Wichita Valley Landscaping

Hometown Gardener 6/14/26 Never encourage your young adult to become a meteorologist. Unless of course that person is fascinated by the weather. Andy Wallace was doing weather reports for Ch. 7 in Lawton while he was still in high school. He currently works for the National Weather Service in Norman, Ok. There was no other choice for this man. A perfect example of what I am talking about.
I watched John Cameron’s forecast for today from the Saturday evening forecast. John’s new forecast dropped our rain chances from 60% to 30% in the past 24 hrs. All week long we gardeners were counting on some rain with this cold front. The front has arrived. We got nary a drop of rain in the immediate area. Such are the vagaries of Texoma weather and forecast models. So now folks will blame John and the others for building our hopes up for a big letdown. So today, if you are a weatherman you don’t want to be seen in public. You will be blamed for something that is beyond your control. Wind currents carrying moisture (or not) swirling around above our heads.
John Cameron has been around here a good while. I have gotten to know him better lately. He is a musician and favors his drum set which I also did earlier in life. The difference is John has never known the feeling of what it is like to play before an audience. To see hundreds of people dancing and enjoying the beats you lay down for them. I have known that feeling for decades. I was a card carrying member of the Musicians Union as a teenager. I played off and on well into my 30’s. John chose to be a meteorologist instead. For him, that career had to come first. Another fine example.
Skip McBride was another long time weatherman for Ch. 3. He is retired now. He came into Wichita Valley in last fall holding bur oak acorns. I told him it was my goto tree so he brought all he could muster so we now have the Skip McBride bur oaks. Skip has lost weight and appears to be a man enjoying his retirement. He and I share the love of fishing. Lake Wichita is his back yard. He is a happy man and deserves such after all those years of occasionally botching the forecast and having to pay the price.
The weather is the number one mitigating factor in gardening. So let’s look at that so far. Every year is different. Gardeners do not like that. They expect their gardens to behave as they did last year, or the year before. This year we saw 100 degree (f) in March. Not normal. We are beginning to see lots of abnormal growth. Leaves curling and twisting in the veggie patch. On the other hand. This same weather pattern created an environment where the flies and mosquitoes have not been so bad. The grasshoppers arrived on schedule but they have not been so bad either. We are not the only animal who needs somewhat normal weather patterns to thrive. Roller coaster weather favors almost nothing.
What is ahead? El Nino has already kicked. Early in 2026. A probable “Super” El Nino may be our savior in 2026. Normally El Nino offers more moisture to the Great Plains and Southwestern Deserts. An early El Nino of longer duration will be interesting to say the least. Hope for the best. Veteran Texoma gardeners learn to roll with the punches. There are things we can do for the veggies. Shade cloth can moderate the temps and help hold the humidity a bit. Row covers can do the same. Physical barriers last longer and can be removed when things improve. Sprays are short term and wash off.
Our wheat crop was basically a bust this year. Normally in June we are seeing grain trucks full of this normally dependable crop. I spoke with a grain truck driver yesterday. He said there are some irrigated fields that did OK but dry land wheat was sparse to non existent. Last year was poor as well. Smart farmers are looking for alternatives.
For ornamental landscaping the answer is simple. Switch to local natives and tried and true heirlooms for low maintenance and livability. Yes I sell mesquites while my neighbors bulldoze and burn at increasing costs. What a waste. Yet I see astute homeowners who live out of the city and a few even in the city leaving some mesquites for some shade and soil improvement. Stay clear of fancy new hybrids until you see them thrive. In too many cases you see this happening. You can change your entire wardrobe to keep up with the latest fashion. It gets expensive. Too many people think a rose is a rose. A lantana is a lantana and so forth but such is not the case. We tried a thornless mesquite from South America one year. It just would not live here. Plants that live in the wilds of Texoma have evolved with this roller coaster. That said even those will be favored in some years and sparse in others. Every year is different. I cannot repeat that enough. Last year is gone so look to the future. Become a weather watcher if you are not already. Yes our forecasting is getting better as we go. Still not as accurate as we would like. It is what it is. I’m sure the local meteorologists get tired of, “Where’s our rain? Cooler temps? Etc.” Just like I get tired of, “We’re gonna come see you next spring.” We do landscaping in all seasons. Spring is not time to plant. For all long living species fall is the best time to plant. So when you ask me, “Is this a good time to plant?” My answer will be “Yes.” You just have to keep an eye on the weather. Enough. I’ve got watering to do today. Was just hoping for some rain… Eat local, shop local, buy local.

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We managed 4/10ths at the nursery. Don't forget we have Amber Day Scott of Funk Around and Find Out Designs to tickle your fancy Tomorrow from 10am til 2pm. This girl is out there and I like her. You will too. Pictured is Blackeyed Susan. She likes a bit of shade. Blooming now and all over town. Native annual that reseeds prolifically. We'll be handing out party favors as usual. Come see us ASAP. Closed Sundays. Wichita Valley Landscaping on FB. Or go to wv-landscape.com on the web.

Frogfruit. Phyla nodiflora. We sell it. Grows really fast. In the water, high and dry, full sun to dappled shade. Not evergreen.

Texas gardeners fight to keep most ground covers alive through summer. This native one just needs to be left alone.

PLant before the rain. Saturday best chance. In the ground today will reap benefits. Come see us now. Free mulch with every tree purchase. Best prices, service, knowledge.

Hometown Gardener 5/31/26 One potato, two potato, three potato, more… Five potato, six potato, seven potato, o’er. So now while most of you are harvesting potatoes why would I write about it? I have a bunch of potatoes I have not planted yet. Health issues have robbed my strength. I just have not had the energy or the time. I know I can still plant them at any time as long as they are not rotten. I want you to know that. They will not come up in The Heat. They will show up in fall when it cools again. Always leave some small potatoes in ground to regenerate and get bigger. The old Irish folk knew you could survive with a milk cow or three and a stand of potatoes. Potatoes come from the mountains of Mexico… Not Ireland.
In the old days the ancient tribes would lift the plant with a forked stick. A small person would reach underneath and pull a few tubers. The plant was then let back in the ground. A prayer/incantation was said and water was poured on the plant to seal the soil once again. They never dug the whole plant and took all like we do. Such is the wasteful agriculture of North America these days. In this ancient fashion potatoes would last for many years. Maybe forever.
They say the famous floating gardens of the Aztecs are still there around Mexico City. This was done by using water lillies that were raked upon top the mounds when potatoes were dormant in the ground. I think this fascinating and would like to see it someday. Would be an awesome road trip for retired persons interested in history and agriculture. This is true sustainable agriculture that has lasted for centuries. None of our so-called “modern” farming can even come close to touching this. The lillies or lotus would decompose and fertilize the crop. Beats the heck out of planting new crops and spending money on fertilizers every year. The Aztec, Inca, Toltec, etc. numbered in the hundreds of thousands and were very sophisticated with their larger cities and cultures. They were not “ignorant savages.”
To make my own version of this I use leaves. After I have planted I will heap a foot or more of leaves atop my ‘tater patch. When I do my spring harvest I leave some smaller spuds on the roots and place roots and all back in the ground. Sometimes I get a fall crop. Sometimes I don’t according to the vagaries of Texoma weather. This is not the misty, cool Sierras of Mexico by any stretch.
I practice a similar culture with onions. I harvest only the larger ones leaving the smaller ones in ground to grow. Like potatoes, onions will go dormant during our typical hot, dry summers. They will not die unless too much irrigation causes them to rot. So potatoes and onions last forever at least in theory given normal weather. Garlic, chives, and leeks will do the same as onions.
By studying agriculture and history we can find the key to sustainable gardening. How do we get away from wasteful modern practices? Go back and don’t rely on “new” practices to come and save the day. What did your grandparents do? What did the Native Americans do? What are the Amish still doing? There lies the answer. We have been farming sustainable, staple crops for at least ten thousand years. NPK fertilizers were not available until after WWI and not widely used until after WWII. You say now we cannot feed 8 billion+ without it? We have only been doing it for a very short period while our populations have been steadily growing the whole time. I say look to the past if you want a sustainable future.
What’s eating my (fill in the blank)? Here’s another tidbit for the future gardener. If something is NOT eating your plants you have a sterile environment caused by chemical use. Nothing natural about that. Plants evolved to sustain Life by being the food source. Perfectly natural. Also, the plants evolved to feed and associate with the animal Kingdom. Not humans. We have not been around very long either in the evolutionary time line. This is so powerful and shocking to so many of you I’m going to stop now and allow you to think on this.
Maybe I’ll get around to planting those ‘taters soon. My health is improving. I have always understood why I am still here. My public needs me now. Ya’ll enjoy what you have accomplished. Let’s go low tech instead of high tech. My world does not need AI and data centers. I’m old fashioned and will stay that way. Eat well, sleep well, be well.

New shipment of fruit trees. Peach, pear, apple, plum, apricot, your choice $40 each. Plus free mulch.... Of course!!

We have no artist lined up for Saturday. So let's do the FREE MULCH thing again. Bring your trucks and trailers. PJ is on his way home with a fresh load of fruit trees today. Get first choice on those. Saturday only for mulch. Ya'll help us out with some shares. Facebook keeps making it harder to share from this page. 9am-6pm Ya'll come!! Wichita Valley Landscaping

Nice round of showers this morning. Beautiful day in store for enjoying outdoors. Our son PJ left earlier on his first solo plant buying mission. We pray for his success and safety. Wichita Valley South was in Emory Texas. Retired now Curly & Dave Brandt were an integral part of our business for 30 years. Curly will be 95 the third week of June. PJ graduated from Emory High school so he has friends and family in East Texas. Get some gardening done. We are here if you need anything. Consultation is free if you come to me. Come see us!! wv-landscape.com

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Crosby Stills Nash and Young - Find the Cost of Freedom I do not own anything from this video, all rights go to the artists of the music and the artist of the picture.This is a song which has a lot of versions upl...