Flower Shops Sulphur LA

Sulphur LA Press

Lawton Sr. dies at 87

April 13, 2016 2:52 PM Crystal Stevenson / American Press Rancher, entrepreneur and philanthropist Jack Lawton Sr. died Monday. He was 87. The Sulphur native is survived by his wife, Dorothy “Coonie” Sonnier Lawton, and his son, Jack E. Lawton Jr. Lawton was extensively involved in the farming, banking, and oil and gas industries, as well as other business ventures. He was a 1946 graduate of Sulphur High School, where he was a two-time All State football player and a one-time All State basketball player. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2013. “He was a leader in our community,” Sulphur Mayor Chris Duncan said. “He’s done great things not only for our community but all of Southwest Louisiana. He’ll be dearly missed.” Duncan said Lawton’s philanthropic work has “meant a lot to the area.” “He left a big legacy here in Sulphur,” he said. Lawton was a lifelong supporter of education and numerous athletic programs, including at McNeese State University. “He was a very good friend to McNeese,” said Richard Reid, vice president for university advancement at McNeese and executive vice president for the McNeese Foundation. “He was continually interested in our s... http://www.americanpress.com/20160413-Lawton-dies

Name that bloomin' plant and other colorful things along Ebony Loop

If you find a knife with a handle made from Guayacán, you should consider it a great find. The tree is a host plant for the Lyside Sulphur butterfly, the pretty little yellow butterflies whose northern range is the Rio Grande Valley. Come see what other native beauties are blooming in the park during these free, two-hour guided tours by experts from the Rio Grande Valley Chapter Texas Master Naturalist organization. Tours begin in the parking lot at 9 a.m. The walk is around Ebony Loop, an easy quarter mile on a level caliche trail. Hugh Ramsey Nature Park is at 1000 South 499, just two miles south of Harlingen’s Valley International Airport. Reservations are encouraged in order to have enough guides for an optimum experience. Call 956-748-3190. Or e-mail rgvctmntreasurer@gmail.com. http://www.valleymorningstar.com/coastal_current/news/article_6fe70cce-e6d2-11e5-ab4e-8faab36c0f97.html

TREE TALK | The paramour of winter bloom

These plants have blossoms that range from pale to sulphur yellow on to deep burnt-orange. Most all are famously fragrant: H. ‘Allgold,’ H. ‘Pallida,’ H. ‘Sunburst,’ H. ‘Ruby Glow,’ H. ‘Diane,’ H. ‘Carmine Red,’ among them. For many of these varieties, the autumn foliage is spectacular. Caring for a beauty Growing to a height of 12 to 15 feet, the witch hazels are perfect small trees for city gardens or for a tight spot in any garden. Give them a spot in full sun, with rich, well-draining soil. And plant them where you’ll see them put on their grand winter performance from a window or where you’ll pass them coming into or leaving the house. The scent is overwhelming. Shop for this winter wonder now, when it is in bloom. Bring it home in a container and move it here and there until you find the perfect spot, then plant it next month. You’ll have something that will lift you from your winter doldrums for the rest of your life. But one caution is important: Buy plants that are fully defoliated, sporting blooms on totally naked branches. Some plants are sold that do not drop their leaves until spring, thereby obscuring the flowers, making that floral display less than the grand, seasonal experience it can and should be. This tree grows up in a wide vase shape, narrow at the base, stretching up and out as it grows. So give it space on both sides. If an errant branch seems to destroy its elegant form, cut that off when it is in bloom and take it indoors to fill your house with its robust fragrance. Most witch hazels for sale in nurseries now are grafted. So about July or August, you may see branches shooting up from the base of the plant away from the main trunk. These are suckers produced by the grafted roots. Just get down under the plant, and cut these off at ground level before they mature, sapping energy from the grafted plant and grow tall to trick you with inferior flowers. Not difficult to grow, deep summer watering for the first two years until the plant is established and an annual top dressing of compost around the root zone are enough to keep it thriving and floriferous. Beyond that, it’s easy to grow. Indeed, it is a bewitching hazel. STEVE LORTON, a Mad... http://www.madisonparktimes.com/Content/Default/Breaking-News/Article/TREE-TALK-The-paramour-of-winter-bloom-/-3/364/30409