Jesse Jenkins

Of the many great reasons to live in South Texas, one of my favorites is we get to enjoy the tropical splendor of colorful plants from temperate regions of the world.

Croton plants are recognized by their colorful fall colored foliage. Reds, yellows, and oranges paint their leaves that can be large, small, and even curly! I have always grown crotons outside in pots on my patio. They add those great colors of fall that are hard to come by this far south. They enjoy the morning sun and like some shade from the hot afternoons. Keeping them in pots allows me to move them in if it gets a little too cold in the winter. It’s a perfect time to add crotons to your patio, they love the warm summer and cool fall season! Added bonus….they’re on sale this week! See you soon.

-Debbie

The asps are out! It’s been years since we’ve had a big asp outbreak. These stinging hump back caterpillars love oak trees, yaupons hollies, burford hollies, hawthorns, altheas, and hibiscus. I saw a fresh hatching no bigger than a pea on some hollies the other day. Take a close look at your plants and see if you find any skeletonized leaves. Spray thoroughly on the tops and bottoms of the leaves with Spinosad, or Liquid Sevin as a contact kill. Thuricide can also be used, but the caterpillar has to ingest the leaves to be killed and that takes a couple of days.

Leafcutter bees are also a problem now. These bees are generally passive and not very aggressive. However they can sting and will do so if handled or aggravated. You usually never see the bee, but you do see the damage left behind. They cut perfect semi-circles out of the leaves of soft tissued plants such as crape myrtles, hibiscus, plumbago and roses. We first noticed the damage on our kapok trees. They take the leaves and roll them into perfect tubes to block their nest openings. No treatment is necessary since the nesting period of the female is usually just a couple of weeks. The scalloping of the leaves will not kill your plants, it just leaves them unsightly to some. These bees are great pollinators, so I say, “let them do their thing”.

-DeAnna

Kathy Hubner, one of our landscape designers, went on a tour of Irish gardens in July with the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. These photos were taken at the lake at Castletown Cox in the county of Kilkenny.

“In July I had the good fortune to escape the summer heat and tour Irish Gardens.

I knew the landscape would be lush and green. It was.

I knew it might rain. I was prepared.

I never dreamed the combination would make me feel like I’d stepped into a Monet painting!”

We’ve talked about weeding and prepping the soil. You should also have a plan on where to plant since we discussed crop rotation. So now the fun begins. Time to get those tomatoes and peppers in the ground or into pots.

Add Bio-Tone to the soil when planting. It helps promote strong, healthy plants with larger root systems, promotes bigger blooms, and reduces transplant loss. It will make your plants blast off. I was amazed how my plants responded last year.

Then, in 3-4 weeks, begin feeding monthly with Espoma Plant tone to maintain healthy plants throughout the season. It contains feather meal, poultry manure, bone meal and greensand. It also has beneficial bacillus to help fight fungus and disease in your plants. Since plant roots are used for water and nutrient uptake, use Mycorrhizal fungi to improve root growth, soil structure and plant establishment. How can you go wrong?

These few simple steps will get you on your way to having healthy, happy plants. So don’t wait too long to get the garden started. You will be rewarded with those first tasty tomatoes for Thanksgiving dinner.

And just remember, the longer you wait to plant, the bigger the plant you will need to buy. We have awesome 4.5 inch and 1 gal. tomatoes and peppers ready to go.

-DeAnna

If you’ve evenoticed at the bottom of our advertising, we say “Over 400 Collective Years of Gardening with Gills!” This comes from the number of years we have worked here combined…I think we are at just over 40 staff members so we average around 10 years per person although some of us are 20 years or more. You know why? It’s because we love gardening. It’s in our blood and we have learned A LOT over our years of sharing garden stories with each other. So how can we share our success with all of you? Garden Talks! As we start this new gardening season…the best in my eyes…so we start our new garden talks beginning September 12^th. They are full of fun, new, interesting topics fitting for all kinds of gardeners. New to the area? These are a perfect way to learn about what lives (and dies) in south Texas. They are packed full of good information, practical suggestions, & we welcome questions. We love to have them outdoors weather permitting but we can move indoors as needed. They are held at our Airline location on Saturdays. Peruse our upcoming topics below, come to one or all! See you soon. Oh did I mention they’re free? Just one more reason to come!

Garden Talks

September-October 2015

Saturdays 10:00 to 11:00am, 2810 Airline
Free – questions always welcome!!

September 12^th

“A Garden For Hummers”

Speaker Marta Swanner, mgr. Gill Landscape Nursery

Hummingbirds are one of nature’s most fascinating creatures with their brilliant colors and supersonic speed. They migrate through South Texas twice a year seeking food and shelter. Join Marta as she talks about the best plants to attract and provide a natural food source for them throughout the seasons.

September 19^th

“Veggies For Fall Gardens”

Speaker Debbie Pinkerton, buyer for Gill Landscape Nursery

Fresh homegrown foods are always the best for you and the most delicious! Fall is the perfect time to plant a food garden with a plethora of choices sure to bring a feast to your table. Come learn about basics of growing food from the soil to the harvest.

September 26^th

“Ireland-Edibles & Garden Designs”

Speaker Kathy Hubner, Landscape Designer, Gill Landscape Nursery

From the ordinary to the extraordinary, Kathy will take you on a journey across the Atlantic to the isle of Ireland! See through her eyes their fantastic gardens filled with flowers, food, and then how you can apply these design ideas to your landscapes. This slideshow presentation brings the weaving of food plants into the landscape creating seamless garden designs.

October 3^rd

“Fall Planting For Trees & Shrubs”

Speaker James Gill, owner, Gill Landscape Nursery

We love the fall weather with its cool nights, warm days, and added rainfall and so do all the plants in South Texas! It is the very best time to plant hardy trees and shrubs. Join James as he talks about the best plant selections, planting practices, and maintenance during the fall and winter seasons.

October 10^th

“Lawn Care & Weed Control For Fall”

Speaker DeAnna Baumgartner, mgr. Gill Landscape Nursery

Lawns hold a top spot in our landscapes…we want them to look good and be free of pests and weeds. DeAnna gives out good sound practices for your lawns during the fall season. From fertilizing, weed control, and watering, she will help “weed out” those questions of what, when and how much.

October 17^th

“More Fun With Containers”

Speaker Merlien Wilder, artist, Gill Landscape Nursery

Join Merlien as she plays with plants perfect for fall patio gardens. Come learn about great combinations, seasonal ideas, new creative projects, and practical tips for small and large containers.

-Debbie

That first cool front in September sure does feel good. And with the new season comes new flowers and time to get back outside and garden. In south Texas September and October is the best time to spread wildflower seeds. With the prediction of a wetter and cooler fall, this is a perfect time to start planning that little bed or large meadow of spring blooming wildflowers. Texas Bluebonnets,(the state flower), Alamo Fire, (the maroon bonnet) , Texas Paintbrush, Indian Blanket, Black-eyed Susan or Lemon Mint are all excellent single varieties to be planted. We also carry a wildflower mix which includes Coreopsis, Indian Blanket, Black-eyed Susan, Lemon Mint, Drummond Phlox, Cornflower, and Corn Poppy for a mixed show of spring color. There are also low growing varieties or a Butterfly/hummingbird mixture. For shady areas, we have a shade mix and also a water wise mix. Pick a spot in the yard, a flowerbed, or the easement strip and go wild this fall. It will reward you with beautiful blooms come spring.

-DeAnna

Pop Quiz! How often should you change the nectar on a hummingbird feeder? Is red food dye good or bad? How are you supposed to clean it? Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers. We’ve got you covered. A hummingbird feeder is a great supplement for nectar-rich plants like Turk’s Cap and Firebush, but if you don’t take care of them properly they can do more harm than good. South Texas is hot, and bacteria love to grow in warm sugar water, so make sure you take down your feeder, clean it and replace with fresh nectar every 1-3 days. To make fresh nectar, boil 1 cup of water and add ¼ cup of granulated sugar (not artificial sugar please!) then let it cool and Voila! Now red food dye is controversial. Some experts say it is harmful, and there are some specific kinds of dye that are. Honestly, most hummingbirds will be attracted by the flowers painted/molded on your feeder, not the color of the nectar, so don’t bother with it. Cleaning is a breeze if you have the right tools, like a bottle brush and a port cleaner (like a clean mascara wand). You can use weak vinegar or bleach solution to disinfect your feeder after it air dries. Keep your feeder clean and fresh, and your hummingbirds will be sure to thank you!

-Marta

Anytime between mid-September and mid-October is prime time to fertilize the lawn, trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Fertilizing while it is still warm is best because plants are still in their active growing season and taking up the nutrients provided. Once the weather starts cooling down plants begin going into dormancy and therefore are not as likely to take up the nutrients needed for the fall and winter. Remember to water in the fertilizer with at least a ½ inch of irrigation. Never depend on the rain to water in your fertilizer, because as you know, it never rains when predicted, and also never gives us that perfect ½ inch. It either rains too much, too little, or not at all. Making sure the timing is right and proper amount of water is applied assures your lawn of getting the full benefit of the nutrients it needs to maintain healthy leaves and roots for the dormant season. We carry our Gill Lawn and Garden and also several organic lawn fertilizers. Never use Weed and Feed if you have any trees or shrubs in the yard. Trees are a broadleaf just like a weed, so it will try to kill them as well. Weed killers and weed preventers can be used in October once our temperatures moderate in the 80’s. We will talk about them more as the season approaches.

-DeAnna

Jesse Jenkins

Garden Talks

September-October 2015

September 12th

“A Garden For Hummers”

September 19th

“Veggies For Fall Gardens”

September 26th

“Ireland-Edibles & Garden Designs”

October 3rd

“Fall Planting For Trees & Shrubs”

October 10th

“Lawn Care & Weed Control For Fall”

October 17th

“More Fun With Containers”

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September 12^th

September 19^th

September 26^th

October 3^rd

October 10^th

October 17^th