Recognizing the scientists who brought us roses that'll grow, bluebonnets that are red and much more

Anyone who gardens in Texas should be grateful for the fine horticultural research that’s been done for us by members of the Texas A&M faculty and staff over the past many decades. Too often, their hard work gets overlooked by people who prefer to follow other agendas.

While much of the A&M research has been scholarly, we average gardeners rejoice at the more "applied" projects that have helped us find better plants and practices for our landscapes and gardens. I grew up in College Station, son of a range-management research scientist, so I’ve always followed Aggie research with great interest. Here are a few of the projects that I’ve witnessed firsthand.

Shade-tolerant athletic turf. This was research done in the early 1960s. It came about hurriedly and centered on the need for a variety of Bermuda that could be grown in the Houston Astrodome. These tests consisted of rows of shaded cold frames with different varieties of Bermuda. The conclusion — that live grass just wasn’t going to work — led to the development of Astroturf and other artificial turf. It also served to teach many of us that bona fide research doesn’t always end with the results we hope for.

St. Augustine decline-resistant selections. This horrible virus moved across Texas from the Lower Rio Grande Valley beginning in the late 1960s. By the mid-1970s, it had spread into the Metroplex, making it clear that a resistant selection of the grass would be needed, and soon. "Raleigh" St. Augustine was eventually identified by Texas A&M agronomists to be the first winter-hardy selection offering resistance to the SAD virus. It remains one of the most-used turf grasses in Texas.

True red bluebonnets that could be grown from seed. "We want to plant the flag of the State of Texas using only red, white and blue bluebonnets in time for the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986," proclaimed the late wildflower seeds man Carroll Abbott of Kerrville. He and Texas Extension horticulturist Jerry Parsons of San Antonio worked for several years selecting and purifying seed strains to make this dream become reality.

High-nitrogen and, more recently, all-nitrogen fertilizers. The outstanding soil-testing laboratory at College Station actually has been advising us that our Texas soils were accumulating excessive amounts of phosphorus — the middle number of the fertilizer analysis. They advised use of high-nitrogen fertilizers for some time. In the past 10 years, they have put out an assertive effort for the use of all-nitrogen fertilizers. They have also implored that half or more of that nitrogen should be in slow-release form, for sustained feeding and strongest possible plant growth.

Selections of ceniza (Texas sage), maples and improved crape myrtles. I worked alongside late research horticulturist Benny Simpson at the Texas A&M Center in Dallas 30 years ago and quickly appreciated his dedication to finding the best-adapted plants for Texas horticulture. His studies of and selections from Texas sage gave us several varieties that are still state-of-the-art today. His research fields in the alkaline Metroplex prairie soils also led to the introduction of Caddo, Shantung and big-tooth maples into the Texas nursery trade. He worked alongside Don Egolf of the U.S. National Arboretum in testing and identifying superior crape myrtle hybrids such as Natchez, Muskogee and others.

Earth-Kind roses. Soon after I left my Extension horticulture job at the TAMU center in Dallas in 1977, Steve George took over. He has done pioneering research on finding "bulletproof," minimum-maintenance roses. This research has brought his program national recognition, and Texas gardeners some of the finest roses from history, all tried and tested by George and his legions of followers.

Texas Superstar plants. Parsons is now retired, but he and George were instrumental in identifying and marketing superior plants that theretofore had gone unnoticed. There have been many, but "Blue Wonder" fanflower, "Gold Star" esperanza, firebush, "Burgundy Sun" and "Plum Parfait" cutting-grown coleus, and Shantung maples are prime examples.

Take-all root rot of St. Augustine. A longtime friend, Phil Colbaugh did the pioneering research on this recently identified disease, finding that it could be alleviated better by applying a 1-inch layer of Canadian sphagnum peat moss to the lawn in late April or May than by use of inorganic fungicides. If this fungus crops up in your lawn, remember to thank the innovative research of this Texas Agricultural Experiment Station employee.

To the research scientists of Texas A&M, your work has not gone unnoticed. We gardeners thank you.

Neil Sperry publishes Gardens magazine and hosts the Texas Gardening radio show from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays on KRLD/1080 AM. Reach him during those hours at 214-787-1080.

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