Sun City Georgetown Bird walks available to residents and their guests First and Fourth Fridays each month.

-First Friday Sun City Nature Club Bird walks meet at 8 AM in the LHPP (Legacy Hills Park Pavilion) lot on the first Friday of each month. Park at the end of the lot closest to the lake. Casual walking along Berry Creek. Bring binoculars, sunscreen, hat, water, and (optional) field guide or app, and bug repellent. Walks usually end by 10:30. Walks are geared toward birders of any level of ability or experience.

Fourth Friday walks are at various locations. Sun City residents-watch your Nature Club emails for locations and details.

Pflugerville Pfeathered Friends bird walks, second Saturday each month -various locations-open to anyone who registers, see link below

https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/pfrecreation/activity/search?onlineSiteId=0&activity_select_param=2&viewMode=list

My Free Bird Walks

Now that you’ve planted…

Maintaining your new (and old) plants

Watering your plants after installation:

Don’t overwater but don’t let plants dry out

DEEP water at drip line, away from base of plant-you can purchase and use a soaker hose that you can attach to a garden house, loop it along the drip line of your trees to give them a deep soak during prolonged hot dry seasons

Water as long as it takes to get to most roots, approximately 8-12 inches is sufficient for most plants, deeper for trees (but if ground is soaked to at least 12 inches deep, you can assume that you’ve added enough water)

You can use an inexpensive moisture meter to test wetness depth

New plants and trees should be watered three times a week, for the first month

Twice a week is probably OK for a second month after planting

After that, depending on rainfall, and especially if the weather has cooled of, once a week may be sufficient

Modify the schedule during extreme heat

Deciduous trees and plants don’t need water when they are dormant during winter

Trimming

Many plants won’t need trimming if they are young

Do a big prune in mid to late February-this applies to flowering perennials and perennial shrubs which can also take a pruning after they bloom a first time in spring. Remove about the top third of the plant, containing the mostly brown bloom-this is called deadheading

Do the scratch test at different heights when you’re thinking about pruning; if plant is brown at the base you can cut it off to 3 inches. If scratch test shows green, then trim to whatever height you want the plant to start at when it leaves out again.

When pruning evergreens, best to do it in late winter and cut off plants just above nodes to whatever height and shape you want

Mulch

Try to maintain a 3 inch layer around your plants

If the plant is in rock, move the rock away from the plant and mulch to the drip line

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at avitropic@sbcglobal.net. And happy gardening!!