- 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.