Daryl and Jenise Ehrlich sit on a tree swing in the backyard of their League City home. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
League City might be growing by leaps and bounds, but there still are some hidden pockets of land where oak trees stand tall and backyard pastoral meadows exist. [Read more…]
Lana and Al Barber stand on their patio in front of their backyard garden in San Leon. The Barbers enjoy the chaos of their plants and being surrounded by green. Photo by Kelsey Walling
After 42 years of marriage and living in various places across the United States, Lana and Al Barber have finally settled into their forever home they bought eight months ago in San Leon.
It wasn’t so much the house that drew them to this particular area, but the yard, and the yards surrounding theirs, they said. [Read more…]
Stacey Phillips and Paul Drott enjoy spending time in their Friendswood garden. Photo by Kelsey Walling
The trail winding through the backyard allows guests to take a walk through all the plants. Photo by Kelsey Walling
In 2013, David Stein and Tina Mortellaro decided to completely redesign both front, back and side yards of their Friendswood property. And they haven’t stopped. [Read more…]
Mitzy Mills-Barringer and her dog, Tezy, are fixtures on the grounds of The Bryan Museum in Galveston where Mills-Barringer is the resident horticulturist. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
It’s great if you love your job. And it’s even better if you love where you live. Consider Mitzy Mills-Barringer incredibly lucky — she has both. [Read more…]
Managing 2,000 different species of plants in a 40,000-square-foot garden sounds like a full-time job — because it is. Just ask Donita Brannon, horticultural exhibits manager at the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens. [Read more…]
Joe Winter grows hundreds of vegetables, fruits and herbs on 20 acres of land in Santa Fe. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
Joe Winter points to an area in his Santa Fe garden where sulcata tortoises like to roam.
“You can see their trails,” he said.
As he walks a fast pace through row after row of fruit trees, produce, herbs and mounds of dirt on 20 acres, Winter is in his element. [Read more…]
Master Gardener Robin Collins shows off lettuce grown in the raft beds of the aquaponics garden at Carbide Park in La Marque. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
Not long ago, a small group of Galveston County Master Gardeners began an intriguing experiment in Carbide Park in La Marque. The gardeners took a 300-gallon tank and filled it with about 75 blue gill perch, some koi and goldfish to cultivate what so far has been a successful aquaponic garden. [Read more…]
The mild climate on the Gulf Coast makes it a perfect place to grow fig trees, which can grow to heights of 15 feet. Photo courtesy of Herman Auer
Perhaps one of the easiest plants to grow on the Gulf Coast is the fig tree. Merely stick a cutting in the ground or a pot, give it sunshine and some water, and it will usually take off. [Read more…]
Master Rosarian John Jons looks at a rose he grew in his backyard in the Clear Lake area. Jons conducts scientific research to make roses lovelier and more fragrant. He hopes to make the flowers he creates more disease-resistant and able to tolerate the coastal climate. Photo by Kelsey Walling
A rose is more than a lovely flower to John Jons. [Read more…]