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.

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 |2025-02-19T10:57:10-06:00May 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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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 |2025-12-16T12:39:21-06:00May 2nd, 2018|Uncategorized|
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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 (SVB)

  I don’t know about you, but I consider squash vine borers to be 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.       Are all Cucurbits susceptible? There are some cucurbits that may not be affected. These include butternut squash, Tatume squash, white bush scallop [...]

By |2025-04-28T11:45:25-05:00April 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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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 |2025-12-16T12:47:54-06:00April 4th, 2018|Monthly Gardening Checklist|
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Texas Mountain Laurel

What’s that fragrance, you say? Does it smell like Grape NeHi Soda? That wonderful grape scent is coming from our native Texas Mountain Laurel. They usually bloom in March, and the blooming period may last 3-4 weeks. The Texas Mountain Laurel is an evergreen native tree that is quite drought tolerant, once established. Establishment can take up to three years, as it does with many trees. The old adage “the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap” is appropriate for this gorgeous [...]

By |2018-04-23T10:13:27-05:00March 21st, 2018|Uncategorized|
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Bougainvilleas in Central Texas

I am so fond of having Bougainvilleas in pots in my landscape. Nothing really compares to the riot of color that they can produce during the heat of the summer. Add that to the fact that they are so easy to care for, and we have a real winner on our hands. Simply familiarize yourself with their needs, and you will have vivid color in your yard, too!               Bougainvilleas require at least 5 hours of sun each day in order to bloom well. [...]

By |2022-03-13T09:07:56-05:00March 14th, 2018|Plants|
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March Gardening Checklist

Annuals and Perennials Now is the time to plant warm season annuals and perennials. Their root systems will have a chance to become established before the summer heat sets in, and hand watering will be easier when temperatures are cooler.  Be ready to protect your newly planted/tender plants with frost cloth just in case we get a late freeze. The average last frost in Burnet County is March 15.   Some of my favorite plants to add instant color to the winter-worn landscape or to your containers are marigolds, geraniums, [...]

By |2025-12-16T12:40:27-06:00February 28th, 2018|Vegetable Gardening, Fruit & Nuts, Lawn Care, Plants, Trees, Monthly Gardening Checklist|
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Pruning Guidelines

While winter is generally the best time to prune plants, timing is important. Pruning too early may open up the crown of the plant to cold temperature extremes. We try to leave branches and foliage on most plants to serve as an insulator for the cold. Pay attention to recommended timing and you will be giving your plants the best opportunity to thrive in the spring. Herbaceous perennials: Herbaceous perennials are plants which die back to the ground in the winter, their foliage going to "mush" after a hard freeze. [...]

By |2025-12-27T15:44:24-06:00February 21st, 2018|Uncategorized|
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