Hello Gardener,
Welcome to Emerald Gardens Newsletter  Strawberry Tree
Hybrid of a  native west coast tree
Arbutus "Marina"
is in the same family as our Texas Madrone and looks very similar.
Beautiful Cinnamon colored bark peels away from the trunk in thin layers revealing smooth lighter colored bark beneath. This feature continues through the year at different stages through the tree. The branch work is rugged and open canopy with glossy oval leaves bunched at the branch ends.Early in the spring the tree blooms long clusters of light pink bell shaped flowers about 1/4 in size. The fruit follows the flower in the spring and early summer and looks like small red strawberries when mature.
All Arbutus need very good drainage to do well. Just less than a full days sun is the best exposure. Arbutus grows to a mature height of less than 15 feet and almost as wide with out training. The trees have a tropical look but showed no damage at 12 deg. and tolerated a full summer of 105 deg. Strawberry tree should be considered a viable choice for a Texas Madrone substitute.
Winter Weeds
February is the month most broadleaf winter weeds appear in lawns, gardens and flowers beds.There are several ways to control these types of weeds and the right option depends on your circumstances. Pre-emergent herbicides are the best control in lawn areas and should be applied as a granular product several weeks before the weeds appear. Existing weeds are not controlled by pre-emergents but more types of weeds can be controlled with a single product if the application is timed right. Pre-emergent weed killers will kill the weed seed as it germinates and will kill both broadleaf weed problems and grassy weeds.
If the weeds appear to have a leaf of any type they can be controlled with a targeted spray to the weed without harming most lawns, several brands of broadleaf weed killers are available for direct spray over lawns and will kill most weeds like Clover, Dandelions, Thistle and others. Broad leaf weed killers will damage or kill shrubs and trees and any other leafy looking plant. Take care when spraying around shrubs and trees. Many times the best way to control weeds in beds and gardens is just to pull the problems and don't allow them to seed out for the next year as well as a applying a thick layer of mulch.
Very limited spraying can be done with a hand sprayer targeting only the problem and using a cardboard box to block over-spray.
Grassy weeds are more of a problem and should be treated with pre-emergent and limited spraying with a Roundup type product that will kill all it contacts.
Many times covering a garden in the winter with black plastic or other barrier will prevent growth and block wind born seeds from landing in the garden.
Winter Hardy Palms
After one of the coldest winter storms seen in Austin several varieties of palms stood fast and showed little or no damage.  These palms have always been considered hardy here but have really been tested by the recent cold that killed or severely injured other palms sold as being hardy in our area over the recent years of mild winters. Palms that wintered very well are Windmill Palm, Mediterranean Fan Palm, Pindo Palm, Majestic Texas Sable Palm and The dwarf Sable Minor Palm. Don't be afraid to replant any palms with these very hardy specimens. Most Mexican Fan Palms took extreme damage and some will take years to fully recover and others wont recover. Date palms of almost all types froze hard and the touted Medjool was no exception. Few Queen Palms will survive and should never be planted here. Most Sago Palms will recover quickly from their crown and just need to be trimmed. Hardy Windmill palms are great for a tight area and grow straight up with a whorl of fronds at the top. these are the best around pools and in courtyards or planters because of there size and lack of debris and sharp edges.
Mediterranean Fan Palms Cluster at the base with many pups and should be allowed plenty of room due to spread and sharp spines on the fronds.
Pindo Palms slowly form a trunk and take a while to get tall even though the are very fast growing. They are date palm like in appearance with long arching fronds that have a slightly blue color. The arching fronds take up space and the Pindo should be allowed at least 15' for the spread of a single palm.  Texas Sable palm is the tallest of the hardy palms and its huge deep green fronds are like a Mexican Fan Palm on steroids with up to 6-8 feet of stem before the massive fronds begin. Sables grow in height very slowly because of their stature with usually less than a foot a year in trunk growth.With about a 15'-20' frond spread Sable Palms should be planted 20' from any structure. Sable Minor is a miniature version of the larger that does not form a trunk and bunches to a thick clump that is used primarily for understory plantings under trees and in semi-shade areas.
Winter String Algae
Even with extreme cold weather pond algae grows where the conditions are right.
Winter is a time of dormancy for most pond plants and nutrients normally absorbed are free in the water. String algae feeds on nutrient and minerals in the water and can grow prolific in the winter blanketing a pond with bright green growth. Although this can be unsightly this algae is performing a needed function as it absorbs unwanted nutrient.
The recommended action is to let it grow to a point that doesn't choke the pond.
Begin manual removal of winter string algae with a stick or brush(being careful of your liner) as march approaches. As other water plants begin to emerge from dormancy you should remove as much algae as possible to prevent it from affecting new plant growth. By removing the algae you are removing the bad nutrient that caused it to grow and may be able to avoid the common cloudy water seen in the spring.
String algae is also beneficial as it allows your fish to hide from predators and feeds hungry fish a natural winter diet.
String algae is a great addition to your compost pile and is high in nutrients.
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