Native Plant Society of Texas
Boerne Chapter
The Home of
Operation NICE!™
Natives Instead of Common Exotics
Web site: http://npsot.org/Boerne
NEWSLETTER
May 2010
Volume 10 Number 7
Monthly Meeting Tuesday September 7, 2010
Cibolo Nature Center at 140 City Park Road, Boerne TX
WELCOME BACK!!
Monthly Meeting Tuesday September 7, 2010
Cibolo Nature Center at 140 City Park Road, Boerne TX
Presentation: Dave Barrett, owner of Where Wild Things Grow Nursery in Leon Springs will present
Planning for a Sustainable Garden - plant selection, placement and cutting back. Dave will share
his knowledge acquired over many years of gardening and designing gardens. By paying attention to
plant’s preferred environments and their growth, Dave has been able to produce many sustainable
gardens that come back year after year. He will discuss plant placement, talk about soil, soil and more
soil, and teach us when and how much to cut back in order for our plantings to have long, healthy lives.
Come at 6:30 to socialize; program starts at 7. Our meetings are open to the public
President’s Message
I’ve decided not to start out by talking about the heat. Oops! Too late! At any rate, as I write away a
“cool” front is supposed to be bearing down on us in a couple of days to go along with yesterday’s 103
degree record high and 0.15 inches of rain collected in the gauge--just your typical August in Central
Texas. Our landscape shows signs of wilting, but it’s hanging in there with salvia’s, coral honeysuckle,
cut-leaf penstemon, echinacea and many other Texas natives blooming to beat all.
In case you haven’t heard, our beloved Boerne NPSOT is coming up on its ten-year anniversary in
October. Our special celebrations whiz, Judi Martin, and her crew are putting together a party filled
with good food, drink and a couple of surprises, so be sure to mark your calendars for Tuesday,
October 5, 6:30 PM at the CNC. You will find other information in this as well as next month’s
newsletter.
If you have not signed up for the NPSOT State Symposium 2010 celebrating its 30 th anniversary,
please consider doing so. The theme is “$ave Texas One Landscape at a Time: Our Native Plants
Light the Future!” It will be held in Denton Oct 7-10 at Texas Woman’s University. Noted speakers are
Dr. David Tallamy, whom our remarkable local chapter is sponsoring, as well as J. David Bamberger
and Jill Nokes, all of whom will be addressing how we each can make a positive impact on our
environments. This year our own Jan Wrede is the recipient of the Carroll Abbott Award for writing in
the popular vein! Be sure to congratulate her. And don’t forget to sign up for one of the field trips,
garden tours or workshops. Those of you signing up, please let me know, so that we can arrange
carpooling, if practical. Detailed information and registration can be found on the NPSOT website,
http://npsot.org
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will be the site of this year’s Texas Plant Conservation
Conference scheduled for September 15, 16 and 17. Those of us who attended last year cannot wait to
go again, and this year’s agenda looks downright interesting with the focus on plant conservation from
around Texas as well as the challenges invasive plants impart to our native flora. Since we are a
sponsor, Boerne NPSOT member registration fees will be refunded. Please let me know if you would
like to carpool to Austin. To register and to learn more, go to http://wildflower.org/tpcc.
One last item: Recently we heard the news of the passing of one of our highly respected Boerne
NPSOT charter members, Kazue Griffiths, whom many of you knew. For a time, Kazue was a private
sponsor of our newsletter. Some of our members made contributions to Boerne NPSOT in Kazue’s
honor and I truly thank all of you who did so. I am often humbled by the great and caring people we
have in our organization.
Wilt
Kazue Remembered
by Bill Ward
One of our charter members, Kazue Griffiths, died after a brain aneurysm June 21. Though she was
not able to attend meetings during the last several years because of her husband's health problems,
she kept up with the Boerne Chapter through the Newsletter. During the early years of our chapter, she
was a sponsor of the Newsletter.
She said many times that among her favorite experiences was going on two of Lottie Millsaps' plant
walks. Kazue's yard shows that she was a fan of landscaping with native plants. Her favorite activity
was tending her gardens, which were mostly native-plant gardens with a few special plants from her
beloved native country, Japan. She will be missed by her many NPSOT friends.
Nominees for Next Year’s Chapter Leaders
The nominations committee has compiled a good slate of chapter officers for next year that includes:
 President: Delmar Cain
 Secretary: Mary Frances Anderson
 VP-Programs: Veronica Hawk
 President-elect: Scott Barthel
This slate of candidates will be voted on at the October meeting.
Hold The Date for
BOERNE CHAPTER
HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Boerne chapter Native Plant Society fo Texas – 10 years, 10th month of 2010! After TEN (10) years, it’s
time to hang up our tools and CELEBRATE! Join us at the Cibolo Nature Center on Tuesday, October
5, 2010. Enjoy beer and wine, catered Hors d’Oeuvres and a hike down memory lane
Judi Martin and crew, who do a wonderful job of planning and coordinating our special shindigs, will
need helpers to set up chairs and a few buffet tables starting at 10 AM on Tuesday October 5. If you
are available, she can sure use some extra hands to make the set up go smoothly. If you would like to
help, but can't help with the morning, Judi and crew could use your help with last minute help at 5:30
and/or take down and clean up afterwards. If you can help with the morning or “last minute” setups,
show up at the nature center. If you can help with clean up, come, eat, socialize, and lend a helping
hand. Thanks for any help you can provide!
Chapter Doings
(Conoclinium
NICE! ™ Plant of the Month
Blue Mistflower (Gregg’s blue mistflower)
(Eupatorium) coelestinum, Conoclinium (Eupatorium) greggii)
Blue mistflower, a perennial that can reach 3 feet high but usually lower, is a member of the aster
family, Asteraceae. At the top of the plant, the branches, with their short-stemmed clusters of flowers,
form an almost flat top. The flowers are bright blue or violet, about 1/4 inch long, blooming from April to
September.
The natural habitat is moist woodlands, so it prefers shade; however, if watered, it will grow in full sun.
This wildflower spreads quickly and can become a pest. Blue Mistflower attracts bees and butterflies.
But be warned, it is heavily grazed by deer.
BIGTOOTH MAPLES FOR BOERNE
Just Another NICE Tree!
Common Names: Bigtooth Maple, Lost Maple or Canyon Maple
Latin Name: Acer grandidentatum
Tree Size: Medium Leaf
Type: Deciduous
Growth Rate: Moderate
Water Needs: Moderate once established
It tolerates partial to heavy shade, drought, and well-drained alkaline soils.
This fall get ready for shades of orange, red, and yellow color all around Boerne – we are in the fourth
year of the program and have given away over 400 trees. Applications for the 2010 Bigtooth Maples for
Boerne - Tree Giveaway are being accepted until October 1 with a tree delivery date in early
December.
Our recently planted bigtooth maples have put on quite a bit of growth this year due to the abundant
rainfall this past winter and spring; however, they will need supplemental watering in September if we
do not get significant rainfall soon. In October, we can cut back on watering so that we will see those
brilliant fall colors.
We continue to ask businesses along Main Street to apply for trees from the Bigtooth Maples for
Boerne program in hopes that downtown Boerne will be lined with maples for fall color and summer
shade. You can see the progress or our program which began in 2006 by visiting our website:
www.npsot.org/boerne and viewing the Bigtooth Maples for Boerne Map created by Donna Taylor.
If you would like to help with this year's tree giveaway, please let me know. The mission of our Bigtooth
Maples for Boerne is to reintroduce a natural treasure to the City of Boerne, to enhance the local
landscape and establish Boerne as a prime destination for viewing fall foliage. This is an approved
Texas Master Naturalist volunteer project.
For guidelines, application and care instructions for the Bigtooth maple project, visit our website and
click on the orange maple leaf. Special note to all maple tree owners: weed-eaters harm maples when
they whip the trunk of the tree. The bark of a maple tree is very thin and cannot take a whipping. We
have lost some maples over the years due to this girdling by weed-eaters. NPSOT members need to
remind folks about the danger weed-eaters cause to maples and other trees. We recommend that
grass and weeds around the base of the tree be removed by hand only.
One other note, do not fertilize trees that are stressed by drought. Native plants naturally obtain the
minerals and nutrients needed for photosynthesis and growth from their native soil whose structure is
improved by natural compost. Also, fertilizing in the absence of rainfall or proper watering produces
weak growth and can harm the tree and the environment. Plant roots cannot absorb the fertilizer in the
absence of rainfall and then when the rains do come, the ground and surface water get contaminated.
Winter is a good time to plant trees. This gives us all time to recruit some very visible places around
town where we would like to find some "Lost Maples" in the future.
Suzanne Young
[email protected]
830-249-8240
2010 TOUR OF YARDS
Volunteers Needed! Five Boerne area residents have volunteered their yards for another great Tour of
Yards. This year’s tour theme is "VISIT THE NATIVES!" and the event will occur on Saturday
September 25th from 9:00AM to 1:00PM. We are looking for volunteers to help label plants prior to the
event and need 2-3 yard volunteers per yard on the day of the event. If you would like to participate in
this terrific and fun educational outreach event, please see Donna at the upcoming meeting, email:
dLtaylor3 at mac.com or call her at (210)316-3066 to be assigned to a yard.
Plant Rescue
In the last year, we have been fortunate to have received permission to rescue plants from two
properties that are designated for development. On one property, there is a hedgerow of 25 foot
possumhaw trees that were feeding flocks of cedar waxwings. Since possumhaw grows in other
locations, it’s probably right to assume that the birds will eat from other trees once this property is
developed and the native plants are gone. But we had the chance to dig up some of the trees, a lot of
native annuals and many perennial wildflowers. We worked pretty hard saving the plants that we could
and then planted them in our yards for safe keeping. At least they would live to produce seeds another
year. In the heat of the summer, it seems like more work than its worth to disrupt a plant, asking it to
survive transplant shock and then choose the absolutely correct place to plant it. It’ll need the right
amount of water, shade and sun, the right soil and the right balance of nutrients to survive and then
thrive. Why would anyone bother?
The plant is already thriving. No one can create a 10 year old tree. Sometimes you can plant a nice
sized specimen, but it’s difficult. The hole has to be large, the timing right and lots of care is needed the
first year. It never ceases to amaze me how hearty many of the natives are. One of our rescuers had
car trouble after our rescue, so while we waited for AAA, I went over to the above mentioned hedgerow
and very quickly, without much in the way of correct technique, dug out a rough leaf dogwood. Since it
had a few root hairs, I thought I’d go ahead and try to save it. So I put it in a pot of good soil and placed
it in the shade, in an irrigated area. For months it looked bad. For many more months, it has looked
dead - completely dead.
Contact me if you want to rescue plants.
Veronica Hawk ([email protected])
Other Happenings
Invasive Plants Advanced Training Opportunity
Become a Citizen Scientist with the Texas Invaders and learn how to identify, eradicate, control, and
manage invasive species that threaten many of our most precious native flora and fauna.
Date: Saturday, September 18 Time: 8:45 am – 4:00 pm
Place: Cibolo Nature Center library, Boerne, TX
More about the program: Training includes classroom instruction and field experience. At the
completion of the session participants will be certified as Texas Invaders Citizen Scientists. Ongoing
identification and eradication opportunities are available in northwestern Bexar County and surrounding
areas of Kendall, Medina, Bandera counties including Boerne.
To register: Use CTRL + Click to access the following link:
Volunteer Information-Registration FormYYou can view the public
Space is limited .
For more information: contact Lonnie at 210-695-8419 or [email protected] or
[email protected]
Sponsors: Balcones Invaders Satellite of the Texas Invaders and Cibolo Nature Center
Happenings – the Calendar
September
NPSOT Events
September 7 (Tuesday) 7 PM. – Chapter meeting – see above for program information. Come at 6:30 to
socialize, meeting starts at 7. Our meetings are open to the public
October
NPSOT Events
October 5 (Tuesday) 6:30 PM – Boerne chapter 10th anniversary celebration – see above for details.
To find out about activities and workshops with other organizations call or visit their websites:
Cibolo Nature Center (830.249.4616)
http://www.cibolo.org/calendar
Master Naturalist:
San Antonio, Alamo Chapter
www.alamomasternaturalist.org
Kerrville, Hill Country Chapter
www.hillcountrymasternaturalist.org
Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park (210.372.9124)
Medina River Natural Area Second Saturday Programs (210.624.2575)
For more information or to RSVP for any event please contact by telephone. Website: www.sanaturalareas.org

Our meetings are free and open to the public. Join us the first Tuesday of the month, January-June and September-December, at
6:30 p.m. at the Cibolo Nature Center, Boerne, Texas.
Our Sponsors
Please support the following businesses that sponsor our newsletter
A LITTLE
NATURE STORE
106 E. Theissen St.
Boerne
830-249-2281
BERGMANN
LUMBER CO.
236 S. Main
Boerne
830-249-2712
830-816-2193
FANICK’S GARDEN
CENTER
1025 Holmgreen
San Antonio
210-648-1303
GARDEN GATE
COTTAGE ON
EVERGREEN COURT
Rebecca Rogers. Proprietor
www.BoerneReservations.com
Boerne, Texas 78006
830-248-1136
Toll Free 1-866-366-3809
HILL COUNTRY
AFRICAN VIOLETS
& NURSERY
32005 IH 10W
Boerne
830-249-2614
STONE & SOIL
DEPOT INC.
26923 IH 10 West
Boerne, TX
210.687.1005
RAINBOW
GARDENS
2585 Thousand Oaks
San Antonio
Ronnie Grell,
President
210.494.6131
REMAX
ASSOCIATESBOERNE
Bob Bockholt, GRI
309 Water Street,
Boerne
830-816-2660,
Free 800-455-1551
Become a Sponsor!
Become a Sponsor!
TURF MASTERS
LAWN AND LANDSCAPE
Mark Rohde
830.249.5514
Boerne, TX 78006
www.turfmasterstx.com
Become a Sponsor!