Cataloging Plants

Earlier this year, during the winter, we planted seeds for dozens of native Texas grasses and flowers on our green roof. As spring was coming to an end, we saw that many of those seeds had germinated and grown into mature plants with stunning colors (see here). We visited the green roof once again on Friday, July 12, to fix the watering schedule and to see if any new plants had appeared since the last time we were there.

There were quite a few surprises waiting for us on the green roof.

An unidentified blue flowering plant

Seeds everywhere!

Close-up of another flower

Indian Blanket

More fields of Muhly

   

Most beds are full of Muhly!

Another unidentified plant

To recap, here's a list of the plants that we have seen on the green roof so far: 

Gulf Coast Muhly

Bluebonnet

Plains Coreopsis

Indian Blanket

Purple Prairie Clover

Little Bluestem

Unconfirmed:

Prairie/Virginia Wildrye

Cane Bluestem

Blue Flax (or Blue Curls)

And a bunch of others

Because there are many plants on the roof and we only can see a few of them at a time (they flower at different times throughout the year), we are beginning to take note of what plants we see at which times, along with collecting their seeds for future reseeding efforts. 

Our website

Check out our UH webpage, https://uh.collegiatelink.net/organization/thehorticulturesocietyatuh !
We will post updates to that page just as we do for our Facebook. We also have plenty of pictures from past events, and our official membership application is on this page.

Note: You need to have a Cougarnet ID in order to log in to the UH Get Involved Website and to access most of the material.

Summer Flowers!

After long days of cutting down weeds and placing seeds on the green roof, our hard work has finally paid off! The green roof can now truly be called "green", as it is teeming with many native Texas flowers that are in full bloom. We planted the native seed mixes during the winter (January), and while we didn't see any new growth for months on end, the seeds recently germinated and grew into mature, flowering plants.

While not all of the seeds in the mixes germinated, we still have seven beds full of life and vigor. The most prominent plant that grew is Gulf Coast Muhly.

Fields of muhly cover every bed

 Of course, we also had some bluebonnets. Most of the ones on the green roof are from previous plantings or grew from the seeds that the original plants produced.

A bluebonnet with empty seed pods

Flowering bluebonnet

We also had some Plains Coreopsis germinate and flower! 

There were a few Indian Blankets that grew as well. They were localized to a bed or two. 

I think that this flower is a Purple Prairie Clover - not entirely sure though. 

 And this last one is unidentified.

Mystery flower or just a weed?

We are very glad that some of the seeds we planted grew in the end. Given that different plants flower at different times throughout the year, we are hoping that we'll see many different flowers on the roof through the summer. There were some smaller plants that were unidentifiable or preparing to flower, so we'll have to come back sometime to see what we get.

End of Spring

The semester is coming to a close, and the much dreaded Houston summer heat is on its way here. To recap what's happened up until now, we had two great plant sales, elected new officers, donated numerous seedlings to Counseling and Psychological Services, and planted strawberries in a raised garden in front of the greenhouse. We actually got a lot of things accomplished, and throughout summer and this next academic year, we plan on continuing with this growth and expansion. 

So, thanks to everyone who came out to our meetings and supported Horticulture Society through the years. Good luck on your finals, and enjoy the summer!

Raised Garden and Elections, oh my!

Greetings everyone!

This past Saturday, we spent the afternoon establishing the long-planned raised garden bed in front of the greenhouse! We went shopping first, buying cinderblocks, soil, and strawberry plants to go in the garden, and then we returned to UH to set everything up. The cinderblocks were arranged in a rectangle and then the bed below was weeded before being filled up by garden soil. Lastly, we placed six strawberry plants into the bed. It seems to be doing very well right now and we look forward to seeing some strawberries in the near future!

Another important item coming up very soon is the Horticulture Society Elections! As the academic year comes to a close, it is time to vote for the new officers of HS for the 2013-2014 school year. If you feel like you want to contribute more to the Horticulture Society, feel free and run for a position!

Important things to note for potential candidates:

• You can run for up to two positions
• Positions available are: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Webmaster and Liaison at Large are appointed by the elected cabinet
• On April 19 (general meeting), candidates will give speeches to convince members why they should be elected
• Voting will be done online
• If elected, you will have to attend an officer meeting on April 26 to talk to the current officers and to discuss the upcoming year. 

2nd Spring Plant Sale

This semester, our plants grew very well and thus we were able to schedule 2 plant sales. The first one was a resounding success, and we aim to match that at this second plant sale. It will be held on Tuesday, April 2, from 10AM-4PM at the PGH Breezeway. During our last plant sale, strong winds damaged many of our plants and made for a rough sale, so hopefully the same won't happen this time.

So come out and help if you can, or just swing by and say hello. After this plant sale is over, we will almost be done with this semester's activities, since summer is just around the corner. 

Spring Field Trip: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Hey folks! This past Sunday we went out to the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center located in Memorial Park. Unfortunately, it happened to rain heavily that morning, and it was also during Spring Break, so turnout was reduced. Still, it was a blast for those of us who went!

We started off looking at the indoor section of the Arboretum while waiting for the rain to end and for other members to join us. There was actually an ongoing plant sale at the Arboretum, with over 100 flowers, shrubs and trees for sale.

There was also a large display of native Texas flowers, most of which could be found in the trails. 

There were also plenty of exhibits featuring animal habitats, both real and artificial. 

 

Crayfish, turtles, and tadpoles!

Afterwards, the rain had stopped, so we decided to walk the trails. One of our members who regularly visits the Arboretum acted as a tour guide of sorts, pointing out every tree and vine he recognized, and we actively looked for labeled flora to check off on our comprehensive list.

Cherry laurel in bloom

We didn't see any wildlife on the trails (save for some minnows in a pond), but there was vegetation everywhere. It was noted that much of the plant life we encountered was only a few days or weeks from blooming or developing leaves, hence why most trees we saw had no leaves on them, so we may return in a few weeks to see the full beauty of the Arboretum.