UH Earth Day

Horticulturists and Environmentalists!

Your very own Horticulture Society will be participating in the UH Earth Day festival!

Pleas join us from 11:30 to 1:30 in Lynn Eusan Park.

Test Bed

While many of our members know about the green roof, most haven't heard of the test bed 10 feet away from the roof. The test bed contained synthetic soil at approximately the same depth as the roof, and prospective rooftop plants were first grown on the test bed to see how they would do. Unfortunately, the oak trees in the area ended up covering the test bed in shade most of the time, while almost all of the roof is exposed to full sun. We have already established numerous native Texas flowers on the roof, but the test bed remains from its initial use.

There's a large paddle cactus growing in the test bed that has grown over the years from a small plant to a branching behemoth. It has flowered in the past, and its fruit and leaves are covered in spines, so it is highly recommended to not touch any part of the cactus, even if it looks safe.

We also planted hundreds of lemon mint seeds and a native flower mix in the test bed. There are a few bluebonnets left, but the majority of the flora is lemon mint, the paddle cactus, and sedum "angelina". 

Sedum "Angelina" flowering

Other flowering plants!

Green Roof Updates

 It's been awhile since we posted any updates on the green roof ever since we cut back the grass. Spring has finally arrived, and with it, many flowers began blooming on the roof! We have beds full of bluebonnets, plains coreopsis, pink paintbrush, and many other unidentified plants. 

Paintbrush

Unidentified Yellow Flower

A sea of flowers!

Plains Coreopsis

Close-up of an unidentified flower

Another close-up

Bluebonnets and Other Flowers

The green roof looks better than ever! We couldn't have done it without the many volunteers who helped to cut back the grass and then to reseed the roof with native Texas flower mixes. In a few weeks, all the bluebonnets will be gone, and hopefully the other seeds we planted will be coming up so that there can be flowers all summer long. 

Volunteer Day - Success!

Fellow Horticulturists!

We had a spectacularly productive day at the Sheldon Lake State Park. We were able to plant over 3 acres worth of native grasses (with the help of other volunteers, of course). We believe it is highly important for us to help in the preservation of our ecosystems, especially in Texas where a lot of wildlife are losing their homes to urbanization.

We will, hopefully, volunteer again next November. Hope to see ya'll there!