Johnson County Master Gardeners - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

09/16/2025

This month’s educational program was about Trees.

09/15/2025

What is old is new again!
By Joyce Block
Happy National Indoor Plant Week! Having had houseplants most of my life, and being an interior plant person, there is some great information that needs to be shared.
Many of the exotic plants become very popular during the shutdown. Many of the various Monsteras, (especially Thai Constellation), also became very expensive. The prices are adjusting right now and are becoming more moderate. Many of my friends and co-workers are still posting pictures as their plants send up new leaves.
Some people are afraid of houseplants; my kids will, my pets will, I will kill it. These are just excuses, if we start with some of the easiest plants most people can keep plants alive.
Indoor plants were studied by NASA at the International Space Station several years ago. It was found that they do improve indoor air quality. In basic biology we have learned that plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis. Many plants, that are easy to care for, can also remove other pollutants from the air in your home. Your rooms do not need to become a jungle or a rainforest for this to happen. One plant per 100 square feet, will help with the interior air quality. In my home, that would be one plant in the office, and our guest room. Three to four plants would be needed in our living room. Other studies have shown that when plants are place in an office environment, stress is reduced and the workers in the office feel that they are in touch with nature.
One of the easiest plants to grow, unless your cats like to munch on it, is a Spider plant, or Chlorphytum elatum. I had one for over 20 years, until one of the cats discovered it. They are not poisonous to cats. Cats chew on it and then may throw up a hairball. There are three different types of spider plants; a solid green leaf, a green leaf with a stripe down the middle and a green leaf with the edges of the leaf being white. I still enjoy them, and have them on my porch during the summer. They are easy to propagate and make a great hanging basket.



Devil’s ivy, Pothos, (Epipremnum aureum) is another easy care plant. This plant can be in the form of a hanging basket or growing on a stakes in a container. There are several variations of this plant also; yellow and green, white and green, and even one that was radiated to form crinkled leaves! Both the Pothos and Spider plants can grow in a low light situation, require minimum fertilization, and need to be checked for water about once a week. Pothos is also very easy to propagate, like the spider plant, cuttings can be put in a glass of water for the roots to form and potted into soil at a later date. Several new varieties have been recently discovered or named in Columbia and should be on the market in a few years.


Peace Lily, (Spathiphyllum spps.) is a popular plant, it is given as a gift or as a remembrance many times. It is another plant that doesn’t care how much light it receives or not. This plant does well in no light, (aka closet plant), or very bright light indoors. The peace lily will even tell you when it needs water, they leaves droop. After you water it, they straighten up and look wonderful again. There are several different varieties, most of the differences are with the leaf size. The leaves on the Mauna Loa are about six to eight inches across, other varieties have leaves about one to two inches across. Another variety has variegated leaves.



All of these plants are easy to find at your local garden center, Florist, the big box stores and on line. Be careful with the online sales, some of the plants can be damaged in shipping. Even one plant in your home can have a positive effect on the air quality.

Be safe, be healthy and keep on gardening. A reminder that there is a drought starting in Johnson County. Check the County’s website or your city’s website for responsible watering techniques.
Joyce Block is a Johnson County Master Gardener who works as a Horticulturist and lives in Alvarado, TX.

09/15/2025

Plan to come tomorrow!

09/10/2025

Some of our Johnson County Master Gardeners worked at Guinn Garden today in Cleburne, but I wasn’t a to get everyone in the photos.

09/08/2025

Somervell County has invited Johnson County Master Gardeners and others in our community to join them for their upcoming presentations on September 20th.

09/06/2025

Exploring San Antonio
By Joyce Block

In August, I was able to attend the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association Expo in San Antonio. Besides going to the EXPO, I was also able to explore around San Antonio.

When I was able to visit the Alamo, it was in the evening and the mission was closed. The Alamo Cenotaph, also known as The Spirit of Sacrifice, is being restored at this time.

There are also many changes happening in the area of the Alamo that are closing some roads. A new visitors center is being built and is scheduled to open in 2027. Check out the Alamo plan for more details.

As a plant geek/nerd, a visit to the San Antonio Botanic Garden is always a good stop. It was a warm afternoon when I was there, so there weren’t too many people around. I discovered my favorite part of the conservatory complex was being worked on. I watched for a while to see if they were replacing the glass or just removing palm trees that had become overgrown. The exhibit this year is entitled Reflections of Nature and will be in the Garden until October 27th. The exhibit consists of the work of many talented Texan artists. Each mural is paired with one of the plant collections for a new way of looking at art and plants.

The art by the entrance to the garden was one of my favorites. It looked like a piece of ribbon flowing in the breeze.

At the Botanical Garden, in an area that features native plants were the Auld House, and the Schumacher house. The Auld house is a Pinon log Cabin that was built on the highest point of the Edwards Plateau. Another historic house was moved from Fredericksburg to the garden was the Schumacher house. It is a wood and limestone house using the materials in the Hill Country. Both houses were moved to the Botanical Gardens many years ago.
Even with drought restrictions, the garden looked lovely.

Another stop was at the San Antonio Zoo; this one was more work related as they have opened a butterfly exhibit in 2022. The butterfly exhibit was my first stop. It is in a dedicated greenhouse that houses 500 tropical butterflies from central and south America. With an area of 1,680 square feet, it is a cozy environment for the plants and butterflies.

Of course, it was another hot afternoon when I visited the zoo. Most of the animals were in the shade or hanging out in the water. The Spectacled Bears were in their pool cooling off that day. The kangaroos were lounging in the shade taking a dust bath as well.

That winds up another trip to San Antonio for the next couple of years. I did find a few new types of plants. Those were featured in the Dallas Arboretum trials article a few weeks ago.

Stay cool, fall is coming and Keep on Gardening!

Joyce Block is a Johnson County Master Gardener and resides in Alvarado, TX.

09/05/2025

Here’s a helpful list of butterfly host plants. Lots of plants can provide nectar but most butterflies can only reproduce on specific host plants…meaning their baby caterpillars can only eat a specific host plant. For example, Monarch caterpillars only eat Milkweed. This list is a guide to native butterfly host plants. Most non-native plants are not host plants so plant natives to improve the ecosystem and provide a variety of natives to improve biodiversity and increase the number of butterflies in your yard.

09/01/2025

The younger folks may not even know it, but any older person remembers very well that up to about 20 years ago any car trip meant a windshield covered in insects crushed by impact. Today, that doesn't happen the same way anymore.

It may look great to travel with a clean windshield. But doesn't that tell you anything? Where did the bugs go anyway?

Scientists associate the dramatic decline of insect populations with agribusiness due to the destruction of natural habitats and pesticide application. The decline of insects, besides being a tragedy in itself, affects all earthly ecosystems, such as the diet of birds, reptiles and amphibians, and pollination of plants, etc. The collapse of insect populations may be the foreshadowing of earthly ecosystems collapse.

09/01/2025

A Trip to Omaha
By Joyce Block

Omaha? Why would you go there? That was the question my traveling companion and I were asked all spring when we started planning a lady’s weekend. Where we work, the spring is long and busy. Tons of guests, lots of events and we decided at the start of the year, we would need a break. So, why Omaha? It was in driving distance, 10 hours; neither of us had been there before; and a former co worker worked there.
We left early afternoon from Fort Worth and headed north on I-35. When we got to Kansas, we took I-29 into Omaha and Council Bluffs Iowa. We arrived at midnight, found our hotel and crashed. We met our former co-worker for lunch in downtown Omaha were there is a lovely green space, both of us thought that the swings looked fun!


We also saw the newest skyscraper to grace Omaha’s skyline that is being built by Mutual of Omaha insurance company. It will be the tallest building in the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas and Wyoming.

After lunch, we explored the area, and noticed two engines from the Union Pacific train line overlooking I-80 and the Missouri river. We learned from our former co-worker that Omaha is the headquarters for Union Pacific and that they have their headquarters in Omaha. One of the last remaining largest steam engines ever built, of the 25 built only 3 remain, is the Union Pacific Big Boy. The yellow engine is the largest and most powerful diesel-electric engine ever built. These engines were moved to this bluff of the Missouri river in 2005. It took lots of large equipment, and patience to move the engines through the streets of town. There is a video of the move on YouTube.

The next day we met our former co-worker at the Lauritzen Gardens. Which is a 100-acre botanic garden in Omaha, it features the plants of the Great Plains. Omaha is plant zone 6A, it features plants that we grow in Texas and plants that enjoy the cooler temperatures in the northern part of the country. Redbuds, Lilacs, Peonies, I was in heaven.

The peony garden had a mix of yellow, white, pink and red peonies. Perennial and tree peonies were featured in this 3,000 square foot garden.

This garden is near the English perennial border and between the Victorian Garden and the Garden in the Glen.
Another interesting feature of the garden was the Lithuanian Sculptures. The Sculptures are all carved from wood and were carved by Lithuanian folk artists.

One problem that they have in that garden is deer. While we were walking the garden, a lovely doe showed up. Or we surprised her, they do control the population by driving the deer out when the population becomes too large.

It was a great way to spend an afternoon. Visiting and walking with friends and enjoying plants that I grew up with.

Keep on gardening!
Joyce Block has been a Johnson County Master Gardener since 2007. She gardens for work and pleasure.

09/01/2025

Monarch Migration
By Joyce Block

It’s meteorological fall! The definition is of meteorological Fall is September 1st to November 30th. Fall means football, pumpkins, apples, cooler days and nights, more rain and the start of migrations for butterflies and birds.

Migration is the movement of birds, insects or animals from one region to another. The trigger for the migration of Monarchs is the shorter days, and cooler nights. The temperatures during the first part of August in Minnesota were in the 50’s with the sun setting at 8:30 pm. During early summer, the 4th of July, the sun doesn’t set until 10 pm.

Up north, Canada and the northern United States, the Monarchs are starting to head south for their trip to Mexico. We have a few weeks in Texas to plant the plants that will provide the nectar for them. Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Lantana and Mums will feed the Monarchs on their way to Mexico.

Why Annuals now? Annuals will be blooming when you find them at your local independent garden centers and big box stores. They will bloom until the first freeze which is around November 25th, or near Thanksgiving. The first freeze can be as late as January. Annuals are a great way to add some fast color to your flower gardens and feed the Monarchs as they migrate through Texas.

Perennials will also supply nectar to the Monarchs. Greg’s mist, Bee Balm, the various Salvias, Fall Aster and Autumn Joy Sedum are just a few of the perennials that will feed the butterflies.
Like other butterflies, Monarchs prefer a flat surface flower in red, orange or yellow to drink nectar from. Daisy like flowers will also work for them.

Other good news is that the droughts in parts of Texas and other states have lessen. This means that the Monarchs should have adequate water for their journey. Water in a butterfly garden can be placed in a saucer filled with sand or rocks. The sand or rocks is to give the butterflies something to perch on while drinking. Make sure to check the water levels each day.

In a few weeks, we should start seeing the Monarchs appear in our area. Let’s show them some Texas hospitality while they are here. Too bad they don’t eat What a Burger and Blue Bell!

Keep an eye out for the Monarchs and keep on gardening!

Joyce Block has been a Johnson County Master Gardener since 2007. She gardens at home and at work.

09/01/2025

Dallas Arboretum Plant Trials
By Joyce Block

I’m a little late with this, as the Dallas Plant Trials were held at the end of June. But when it comes to looking for the best plants for our area, there is no time limit. The great thing about the Dallas Plant Trials is that the plants will be available next year. Many plant breeders supply the plants to the Arboretum for their trials.

The Dallas trials are well known due to the heat, the humidity and the winter cold snaps that our area experiences each year.

I’ll be highlighting the plants that were awarded Arboretum Approved and Flameproof Winners.
The plant trials feature shade, sun and partial sun/shade plants. Caladiums and Coleus love the shade. Caladiums need to be planted around Mother’s Day when the soil temperatures have warmed up. Coleus loves the shade too; there is also sun Coleus.
One of the types of Caladiums that were trialed is the Heart-to-Heart Series. The colors range from pink and white to burgundies. Most of them love the shade to partial shade. Well drained soil, fertilizer, and regular watering will make these plants thrive and live up to their names.

The new Coleus series that were trialed are the Downtown and Main Street Series. The downtown series has a mixture of two to three colors on each plant. These plants are great for containers or in ground growing. If you grow them in the containers, use soil meant for containers. Regular watering and fertilizing will help the plants great growth. The Main Street series also has multiple colors in the leaves. Both of these series can be grown indoors with bright light or outside in the partial to full shade.

A Zinnia series called Zydeco was also trialed. The colors are Fire, Cherry, White and Yellow. The plant grows to 20 inches tall and wide. This plant will be great for a border in a butterfly garden, or a pollinator garden. The colors are intense and the flowers are 25 percent larger than a regular zinnia bloom.
For the winter season, which will need to be planted in November; a pansy called Color May Blue Jeans and a viola called Corina violet and white Ripple. Both love the cooler temperatures in the all and winter.

All these plants love well drained soil, regular watering and fertilizing. The Pansies and Violas will do well in a sunny area.

These new trial plants will be available at your local independent garden centers and even the big box stores. Keep an eye out for them or request them from your local garden center.

While you are looking for these plants, keep on gardening.

Joyce Block is a Johnson County Maser Gardener and gardens in Alvarado, TX.

Sorry, but I don't have any pictures from the Dallas Arboretum but a full list can be found on their web site, /Dallas Arboretum Plant Trials.

Send a message to learn more

08/17/2025

Make plans to attend tomorrow afternoon’s meeting! We will begin with an ice cream social and then learn some amazing things about mushrooms in our own county.