” Plantaholic’s Anonymous”

Note:  The Opperman have chosen to retire from  writing their monthly pieces for the Lake Houston Gardener after 12 years.  But with such a rich inventory, we have decided to share some of […]

Important Reasons to Plant Natives

Did your lawn take a beating these last several summers and autumns with the dry spells and the prolific sod webworms? Then it went through the whammy of the ‘Terrible […]

April Oak Forest Roundup

I need to apologize for not writing a “Roundup’ in March.  Since then, the class tree, a Quercus canbyii was planted on a very drizzly day.  It was a 15 […]

The Case for an Organic Lawn

After the recent deep freeze our area suffered, lawns look dead but are in fact dormant.  Questions about lawn care are surfacing.  Lawns will green-up as temperatures moderate and stay […]

Consider Planting a Shrub

A shrub is much more than “a low multi-trunked woody plant” that is used to plop in the landscape between trees, flowers, and lawns. Once established, a shrub may be […]

Annual Sow Thistle

The Annual Sow Thistle is a winter annual weed that is soft and not as prickly to the touch as Spiny sow-thistle.  Plants are coarse, erect, and can reach about […]

Henbit

Henbit  (Lamium amplexicauleis) a member of the mint family and got its common name because chickens love to eat it.  It is native to the Mediterranean and northern Africa.  It […]

New Years Resolutions

Ah, it’s that time of year for our annual resolution making when many of us consider improving our health, losing weight, eating more healthy food, getting more exercise, becoming more […]

OFE Roundup: Lush Winter Garden

With the cooler weather finally upon us, the winter gardens are flourishing at Oak Forest Elementary School.  The lettuces, Brassicas, carrots, and cool season herbs are looking great. Even the […]

Hairy Bittercress

Cardamine hirsuta, commonly known as hairy bittercress, is a broadleaf winter annual. In the Brassica family. That means it is related to cabbage, broccoli, turnips and radishes, etc.   A […]