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Hill Country Gardening by
Ronnie Grell
Hill Country Gardening will be a monthly article directed at
people like myself. I live in Spring Branch on five acres.
In the Guadalupe River Valley where I live I have to deal
with deer, rabbits, jack-rabbits, raccoons, oppossums,
armadillos, skunks, ringtails, stray dogs, cats, snakes,
scorpions, foxes, coyotes, feral hogs, and the occassional
cow. The feral hogs and cows are no longer, now that I have
a standard cattle fence. I live at the end of a cu-de-sac, a
couple of lots away from a 500 acre ranch where the
occassional cow comes from.
I have an aerobic septic sprinkler system that is now
required in all Comal County homes on five acres or less. My
lot is dominated Post Oak, Live Oak, Cedar Elm, and Cedar
(Ashe Juniper). I have a great selection of native grasses.
I am always cutting down nasty Similax Cat Briar and baby
Cedars. I have removed most of the Cedars that directly
compete with oaks and elms, leaving only the largest Cedars
(which I like), and Cedar clusters that function as privacy
screens from neighbors and serve as wildlife habitat.
My lot is covered in rock; big rocks, small rocks, loose
rocks, boulders, and shelf rock. At night my rocks actually
breed and reproduce. In the winter time when the temperature
at the San Antonio airport is 46 degrees, it can be 32
degrees in my yard. The temperature in Spring Branch is
usually closer to Kerrville's than San Antonio's.
One of the problems I've had as an avid gardener that moved
from San Antonio to Spring Branch is that the articles in
the San Antonio newspaper, or the gardening shows on local
radio did not really deal with the problems that I was
confronted with in Spring Branch. The purpose of this Hill
Country Gardening article will be to deal with those
problems that people on acreage have to deal with. Most of
what I've learned is self-taught from my own experiences.
i'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with my fellow
country gardeners on a monthly basis.Hill Country gardening is a real
challenge.
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| Rocky and poor soils, heat, lack of water,
and pesky deer can all contribute to frustration in
landscaping. Check our xeriscape plant lists for
adapted varieties and see what the deer might not eat with
our
deer-resistant variety list. |
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