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Introduced into the US in the early 1900s to help with efforts to develop fire blight resistance in the common pear. Callery Pear is invasive in many areas and shouldn't be planted.

The fragrance is where this variety really shines. Even before you open it, the distinct cantaloupe smell is noticeable in the room. Once you cut it open, though, the room is filled with the intense aroma of cantaloupe.

The flavor is very good, but not quite as good as some other cantaloupes. Nevertheless, the fruits are large with one fruit yielding ten generous slices, enough for everyone in our large family to get a nice portion. Performed very well with almost no care in our hot climate. We'll grow this again next year.

According to Brent & Becky's Bulbs, this is pronounced "BOW-zahn-kay."

This is one of the first two hydrangea cultivars released from the US National Arboretum. It was developed from a 1998 hybridization of oakleaf hydrangea cultivars Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia Snow Queen™) and Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee') and was released in 2010.

This is one of our favorite daylilies in our garden this year. We bought it from a local grower in Tyler and we've been so happy with it! Beautiful large pink blooms.

An excellent kale with very large bluish leaves that are very sweet. Very popular at our local farmers market. Everyone who tastes the leaves (raw) always buys a bag of them.

The leaves of this plant can apparently mimic the leaves of the other plants growing nearby. News report of the discovery: http://news.sciencemag.org/bio...

These are fast growing trees that produce beautiful purple blooms in the spring (mine is blooming right now.) The wood is unbelievably lightweight and is useful in furniture making. Twenty years is considered the time it takes for it to get to harvestable size.

Some people grow them and cut them back every year, allowing it to grow an interesting habit that resembles a sunflower! But it won't bloom like that, of course.

This fern is a dynamic nutrient accumulator with deep roots that mine nutrients from the subsoil and concentrate those nutrients in its leaves. When the leaves die back, all those nutrients are now available in the upper soil layers for other plants to utilize. It accumulates Potassium, Phosphorus, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Cobalt, and Zinc.

This plant is widely known in permaculture circles where it is called by the incorrect name Pteridium aquifolium.

I'm trialing these this year and am looking forward to seeing how well it performs in our climate. Given that this variety comes from Amana, I bet @LarryR knows a bit about it.

Celebrity is currently one of the default tomatoes that most growers in Texas seem to want to grow. It's an F-1 hybrid so you do have to buy seed new each year. Withstands tobacco mosaic virus, verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, root knot nematodes, and has fine cracking resistance.

Introduced during the "between the wars" period, Rutgers was ideal for industrial uses. For many years it was the standard tomato for many New Jersey processors, including Campbell's soup.

We like it. It's simple, reliable and tastes fine. Most years we'll grow a row of Rutgers to add bulk to our tomato sauce making.

Tigerella is an early producer for us and is one of the few tomatoes that will continue to bear all the way into the depths of the hottest part of summer. It is productive and has a fine taste but its only downside is that it can be prone to cracking.

This is an excellent tomato for growing in the south and other hot climates. The fruit is a nice rich color and seems to be highly resistant to stink bugs. We found almost no blemishes on our red pear fruits.

The meat is dense with very little seed cavity. We use it for slicing as well as canning.

This is currently the standard pasture grass of choice for East Texas. Most people have bahiagrass growing in their pastures unless they purposely sprayed it dead and replanted with coastal bermuda, which grows much taller and is more suitable for hay production.

Bahia is an excellent pasture grass for grazing cows due to its strong root system. It doesn't grow extremely tall but performs well even in very hot and dry conditions. Perfect for grazing cows in a cow/calf operation.

I've had many people ask me how to control bahiagrass and have heard numerous reports of it being a weed for gardeners in my area. For me, I've never had a problem controlling bahia. It doesn't seem to choke an area out in the way bermuda does, and once removed from a garden plot it doesn't seem to reappear.

We love this plant! The blue flowers are stunning and a welcome sight in the early spring. It's easy as pie to grow, loves our Texas weather, and reseeds reliably.

Considered by most to be an annual, this is really a very short lived herbaceous tender perennial. It is easily grown in nearly any environment and loves full sun locations. It's a valuable food source for many butterflies.

Best of all, pot marigolds are edible! The florets are wonderful in salads and as a side to brighten up any dish.

This cultivar has all the benefits of comfrey, except it does not set seed and therefore doesn't have the aggressive (or even invasive) properties of the usual comfreys. It is easy to grow and can be propagated by simply digging up some of its roots and planting those roots somewhere else.

It is a dynamic nutrient accumulator and is an excellent source of potassium. We grow it here and there and when it's at its peak, we cut it down and mulch our tomatoes and other vegetables with the leaves. It quickly grows back so we can use it this way numerous times each year.

It can be difficult to grow in high heat and bright sun. We have had the best results growing it in places where it receives morning sun but afternoon shade. It doesn't seem to mind dry conditions, it just doesn't like the heat.

This is a hybrid between Orange (Citrus reticulata 'Satsuma') and Mandarin Orange (Citrus reticulata 'Changsha') and has better cold hardiness than other satsumas.

NCGR-Corvallis said:Tennousi - Hybrid cultivar, low chill, fire blight resistant. Open pollinated seedling of Tennessee possibly pollinated by Hosui. Developed by Harris County, Texas extension agent Bill Adams, who collected seed of Tennessee about 1992. The only pear flowering nearby at the time was Hosui. Tennousi may be immune to fire blight. In 20 years it has never become infected in Natelson's orchard in Houston. Fruit large, uniform, round like Hosui, but with European pear texture and flavor; Ripens well on the tree; Does not oxidize when cut. One of the best pears for the Houston area. May be self fertile. Tree requires 550-600 chill hours.