Girl on the Grow - Fall by HPT Media

Issue Number One

A Quarterly Insight into Gardening Know-How and Fun Fall 2013

Who Is

Janice Brown Plant of the Season Gardening Tips Gardening News HOUSTON

A FREE PUBLICATION

Nature and

Botanical

Publication ÂŠ 2013

Events Get Social With Us

by Rebecca Walton

botanical maven, an educator, a gardening diva, plant coach… Janice Brown can be called many things, but whatever you call her, know that she is a person infused with the spirit of Mother Nature. She is an organic nurturer with a pure love for all things plant and animal. Like most children, Janice gave pause to the disregarded world of tadpoles, snails, frogs, plants and flowers. But she was one of the few who came alive, the deeper she probed into the plant and animal biosphere. “As a child I’d picked wildflowers and brought them to my mother.” Janice became flustered whenever people called her beautifully picked flowers, weeds. She saw them for what they were, flowers. “People think that just because you don’t put effort into making a flower grow, that it doesn’t make them a flower. The little pink ones that you see growing everywhere; they are primroses, and the little yellow dandelions… They are flowers. They are wildflowers.” Janice has an outpouring of knowledge regarding all kinds of plants and vegetation. “People refer to these beautiful plants as weeds but you know you can actually eat the leaves of the dandelion and use the roots to make coffee. It may not be the best tasting coffee out there, but it’s nonetheless coffee.” Janice came from a gardening family. Her mother was a gardener who grew vegetation for the family. Once during a vacation to Florida the whole family visited Sunken Gardens. To a normal child this probably should have been another fun day out with the family, but for Janice, the butterflies, rosebushes as tall as buildings, the amphibians… it was a magical wonderland filled with never-before-seen amazing sights and sounds. She was ecstatic in seeing her passion manifested times a hundred. “Sunken Gardens was created by a plumber who obviously knew a thing or two about gardening because he drained a lake to build the garden. Every gardener knows that the silt from a fresh body of water makes the best soil for planting.” As time went on her passion was a mainstay throughout her life, always providing a way of escape from her mundane day to day work as an educator. It seemed only natural that she became a teacher; after all she was a nurturer from the heart. But after so many years in education she became another unfortunate victim of the bad economy and lost her job. At this point Janice wasn’t sure about what was next. Did she want to get another position in her field? Should she find something else to do? What else could she do? She turned to her favorite past time to help her think about her next move, gardening. She never considered a career in gardening. She had – no official training or education in cultivation and landscaping – only what she was born with; the inherent ability to cultivate and nurture the land. She was at a loss and all she could do was turn to her heart – her inherent ability, her good work. She thought, “If only I could make money doing what I love every day.” Gardening provided a little more than just peace and happiness. It was where she found God. Janice is a Christian who is very active in her church. In the spring of 2011, her church had been discussing passion and purpose toward God. She was back and forth studying the little workbook given to the congregation. She couldn’t get past the first page that asked, “How can you use your passion for God’s purpose?” Knowing that God’s purpose for her life is for the betterment of others, she couldn’t find the connection

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between her passion of gardening and God’s purpose; because gardening simply made her happy. What purpose did it serve other than making her happy? During spring break after cultivating her home garden for about week, it suddenly hit her. It was time to do something different with her life. But it wasn’t so different from what she’d always done and been her whole life. She was going to cultivate. But instead of cultivating children into working class citizens, she was going to cultivate people into reaping all of the wonders and treasures of the land she’d come to know and love. She was on to something. Janice had to get on the move; or better yet, On the Grow! On the Grow was born in the spring of 2011. Janice Brown married her skill of teaching with her passion of gardening. Aware that her dramatic career change could have been viewed as rash, Janice was unsure about letting her family know about her decision. She gradually eased them into it, introducing it as an idea. But to her surprise her entire family became her biggest supporter. It was all the push she needed to give her the clarity of thought and the moxie to become a fully functioning gardening coach. Now as she approaches her certification as a master gardener, she has blossomed On the Grow to educate the masses on how to cultivate plants. The company has three parts. The first part is the parties! Janice conducts adult and kid gardening parties guiding party-goers in creating fun plantings. The second part is helping individuals grow their own home and community gardens. And the third is where she implements her corporate gardening program inside one big business at a time. On the Grow has shaped up to be the perfect health and wellness platform that is needed within the work place. With its strategic sustainable wellness initiatives, Janice is bringing back the stress free work environment.

Gardening Tips Fall is the best time of year to plant shrubs, trees and perennial plants. The winter cold helps them set strong roots and most garden centers are having great sales now. For the vegetable garden, plant all greens (collards, mustards & turnips), onions, kohlrabi, cabbage & broccoli in October for winter through early spring harvesting. If you aren’t planting a vegetable garden for the fall, clean out debris, turn soil and sow with a cover crop or mulch with leaves or straw to nourish soil & keep down weeds. Watch for hummingbirds in the garden through October. They migrate through our area in the beginning of fall. Instead of buying hummingbird feeders, plant yellow bells, cardinal flowers, salvias, lantana, butterfly weed, Turk’s cap and hamelia (hummingbird bush) to attract hummers to your yard. Stop feeding fruit trees in the fall to let them experience their natural dormant season. Fall is also a great time to get an herb garden going. Plant coolseason herbs such as, thyme, sage, oregano, mint, lavender, catnip and mint to get your perennial herb garden going. Plant mint in a spot away from other plants, so it doesn’t over take them.

Gardening News How Gardening Heals by TY Johnson | The Brownsville Herald | October 9th 2013 BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — It has taken just more than a decade, but the roots of healing have finally taken hold at the Tres Angeles Community Garden and organizers are now seeing the fruits of their labor. Vegetables, too. The inaugural growing season at the community garden has begun, and the 26 flower bed plots are filled with promising-looking plants bearing peppers, eggplants and an assortment of other fresh produce community members have planted.

The garden has come a long way since its time as a vacant lot, littered with trash and overgrown by weeds, explained Rosie Bustinza, who oversees the garden. Bustinza began recruiting prospective gardeners from the surrounding area last fall, after the group received a grant to reclaim the lot from its disarray and transform it into a garden that honors the memory of three children who were slain in 2003 in the building next door. The garden is the first step toward replacing those grim memories with a new sense of community, as the city, which purchased the lot and building, is aiming to eventually demolish the building. Brownsville Planning Director Ramiro Gonzalez said there is no rigid schedule for the building's razing, but it's not a matter of if but when the building will come down.

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Plant of the Season American Beauty Berry wins my approval for the fall plant of the season. Hands down! Surprisingly so, I've been turning my nose up at this plant for years until I saw it fruit for the first time. It's absolutely gorgeous! The berries are a beautiful purple, uniquely placed in clusters along its branches. You can't ignore a botanical beauty like this. This plant is a must-have for bird-watchers. Over 40 species of birds find the berries to be a culinary delight. The American Beauty Berry grows to be 4 to 5 feet tall, and is an understory plant which means that it thrives in partial shade. It's a native Texan, making it a no-fuss addition to your landscape. The berries start appearing in late summer and continue through the winter. It's a winter interest for your garden when your other plants lose their appeal. Fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs in Houston. And the American Beauty Berry is in full glory in the fall. Plant this one for its ease and beauty and don't forget to put it close to a window so you can enjoy the many birds that will come to feed on it. -

Photo by: John Pevelka / Flickr

Janice Brown Your Neighborhood Gardening Coach

Upcoming Events Houston Arboretum (visit HoustonArboretum.org for more information) October 26 - ArBOOretum November 7- Arboretum at Night: Night Hike Hunt for Moths December 14 - 22 Winter Native Plant Sale The Houston Museum of Natural Science Cockrell Butterfly Center (visit HMNS.org/ButterflyCenter for more information) October 12- Fall Plant Sale Mercer Arboretum (visit Hcp4.net/Mercer for more information) Oct. 19- Sustainable Landscape Conference 5.5 CEUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for Landscape Architects Oct. 19 & 20 - Herb Fair

Festivals & Events Oct. 20- BPP Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou Oct. 20- Armand Bayou Nature Center Prairie Pandemonium Oct. 20- Katy Prairie Bioblitz Oct. 25- Nature Conservancy Annual Fundraising Luncheon Oct. 19- The Woodlands Wildflower Festival 10am-2pm at Rob Fleming Park October 18-19- 41st Annual Herb Fair, South Texas Unit, Herb Society of America, at Bethany Christian Church, 3223 Westheimer, Houston. Oct. 18, 4-7pm; Oct. 19, 8am-1pm. Oct. 18-19 - Jerry's Jungle Garden Open House and Plant Sale, 9am-5pm both days. Rare and unusual tropical plants. 712 Hill Rd., Houston (832978-5358 or jerrysjungle.com) November 1-3: Antique Rose Emporium's 25th Annual Fall Festival of Roses November 9-10- Peckerwood Garden Fall Open Days & Plant Sales Plant sales are from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Guided garden tours are at 1:00 & 3:00 pm. Tours are $10.00. The garden is not wheelchair accessible and please, no young children. Located at 20571 Hwy. 359 in Hempstead.

November 9 - Alabama Community Garden will be cooking chicken and fish. Bring a side or dessert to share! Giveaway: plants bulbs and seeds. Bring your favorite varieties to swap. Bring your own silverware, plate, and cup. Those who do will receive an extra raffle ticket.

Media Kit Call 713.878.7882 ADVERTISE HERE Whole Page$500 / Year Half a Page $275 / Year Girl on the Grow Quarterly Issue is a free HPTMedia Publication dedicated to bringing the latest news, trends and gardening tips to landscapers, home gardeners and folks who are interested in gardening. Girl on the Grow is published every quarter and is distributed around the greater Houston metro area. Our readers are those dedicated to the education and sharing of gardening know-how and skill. Current Distribution: Wells Fargo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12339 Jones Road Eco-Farmers Market @ City Centre Houston Arboretum â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4501 Woodway Dr. Publishing Dates: February 15th 2014 May 14thth2014 August 15 2014

Photo by: John Pevelka / Flickr