usually for women.

They tend to want a little
bit more of the floral,

lately perfumes have added a
lot of fruity flavors into that

because of the younger
generations' preference

for some of those, but
there's still that element

of sweetness and a positive
aspect that goes with it.

Even vanilla, actually
comes from an orchid flower.

It's the pod from the orchid,

and it has something
of a floral scent.

And years and years
ago, out in the far West

of a woman wanted to dab
a little bit something

and she had no time
to grab anything else,

she could put a little bit
of vanilla behind her ears.

The next one--
- Oriental.

- Yes, now see, that's a section

that would include
patchouli, some sandalwood,

some of the cinnamon and the
spices that we recognize,

it's starting to get onto
the edge of that as well.

That's something I'm sure
a little bit cultural too

because patchouli didn't
come to the Western world

as I remember until about
the 17th, 18th century,

actually quite by accident,
one of those silly things.

They were sending
shipping shawls,

women's shawls
from the far East,

they were weaving them in India

and shipping them the distance,

but to keep them smelling
nice and I think insect free,

they embedded, they
used patchouli in it.

And that was the first time
a lot of European women

had ever smelled patchouli
so they began to demand it.

So again, scent coming through.

- Really quickly
with the last one,

we have woody, what's this?

Things like amber.
- The men's scent.

That's more where you're going
to have the men's perfume,

the great outdoors,
definitely elements of pine,

cedar shavings,
stetson is probably one
close well into that

because men don't
wanna smell like women.

- Sure.
- Generally speaking.

And it attracts us because
we associate those scents

with a masculine man, you know?

So you just have to
see how this goes.

The fun part of it is knowing

all these different
major categories

and looking at the little beds,

you can think about what are
the things that I really like?

What is it when I get a
scented candle that I prefer?

In fact, I know what my
personal preferences are,

most generally do, I'm looking
at an array of candles,

there's some of them I don't
even bother opening the top

because I know not
that one, not that one,

oh this might be yeah.

And we just have those
personal preferences.

- That's right, well that
means that everybody's

got a choice of their own.

I'd like to thank Ann
McCormick for coming on today,

and very interesting
conversation,

thank you for sharing--
- You're welcome.

- Your wealth of knowledge

about floral scents.
- Oh it's so much fun.

- And everything.

And now let's check
in with Daphne.

(cheerful jazzy music)

- We've seen a lot of
troubled plants this year.

Sandy Holland and
Renee Martinez's

wax myrtle is about a year old.

It hasn't grown
much in that time

but it was green
and healthy looking

until a month or two ago.

Now, all of the leaves in
the top half of the tree

are brown but the branches
are showing berries.

Also, the bottom part
that is green appeared

to be growing from the roots.

It gets at least six
hours of sun everyday

and they water it twice a week.

While it's hard to give
an exact diagnosis here,

I believe this wax myrtle may
be receiving too much water

which may also be exacerbated

if the soil isn't
draining properly.

It appears that this
struggling shrub

is in a bed with other plants
growing very close to it

that seem to be doing fine,
but that may also be an issue.

This shrub really
needs its own space.

The good news is the new growth.

Wax myrtles do tend to
re-sprout easily from the roots,

so I'd suggest putting all the
dead growth back to the soil,

clearing a space around
the base of the shrub

and decreasing the
watering significantly.

If this shrub
continues to struggle,

dig it up and check
out the roots.

And monitor for soil
drainage issues,

making sure the soil has time

to dry out between
watering sessions.

Jill Gaskin's Texas star
hibiscus didn't mind

summer's heat one
bit and bloomed
prolifically to prove it.

Tony Way is growing a Texas star

in a large planter on his patio,

it's doing so well that
he needs to move it

to a larger container,
or to the ground.

When's the best time to do that?

Andrea DeLong-Amaya,
director of horticulture

at the Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center

tells us that this hearty
plant can be put in the ground

anytime here in Central Texas

and will actually be
more cold-tolerant

in the landscape
than in a container

which would lead the
roots less insulated.

Andrea also notes that
in spite of the name,

Texas star hibiscus,
this local favorite

actually isn't native
to the Lone Star State.

It's indigenous to Florida
and the South Eastern U.S.

Sometimes patience pays off
to get spectacular flowers.

In Dallas, Charles Woodard
grows a night-blooming cereus

in a container.

It sits outside in warm weather

but for 15 years he's brought
it indoors every winter.

This year, his
diligence paid off

with at least seven
outstanding flowers.

Each opens in the evening
and only lasts for one day,

but that was enough time to
get these great pictures.

But Susan Doss discovered a wren

happily chomping
into her euphorbia.

Indeed, in drier times, thirsty
birds and other critters

seek a drink from
our succulents.

Thankfully, this damage
doesn't appear too bad

and I think the plant
will easily recover.

Outdoors, gardens
aren't made in a day,

Susan Velzy just put
the finishing touches

on her new garden rooms
but we know, Susan,

that a garden is always growing.

Anna Poole started her
garden six years ago,

took her a while since
she's got a large backyard

and lots of shade.

Her first building project
was a deck for lounging

to watch it all.

Recently, she started
putting in pathways

to an evergrowing
beautiful garden.

She's got sun in front, so
that's where she's planting

fragrant roses
and other flowers.

In Bulverde, Charlene
and Michaels Lowe

sent a video of
migrating hummingbirds

flocking to their feeders.

Hey tell us, "After
planting many things

"that attract hummingbirds
and butterflies,

"our garden has
been very active."

And we'd love to
hear your stories.

Head over to
centraltexasgardener.org

and send us your questions,
pictures and video.

- Next, Molly Pikarsky has
your Backyard Basics tip.

(bright music)

- If you would like
to add some spice

to your holiday cooking,
might I suggest microgreens?

Microgreens are easy-peasy.

As with all things horticulture,

you can travel deep
into complicated town

or you can keep it simple.

You know me, I keep it simple.

With just a few simple supplies,

you can have fresh microgreens

to spice up your
cooking year round.

You can grow microgreens
in a super bright window,

or like me with an
inexpensive utility light

and a LED grow bulb.

I love those LEDs
because they stay cool.

You must, however,
situate that bulb

right above your micro greens.

If it's too tall, you will
not have good results.

My bulbs usually are
about 10 to 12 inches

above my microgreen tray.

If you want your micro greens
to stretch and be tall,

raise the bulb a little.

For short, more
chunky microgreens,

keep the bulb lower to the tray.

You'll need something
to grow them in

and options range from
grow trays to deli cups.

I personally like the deli cups.

You can reuse them and they're
a very manageable size.

You have many options
when it comes to choosing

a growing medium.

You can use anything from agar

to a high quality potted medium.

Just make sure it's all
vegetative organic material,

no topsoil, no sand.

I use cellulose grow mats.

This soil-less option
was the right one for me

because it makes harvesting
them much easier.

There's no soil to wash off.

There are so many
options for microgreens.

I currently grow
a spicy salad mix,

a mild salad mix,
radishes, basil, and peas.

If you're just getting started,

the mild salad mix
is a quick, easy one

and it goes well
with most recipes.

Before you sprinkle your
seeds on the seed mat or soil,

make sure the seed mat
is wet by misting it.

Next, sprinkle the
seeds on the mat.

Right here I have
some radish seeds.

I'm just gently going to
sprinkle these on the mat.

If it looks like poppy
seeds on top of a bagel,

you've pretty much
done it right.

After you sow, check
your seeds daily.

They should never get dry.

Keep a pump up
mister and spray them

as often as they require.

Great news, you're going
to eat this quickly,

like within seven days.

So fertilizer is not necessary.

You will eat these before they
even produce any true leaves,

so they have all the
nutrients they need.

Once your micro
greens are ready,

simply cut them off
and start the next crop

with a clean container
and a new grow mat.

Microgreens are fun,
easy, and your setup

does not have to break the bank.

If you would like to learn
more, please visit my blog.

This has been Molly, your
rebel horticulturist,

reminding you to
learn the rules well

so you know which ones to break.

- Find out more and watch online

at centraltexasgardener.org.

Until next time, remember
to adopt the pace of nature;

her secret is patience.

(bright music)

- [Announcer] Central Texas
Gardener is made possible

by the generous support
from Lisa and Desi Rhoden.

Thank you.