About Mary Kay Pope

Mary Kay is an asset to Backbone and a wealth of knowledge! Many customers come in and ask for her by name for all their plant questions. It's no wonder why, as Mary Kay has 47 years of experience in the horticulture field. She holds a B.S. in Horticulture from Ohio State University, a TMCNP and a TCLP from Texas Association of Nurserymen, a Specialist in Urban Trees Certification from Texas A&M, and is a Certified Arborist.

Blackberry Pruning

One of the most common questions I am asked is “How do I prune my blackberries?” That is a very relevant question, however, it is usually asked at the WRONG time of the year! So I have decided to take the “mystery” out of pruning blackberries! There are a few simple facts you will need to know before pruning your blackberries. Blackberries are unique in that they have perennial roots and biennial tops. The tops (canes) live for two years, then die! Blackberries have two kinds of canes:     [...]

By |2023-01-24T16:05:34-06:00June 19th, 2019|Fruit & Nuts|
Read More

Leafhopper

Every year about this time, customers start bringing in photos of this strange white, fluffy substance on the stems of their shrubs and perennials. I myself have it on the stems of my Rose of Sharon. What on earth can it be? Well, it is not a fungus, as some have suggested. It looks fuzzy, so could it be a mealy bug? Nope. It is an evasive little insect called a leafhopper. I say evasive because if you’ve ever seen one on a stem, as soon as you get close [...]

By |2019-06-12T15:41:57-05:00June 12th, 2019|Insects|
Read More

Leaf Footed Bugs on Tomatoes

Leaf-footed bugs are related to stink bugs. They can be distinguished from other types of stink bugs by the leaf-like appendages on their hind legs.  Click HERE for more photos and information. If leaf-footed bugs invade your garden, learn what the eggs and nymphs (babies) look like. Oblong golden-brown eggs are laid in a string-like strand on the midribs of leaves or on the stems of the plant. Nymphs are orange or reddish brown and will develop the "leaf like" appendages on their hind legs as they mature. It is [...]

By |2023-02-28T08:37:35-06:00May 30th, 2019|Vegetable Gardening, Insects|
Read More

Lavender Demystified

As you may have guessed, Lavender is a plant that mystifies many people. Which one should you plant? What conditions do they require? We are fortunate to have a relatively non-hostile environment for growing Lavender in Central Texas. If you have well-drained soil and a sunny exposure, you should be able to grow Lavender with ease. Humidity, poor drainage and heavy soils are the arch enemies of Lavender. Lavender is drought resistant once established, and to many people’s delight, they are DEER RESISTANT TOO! There are four primary species of [...]

By |2019-05-30T08:48:43-05:00May 30th, 2019|Plants|
Read More

Milkweed Seed Stratification

Milkweed Stratification Procedures, Courtesy Native American Seed NOTE:  George Cates insists that sterile rubber (latex) gloves be worn at all times and that containers and implements be sterile.   Otherwise, mold can grow in the vermiculite and damage the seeds. Mix seeds with pre-chilled distilled water and let soak for 24 hours in the fridge.  After 24 hours, pour seeds into strainer and rinse with distilled water. Moisten vermiculite with distilled water, the exact quantity required varies with different media, moist but not dripping is best.  Mix rinsed seeds into [...]

By |2019-05-09T09:38:39-05:00May 8th, 2019|Uncategorized|
Read More

Genista Caterpillar

  The Genista Caterpillar is the caterpillar commonly seen on the new growth of Texas Mountain Laurels. Note, it is ONLY the new growth that they will be found on. This saves us time and money in our control efforts.         Any time Texas Mountain Laurels have new growth emerging, as in the spring and fall, is a good time to protect the new growth by spraying it with either Bt (Bacillis thurengiensis) or Spinosad. These are both Organic solutions to control caterpillars.         [...]

By |2022-03-29T11:56:46-05:00April 24th, 2019|Insects|
Read More

Rose Rosette Disease

Rose Rosette Disease was first identified in wild roses in the 1940’s in California, the Rocky Mountains, and Manitoba, Canada. In 1990 the disease appeared in East Texas, and by the mid-1990’s infected plants were located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 2015, the Fort Worth Botanic garden replaced all their roses due to infection by the Rose Rosette virus. Rose Rosette Disease is a lethal disease of roses, and has been determined to be caused by a virus. It has no known treatment or cure. The disease is spread [...]

By |2020-08-16T15:52:35-05:00April 3rd, 2019|Disease|
Read More

Citrus Harvesting: Is It Ripe Yet?

Knowing when to harvest any citrus fruit involves the question of the degree of maturity. Because citrus pass from immature to mature to over- mature slowly while on the tree, the fruit can be harvested over a period of months with small changes in fruit quality. Fruit color is a poor indicator of ripeness. Many fruits have fully colored rinds a long time before they are “ripe”, and others are green when sugars are high enough to make the fruit sweet. Citrus does not increase in sweetness or ripen more [...]

By |2020-07-22T16:21:16-05:00March 28th, 2019|Fruit & Nuts|
Read More

B – February Gardening Checklist

VEGETABLES Onions transplants should be planted before mid-month. Click HERE for planting instructions. Seed Swiss chard, carrots, turnips and radishes directly into the garden. Cover seedlings during hard freezes. Cool-season greens such as lettuce, spinach, mesclun greens and mustard greens should be planted early in the month from seed. Potatoes are usually planted around President’s Day.  Choose varieties such as Kennebec or Red Lasoda. Cut seed potatoes into sections with at least one “eye” per section. Lay them out to dry in a shady spot. Shaking them in a bag [...]

By |2024-01-29T08:51:35-06:00February 22nd, 2019|Monthly Gardening Checklist|
Read More

Using Oil Products to Control Insects and Disease

We now have available to us a wide range of oil products to use as alternatives to synthetic insecticides and fungicides. These include oils distilled from petroleum and oils extracted from plants and animals. Petroleum oils (including mineral oils) are highly refined, paraffinic oils that are often referred to as horticultural spray, summer oil, spray oil or white mineral oil. We recommend Bonide “All Seasons Spray Oil” for late winter insect and disease control. (The antiquated term “dormant oil” referred to the heavier, less refined oils produced in the past [...]

By |2021-01-12T11:55:48-06:00February 13th, 2019|Disease, Insects|
Read More

Crape Murder!

Is anyone thinking about murdering their Crape Myrtles this year? Is your yard crew "conditioned" to cut back your Crapes to NUBS???? Unfortunately, this practice began long ago, before we had choices in mature heights of our Crape Myrtles. They were planted too close to houses, and their height came too close to the eaves and gutters of the houses. Sooooo......the answer was to cut them back each year, thinking that this would not only control their height, but promote more blooms as well! This has been undeniably proven to be WRONG! [...]

By |2021-12-13T12:37:34-06:00January 30th, 2019|Trees|
Read More

Growing Blueberries in Central TX

Rabbiteye blueberries can be grown successfully in whiskey barrel sized pots in Central Texas. Because they require acid soils, use a quality potting soil mixed with 1/3 sphagnum peat moss. The pot should drain well, and no saucer should be placed under the pot to ensure thorough drainage. Blueberries require full sun to produce well. Use a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants, such as an Azalea/Camellia/Gardenia fertilizer. Do not apply any fertilizer the first year. Starting the second year, fertilize in late winter to early spring. DO NOT use a [...]

By |2022-03-15T14:11:53-05:00January 17th, 2019|Fruit & Nuts|
Read More
Copyright | All Rights Reserved
Go to Top