Bob Hatton

Most of us with cool season grasses have cut or had our lawns cut at least a couple of times this spring. So now is a good time to review good lawn maintenance procedures, especially considering the ongoing drought.

Although we have just passed our average last freeze date, the warm winter and good weather we have been having has been enticing us to buy and plant. I am as big an impulse buyer of plants as anyone so the thoughts I am about to express are sometimes practiced and sometimes not.

As you shop for plants this year, think about those that attract various birds and other critters that are friendly to plants from the standpoint of eating pests that prey on plants.

No, it’s not fall yet, but it will be here sooner than you think and now is the time to prepare for it. Fall is an ideal time to plant many things to get a head start on next year's growing season.

By Bob Hatton | Special to the Amarillo Globe-News You may have noticed that I rarely use the term yard or yard work.

Hatton looks at what approach is best to keep gardens looking good while also leaving protected areas for pollinators.

What causes these color changes and why are they sometimes more colorful than at other times?

By Bob Hatton | Special to the Amarillo Globe-News You may have noticed that I rarely use the term yard or yard work.

Tis the season to … compost. With tree leaves and debris from garden clean-up and winter garden preparation abundant, now is the time to begin. One of the most important products and processes in gardening, compost is the product of the biological reduction of organic materials to humus (composting). Nature has done it forever and there is reference to composting found on clay tablets as early as 1392 B.C.E.

Having colorful houseplants in winter raises our spirits and makes us happy. At this holiday time, we normally think of poinsettias, Amaryllis, Thanksgiving or Christmas cacti, Cyclamen, and others. Color is the most common houseplant trait sought for helping overcome winter blahs, but scent can also be effective in making winter seem less bleak.