By Debby Jackson

As the seasons change, now is the time to begin thinking of getting your pond ready for the cooler weather of winter. If your pond is located near any trees, it is a good idea to cover it with some form of netting, such as Bird-X. The netting will help keep falling leaves and other debris out of the pond. Keeping the leaves and rotting materials in the pond to a minimum will both beautify the pond and will reduce the toxins produced by the decomposition of organic matter. These toxins are harmful to both fish and plants. Leaves left to rot can cause toxic gases to build up, a problem that can be avoided by giving your pond a good cleaning and installing netting to block future debris from collecting. With the shorter days and lower temperatures, you need to cut back on the amount of food you are feeding your fish. Gradually you will stop. Goldfish are one of the most popular fish for pond use. They can be left in the pond all winter as long as the water is at least two feet deep. The drop in the water temperature signals the fish internal system to slow down and they move to the bottom of the pond where they will spend most of their winter.

During this time the fish stop feeding, living off stored fat till the water starts to warm back up in the spring. Some special care will need to be given to your pond plants to get them ready for winter. Start by removing any tropical plants from your pond. These plants have a lower chance of surviving the winter. They need to be wintered over in a shelter such as the garage. After our first good freeze, clean up your hardy plants. Cutting back the dead foliage and lowering the bog plants into deeper water will help them survive the winter. As the season comes to an end, it is a good time to review how your pond performed. Write some notes to yourself about which plants were successful and which weren't. You may want to consider adding to your pond area, maybe a waterfall or bog garden. Whatever you decide spring will come and you will be to enjoy the peace and serenity that a water feature brings to you.

Fertilize: Apply fall lawn fertilizer application. Apply Root Stimulator to any trees or shrubs that have been planted in the last six months.

Pests: Watch for Brown Patch in St. Augustine lawns and use Fung Away for control. Look for Black SpotFungus on the leaves of shrubs like photinia and roses.

Winterize: Begin the process of repotting and cleaning up any tropical plants that you may want to move indoors for the winter. Begin planning the winterization of your garden pond.

Fall is a wonderful time to plant trees. The reduced stress and upcoming dormancy allow them to develop strong, healthy root systems. Next spring enjoy the rewards of your fall planting. North Haven stocks a huge selection of shade and ornamental trees year round. To insure customer satisfaction, we guarantee our trees for one year if you plant them and two years if we do. So visit North Haven today and enjoy a beautiful healthy tree for years to come.

By Chuck Goecke

Nearly everyone who has gardened for any length of time in Texas has discovered some of our rich diversity of creepy crawly critters. Terrifying to some, reptiles and amphibians are unique and interesting creatures that are, with few exceptions, our friends in the garden. These critters have had a rough time the last few decades, due partly to the disturbance of their natural habitat by man’s development and partly to imported fire ants. Never-the-less, some varieties of reptiles and amphibians continue to share our gardens as their homes.

The most commonly seen reptile in many urban areas of Dallas, is the Turkish or Mediterranean house gecko. These small brown to peach colored lizards cling to vertical surfaces with ease and are most often seen at night. They’ve hitchhiked to Dallas and other southern cities from their native lands on freight boxes. They love dwellings with their many cracks and crevices. House geckos only come into our homes by accident, but there is no specific spray that will kill or even repel them. Because they are after small insects, avoiding burning house lights that are near door jams and other structural cracks may be the best way to keep them outside. They are great mosquito and small moth eaters and thus do us a great service. House geckos do not, as some people believe, eat large numbers of roaches.

Several other small lizards are occasionally seen around our home gardens. Green anoles, which can change chameleon-fashion to brown, are more common around creek properties or places with lots of dense shrubbery. They are great day active bug eaters. Skinks of several kinds often live in mulch and ground cover beds, and are most often seen while overturning pots or other objects that give them protection on the ground. The brown skink is a tiny, almost worm like lizard, while its bigger cousin, the prairie skink can reach almost 1 foot in length. Young prairie skinks have a beautiful blue tail, adults have a brown body, with red heads on breeding males.

Snakes cause the most consternation with some folks, however they are for the most part, harmless. The exceptions, rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths and coral snakes, are not often found near humans, mainly because they have been so effectively killed off by people. The most common snake in urban gardens is the brown earth snake, which may be present in nearly every garden. They are very small secretive snakes, about the size of a pencil and live on termites and soft bugs and grubs in the soil. Brown earth snakes are usually seen when they mistakenly wander into pools at night. Simply scoop them out with a leaf net and let them go back to work eating soil pests. Rough green snakes, pretty two foot caterpillar eaters, are found in dense foliage, and not often seen, except when the

females search for nesting places in leaf litter in the early summer. Texas rat, or chicken snakes are large (up to 6 foot) black and gray mottled snakes occasionally seen near sheds, lumber piles and also in trees. They seek out rodents and young birds, and may defend themselves aggressively. Their young are more prominently blotched, and are much more likely to be seen than adults, which are very good at avoiding humans. Keeping the food that attracts mice, such as pet food and horse feed, in mouse proof containers, will prevent not only mice and rodents, but the rat snakes that want to help you get rid of them.

Some lucky gardeners have box turtles (terrapins) and water turtles naturally in their gardens. Box turtles also find their ways into peoples gardens via the pet trade and from individuals "rescued" from roadways. Turtles for the most part, can adapt well to outside home gardens, provided that their requirements are met. Foods, either in the form of natural bugs and worms or supplemented by you are necessary as is a source of water. Box turtles just need a small shallow basin of water, but water turtles, such as red-eared sliders, really deserve an all season good sized pond. Young water turtles are good mosquito larvae eaters. Water gardens also provide habitat for a variety of neat amphibians. These include toads, small cricket and tree frogs, and larger frogs such as leopard and bullfrogs. Toads are the most adaptable to not having a pond. A broken overturned pot can make a nice house for a toad, if placed in a shady and well mulched bed. Most of these critters can be a bit noisy in the summer evenings, calling for prospective mates.

These creepy crawly critters really deserve our respect for they are good garden friends, and are interesting in their own right. Leaving them alone is probably the best approach for all reptiles and amphibians. All they want is to go about their business helping us with our garden pests.

By Beth Patterson

As the summer comes to an end and the garden begins to fade it is time to harvest the bounty for family and friends and share the pleasures of the herb garden. Begin by harvesting herbs for drying. The best time of day to harvest is in the morning when the herbs have the most energy and flavor in the plant. Wait however, until the morning dew has dried or the additional moisture will impede the drying process. My favorite method in drying is to tie the herbs in bundles with rubber bands and hang them from bent paperclips on a clothes line in the garage. I use the garage because it is hot, dry and dark. By spacing the herb bundles well apart the herbs have good air circulation to dry properly in just a matter of days. By keeping the room dark the plants will maintain much of their original color.

Dried herbs may be used for potpourris, herb spice blends, herbal teas and dried flower arrangements. One of my favorite potpourri mixes is called "Kitchen Potpourri" mentioned in Gifts from the Herb Garden by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead. This spicy, lemony long lasting blend includes such herbs as lemon verbena, lemon balm, rosemary and bay leaves along with spices such as cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and cardamom pods. I like to add star anise for additional texture and fragrance. Gifts from the Herb Garden is one of our best selling books at North Haven and it includes designs for wreaths, potpourri and sachet blends as well as beauty products for the bath. Buy several copies and make your holiday gift shopping easy.

For a quick and easy house warming gift, create sachets using dried lavender (a natural moth repellent), colorful fabric or lace and ribbons. Just cut the fabric into squares with pinking shears. Place two tablespoons of dried lavender in the center. Draw up the corners and tie the bundle using a beautiful piece of organdy ribbon. A special touch is to replace the fabric with antique handkerchiefs.

For more ideas on gifts from the herb garden refer to Herb Mixtures & Spicy Blends by Maggie Oster, Herbal Vinegar also by Maggie Oster, The Herbal Tea Garden by Marietta Marshall Marcin and Herbcrafts by Tessa Evelegh.

If you haven’t started your herb garden yet, fall is the perfect time. Watch for more I information about our Fall Herb Festival in October which includes special prices on herb plants and representatives from local herb clubs.

Plan soon to come shopping at North Haven to enjoy our new Autumn decor and I am sure you will be inspired to do some gift selecting. Everyone needs a nice break from all the busy summer activities and now that school is again in session this is the perfect time to re-group and get our gift needs taken care of.

By Betty Hargrave

We are now offering the Bridgewater collection of scented candles. They come in very unique scent variations such Walk in the Birchwood, Autumn, Bridgewater (the signature fragrance), Fresh Apple, Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll, and Spiced Cider. Can’t you just feel cooler temperature around the corner with these names. The candles are offered in three sizes and styles, small pillars, votive, and covered jars. These will burn for a long time so they may be enjoyed for many evenings.

Be sure and check out our wonderful fall wreaths and matching topiaries. Several collections are being offered Southern Harvest, a selection of magnolia leaves, pomegranates, and preserved fillers and Roman Holiday, a beautiful collection of fall leaves, artichokes, small bird nests. Large topiaries of preserved oak leaves, yarrow, statice and matching wreaths. A wonderland of garland and sprays of foliage and berries, lichen bird nests and topiary ball and cones, wreath frames of twigs to add your own special touch in designing your wreath. Several of the basic forms have touches of magnolias leaves or eucalyptus with a touch of gold flecking. Remember our floral department will be very happy to assist in the design of any wreath or topiary for your home or for a gift.

Give a gift to your garden in the special touch of a new metal trellis for that climbing rose or blooming vine. We have a new collection of three sizes of Obelisks for use in a container garden. If you have not used one of these for growing vines in containers you have really missed a lot of beauty in a small area of the patio or deck.

Be sure and check out our new selection of "Pot Feet". They not only add a wonderful finishing touch to your large containers but will also help keep insects from getting into your container through the drain hole. There is an exciting new collection of ceramic containers for every decor. The blue and white collection remains ever popular. A new selection of charcoal wash over ivory ceramic containers in a selection of very unusual designs. Our beautiful fall leaf collection is just in time to add a touch of beautiful autumn colors. These containers are offered in three styles and four sizes. They have a Terra cotta back-ground washed in taupe and embossed in beautiful autumn hues of maple leaves. They are available in square, rectangular and two sizes of French Rose style containers. These would make a perfect hostess gift.

A piece of teak furniture will be a great addition to any patio, deck or garden room. Our selection of styles is widely varied and we are happy to special order items that are not in stock. My children gave me a bench and chair for my birthday and I can’t imagine how we ever did with out this set in our garden room. Add one of our new table top fountains and you can imagine you are off living on a tropical island.

If you are wishing to give a special gift to celebrate the coming of the 21st century, I believe there is one ultimate gift. That is a tree that will give shade and beauty through the next century. North Haven has a wonderful selection of beautiful trees to consider. You may choose from the vast variety of oak or native trees, just to name a few.