North Haven Gardens Employee Spotlight is on Don Miller. Don began his career at North Haven in 1976 as a salesperson. He holds a B.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Louisiana State University followed by internships at Calloway and Longwood Gardens. He was chosen to participate in plant collection expeditions to Malaysia, for the Arnold Arboretum. Don is currently our chief horticulturist and greenhouse manager. He is an active member in the Begonia and Fern Societies. Long recognized as an outstanding authority, Don has many fans among North Haven customers.

In today's world, we are more transient than our parent's generation. We now move from state to state not city to city. To give us a sense of home, we try to plant trees and flowers that we grew up with. While this can be successful, we are over looking plants that are native and that can handle the climate. The lilac bushes that I grew up with in central Illinois, unfortunately flower poorly here. Yes I miss the wonderful fragrance and the beautiful bouquets, but I look forward each spring to the wonderful native wildflowers that grace our highways. We need to expand our horizons and look at some of the native and adapted plants that can be used in our landscape.

One of my favorite native ornamental trees has to be the Desert Willow, Chilopsis linearis. This delicate looking small tree has willow-like leaves and beautiful flowers that resemble orchid blossoms, ranging in color from white to purple. Planted in a sunny well-drained spot, the desert willow will bloom all summer. It flowers best in the full sun.Eve's Necklace, Sophora affinis, is an interesting tree that grows only to about fifteen feet tall. It can be used in part sun to sunny locations as long as the area is well drained. It welcomes spring with wisteria-like blossoms that are 4-6 inches long and extremely fragrant. In the fall lovely necklace like beads hang down and stay attached until spring once again comes and the new leaves emerge. It flowers best in full sun. Mexican Buckeye, Ungnadia speciosa, can be a lovely addition as a fairly small tree or shrub. It usually grows to about 12 feet but can reach 30 feet. With spring, pink blossoms are borne on old wood. The leaves seem to emerge at the same time as the flowers. The leaves change to a nice yellow in the fall. While not really in the same family as the buckeye, Mexican Buckeye seeds are a smaller version of the large buckeye seeds. Carrying one with you is supposed to invite good luck though I wouldn't eat the small seeds because they are toxic.

I hope this article will inspire an interest in welcoming into your landscape the large and diverse group of native plants that Texas has to offer.

RED IMPORTED FIRE ANTS (Solenopsis invicta)
The Brazilian Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most destructive and evasive insect pests in North America. Since its discovery near Mobile, Alabama in the early 60's, S. invicta has spread at an alarming rate and now infests every southern state east of Texas. It prefers disturbed habitats which brings it in contact with humans on a regular basis and when found, it is often the dominant insect species.

Damage to our biological economy.
The distribution and abundance of species when introduced to novel environments are no longer restricted by their natural controls, called ecological predators and competitors. This phenomenon, called ecological release, allows introduced species such as the imported fire ant to spread and multiply to levels previously unattainable in their native land. As these colonizing species invade, they often displace indigenous organisms which are unable to cope. The Texas Horned Lizard is one native Texas species that has succumbed to the imported fire ant advance and is now in danger of extinction.

Damage to our financial economy.
Our financial economy has been similarly compromised by the imported fire ant advance as millions of dollars are spent annually in pest control and damage repair. Commonly known and loathed by lawn and garden enthusiasts, fire ants are also despised by those in the agriculture and communication industries. Fire ants can cause irreversible damage to cattle who unwittingly step on or feed near mounds and in their great numbers they can short-circuit electrical boxes which they use as nurseries for their brood.

Control Methodology
Garden-Ville Soil Conditioner, beneficial nematodes, and diatomaceous earth. The Garden-Ville Soil Conditioner is comprised of manure compost tea, citrus oil and liquid molasses. The citrus oil kills on contact and the manure tea and the molasses repel the ants. It is important to completely drench the mound to kill the queen or queens. Beneficial nematodes also remove grubs and termites. Diatomaceous earth works only in dry weather. The diatomaceous earth is an economical solution for large acreage infestations.

Current Research Focus
Parasitizing flies - parasitic flies native to Brazil which specialize on Solenopsis invicta are currently being explored by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin as a possible biological control.

It is hard to realize that we are, once again facing a potentially long, hot summer, but it is on us. If you are a rose grower this is the payoff for that time spent during the late fall and winter when you looked at those thorny sticks in your garden and hoped with a religious fervor that you would see the miracle of beautiful rose blooms once again in the spring and summer. Well, the time is now and here are a few tips to enjoy them as long as possible. Water! Water! Water!... The three most important words in hot weather rose gardening. A 2"-3" covering of bark mulch is a wonderful tool to insure a lower soil temperature and a retention of soil moisture. It also helps keep out weeds. My choice of weapons for rose watering is the soaker hose. It is inexpensive, gets the water down where you need it and has minimum water loss through evaporation. Drip irrigation is excellent; a little more trouble to install but worth the effort. Irrigation systems are a blessing to those whose lives are such they cannot be there to water. These need to be monitored periodically to be sure they are always reaching the right spots with the right amount of water. How much water? That's a tough question because so many factors come into play; as long as the drainage is good it isn't likely that you will over water in the hot summertime. At the edge of your planting site put your hand down about three or four inches. If it feels nice and moist but not soggy that is about right. There is no substitute for actually getting the feel of your soil. What got you into trouble as a child, you can now do without fear.

North Haven Gardens continues to offer a wonderful selection of gifts for every gift giving need. Each of us wants each gift we give to be something truly special. With that thought in mind, Margie has ordered a wonderful new collection of statuary for the garden or garden room.

Tropical plants are a great gift during the summer months as they love our hot weather and add beauty to the patio and pool area until frost. Many of our customers are the lucky owners of greenhouses so they just move them inside for the winter to enjoy them many more seasons. Many of the plants will be quite happy if moved into a sunny window or even just into the garage to escape the cold weather.

New and interesting gift ideas are arriving regularly. The new collection of music tapes and CD's has become very popular. It is so much fun as you can have a preview of your choice before you buy it. One customer told me she had friends hear hers and they want one for themselves. Of course the way to solve that is when you find one you really enjoy , buy several to share that same enjoyment with others.

The staff at North Haven is always happy to assist you in putting together a basket of gardening goodies for a perfect gift for the gardener. The new selection of scented candles, T Shirts, organic supplies and small plants add to an ever changing variety of gift surprises.

The North Haven gift certificate remains always a popular and delightful form of gift to combine a gift with the promise of the receiver finding just what they have been wishing for. The staff at North Haven looks forward to helping you with all your gardening needs. See you soon!!!!!

How to Lengthen the Life of Your Arrangement "How do I take care of them?" and "How long will they last?" are the top questions Americans ask when purchasing flowers. Most floral arrangements last between 4-7 days, depending on the types of flowers used and the type of care they receive. The Society of American Florists suggests these tips for longer-lasting, more vibrant flowers:

Keep the vase filled or floral foam soaked with water containing a flower food provided by your florist. If the flower food solution becomes cloudy, replace it entirely. If possible, recut stems by removing one to two inches with a sharp knife.Keep flowers in a cool spot (65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit), away from direct sunlight, heating or cooling vents, directly under ceiling fans, or top of televisions or radiators. (Appliances like televisions give off heat, causing flowers to dehydrate.)

Imagine stunning bronze and silver patterned leaves on a low growing shade-lover that looks like a hosta's exotic and glamorous cousin. Then add sparkling, cream-eyed, lavender blossoms produced almost daily until frost on a vigorous grower, unfazed by weeks of 100 degree weather. Sound too good to be true? I tried the 'Silver Spot' Peacock ginger for the first time during last summer's heatwave and its stellar performance made a believer of me.

Peacock gingers are rhizomatous tender perennials which are native to hot and steamy forests in tropical Asia. Botanically classified as Kaempferia pulchra, 'Silver Spot' is one of a diverse family whose most well known member is culinary ginger. As a group gingers have few insect or disease problems and all but a few are well adapted to hot climates. The peacock gingers earn their common name by their remarkably patterned leaves which can vary from the deeply toned sheen of 'Bronze Peacock' to the refreshing pure white and emerald variegation of '3D'. In addition to their startling good looks, the Peacock Gingers are also remarkable for their robust summer growth. I've seen them literally bust the sides of plastic 4" pots in their eagerness to grow.

Almost unknown in this country just a few years ago, the peacock gingers are still relatively rare. However, in the past few years the availability has dramatically increased as more southern growers have tried them and been impressed by their performance. We are excited to be able to offer some varieties of gingers which have previously only been available to collectors through mail order. 'Silver Spot' is one of the finest whether you're looking for something new and exotic or just want a great plant that's easy to grow.

If you're looking for something new and exciting for a shady bed or container planting one of the peacock gingers might be just what you need. Given a spot in moist, well drained soil , 'Silver Spot' will reward you with the rare combination of exciting foliage and lovely flowers.