< Previous80 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 WWW.THEBUFFALOGRILLE.COM 4080BissonnetSt Houston,TX77005 1301S.VossRd Houston,Texas77057 Lil'BuffaloGrille GalvestonIsland 13EviaMain Galveston,Texas77554 OPENONGALVESTON'SWESTENDINEVIA StillTwoGreat HoustonLocations: GALVESTON 222 Kempner 409-763-4641 GALVESTON - WEST END 13680 FM 3005 409-737-1488 TEXAS CITY 905 Logan 409-948-1771 SANTA FE 13227 FM 1764 409-925-3800 FRIENDSWOOD 281-819-4280 LEAGUE CITY 281-332-3521 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 81 Imagine your home, totally organized! Custom Closets Garage Cabinets Home Offices Wall Beds Wall Organizers Pantries Laundries Wall Units Hobby Rooms Garage Flooring Media Centers and more... Call for a free in home design consultation and estimate 409-904-0787 www.closetsbydesign.com CM Follow us Terms and Conditions: 40% off any order of $1000 or more or 30% off any order of $700 or more on any complete custom closet, garage, or home office unit. Take an additional 15% off on any complete system order. Not valid with any other offer. Free installation with any complete unit order of $850 or more. With incoming order, at time of purchase only. Expires 12/31 /22. Offer not valid in all regions. 40 % Off Plus Free Installation 15% Off PLUS TAKE AN EXTRA SPECIAL FINANCING FOR 1 2 MONTHS With approved credit. Call or ask your Designer for details. Not available in all areas. 82 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 83 GARDEN VARIETY TEXAS TRADEMARK With some work now, bluebonnets will blossom come springtime story by BARBARA CANETTI T exans take pride in their state flower the blue- bonnet. And with good reason. It’s a beautiful flower with an alluring scent and attracts polli- nators and butterflies. Plus, they grow just about anywhere if properly planted. Historian Jack Maguire, former director of the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, considers the bluebonnet the “floral trademark” of Texas. “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to En- gland and the tulip to Holland,” Maguire said. “It’s not only the state flower, but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” So, if you have a packet of bluebonnet seeds, get them ready to put in the ground. A little effort now creates outstanding results in the spring, Galveston County Master PHOTOS: COUrTeSY PAM HUNTer Texas is home to five varieties of bluebonnets and all are considered state flowers. (Opposite) Although blue is the predominant flower color, bluebonnets with pink or white flowers also occur. Horticulturist Jerry Parsons at Texas A&M University developed the Alamo Fire Bluebonnet, which features maroon flowers.Gardener Pam Hunter said. “Bluebonnet seeds can be a chal- lenge to start,” Hunter said. “Proper scarification makes the process much easier.” Scarification is the practice of scratching the protective layer of the brown, gravel-looking seed before planting in soil. The tough shell pro- tects the seed from moisture. For best results, tiny nicks in the shell will give the seeds a better head start. “In nature, they are scarified natu- rally by rain and shifting of the soils in their dormant period,” she said. “There are several ways to scarify hard seed pods. One way is to use sandpaper to roughen up the outer shell of the seed. I like to nick them with a finger- nail clipper very slightly and soak in warm water overnight.” Once the seeds are ready for plant- ing, it’s important to bury the seeds under the soil, tamp them down to secure them and keep them out of sight of birds. Also, it’s important to ensure they’re in full sun and in a well-drained bed of soil. Scattering seeds doesn’t work be- cause they’ll be gone by the next day. Hunter suggests clustering seeds when planting. “Seeds should be planted approx- imately 10 to 12 inches apart,” she said. “Personally, I cluster two to three seeds per hole and plant approximate- ly 10 to 12 inches apart. Then, as the seeds germinate with their first set of true levels, I thin the seedlings down to one plant.” The Texas Department of Trans- portation sows about 30,000 pounds of wildflower and bluebonnet seeds annually along highways and roads. Workers time their highway mowing until after the blooming season. Bluebonnets, so-called because they resemble the bonnets pioneer women wore to shade themselves from the sun, was named the official state flower in 1901. And although there are almost 200 varieties of lupines — the family of which bluebonnets are members — five exist in Texas and all are consid- ered state flowers. The most popular, Lupinus tex- ensis, is the Texas bluebonnet. The original plant, Lupinus subcarnosus or sandyland bluebonnet, also is popular. Lupinus havardii, or Big Bend blue- bonnet, grows up to 3 feet high and is 84 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 GARDEN VARIETY PHOTOS: bArbArA CANeTTI (Left) Master Gardener Pam Hunter plants bluebonnet seeds. It’s important to bury the seeds under the soil and keep them out of sight of birds. (Above) Once bluebonnet seeds germinate, a small circular cluster or ro- sette of green leaves appears above ground. the most majestic. Lupinus concinnus, or Bajada lupine, is a smaller plant and doesn’t replicate annually. Lupi- nus plattensis, or dune bluebonnet, grows about 2 feet high. Horticulturist Jerry Parsons at Texas A&M University developed a strain of Lupinus texensis that’s maroon. Other varieties are white, pink and lavender. Once the seeds germinate, a small circular cluster or rosette of green leaves appears above ground. In early spring, with the warm rains and plenty of sunshine, the rosettes begin to blossom. It’s difficult to predict exact bloom time; so much depends on the weather and climate. Fall rains determine germination success; a cool spring slows down blooms while the warmer weather speeds them up. Mild winters along the Gulf Coast encour- age growth; light freezes don’t affect the plants. Bluebonnets are hardy plants and thrive despite repeated trampling by well-meaning photographers. Thou- sands of children and pets are photo- graphed annually sitting in the middle of a field of bluebonnets. It’s a Texas tradition. Each plant will bloom about four to six weeks, depending on the weather. Once the flowers fade, the small pods release tiny seeds for next year’s crop. The pods can be collected after they turn brown and seeds harvested can be planted for the next season. “Once the plants are established and they’re happy, they can reseed year after year,” Hunter said. “I collect the seeds and save them for the fol- lowing season.” Bluebonnet seeds can be planted Sept. 1 through Dec. 15 of each year, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, although by mid-No- vember is preferable. This allows seed time to germi- nate and grow throughout the winter months, during which time a heavy root system and a sturdy plant is developed to produce an abundance of spring flowers, according to the department. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 85 PHOTO: COUrTeSY PAM HUNTer Bluebonnets are hardy plants. Each one will bloom about four to six weeks, depending on the weather. “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland. It’s not only the state flower, but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” JACK MAGUIRE86 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 FEATURE ‘CHICK-INN’ Happy hens live large in extravagant coops story and photos by BARBARA CANETTI S ix pampered chicks live in Kemah, another 17 live in Galveston. And in Texas City, a flock of more than five dozen live together in one house, although they spend most of their days outside. These coddled hens are only a small number of backyard chick- ens living and producing on the upper Texas coast. And they’re loved. “Neighbors and friends like them, too,” said Sandra Pollock, who has two coops on her East End Galveston property. “It’s fun to collect eggs and watch them run to us, watch them growing up, hear the cluck-cluck.” (Right) Kemah resident Robin Collins wanted her chicken coop, the Chick Inn, to be cute and unique, she said. The interior and exterior is painted bright yellow and orange. There is hot and cold water inside the coop and a high shelf with electricity where Collins can set a fan or heater on for the hens. (Above) Collins feeds a couple of her chickens. They are fun to watch and can be very friendly, she said. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 8788 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 FEATURE Building a chicken coop is a challenging task. It has to be constructed so it’s easy to clean, but secure enough for the chickens to safely nest and rest. There has to be enough air flow, especially in the hot summer, and insulated enough to protect them during the infrequent cold days. “I wanted my coop to be sweet and cute, but different and unique,” Kemah resident Robin Collins said. “I tried to make mine very safe from predators, as well as functional. There is hot and cold water inside the coop — good for deep cleaning a couple of times a year. There is a nice high shelf with electricity that I can set a fan or heater on for them.” Collins loves having the coop on her property, she said. And her mother, who is 85, loves feeding and watching them. Chickens are very social animals, and some people say they’re affectionate, too. “They are fun to watch and if you spend time with them, they can be very friendly,” Collins said. Hazel Lampton built a coop on her Texas City property to house her flock. She painted it bright red and named it The Fluffy Butt Hut. “The coop used to be a three-sided horse stall,” Lampton said. “We used lots of recy- cled materials and some purchased materials to make the coop secure from predators. Almost everything likes to eat chicken.” Lampton has had her coop for 12 years and the chickens are a functional part of the Galveston resident Sandra Pollock has two chicken coops on her East End property. She enjoys collecting the eggs and watching the hens run up to her, she said. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 89 family’s farm, she said. “They eat bugs, leftovers and rejects from our garden,” Lampton said. “Every spring and fall, I grow extra watermelons and pumpkins for my girls.” Everyone who raises chickens agrees the eggs they produce are far superior to the store-bought variety. “There is a big difference in small farm eggs and grocery store eggs,” Lampton said. “The yolk color is deep gold and there is a freshness in the taste that can’t be matched with grocery store eggs.” Lampton collects about 40 to 50 eggs daily, she said. She also likes holding and petting the hens. Chickens usually produce for about four or five years. Eggshell colors are white, brown, green, blue or cream color. But yolks always are yellow. The size of the eggs depends on the breed, weight and age of the hens. Collins and her partner, Brian Harris, used a variety of materials to assemble the coop they call Chick Inn. She had an old rusting metal garden wagon, which she wove into the walls to create an outdoor area. She decorated the coop with small stained-glass windows and then had an idea to create a colorful reflection inside. “I had this idea that the sun would look cool through different colored glass so we drilled holes in different colored bottles and strung them on a metal pole for a portion of Texas City resident Hazel Lampton has had her chicken coop, named The Fluffy Butt Hut, for 12 years. She collects about 40 to 50 eggs daily, she said.Next >