It happens every year.  We get all gushy thinking back on another year of hard work, great clients, good times, and want to celebrate.  But instead of breaking out the 60% ABV Dutch brew, we’re gonna do something much more productive and announce our annual Tree Sale!   All native trees come from local Austin growers, all fruit trees come from East Texas.  Prices include purchase, delivery, installation, a little compost for the fruit trees, and a big mulch ring, but not sales tax.

Monterrey Oak, aka Mexican White Oak – Big shade tree, semi-evergreen.  Our favorite oak for its manly resistance to oak wilt and its ability to woo the ladies with its pinkish new growth in spring, plus the bonus of its childish ability to grow like a corn-fed 10-year old.  It might be a legal Mexican but just like Newt, we love it so much that we’ll just call it a native.  3-gallon, $35;  7-gallon, $55; 15-gallon, $95.

Montezuma Cypress – Big shade tree.  Arborists love this tree for its symmetrical upright shape, and its tendency to hang on to its limbs.  It’s a Mexican cousin to our Bald Cypress, which makes it fonder of peppers, breasts, Mary, truck murals, and hot dry weather.  It also grows about 3 times faster than any oak too, so its like, the perfect tree.  3-gallon, $40; 10-gallon, $100.

Texas Mountain Laurel – Evergreen understory tree, 15-20′ Sun or Shade.  One should be careful when describing TMLs.  What if it’s true that plants are way more evolved than humans, and that they really have total control over us?  Nobody would want to be on record for saying anything that sold the king of the natives short when the reign of power is transferred from inferior humans back to the plants.  Texas Mountain Laurel, booya.  10-gallon, $110; 30-gallon, $230.

Texas Kidneywood – 12-15′ Sun or Part Shade.  Don’t call it a shrub to its face unless you want to get knocked out.  It can take the drought like a cactus, only it’s much softer and the bees love it.  A nice tree to plant along the fringes of the shade line of bigger trees, to eat up just a little more St. Augustine from full sun lawns for those of you heading in that direction anyway.  5-gallon, $30; 10-gallon, $90.

Palo Verde ‘Desert Museum’ – Small tree.  This is my favorite weed on the planet.  It usually grows with Retamas and Baccharis all over the nastiest, most disturbed places imaginable.  When the human population is wiped out by the Overpopulation Plague, this will be the most common tree in the New New World.  Some plant nerd in Arizona made a version of Palo Verde with no thorns, and I hope that man is the richest horticulturist that has ever lived.  Give it a little sun, super crappy soil, and either desert or swampy conditions and it will be happy.  10-gallon, $175.

Mexican Buckeye – Small tree happy in sun or shade.  Austin native takes drought like a champ, eats up alot of space that St. Augustine won’t grow in, and is the first tree to bloom in spring with the Redbuds.  5-gallon, $30; 10-gallon, $90.

Bigtooth Maple – Smallish tree.  This one is the wild card for the year.  Mitch grows them, and Mitch is pretty awesome so its good enough for me.  These are the trees that make Lost Maples what it is.  3-gallon, $35.

Fruit Trees – Some will need more than one variety in order to fruit: Apples, Pears, and Plums.  Others self-pollinate so you only need one:  Peaches, Figs, Persimmons, and Apricots.   But the more you have, the better chances of getting fruit after the birds and squirrels have their share.  We will choose the best varieties of each tree for the Austin area.  All trees are bare-root, 2-3′ whips, so they look like sticks until they leaf out in the spring.  They all grow fast, and should start fruiting within the first 1-3 years.  $60/each; $50/each for 3+.

WINTER PRUNING

Some tasks to think about in the landscape for the next few months:  1) plant trees; 2) make your irrigation system more efficient; 3) don’t prune perennials.  It’s been a weird year.  Plants are pretty stressed out right now, and a few of them have already gone to sleep for the winter, only to flush out a little after these teasing spits of rain.  Don’t be tempted to cut them back just yet.  With the warm temps and a little rain, cutting them now could potentially encourage more growth, which would end up getting nipped hard during the inevitable freezes heading this way.  And after such a brutal summer, it could be the last straw for some already stressed and confused plants.

So for now, enjoy the winteresque landscape and allow those perennials a little break for as long as possible.  The skeleton can actually help insulate roots a little, maybe buying a few degrees of warmth during cold snaps.  Let the leaves build up as an extra blanket, and wait until mid/late February to cut back the dead winter growth.

CASH FOR THE CREW

Remember when it was 104 for the 89th time this summer?  And your hard-working landscape crew still showed up on Tuesday afternoon just like they always do, to take care of the unpleasant business of weeding those beds and mowing that grass, without pausing to complain, or without cutting a corner to get out of the heat as quickly as possible?

One could argue that a prompt monthly payment is thanks enough, and I would completely agree.  I have no problems with that argument, I think its a fair and sustainable financial strategy for most folks.  But if you happen to find yourself with a little abundance, and you feel that the guys gave you a little something extra this year, please feel free to show your gratitude by sending a little extra kiss in your November payment.  Just like every year, this extra money is distributed to the 4-man maintenance crew just before they take their one week of paid holiday vacation.  It’s nothing we expect, and nothing we take for granted, but it’s always appreciated.

Jose, Willie, and Papa Jose at City Hall

We had free breakfast at City Hall with fellow bike commuters, and even caught notice of Ricardo at the Statesman:

Jeremy, strategically positioned to completely block Papa from the camera, and waving like a jackass in an obvious and successful attempt to steal the spotlight and to blur out Willie and Jose. What a hero.

Thanks to Ricardo for not capturing the spill I took hitting a concrete post while waving to a tree.

This sale is good for the entire months of January and February, 2011.  Price includes purchase, delivery, mulch, and installation.

NATIVE TREES:

Lacey Oak – 10-gallon – 20′ tall x 20′ wide – Sun, Part-shade.  Native to the Texas Hill Country.  Beautiful little oak with a slightly blueish leaf, not a tree you see everyday.  Deciduous.  $125

Montezuma Cypress – 10-gallon – 50′ tall x 35′ wide - Sun.  Native to Mexico, a dry-loving cousin to the Texas native Bald Cypress.  Fast-growing, and semi-evergreen.  $110

Anacacho Orchid Tree – 15-gallon – 15′ tall x 10′ wide- Sun, Part-Shade.  Native to the Anacacho mountains of West Texas, and possibly near Enchanted Rock in Central Texas.  White blooms in summer.   Deciduous.  $100

Mexican White Oak - 15-gallon – 55′ wide x 50′ tall – Sun.  Native to Mexico and parts of S. Texas.   One of the best oaks to plant in Central Texas, disease and pest free, and relatively fast growing.  New leaves in spring are light pink, almost like a flower.   Semi-evergreen.  $100

Redbud (multi-trunk or single trunk) – 20-gallon – 15′ tall x 15′ wide – Sun, Part-Shade, Shade.  Native to Austin, these are the first plants to bloom in early spring, a cheery pinkish red to announce the arrival of spring.  Deciduous.  $145

Mexican Buckeye – 30-gallon – 15′ tall x 15′ wide – Sun, Part-Shade, Shade.  Native to Austin, these sprawling trees are more like giant shrubs, and bloom pink in early spring.  Cool seed pods in summer, fall, and winter.  Deciduous.  $190

Texas Mountain Laurel – 30-gallon – 15′ tall x 15′ wide – Sun, Part-shade, Shade.  Native to Austin, these popular trees are found under oaks, but bloom best when planted in full sun.  Evergreen.  $215

Cedar Elm – 30-gallon – 40′ tall x 25′ wide – Sun.  Native to Austin, leaves are usually the first to turn in the fall, from green to yellow and orange.  Deciduous.  $190

Texas Red Oak – 45-gallon – 35′ tall x 30′ wide- Sun.  Native to Austin, the champion of fall color with deep, almost maroon, red leaves.  Deciduous.  $325

FRUIT TREES:

Pretty much anything you could possibly want, including fig, pear, peach, apple, plum, pomegranate, apricot, persimmon, and jujube, these come in 2-4′ bareroot “whips.”  Cost per Fruit Tree:

1-3 Fruit Trees
$20/each delivered,
plus $40/each installation 

4+ Fruit Trees
$20/each delivered,
plus $35/each installation

Installation cost includes the addition of 1-2″ of compost, an Actinovate treatment (an organic product that helps prevent and treat fungal diseases and other problems), a compost tea treatment, and mulch.   This will help get your tree off to a good start.  We’ll also include our helpful annual maintenance schedule, compiled from several different sources,  (though Tree Folks’ “Fruit and Nut Tree Growing Guide” is an excellent resource too).

Remember that some fruit trees need a second variety of the same fruit to pollinate (like plums and apples), and others are self-pollinating (like peaches and pomegranates).  We’ll help you pick the best types and varieties if you need help deciding.

Deadline for ordering trees is January 7, 2011.

Six, 4-inch, certified organic, ‘Chandler’ Strawberry plants.  Put them in well-drained soil with lots of compost now,  give them even moisture through the winter, and taste just how sweet dirt can be come spring.  Free to the first person to leave a comment.

Jose Sr., Lance Armstrong's Stunt Double, Roberto, Some Little Kid, and Rich (photo by Mike Martinez)

Last Friday, part of the BG crew celebrated National Bike to Work Day by strapping an electric weedeater, propane blower, weed bags, and hand tools to our backs and riding to perform our weekly landscaping duties at Austin City Hall.  With some bikes borrowed from the best bike team in town, we enjoyed free breakfast tacos and pastries at the City Hall tent set up that morning exclusively for bicycle commuters, and wrapped up the day as Grupo Fantasma took the stage during the weekly Live From the Plaza event.  As the interviewing reporter from KLBJ so cleverly observed while fishing for the perfect sound-byte, our “green thumbs were a little greener” that day.

On Saturday morning, Feb. 6, BioGardener will be at the Austin Farmers Market Downtown from 9a to 1p to buy figs, pomegranates, peaches, plums, apples, pears, persimmon, and whatever else Tree Folks brings to sell during their annual fund raiser.

Just like last year, we can pick up trees for you, as long as you let me know by Friday, Feb. 5. Cost for bare root trees is about $10, 1-gallons start at $7, and 5-gallons are $26.  Tree Folks’ extremely useful “Fruit and Nut Tree Growing Guide” will also be available for $5.  There is no markup on trees to ensure that Tree Folks receives 100% of your tree purchase dollar.

Cost to deliver and install is $40/tree, or $40 flat rate delivery fee if you want to plant them yourself.  Installation cost includes the addition of 1-2″ of compost, an Actinovate treatment (an organic product that helps prevent and treat fungal diseases and other problems), a compost tea treatment, and mulch.   This will help get your tree off to a good start.  We’ll also include our helpful annual maintenance schedule, compiled from several different sources,  (though Tree Folks’ “Fruit and Nut Tree Growing Guide” is an excellent resource too).

Please let me know by Friday, Feb. 5 if you’d like help supporting Tree Folks, and we’ll deliver and/or install your fruit trees during the following week.

So to celebrate the mutual love (and to fill a tiny little hole in the winter work schedule) we’re having a big native tree sale!

Probably some time within the next 4-6 weeks, Tree Folks will have their annual fruit tree sale.  If they do, we’ll be there, so if you have a limited space and want fruit trees, you might want to hold out for that event instead.

Otherwise, costs for our winter native tree sale include purchase, delivery, and installation, per tree, plus tax.  Height and width measurements represent mature size of tree.  Offered pricing is at least 50% off normal pricing!  The fine print: minimum order is $60, please.

For our winter native tree sale, we have a nice selection of native trees from two local growers.  The first, from our good friend Mitch at Hill Country Natives nursery in Leander: 

3-gallon/7-gallon Possumhaw (15′ tall x 8′ wide; full sun or part-shade)  One of my favorite Central Texas native trees, the Ilex decidua is best known for it’s super bright red berries on bare white branches during the bleak months of winter.  The floral department at Whole Foods sells ribbon-tied cuttings of “Ilex” for like twenty bucks, as a really cool and overpriced seasonal floral arrangement.  One of these in your yard, and you’ll never get ripped off on a winter centerpiece again!   $30/$60

3-gallon Bur Oak (BIG; full sun) – Bur oaks look wise old men when they mature, with their huge sprawling branches and deeply textured bark.  Oak wilt resistant.  Quercus macrocarpa gets its name from its massive acorns, I have to stop writing now to avoid saying something really immature…but..phfff….it’s…hmmmfphh…areallygreattree.  $30

3-gallon Chinquapin Oak (60′; full sun) – Quercus muehlenbergiiare relatively pest and disease resistant, including to oak wilt.  Leaves turn colors in fall.  Does best in well-drained soil, but can tough out a variety of conditions.  $30

The second group is grown by the largest native plant nursery in Austin, who produces some of the best specimen plants around:

10-gallon/30-gallon Mexican Buckeye (20′ tall x 15′ wide; full sun, part-shade, shade) – Ungnadia speciosa is one of the first native Austin trees to bloom in the spring.  It’s an under-used shrubby tree that grows pretty much anywhere, but the more sun the better.  They usually hang on to seed pods during fall and winter, and leaves turn bright golden yellow in fall.  $100/$200

10-gallon Mexican Redbud (12′ x 12; full sun, part-shade) – Cercis canadensis var. mexicana is a small native deciduous trees have a little bit smaller leaves than the Texas variety, but still bloom in February to cheerfully announce the approach of spring in Austin.   $100

10-gallon Retama (15′ tall x 20′ wide; full sun) – Dad taught me to be a big fan of the underdog, so I gotta love Parkisonia aculeate.  They usually grow in the most disturbed, scarred, and totally destroyed patches of Austin, so you know they can handle your yard.  But without much love given, these guys love you back with bright green thorny branches and yellow fuzzy flowers in spring and summer.  $100

10-gallon Possumhaw – See description above.  $100

15-gallon Mexican White Oak (45′ x 45′; full sun) – My favorite shade tree, Quercus polymorpha are almost evergreen in mild winters, and new growth in spring is pinkish and looks like blooming flowers from a distance.  Mostly disease and pest resistant, and relatively fast growing.  $100

15-gallon Huisache(20′ tall x 15′ wide; full sun) – This south Texas native is about as tough as it gets.  Just like the Missus., thorny and mean and feisty, but uncommon and beautiful.  Acacia smallii has yellow, fuzzy-ball flowers in spring and summer.  Evergreen except in harsher winters.   $100

30-gallon Texas Mountain Laurel (15′ tall x 12′ wide; full sun, part-shade, or shade) – The George Straits of native plants, mountain laurels are hard not to like, even if you think modern country music sucks.  Small evergreen tree that grows native all over Austin.  Purple clusters of early spring blooms that smell like bubble gum, though denser shade gives fewer blooms.  $200

45-gallon/100-gallon Mexican White Oak – See description above.  $300/$600

We also have access to more native species with similar pricing, so let me know if you want something else and we’ll do our best to abide. 

 Also, the only way to take advantage of this deal is to leave a comment on this blog.  So leave a comment with what you want and I’ll get in touch with you via email.

10-gallon Possumhaw

10-gallon Texas Mountain Laurel

30-gallon Texas Mountain Laurel

15-gallon Mexican White Oak

30-gallon Mexican White Oak

100-gallon Mexican White Oak

Thursday, Oct. 8, 7pm-9pm at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W 8th St. 

It’s free and open to the general public, but you’ll have to bring your own rotten tomatoes, shoes, “booing” sounds, Joe Wilson masks, and/or other heckling implements.

 This also happens to be Boerne’s “Second Saturday”; their version of a First Thursday.  Several restaurants showcase new art, and have a free trolley to shuttle visitors to each participating location.  So after the morning workshop, you could head down the street from the Nature Center to the Dodging Duck Brewhaus, try all their original craft brews with ducky names, and have a much less inhibited perspective as you let the free trolley drag you around to see some art.  After five or six pints of fresh local beer and some relatively good food for a brewpub, you might actually find some tolerance for a couple hours of art and miserably desperate tourists searching for inspiration to their sad lives in all the wrong places. 

 If you still want to hang around, go back to the Nature Center around 8:30 for live music along the beautiful creek under the oak and cypress trees until midnight.  It might not be Jay-Z or Kenny G, but the setting will be too perfect to matter. 

 http://www.cibolo.org/calendar

http://www.dodgingduck.com/