- Hi there, I'm Tom Spencer,
this week on Central Texas

Gardener, Certified Arborist,
Andrew Angstrom, picks

the biggest mistakes
that topple our trees.

See how to improve the lifespan

of these long-term investments.

On tour, at the Warrior
and Family Support Center

in San Antonio, visit a
healing garden for wounded

warriors and their families.

Daphne answers your Top
Question and Trisha has

your Backyard Basics tip.

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

- [Voiceover] Central
Texas Gardener is sponsored

by the Austin Area Garden
Center in Zilker Botanical

Garden, home of 31 local
garden clubs and the Zilker

Garden Festival,
zilkergarden.org.

(playful chime music
and birds chirp)

- At the Warrior and
Family Support Center,

at the San Antonio
Military Medical Center,

see how community interaction
developed a healing garden

for wounded warriors
and their families.

- [Voiceover] At the Warrior
and Family Support Center

in San Antonio, another
kind of healing is going on,

at the San Antonio
Military Medical Center.

Along with it's home-like,
hill country ranch-style

Activity Center and Dining
Room, acres of gardens

assist soldiers and their
families to physical and

emotional recovery.

In 2015, the American
Horticultural
Therapy Association

presented them the Therapeutic
Garden Design Award.

- [Judith Merkelz] The Warrior
and Family Support Center

was originally begun 12 years
ago, moved into this site

seven years ago and the
purpose of it is to encourage

warriors and their families,
help them interact back

into society, to a,
overused expression but,

a whole new normal, because
their lives are changed forever.

We provide activities, classes,
anything that will allow

them to be back, part of the
community that they live in.

- My son was injured in
Afghanistan and he came

to the finest center for
treatment, which is here.

And, that's how I came here.

I came to see him,
obviously, they sent for me,

and I started walking
around the track.

I would notice a rose
that needed pruning,

or something that I thought
could use a little bit of work.

So I said, "Do you
need volunteers?"

And they said, "We sure
do, in the garden."

That's how I started.

- [Voiceover] To finance the
building and the garden design,

Steve Huffman founded the
nonprofit Returning Heroes Home,

raising startup funds
from over 8,000 donors.

- In 2007, we first met Judith
Markelz, at the time she was

in a room, in a hotel,
and didn't have the space

that she needed to really
serve the wounded warriors

and their families.

- [Judith] They raised all
the monies and they did

all the work, and we moved in.

- We have a lot of very
severely injured and wounded

soldiers here, burn patients,
people with prosthetics,

threatened amputations.

And, they tend to be here
for a very long time.

When we started looking
into the idea of therapeutic

gardens on site, we
started doing some research

and found Brian Benson,
with Quatrefoil,

in Portland, Oregon.

Brian's main role was to
layout the architechtural

design, the raised planters,
the walking surfaces,

the berming activity.

- [Voiceover] Dallas designer,
Jennifer Golden, laid out

the initial Texas stock
plantings, financed by Returning

Heroes Home.

Since then, local nurseries
and gardeners jump in,

to add plants and materials.

- [Voiceover] The people in San
Antonio have been phenomenal,

you know, we get fertilizer
donated, we get plants donated.

Everybody that I invite to
come here and take a tour,

they are just blown away
with what has been done

for wounded warriors, so they're
just willing to help out.

- [Voiceover] But, it's
volunteers that keep the garden

at it's best in every season.

Melody McMahon has
nurtured it since day one.

- It was my neighbors, the
Huffman's, who built the place

and I was at their house,
and they were talking

about building a facility
for the wounded warriors and

I asked if they needed help.

And, I came out here the
next week and I've been here

ever since.

- [Voiceover] Adair County
Master Gardener, Melody

eventually enlisted their
help along with the Gardening

Volunteers of South Texas.

- Almost every week, someone
will stop and thank us

for being here.

Which is something that
I am just so amazed by,

since I thank them for
everything that they do,

and, I just love being here.

- [Voiceover] Some
of the volunteers are
actually moms, that

are here with their sons.

- I have absolutely nothing,
but an injured child,

my one and only (laughter)
and here I've watched

the seasons, I've watched
things growing and planting,

and cutting back and
dying, and renewing.

And, it's the best, the
best remedy in the world

for anybody.

- John Carter was hired
as our Staff Gardener

2.5 years ago, and what
a blessing he has been.

- [Voiceover] They all
want soldiers and families

to experience Texas
hospitality, through it's plants

and wildlife.

They do avoid plants that
remind soldiers where they

received their injuries.

- [Voiceove] The butterfly
garden was one of my favorite

pieces, having understood
the patient population.

The symbol of the
butterfly is very important

to the caregivers and the
people in the burn unit,

because they see it
as a symbol of hope.

Just like a caterpillar
is cocooned and then turns

into a butterfly, it's the
same thing that happens

in the burn unit.

These patients are cocooned
in bandages and it takes them

months to even be
able to go outdoors.

And for them, once they
get here, it's an amazing,

therapeutic situation that
we can't even comprehend.

- [Voiceover] We plant things
on purpose, to bring in,

especially the monarchs.

They wanted to have a
variety and show what can

grow in this area, but what
was so cool, is the other day,

a soldier was here and he
was from Chicago, originally.

And, he wanted a picture
of him holding an apple,

so he could send it to his
mom, in Chicago. (laughter)

It was so cute.

- [Voiceover] The variety of
surfaces does more that create

unique journeys from
one space to another.

- [Voiceover] They want
to be able to walk on some

soft grass, and they want
something that's not desert,

especially if they've
come back from war.

They want something that's green

and lush and soothing.

When they are fitted with their
prosthetic limb, sometimes

they need to learn how to
walk on them, on different

surfaces, so they, on
purpose, did concrete,

different bricks,
the crushed granite.

We even have a bridge in
the back that they can

walk over and it's
a little wobbly.

So, it's just to help them
learn on different surfaces

how to walk again.

- And, there's also an
artificial turf field, that's

used by the physical therapist.

So, there's regularly
scheduled group therapy

sessions, out on the turf field.

- [Voiceover] Since families
can spend months or years here,

playgrounds let children
run around and have fun,

like they did at home.

Important therapy for
their parents, too.

Families often gather in
the covered pavilion, where

sponsors provide barbecues,
breakfasts, and other events.

- We have breakfasts here
every Saturday morning for 200

and some odd people.

Everything is free here, no
money exchanges hands between

warriors, staff, everything
is free and everything is

sponsored by donated money.

- [Voiceover] It adjoins the
Purple Heart Patio, enjoyed

not only on
ceremonial occasions.

Its grapevine covered
pergola, framed by fragrance

and color, invites daily
reflection on service and honor.

Everywhere, there's soothing
water to induce emotional

calm and temper the Texas heat.

There's also water from above.

Misters, along porches,
pathways, and the
kitchen pavilion

cool soldiers who can't
regulate their body heat.

- [Voiceover] An additional
consideration for the burn

patients in particular, there's
shade structures that are

located relatively close
to the building out

in the garden areas.

- You know, he has a light
sensitivity, from his injury,

and so, it's hard for him
to come out in sunlight,

but he comes out,
I bring him out.

- I talked to one of the
burn patients and he said,

for a couple months he
couldn't even see out a window,

couldn't sit in a wheelchair.

He said, as soon as he could
sit in the wheelchair, he said,

"Just push me to a window,
I have to see outside."

And this place was the first
place he came to, when they

let him out of the hospital.

Because, he said, "I heard
there was this great place,

on campus."

- I just feel like, if I can
help the wounded warriors

and their families, you
know, come back to life,

then just feel better for one
day, that's what I'm here for.

- I have hundreds of friends
here, they all stop to hug me.

They're walking on one leg,
or two legs, or you know,

missing arms, burns, whatever
it is, and they are walking

the tracks and stopping to chat.

Oh, it is wonderful, smelling
the flowers, 'cause I'll make

sure they know which ones
are perfumed. (laughter)

- For a moment in time,
you're where you used to be,

and you will never be again.

On the front door it says, 'Life
is all about how you handle

Plan B here, 'cause
Plan A is gone'.

So, part of our job, and
all of the community's job

is to help them find
and succeed at Plan B.

- What a beautiful and
powerful place, that just

lends testimony to the power
of gardens to heal people

and we're really grateful for
the creators of that garden

in San Antonio.

We're now gonna be talking
about caring for trees, and

I'm joined by Andrew Angstrom.

He is a Certified Arborist
with Bartlett Tree Experts

here in Austin.

Welcome to the program,
great to have you here.

- Yeah, thank you,
thanks for havin' me.

- This is a great time of year
to be thinking about trees,

this is tree planting time,
in Central Texas, and I love

to plant trees in the Fall.

And, this has been a
particularly kind of tough year

for trees, it seems like.

- It really has, we had a
lot of very strange weather,

that has actually
been catastrophic,
especially to a lot

of new trees, just
because they weren't ready

for the inundation and the
low temperatures, followed

by an immediate snap of
hundred degree temperatures.

- It's like somebody
turned the oven on, right?

- Yeah, after being drowned.

- And, what I've noticed
is a tremendous amount

of leaf drop, early.

- Yes, and I think that was
from the heat, not being

as gradual as we usually get
it, and I think it was also

from a lot of trees actually
losing portions of their

root systems to root rot,
from that heavy inundation,

that we had early in the summer.

- Interesting, yeah, yeah,
I was wondering maybe they

just got too exuberant
in the spring and put

on too much foliage.

- That's a possibility, I'm
sure in some cases that was it,

but I've been seeing a lot,
where I've come in and found

rotten roots, below the trees
that have lost their leaves.

Interesting, so anything for
those situations that people

might want to consider doing?

- If we have situations like
that, where we have rain,

nonstop for months, and you
have trees that are sensitive

to root rot, or in low areas,
or if you find areas where

there's pooling water,--

- Pooling water is
a sure sign, right?

- Yes, we actually have a
treatment, that is preventative,

for root rot, and it'll actually
paralyze the fungus before

it can begin rotting
out a lot of the roots.

- Oh cool, so is that a
chemical intervention or

a physical intervention?

- It is, it is
chemical intervention.

We do an application to the
soil, but if the root rot's

really bad and it's made
it's way into the stem,

we actually apply it
to the stem as well.

- Okay, okay, well, people can
avoid this rotting situations

by planting trees at
an appropriate height.

And this is something that
people just don't get, and we

need to repeat this
every single year.

But, always recommend
planting just a little

bit high, right?

- Yes, there's an old
saying, it's plant them high

they won't die, plant
them low they won't grow.

And, it really is a good
saying, especially because

when we get rain here,
we get a lot of rain, and

if you have a low plant
it's gonna make a bowl,

it's gonna rot out that
stem and the roots in there.

- Right.
- [Andrew] And, having it high

has a lot of advantages, so
you always want to plant high.

- Yeah, and I typically,
just as a gauge, say

if I'm planting a five
gallon plant, I'll set it

in the planting hole.

I want it to be about
an inch or two above

the surrounding area, is
that appropriate height,

or should I go even higher.

- Yeah, no an inch or
two is pretty good.

If you know you have some
space and you think it's gonna

settle, by your soil type,
it might even be better

to go higher.

If you ever, I would
always say, put it in, and

then once you think you got
it just right, move it up

about an inch.

- Okay, okay, that makes sense.

You know, one of the
tragedies for a lot of people,

and they bring a tree
home from the nursery,

they're very careful not
to disturb the root system.

They put the plant in the
ground and then, five years

and the plant grows and seems
to flourish, for two or three

years, maybe something as
long as five years, and then

all of a sudden, it just dies.

And, this is often caused
by girdled roots, how does

that occur?

- So, girdled roots are a
phenomenon that most often

occur because of the way
they are in a nursery.

The roots will grow out,
they'll hit the edge of the pot

or whatever container they're
in and they they'll start

to spiral.

And, as that spiraling
continues and you up and up 'em

into bigger pots, and
the spiraling keeps
happening as they

hit the edge, because they
haven't been sold yet.

And, then they just put that
in the soil, those roots

continue to move in
that spiral fashion.

So, as the roots grow, the
trees grow, they actually make

contact with each other
and they'll start to choke,

the tree.

And, a lot of times, people
won't know they're girdling

roots at all until the tree's
on it's way out, from being

choked to death.

- All right well, I
understand that you do have

an intervention
for girdled trees.

That sounds real interesting,
even years after the fact.

- Yeah, ideally you want to
get rid of those girdling roots

at planting.

A lot of the research that
we've done at our research lab

actually shows that heavily
cutting into the root system

of a tree, at planting will
save you a lot of headache

down the road, in
terms of girdling.

- Yeah, I'll either use the
edge of the spade and cut

the root ball, or take a
garden fork and just rip

into it, until the roots
are hangin' out like hairs.

- Yeah, and it's even gotten
more serious than that,

what they're finding, they're
goin' in with hatchets

now, deep into the root
ball, reaching in and yanking

the roots out to try and--

- That's kinda traumatic!

- It seems very traumatic,
and when you're doin' it and

you hear those roots gettin'
chopped it feels painful,

but, it's just, compared to
dealing with girdling roots

problem down the
road, it saves a lot.

And, it shows that, after three
or four years that tree will

catch up to the one that
didn't have it's roots cut.

- Right, and let's talk
about, if you do have a tree

that you suspect is
girdled, you have a process

that is pretty complicated,
but it can save the tree.

- Yeah, it's not
super complicated.

What we do is, we come in
with an air tool, called

an air spade, and this
tool basically just fires

a powerful blast of air that
we use to clean off the base

of the tree.

Because, usually if the
roots are girdled, that means

the tree's been planted too
low, and you can't even see

the girdled roots.

So, first we have to excavate
what's called the root collar,

or the root flare, where the
roots flare out into the soil,

and that's where we find
those girdling roots.

So, once we get that all clean
and we can see very detailed,

you know, which roots
we're looking at, which

are causing the damage,
we go in with wood chisels

and mallets and actually
surgically remove those roots.

In the winter, we
like to do this.

- Yes, a good thing
to do in the winter.

- Yeah, because it's also a
pretty traumatic experience,

but compared to the damage
those roots can cause,

it's worth it to get it done.

- Well, you know, a lot of
people if their planting a tree

they wonder how close they
should plant it to a home,

or can they build
things over the roots?

Let's talk about those issues.

What are some of the
recommendations you have

for the placement of the
tree in say, regards to a

walkway or to a foundation?

- There's a general rule,
foundation they say 10 feet.

You know, it really
depends on the species.

- Of course.

- So, I like that general
rule, I think it works

pretty well, but everything
else is kinda situational.

Whenever you're planting
a tree, there's a lot

of certified arborists who
will come to your property

at no cost and can help you
find a good spot for it.

And that's usually the
best, because there's far

too many variables to just
give you a general rule.

- So, let's talk about that
root zone and protecting

the root zone from say, major
infrastructure investment,

like expanding a
home, for example.

- Yeah, again it depends on
the species, but protecting

the root zone, when you
are building is extremely

important and the city
actually has a lot of rules

put in place to sort of
facilitate that protection.

And, what they essentially
recommend, is you take

the diameter of the tree at
4.5 feet above the ground,

and you take it in inches,
convert that to feet.

So, if you have a 10 inch tree,
you take 10 feet, cut that

in half, that's five feet,
and you want to stay out

of that five feet.

Any impacts further into that
five foot zone, and you're

gonna be damaging a severe
portion of that root system,

and most species
can't take that.

- Well, that's a pretty good
rule of thumb, so four feet up,

measure in inches and then
equate in feet, and cut in half.

- Yes.
- [Tom] Okay, got it.

(laughter) Math, on Central
Texas Gardener, I like that.

All right, so the city has some
pretty strict rules, though,

about trees.

And, that's another service
that arborists provide, now.

And, I applaud the city for
trying to protect these, what

they call 'Heritage
Trees' I believe.

But again, there're rules
that apply, that people need

to be aware of.

- Actually, I'm a huge fan
of the rules the city has put

in place, 'cause it helps Austin
maintain the green vibrance

that we have, instead of turning
into a concrete wasteland.

Of course, it makes
things more challenging,

but the challenge is well
worth it, in my opinion.

And yeah, the general rule
for most homeowners is,

protected trees
start at 19 inches.

So, that's a pretty
decent sized tree--

- That's a big tree, yeah.

- that you start
having to worry about,

but at that 19 inches
you start needing permits

to do a lot of work.

So, if you wanna remove
that tree, you have

to have justification
to remove that tree.

If you want to impact that
half critical root zone,

like I was talking about,
you need a permit to do that.

- Okay.
- [Andrew] And luckily

there's a lot of arborists
in Austin, that will be more

than happy to help you
navigate that process.

Okay, we only have enough
time for a real brief

response here, but I wanna ask.

What do you tell customers
about watering trees,

young trees?

- First, you need
to do it. (laughter)

You absolutely have
to water young trees.

I would say the first two
years, you know, you wanna

be getting water on those
trees twice a week, especially

in the summer, or maybe
even three times a week.

- Okay, in the summer.

- But, water is essential
to growth and it's one

of the major limiting factors
here in Texas, is our water.

So, that's my big tip.

- Okay, well Andrew, it's
been a pleasure, thank you

for coming on.

We've hit some great topics,
so I'm glad to meet you.

- Yeah, thanks for havin' me.

- Coming up next is
our friend Daphne.

Hi, I'm Daphne Richards
and this is Augie.

Our question this
week comes from Jane,

who wrote to report
these odd obtrusions

she noticed on a tree
in the open area park

by the water treatment
plant out 35th.

Well Jane, these are
definitely odd, and I think

most people would even say
they're kind of cool looking.

But, they're not a good sign,
they are what are commonly

known as shelf fungi.

And, as with many fungal
organisms, they feed on decaying

organic matter.

That's normally a good thing,
since it means that you can

control them by making
cultural changes in your garden

to make it less friendly
for them to grow and thrive.

But, since these are growing
out of a live tree, that's not

exactly an environment
that you can change.

As you probably know, wood
is dead, and many different

fungi love to feed
on rotting wood.

These particular fungi, if
conditions are right, move

into a tree, in an opening
due to some sort of wound

near the base.

And, they start chomping
down on that dead wood, which

causes it to rot
from the inside.

Shelf fungi don't kill the tree
overnight, but it will start

to decline over time, and
will eventually succumb.

They're not contagious,
so there's no reason
to cut the tree

down if it's otherwise
healthy, just watch for signs

that it's starting to
decline more quickly.

And, cut it down once it
becomes too unsightly or turns

into a potential hazard.

Our plant this week is Mexican
Buckeye, Ungnadia speciosa.

This wonderful, little
Texas native tree is a real

showstopper in late
winter and early spring.

It's deciduous and like
many spring-flowering trees,

it puts on a beautiful floral
display for a few short weeks

just as it's putting on
new leaves for the year.

The pink flowers are
similar to Mexican Red Bud,

another great small tree.

But, the special thing about
Mexican Buckeye, is that it's

an understory tree,
meaning that it grows great

in bright shade.

We don't have a lot of choices
for shady yards, and that

list is even shorter for
plants with bloom as beautiful

as these.

It can also take a sunny
spot in your garden, where it

will get a little bit
bigger, up to 30 feet tall.

It has a shrubby, multi-trunked
habit, but you can

easily tame that to a
single trunk if you want it

to be more tree-like.

Mexican Buckeye doesn't
need too much water,

but it needs a little,
about as much as other

shade-loving plants.

It can take slightly heavy
soil, but it prefers good

drainage or even soil that's
a little on the porous side.

And, it doesn't need much
pruning, except to give it

a little shape, if you want to.

It's not susceptible to cold
and even has very attractive

fruit, so all in all,
you just can't beat it.

Our viewer picture this
week comes from Jean Warner,

of her lovely,
summer-blooming crepe myrtle.

We love to hear from you, so
please visit us at klru.org/ctg

to send us your questions
and plants from your garden.

- Thanks Daphne, now let's
check in with Trisha Shirey

for Backyard Basics.

(chime and guitar music)

- Many gardeners hang up
their shovels once the spring

and summer gardening seasons
wind down, but fall can be

our busiest garden season.

Temperatures are more
forgiving, we get more rainfall

and there are fewer
insects to deal with.

So, it's an ideal
time to garden.

There are many things that
we can grow, only in the

winter season, like greens,
cilantro, and lettuce, kohlrabi,

turnips, onions, and garlic,
and don't forget kale.

Next spring, you'll be
wishing that you'd added some

daffodils, tulips, dutch
iris or fragrant hyacinths

to your garden.

The time to buy them and plant
the bulbs is in the fall.

They'll be building strong
roots all winter to support

those showy blooms
in the spring.

Bulbs like tulips and hyacinths
need weeks of refrigeration

to bloom well, so you need
to buy them early enough

to give them the cold
storage that they need.

Wild flowers are planted
in the fall, too.

Add more blooms to keep
bees, butterflies and other

insects happy and for
your own enjoyment, too.

Many of the spring blooming
perennials are divided

in the fall.

So, day lilies and iris
that're too crowded, will fail

to bloom as will crowded
spring blooming bulbs like

daffodils and dutch iris.

So, lift them out, prepare
the soil with compost and

amendments and give them
some room to bloom again.

Fall is also an excellent time
to plant trees, shrubs, and

hearty perennials.

Milder fall temperatures and
more rainfall, let new plants

get a good root
system established
so that they're ready

to handle the soaring heat of
summer after about a six month

head start.

You can choose your red oaks
and maple trees and other showy

fall color plants in fall,
when you get to see their color

as they're changing in
their nursery container.

Some red oaks are brilliant
reds and oranges, while others

are just a ruddy brown.

So, you get to find out
what it's going to have.

Getting spring flowering
shrubs and vines planted

in the fall allows them to
get the roots established

before they're stressed by
their bloom cycle in spring.

Wisteria, trumpet creeper,
mountain laurels and spirea

are all good candidates
for fall planting.

That head start will give
them time to shine in spring.

Tender perennials that
can be somewhat iffy here

in winter, are best left
for spring planting.

When these plants are
dormant in winter, it's very

easy for their roots to rot
in the soil, with a prolonged

cold and wet spell.

So, wait until spring to add
lantana, firebush, plumbago,

bird of paradise
and tender salvias.

Once they're well established,
after spring planting, they

can handle the stress of winter.

You want to make sure all your
plantings are well mulched

with compost and with wood
mulch to keep them warmer

and more moist in winter.

Mulching while the soil
is warm gives plants

more protection.

Consider planting cover
crops like eldon rye, vetch,

or other winter peas to
improve your garden beds.

If you're not going to grow
as many vegetables during

the fall and are scaling
back your planting areas,

perennial rye seeds can
be overseeded over lawns

that are sparse to keep
winter weeds from taking over.

Mowing the grass all winter
will add organic material

to improve water retention
and soil health all winter,

and you can collect the grass
clippings on some of your

mowings to make a nitrogen
rich compost with your

fall leaves.

Annual rye is much cheaper,
but it grows much faster

and requires more mowing
that perennial rye, and

I like having a little down
time from weekly mowing chores.

Fall is no time to put away
your garden tools, I find it's

the busiest time of year for me.

For Backyard Basics,
I'm Trisha Shirey,

thanks for watching.

- Check out our website to
watch past episodes, get plant

lists and monthly garden chores.

And find us on Face
Book and Instagram, too.

Until next time, I'll
see you in the garden.

(peppy electronic music)

- [Voiceover] Central
Texas Gardener is sponsored

by the Austin Area Garden
Center in Zilker Botanical

Garden, home of 31 local
garden clubs and the Zilker

Garden festival,
zilkergarden.org.