Seems like the weather is never too predictable in North Texas, but who could have predicted that we’d reach the middle of July without ever reaching 100 degrees — and that our lakes would be full!

The abnormally high rainfall this summer is good news in some respects — but bad news because it has brought a bumper crop of insects and diseases to our area.  (Remember to bring us a sample of any plant you’re having problems with, and we’ll diagnose it for you.)

Even with all the rains and saturated soil, I still see homes and businesses that apparently have the automatic sprinkler systems set to run, rain or shine.  Folks, this not only wastes money and water, it contributes to the fungus problems in your yard.

Unless you’re going to be out of town for a couple of weeks TURN THAT SPRINKLER SYSTEM OFF and run it manually when the yard is dry!  The sprinkler clock does not know if your lawn and shrubs need water (unless it’s way more sophisticated than most).  But you can tell by walking across the lawn and checking the soil in the flower beds whether it’s time to run the sprinklers.

Don’t get me wrong — we are certain to have hot, dry weather again, probably very soon.  Don’t think that the heavy rains we received in June and July will last till September if the weather reverts to “normal” summertime temperatures.  Plants that have put on lush foliage growth early this season will require plenty of water through the hot weather to maintain that foliage.

But you need to monitor the soil and weather conditions and water accordingly.  Don’t look at the calendar, look at the soil!

We’ve been talking about you — the younger, computer generation. Many of you have new homes, but very little knowledge about how to plant and maintain your landscape.

 With that in mind, we’re going to start taping a series of educational videos that will be available any time on our website.  We hope to answer the most common gardening questions with photos to illustrate the answers.

 The first of these videos will be available soon, and will answer our #1 most frequently asked question:  “What kind of grass can I plant under my shade tree where it gets very little sun?”  The answer may surprise you.

 If you have suggestions about other educational videos we can provide, please send me an e-mail, and we’ll try to make that information available.

So here’s what we are doing at Smith’s Gardentown Farms:

 1.  This year we’re carrying more earth-friendly fertilizers and pest control products.  Many are certified organic — all are less toxic than older generation products, while still very effective.  We’re training our staff to help you make better choices.

 2.  We added a fourth large retention pond last summer to capture rainwater and runoff water from our greenhouses.  We now have the capacity to store more than 500,000 gallons of water that would otherwise be wasted.  We use this water again and again in our greenhouses, and have reduced our use of city water by more than 50%.

 3.  We reuse most all the plastic pots and bedding plant trays that are returned to us.  They are cleaned and replanted with more Smith’s-grown plants.

 4.  We built 35,000 square feet of new retail greenhouse space three years ago that are much more energy efficient than the old houses (and we think they’re beautiful!).  A typical month’s electric bill for the same square footage of the old houses was about $800.  Now we use less than $30 worth of electricity for the same area.  (Yes, that’s right.  $30.)

 Join us in remembering that no matter what goes on in Washington or Stockholm, we have to live in the world we create right here!

The bad news is — insects and fungus diseases will be rampant this spring.

If you have crape myrtles and pecan trees, you should consider Ferti-lome system drench right now to protect them all season.

If you have St. Augustine grass, you should probably apply Ferti-lome systemic fungicide or F-Stop as a precaution.

And be on the lookout for fungal leaf spot on photinia and Indian hawthorn.

Feel free to ask the experts at Smiths for help with all these problems.

This season, I’m seeing so many new faces at the Gardentown — young families with small children, people just moving to the area, first-time homeowners.  We are also grateful to meet many who may be new to gardening.

 Whether you came with a friend or relative who introduced you to Smith’s, or responded to our advertising or even this website — we’re glad you’re here!

 We know you newcomers have some challenges.  If you were an avid gardener in another part of the world, you’ll find things a lot different here.  If you own a home for the first time, you may be feeling overwhelmed with all the things to learn about maintaining a lawn and landscape.  If you’re interested in growing your own healthy vegetables and herbs, you want the most up-to-date information about fertilizers, pest control and conserving water.

 That’s what we’re here for.  Please feel free to count on the experienced staff at Smith’s to answer your questions and guide you to a successful gardening experience.

 Your success means our success.  Have a great spring season!

“I LOVE watching the birds now.  I’m putting up another feeder outside my kitchen window!” she told me.

Karolyn likes things neat and orderly.  Years ago, she stopped putting out bird feeders because there was always a mess and strange things sprouted under the bird feeders.  Then she discovered No Mess Blend from Wild Birds Unlimited.  Enough said.

So Bill Henderson and I are off to snowy Indianapolis this week for 8 days of training at WBU headquarters.  I’m sure we’ll have lots of great information to share.

I’m not making these up.  These are some of the varieties of seeds we’ve just received from Seed Savers Exchange.  This organization’s motto is “Passing on our Vegetable Heritage.”

As their motto implies, Seed Savers seeks out and sells seeds for heirloom varieties.  This means varieties that are not hybrids and that have characteristics that may have been bred out of many of the vegetables and flowers we’re used to.

You know that those large, red tomatoes that ship well and look so beautiful in the store may not taste very much like a tomato should.  That’s where heirloom seeds come in.

So if you’re ready to try something new (old very old) in your garden this year, come see the dozens of varieties on our Seed Savers rack.  Your $2.79 investment might yield some great-tasting vegetables and a lot of interesting conversations.

More taxing, to me, is the knowledge that the decisions I make in this brief period can make or break the profitability of our business for the rest of the year. Buy too many of the wrong things and your hard-earned money is tied up in merchandise that does not sell, leaving you unable to purchase things that will sell. But get too conservative, and you miss the opportunity to make money by not having the items your customers are looking for (anyone have my crystal ball?).

We saw this first-hand in 2009 when we sold out of Christmas trees by Dec. 14, then spent two weeks turning away potential customers.

And even though you’ve just packed away your Christmas decorations, we’ll be ordering the Christmas merchandise for 2010. The way manufacturers operate these days, they won’t make anything until they have firm orders for it (no one wants a warehouse full of unsold stock), so if you don’t order it in January, you won’t have it in your store this coming fall for Christmas sales.

In addition, I’ll be looking for pots, garden accessories and that special something for Spring.

Wish me luck, and come in soon to watch all the new goodies arrive!

1. Protect your pots! Whether they are ceramic, concrete or clay, cheap or expensive, and kind of pot will break if it gets moisture in a tiny crack and then freezes. Move them to the garage or wrap with blankets.
2. Anything that hasn’t frozen yet probably won’t freeze now. There are a few plants that we use in our landscapes that may suffer — waxleaf ligustrum, oleanders and windmill palms will survive most winters, but may not make it through this kind of cold.
3. If you want to protect tender plants, cover with light cloth — never cover with plastic.
4. The heavy snow on Christmas Eve will actually help us. Plants that have already had some cold weather (and especially a lot of moisture) will handle severe cold better.

So don’t fret too much about your plants — protect your pipes, your pets and yourself and your neighbors!

He wasn’t talking to the miniature horses. He was exclaiming over the terrific quality of these binoculars as he looked to the South.

“I didn’t know you were going to be carrying these! I just bought a pair two weeks ago!. They’re not nearly as good as these, and they cost me more money!”

Of course, I immediately suggested he return the other pair and buy some from the WBU section of Smith’s. But he said he’d already discarded the box and couldn’t return them to the other store.

So please, my friends, learn from Cody’s mistake. Check out our new binoculars (what a great Christmas gift!).