Outdoor Furniture, Tile, and Masonry Projects Added To Plant Sale

In addition to this fine potting table, Mr. Scott's classes have also produced adult and youth sized picnic tables, planter box benches, and flower boxes (natural, white, maple, and walnut finishes). These items will be available in addition to the plants listed in previous posts.

If you ever wanted to learn how to tile a countertop or create a raised stone flower bed, or you'd just like to help out, we will have Linda Gibeaut and Sam Birchall running simultaneous projects.

Proceeds from our Saturday Sales will support our greenhouse and tech programs.

Spring 2011 Plant Sale with Updated List

In addition to those in the previous posting:

1-5 gallons

Flameleaf Sumac

Red Buckeye

White Buckeye

Live Oak

Desert Willow

Elbowbush

Yaupon Holly

Chili Pequin

Apache Plume

Tropical Milkweed

Turk's Cap

Damianita

Feathergrass

Red Columbine

Missouri Violet

Spiderwort

Fall Aster

Inland Seaoats

4"

Coneflower

Gregg's Mistflower

Blackfoot Daisy

Big Mulhy

Rock Penstemon

Texas Betony

Gregg's Dalea

Black Dalea

Flame Acanthus

Spotted Spiderwort

Mountain Sage

White Avens

From Medina Garden Nursery

Bushy Blue Sage

Golden Grondsel

White Buckeye

Red Yucca

Prairie Phlox

Texas White Honeysuckle

Nolina Texana

More Info about Spring Plant Sale

Some of the plants we will be offering:

Trees 1, 2, 5 gallon

Mt. Laurel

Roughleaf Dogwood

Escarpment Black Cherry

Goldeball Leadtree

Lacey Oak

Monterey Oak

Chinqapin Oak

Lacebark Elm

Evergreen Sumac

Pinon Pine

Baldcypress

Blanco Crabapple

One Gallon

Gulf Mulhy

Crossvine

Trumpet Vine

Zexmenia

Lantana (Dallas Red)

Gulf coast penstemon

Prairie verbena

Verbena rigida

Calylophus

2 gallon

Bear Grass

Sotol

4" pots

Heartleaf Skullcap

Inland Seaoats

Fall Obedient plant

More to follow

Nature Journaling: Honing Observation Skills

Observation is a vital skill that is useful in any profession.

Today was our first attempt at nature journaling.

Students had the following guidelines: Sit on the ground in front of a natural object at least one body length apart from any classmate, Look straight ahead. The area from the ground to the top of your head and from one shoulder to the other is your "view window." Draw a large rectangle on your paper. Inside that box draw what you see. Draw a smaller square. Pick an object from inside your "view window" to draw. Write observations around the boxes. Reserve a corner of your two page spread for questions. Write a few questions.

Written observations focused on color, shape, pattern, size, quantity, texture, fragrance, sound. Animal activity and behavior should be noted.

Students record their observations in their classroom journals which are actually set up as a cross between an field biologist's journal and an interactive one. At the beginning of the semester when we set up the journals, I shared a few articles written by wildlife scientists on the importance of their recorded observations to their research.

I visited each student, making about four circles providing students with feedback and asking questions. Surpringly, I had to give very little redirection.

Observation naturally leads to appreciation. Skills honed outdoors "in the field" transfer back "in the lab." Lessons taught in the classroom are applied and demonstrated outdoors.

Over time students develop their own style. What this student does on paper can be recreated using software like Prezzi. This also aids students in notetaking skills.

The students performed wonderfully. They will share observations, and I'll try to answer some of their questions.

MaryAnn's Plant Sale Poster

Ann Marie's Plant Sale Poster

Signs of Spring

It's been a long and hard Central Texas winter. Early blooming natives like redbud, Mexican Plum, and agarita are vital nectar sources for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Migrating species are paced by the availability of food sources.

Each day in our gardens reveals new blooms, fragrances, and emerging leaves. The following pictures were taken over the last two weeks by me and various students, among them, Alyssa, Jessica, Ethan, and Garrett.

Agarita (Berberis trifoliata)

Turk's cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)

Carolina Jessamine (Gelsenium sempervirens)

Texas bluebonnet (Lupinis texensis)

Mexican plum ( Prunus mexicana)

Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa)) in foreground

Eve's necklace (sophora affinis)

Lady bug ( Hippodamia convergens?)

Carolina Jessamine

Bluebonnet

Texas Spiny Lizard

On Thursday morning Kathryn and Amanda surprised me with a lethargic lizard wrapped in a garden glove. They found it lodged between the building and the flower bed they were cleaning up. It looks suspiciously like the one we released near the same spot three years earlier. I have seen it several times in the vicinity.

Sceloporus olivaceus

That was first period. We kept it overnight for observation. Below is my 7th period Taste of Science class on a mission to return it to where it was found.

This lizard is appropriately named. Its scales lay down flat when you rub them from head to tail. Rub it the opposite way and your skin will catch on the points of the scales. Spiny indeed.

Texas spiny lizards are common in Oklahoma and northeastern Mexico. The grow from 7 1/2 to 11 inches long. They are active during the day and are avid tree and fence climbers.

The dark lines on its upper legs indicate that its a female. Males have blues markings down the underside along the abdomen.

Her diet will consist of insects. Small has suffered numerous spikes in the cricket population. We often find them in the building even on the third floor. We could use a few more of her kind.

Spring Cleaning & Plant Sale Announcement

Live oak trees drop their leaves in early spring as new growth pushes the previous year's out. The gift of the oaks is not only the sheer abundance of compostable material, but also a well timed infusion of carbon. We started our fall pile in November. Oak leaves break down slowly. To speed up the decomposition process, mow them.

Of course, this deciduous event can overwhelm a home garden's compost facilities. If you do wind up with surplus bags of leaves or grass clippings, please drop them off at the north yellow service gate.

Raking was not the only activity the students were engaging in. The grasses, trees, shrubs perennials, and trees needs trimming. Our cacti took a severe beating in our extended freeze.

The students are mastering their tool usage now and accomplished an impressive amount of garden maintenance.

Click on the picture below to watch us at work.

Our Spring Plant Sale will be in the greenhouse on Saturday, April 2nd from 9:00-1:00.

Plant list and student designed posters to follow shortly.