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.

Orange Zest Cestrum

How many plants do you know of that can take Central Texas heat, flower from spring to frost, be reliably DEER RESISTANT, and give fragrance in the evening? Welcome to Orange Zest Cestrum! This Zone 8 plant is a result of a cross between the greenish-white flowered Night-blooming Cestrum (Cestrum nocturnum) and the white flowered Day-blooming cestrum (Cestrum diurnum). Both are native to the Caribbean. AKA Orange Peel Cestrum, this plant can be evergreen in mild winters, deciduous in moderate winters, and a root-hardy perennial shrub in cold winters. Orange [...]

By |2020-07-22T17:02:40-05:00May 29th, 2018|Plants|
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Bringing in the Butterflies!

Working in a nursery certainly has its advantages. When the butterflies are out in force, it is a show-stopping display! Most of you know that butterflies have less specific “nectar” plants for the adult butterflies and more specific “food” plants for the caterpillars. It is interesting that the adults will often scope out where to lay their eggs while they are feeding on nectar. For this reason, it is helpful to have some of the “food” plants nearby when planting your nectar garden. An example of a “food” plant for [...]

By |2018-05-29T12:07:30-05:00May 29th, 2018|Uncategorized|
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Grasshopper Control

As our weather becomes hotter and drier, grasshoppers will become plentiful. Studies have shown that they are more plentiful and more voracious feeders in hot, dry years. When we have cool, wet springs, they are affected by a naturally occurring fungal disease that can control the population a bit. Because we have little doubt that this summer will be hot and dry, NOW is the time to start control of these destructive insects with Nosema locustae, a single-celled microsporidium protozoan that is impregnated on wheat bran and broadcast in affected [...]

By |2020-03-03T11:49:04-06:00May 23rd, 2018|Insects|
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Plumerias in Central Texas!

Growing Plumeria Plumeria are best grown in pots here, as they require protection from temperatures below 33 degrees. Locate your Plumeria in a minimum of 6-8 hours of sun, with some shade from the afternoon sun, if necessary. A well-drained potting soil, such as Fox Farm Happy Frog potting soil, is a must for these plants. Their root systems will seem small for the size of plant, and repotting should be done only when the plants have filled their pots with roots. A 4”-6” jump in pot size is all [...]

By |2024-05-13T15:39:46-05:00May 23rd, 2018|Plants|
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Daylily Culture in Central Texas

Growing up with Daylilies in Ohio, I remember appreciating their bright showy flowers everywhere. They were one of the many flowers I missed after moving to Texas 47 years ago. Now that I have a yard that is fenced-off from the deer, I can once again enjoy the day-long blooms of these beauties.   Daylilies do best with full morning sun and full afternoon shade to dappled shade in the central Texas area. The morning sun helps the blooms to open. And, since each flower is open for only a [...]

By |2024-03-13T13:36:51-05:00May 15th, 2018|Plants|
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Citrus Growing in Central Texas

There is nothing better than the smell of citrus blossoms in late winter and early spring. The popularity of citrus has increased as many homeowners are creating urban backyard orchards in Central Texas. Commercial citrus operations are typically found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley where the threat of hard freezes is lessened. In fact, Texas is ranked 3rd in US citrus production. You can have citrus in our area as long as you choose the right variety, put it in the right place, and pay a little attention to [...]

By |2023-02-28T08:40:39-06:00May 9th, 2018|Fruit & Nuts|
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Trichogramma Wasps

Trichogramma wasps, despite their small size, are efficient destroyers of eggs of armyworms, bagworms, peach borers, squash borers, cutworms, tomato hornworms, cabbage loopers, walnut caterpillars and other leaf-eating caterpillars.  The female wasp deposits an egg into the egg of the pest species. After consuming the contents of the host egg, the adult wasp emerges within about a week. During the female wasp’s 9-11 day lifespan, she will seek out and destroy about 100 pest eggs by laying her egg inside of it. Release should be timed when the pest moth [...]

By |2018-05-04T14:07:33-05:00May 2nd, 2018|Insects|
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E – May Gardening Checklist

Annuals and Perennials: Remove spent blooms on annuals such as Zinnias, snipping the bloom back to just above the first set of leaves. This process is known as “deadheading”, and if done as soon as blooms begin to fade will encourage repeat blooming.   Deadhead Geraniums by bending the flower stalk away from the stem it is growing on. If you have your Geraniums in the sun, it is time to move them to afternoon shade. They will continue blooming all summer if given some shade, occasional pruning and monthly [...]

By |2022-05-03T11:20:40-05:00May 2nd, 2018|Monthly Gardening Checklist|
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Japanese Maples in Central Texas

Japanese Maples can be an attractive addition to almost any landscape. To assure trees that thrive, locate your Japanese maple where it will receive dappled sun under the canopy of trees, with no more than two to three hours of morning sun. New growth on varieties with red leaves will be more brilliant if they receive a little direct sun, either in the morning or the evening. Japanese Maples will tolerate low winter temperatures quite well, but suffer from moisture loss from the leaves when exposed to our drying summer [...]

By |2019-04-10T16:56:48-05:00April 25th, 2018|Trees|
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Squash Vine Borers

I don’t know about you, but I consider squash vine borers one of my garden’s worst enemies! Just when my squash vines are beginning to produce well, they suddenly go limp and die! Luckily, there IS something we can do to prevent or minimize the damage from this pesky insect. Understanding the life cycle of any pest is key to its management.     The squash vine borer adult is a small wasp-like “clear-wing” moth with a reddish-orange abdomen. The adult moths emerge from their pupating stage in the soil [...]

By |2023-07-18T12:32:17-05:00April 18th, 2018|Vegetable Gardening, Insects|
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Scarlet Laurel Bug on Texas Mountain Laurel

Some of you may have noticed an exceptionally large outbreak of the Scarlet Laurel Bugs on the new growth of your Texas Mountain Laurels this year. This scarlet red bug with a central black wing area feeds on new growth, blooms and seed pods. In addition to having piercing/sucking mouthparts, the female of this species inserts eggs in to plant tissue with a bladelike ovipositor, causing further damage to foliage on your trees. Scarlet Laurel Bugs are “True Bugs”, meaning they are in the Order Hemiptera, and are related to [...]

By |2019-04-24T11:05:09-05:00April 12th, 2018|Insects|
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D – April Checklist

ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS: Continue planting warm season annuals and perennials. Work compost into the beds before planting and apply fertilizer such as MicroLife 6-2-4 or 8-4-6 after planting.  Water the planting in well. Add large colorful pots of combination plantings to your landscape. Be sure to include tall, medium and trailing plants- also known as “the thriller, the filler and the spiller”!!! Check for insects such as Aphids, Caterpillars and Mealybugs regularly. Use Safer Insecticidal Soap, Spinosad Soap or Captain Jack’s Dead-bug Brew as organic options, or consult out staff for [...]

By |2021-12-29T10:04:48-06:00April 4th, 2018|Monthly Gardening Checklist|
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