Winter Solstice
The weatherman says the La Nina weather pattern is responsible for our unusually warm start to December. As you read this column we have passed the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice, and now the days are getting longer.
This is the time of year when we cut back many plants and shrubs, including Asters, Mexican Firebush, Lantana, Yellow Bells, Sages and Sunflowers. Do NOT cut back your roses until mid February.
While I was cutting back my Asters which had gotten too big, I dug up chunks of the plant to give to friends who had requested starts. Then their question was, “When do I plant it?” Fall and winter are good times to plant shrubs and trees. Periodic watering is nec essary when you first plant new shrubs or trees if we have no rain. The whole first year of the new plant’s life you will need to monitor its water. If you have planted a native plant then eventually you will not need to water. Native plants are adapted to our land and never require fertilizer or insect spraying.
During our winters we often get foggy cool weather. These are ideal conditions to spread wildflower seeds. Fall is the best time to plant wildflower seeds, but I have had good luck with spreading the seeds on damp foggy days when I have neglected to do so in the fall.
Speaking of wildflowers, I am now beginning to see some seedlings that have germinated. I have Wind Anemone, Poppy, Bluebonnet, Columbine, and Mexican Primrose seedlings. This is normal for this time of year. Most people do not realize this unless they know what the seedlings look like.
Recently a friend asked me about the Bluebonnet seedlings she has noticed. It has been so unseasonably warm lately that she was concerned the seedlings had germinated early and might not survive our winter. I noted it is usual to see some wildflower seedlings now (including Bluebonnets) and that even during our snowy February (2021) spell most of the seedlings survived and bloomed in the spring.
Nature knows the way!
Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist