Category Archives: Garden Notes

In Search of a Non-Poisonous Vine

We were going to plant Carolina jessamine for our arbor trellis until I read that all parts of the plant are poisonous. 🙁  Mike and I did some research on our own, but we were having trouble coming up with a viable alternative so I asked a Denton County Master Gardener for a recommendation.

In my opinion, the most important part of the DCMG’s answer was the explanation that most plants are poisonous (or will at least cause a stomachache) if eaten, so teach the kids not to eat plants unless Mom & Dad say it’s okay. 🙂

She also suggested that it might be easier to avoid the most toxic plants rather than trying to get 100% safe plants, and two links were provided for reference:

(1) a list of common toxic and non-toxic plants from Washington state’s poison center (not a complete list), and

(2) a list of Plants Toxic & Non-Toxic to Dogs, with the caveat that there is no guarantee that what is safe for a Briard is safe for children. 🙂

Mike and I compared the suggested lists with a list that Mike generated from the Michigan Bulb Co.’s website, where you can use their “Plant Digger” to find plants suited for your Grow Zone, and a list generated by the Earth-Kind Plant Selector from the Aggie Horticulture website.

After all of that, we finally decided to plant Coral Honeysuckle in the planter boxes at the bottom of the arbor. Coral Honeysuckle. Hooray! 🙂

Local Resources: The DCMGA

Are you looking for some gardening help in the Denton area? Check out the DCMGA:

The Denton County Master Gardner Association (DCMGA) has a mission:

…to educate Denton County residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that promote development of healthy gardens, landscapes and communities.

The DCGMA is a volunteer program under the guidance of the Denton County Horticulture Agent. (I came across their website  while exploring the Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s website.) There’s a lot of helpful information available on the DCMGA website, including information specific to North Texas Gardening.

I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed trying to sift through the gardening information I had been reading on the internet and in books, so I emailed the DCMGA help desk with my questions. (You can even give them a call, too!)

Within three days, I received a professional, courteous, and helpful reply with science-based answers. Thank you, DCMGA!

Welcome to Our Family Garden!

Last spring, Mike fenced off a corner in our backyard, and we planted a little container garden with flowers and herbs. We added a Saint Francis statue (with a small bird bath and a solar light), a bird feeder, a big pile of dirt for digging and playing with trucks, a bubble machine, and some solar dragonfly lights. Elsewhere in the backyard, in lovely, large red pots, we also planted a nectarine tree from a nursery and a peach tree from our friend Stephanie. I called it our “Explore & Discover Garden.” 🙂 We got off to a really late start last year, not doing any planting until Easter. Mike and Matthew (28-months-old at the time) did all of the actual planting while Adelaide (10-months-old then) and I supervised. 😉

This year, we’re trying to do a little better by planning now and shooting to plant mid-March. In fact, it’s been hard NOT to plan as I think we all have spring fever around here.

So, welcome to our family garden…where the Messy Blessings family is growing together.