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Anonymous ugly Central Texas garden. (Photo by Chris S. Corby)

Who among us has not felt the shame of a garden gone awry —the stigma of an ugly garden, a weedy, bug-eaten pathetic mess. You know how it happens. Due to no fault of our own, somehow the garden just gets away from us. Perhaps it was an ill-timed vacation, a lengthy "honey do" list or perhaps it was one of those rare summer wet spells that drives our shadow from the beds. The bindweed pulls down our soul and the mites and stinkbugs destroy our hope. It usually happens in mid-summer when the challenges are greatest and our resolve the weakest. Of course, that is usually when kids and friends stop by to take a look at what we have been bragging about all spring. If only they had visited a month earlier.

Does this sound familiar? If so, it is time to turn that shroud of shame into a badge of honor. That is why we are sponsoring the First Annual Texas Gardener Ugly Garden Contest. Now, it is the time to be proud of that ugly garden! To enter, just send your name, address, phone number and one photo of your ugly garden to us at info@texasgardener.com and put Ugly Garden Contest in the subject line. The five ugliest gardens will be recognized in a future issue of Seeds. The owner of the Grand Prize winner will receive a 1-year subscription to Texas Gardener magazine, a Texas Gardener T-shirt and a Texas Gardener cap. Four runners-up will receive a not-so-ugly Texas Gardener cap.

The deadline for submitting entries is July 31, 2009.

Sorry, no pretty garden pictures allowed.

By Kathleen Phillips
Texas AgriLife Extension Service

People smell them, thump them and eyeball their shape. But ultimately, it's sweetness and a sense of healthy eating that lands a melon in a shopper's cart.

Plant breeders now have a better chance to pinpoint such traits for new varieties, because the melon genome with hundreds of DNA markers has been mapped by scientists with Texas AgriLife Research. That means tastier and healthier melons are likely for future summer picnics.

"This will help us anchor down some of the desirable genes to develop better melon varieties," said Dr. Kevin Crosby, who completed the study with Drs. Soon O. Park and Hye Hwang. "We can identify specific genes for higher sugar content, disease resistance and even drought tolerance."

The results are reported in the Journal of the American Society of Horticultural Sciences.

Melons are fleshy, edible cucurbits grown worldwide in a multitude of varieties. Not only are they economically important, the scientists noted, but they are a favorite among consumers internationally.

The average person in the U.S. eats about 25 pounds of melon every year, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at Iowa State University.

Scientists from France and Spain already had completed partial maps of segments of the melon DNA sequence. The Texas researchers connected those segments with new findings in their study to complete the entire melon genome map.

For the study, the Deltex ananas melon was crossed with a wild melon called TGR 1551. More than 100 of the offspring from that cross were grown in the AgriLife Research greenhouses at Weslaco, Crosby noted.

DNA was extracted from leaf tissue collected 21 days after planting. Results from these tests were integrated into partial maps created by other researchers.

Previous knowledge of melon DNA was like two sets of directions - one from Miami to Houston and the other from El Paso to Los Angeles. That would make one wonder how to get from Houston to El Paso. The study by Crosby's group, in essence, devised the path from Miami to LA and all points between.

In addition to the complete map, the researchers located genetic markers linked to fruit sugars, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and male sterility, which is useful for developing hybrid varieties.

The trio said the genetic map will be helpful for future studies in identifying fruit sweetness, quality, size, shape and resistance to disease.

By William Scheick
University of Texas at Austin

In last week's column for this newsletter I mentioned my efforts at lawn-reduction, particularly a street-front windbreak providing a garden-belt for small wildlife. Michael Bracken, the editor of Seeds, asked me to elaborate a little on what one might expect from such a habitat.

The short answer is: if you build it, they will come.

And you might be surprised by which animals make an appearance one day.

We have wildlife-friendly gardens in the backyard, too, including a deeply shaded bamboo thicket located behind our cactus glasshouse. Our huskies love to act out their lupine fantasies in this shaded thicket — harmlessly, except for unwelcome and hapless rodents.

But one afternoon two weeks ago Simka, our youngest dog, was exhibiting approach-avoidance behavior I've seen huskies use when confronting a snake. As I hastily approached the bamboo, I saw on the ground what appeared to be an Eastern screech-owl. It had probably settled on the thick, dimly-lit bamboo as a relatively cool escape from the blasting sun and heat of that 103º day.

People who have lived with huskies know that they aren't very accommodating when it comes to commands, particularly when they are engaged in hunting or territorial-defense. But that day, amazingly, Simka obeyed me, left the scene and actually seemed relieved that someone else was going to deal with that odd creature.

The owl had flummoxed Simka by making clicking sounds while spreading its wings wide and rotating in small arcs. All of these diversionary tricks made Simka pause over her paws.

Initially I used a towel to pick up the rescued owl. The perfectly healthy owl was so relaxed it let me cradle it in my bare hands as I checked it for injuries. The visitor also calmly sat on a metal fence rail while I photographed it. Then I placed the owl beneath a bushy primrose jasmine in a section of our gardens where no dogs are allowed.

A little later I saw it fly away and disappear into the small wilderness preserve that abuts our backyard property fence. Two mockingbirds were loudly yelling at it.

I imagine that one night we will hear its distinctive whinnying.

As I said, if you build it, they will come. When anticipating animal visitors to wildlife-friendly gardens, expect the unexpected.

One day you might even find yourself holding an owl.

Now is the time to decide if you can carry your spring-planted tomatoes through for a fall crop. Vines that have been ravaged by early blight (a big problem for a lot of gardeners this year) or are under attack by spider mites should probably be removed and new transplants set out in a different part of the garden. Don’t worry, those newly planted seedlings will survive just fine. Just be sure to give them plenty of water, some mulch and a little afternoon shade until established. If your spring plants appear healthy, then cut them back some, re-apply mulch and they will be productive until the first frost in the fall.

Have a favorite gardening tip you’d like to share? Texas Gardener’s Seeds is seeking brief gardening tips from Texas gardeners to use in future issues. If we publish your tip in Seeds, we will send you a free copy of Texas Gardener's 2009 Planning Guide & Calendar. Please send your tips of 50 words or less to the editor at: Gardening Tips.

Perhaps you have thought about it but never done it. Now, in July, between our two gardening seasons, is a great time to have your soil tested. Just think, you won’t have to guess anymore about what your soil needs. You can obtain testing information from your county extension office or online at http://soiltesting.tamu.edu. The cost is only $10 per test.

By LaShara J. Neiland and Willa F. Finley

Each spring throughout the celebrated Hill Country and well beyond, locals and visitors revel in the palettes and variety of Texas wildflowers. From the Panhandle canyonlands to the islands of South Texas, from the eastern Pineywoods to the farthest reaches of the arid Trans-Pecos, some 5,000 species dot Texas's 268,820 square miles. Now Lone Star Wildflowers offers easy identification through color grouping and a wealth of insight from the origin of scientific and common names to growth cycles, uses, history, and native lore.

Nieland and Finley have made countless forays with camera and notebook and have broadened their approach through years of research. In language accessible to every enthusiast, they offer wildflower lovers unparalleled enrichment.

$37.22 includes tax and shipping

Order online with credit card at www.texasgardener.com or call toll-free 1-800-727-9020.

Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted.

Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac is a giant monthly calendar for the entire state — a practical, information-packed, month-by-month guide for gardeners and "yardeners." This book provides everything you need to know about flowers and garden design; trees, shrubs, and vines; lawns; vegetable, herb, and fruit gardening; and soil, mulch, water, pests, and plant care. It will help you to create beautiful, productive, healthy gardens and have fun doing it.

$26.63 plus shipping*

Order by calling 1-800-727-9020 or order on-line.

*Mention Texas Gardener’s Seeds when ordering by phone and we’ll waive shipping charges. (Discover, MasterCard and Visa accepted.)

Grow-Web encourages plant growth and development, and also provides protection from insects, birds, diseases and frosts. It is also air and water permeable and allows for ventilation. Grow-Web provides excellent protection to seedlings when applied directly to the seedbed.

$30.64 per 12.3’ x 32.8’ roll (includes shipping!)

Order by calling 1-800-727-9020 or order on-line.

(Discover, MasterCard and Visa accepted.)

Texas Gardener’s Seeds is published weekly. © Suntex Communications, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved. You may forward this publication to your friends and colleagues if it is sent in its entirety. No individual part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher.

Missed an issue? Back issues of Texas Gardener’s Seeds are available at www.texasgardener.com/newsletters.

Publisher: Chris S. Corby ● Editor: Michael Bracken

Texas Gardener’s Seeds, P.O. Box 9005, Waco, Texas 76714 ● www.TexasGardener.com