At Ann and Doug Garrett’s home in Jarrell, wildlife graze four acres of native plant gardens on former Blackland Prairie ranchland. 

What exactly are pollinators? Dr. Sean Griffin from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center explores both bees and their buddies, and how they partner with native plants.

Troubled Cenizo Plants: What’s Going On?

Lots of pollinators flock to the pink to lavender flowers on Texas sage, aka Cenizo. Kirsten Ueber wants to know how to prune her lanky shrubs. She also wants to know if they have some type of fungal disease. Actually, this infestation appears to be a very large colony of lichen, and the best course of action is to prune out all of the dead areas caused by it. Unfortunately, the lichen infestation is emblematic of a wider long-term problem. Lichens tend to grow in cool, moist, shady conditions, and the only way to completely control the population on these infested Cenizos would be to completely change the environment. Texas sages are xeric, sun-loving shrubs that thrive in heat, so they’ll continue to be stressed in this moist, shady situation, making them susceptible to lichen, fungi, and environmental issues.

William Glenn from Greensleeves Nursery in Pflugerville picks native groundcovers for sun and shade to feed pollinators.