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| SUNRAYS OCTOBER 2014
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
Gardeners can be an important part
of fire safety by doing our part in the
landscape. Good gardening practices and
fire safety work well together. For those
of us with landscapes already in place,
making changes can be a challenge, but
it is well worth the effort.
To save water, it is recommended that
we group plants with like water needs
and keep “thirsty” plants near the house
and/or a water source for easy hand wa-
tering. If only one or a few plants need
water, water by hand rather than using
the sprinkler system to water the whole
zone.
For fire protection, plant choice and
arrangement are important factors in
contributing to the survival of a home
during a wildfire. Maintain a buffer zone
near the house, keeping easily flamma-
ble plants, such as upright rosemary and
yaupon holly, further away. See the Fire-
wise website for excellent information:
• Visit
• Click on Site Index
• Click on Firewise
When designing a landscape, plants can
be arranged in small groups surrounded
by less flammable landscape materials.
This can be a very attractive arrange-
ment with less heat reflection than using
large areas of gravel.
Maintenance is important for the health
and beauty of your garden, for saving
water, and for being firewise. It just
makes sense that you need to remove
all dead and dying vegetation, including
leaves, sticks and branches, especially
near the house.
Trees and bushes should be kept
trimmed, with trees trimmed up to at
least 6 ft. off the ground and branches
trimmed 4-6 ft. above the roof. Bushes
must be kept trimmed and away from
the house with air space for fire safety,
circulation for health of plants and to
keep bugs from having easy access.
October Tips for a Beautiful
Water Wise Landscape
Next month
:
Join me for soil
amendment recommendations.
Winola is a Williamson County
Master Gardener, a member of
the Sun City Garden Club and a
member of the Sun City Water Wise
Task Force.
Master Gardeners and other expe-
rienced gardeners are available to
answer questions a half hour be-
fore Sun City Garden Club meet-
ings eachmonth. The Garden Club
meets the secondWednesday of each
month beginning with the question/
answer period at 12:30 p.m.
By Winola VanArtsdalen
Keep a water hose by each outdoor
faucet. For your neighbor’s view, keep
the hose a neutral color, but do have it
available for an emergency. Be sure each
hose nozzle has an on/off attachment for
conserving water.
In September 2011, on a single day, wild-
fires burned over six different locations
in Travis County. The Emergency re-
sponse teams were short of personnel
and crews were fatigued from lack of
sleep and the constant stress of fighting
the fires. This could happen to us! We
are fortunate in Sun City to have dedi-
cated employees working alongside the
Firewise committee to clear our area,
but they need our help. We must do our
part to educate ourselves, plan ahead
and prepare our home landscape.
OCTOBER GARDENING TIPS
First of October is the target date to
plant seeds for spring-blooming wild-
flowers. Clear area and loosen soil. Fol-
low the instructions on the seed packet
or get information from the person who
gave you seeds. Nutrients, sun and water
needs vary. Most wildflower seeds do not
need to be covered, but they do need to
make contact with the soil. Don’t just
throw seeds on top of mulch. Loosen the
soil, spread the seed and use your feet or
a board to press seeds into soil. If it is
a mulched bed, poke holes through the
mulch and press with your hand. Seeds
will need to be kept moist when they
first germinate. Record date planted
and watch the weather, though usually
Mother Nature takes care of watering.
TURF
Apply fall fertilizer. Do not spread both
top dressing and fertilizer, as this would
be too much nitrogen.
Horticulture Questions:
Contact Williamson County
AgriLIFE Extension Office at
512-943-3300.
Early October is the time of year in which
to plant spring-blooming wildflower
seeds.
