Jesse Jenkins

This is my favorite holiday because like many, I have so much to be thankful for. First and most importantly, I am thankful to James, my husband of 39 years (crazy long, right?) of partnership, family & business. By sharing himself, he has made me a better person. Secondly, I am thankful for our families and especially our two sons, Stuart and Trevor, who are the joy of my life. And then there’s Gill’s. Wow, what a journey it has been. Yes, there have been many challenges & struggles, but along the way, a lot of good. I am very thankful for the culture of customers & staff I get to spend my days with. Mostly, at the end of the day, I feel good about what we’ve accomplished.

I love helping customers (when I know the answer) and watching our staff help customers. It’s so much fun to see that ah-ha moment when a customer’s garden mystery is solved. I love seeing customer’s faces light up when they learn a new garden trick and wow, what a treat when I hear we’ve made a home even better with a well thought out planting. I love having a beautiful store to work in. Not fancy, but pretty. I love walking out back to see all the new plants, fresh off the trucks. I love watching kids play with Lily & Heath (our nursery cats) and adults pausing to pet them. How rewarding to find sometimes customers come in just to stroll in the garden; to take a break from the day. Most importantly, what a treat to feel we’re putting smiles on people’s faces.

And yes, I am very thankful for our co-workers. As Debbie Pinkerton, our buyer, said many years ago about our team, “We share our laughter, knowledge, tears, successes, failures & frustrations with one another. Sounds like a family to me.”

Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for.

– Sally

Not flies, not moths, whitefly are about the size of gnats. If you see these little clusters of flies when you brush through your foliage, you need to control them.

Whitefly sucks the sap out of the plants – resist damage organically with Neem Oil. Mix your Neem oil in a sprayer, and spray all over the plant. Don’t miss the undersides of the leaves.

You’ll need more than one treatment – apply again in a week and then a week after that. Neem oil will also help with a variety of other soft-bodied insects like aphids and spider mites.

Happy gardening!

We’re having a cold spell tonight, but it’s not too much of a cause for panic for plant lovers. A customer called checking on their Mountain Laurel, but it, along with the majority of other hardy plants will be fine.

Some plants may suffer some damage. Some tropicals and succulents, such as Crotons, Matagascar palm, and Desert rose might drop some leaves leaves, but they will be okay and will leaf out again next spring.

A few tropicals will suffer severe damage in a light freeze – dieffenbachia, Closet plant, also known as spathiphyllum, and Chinese evergreen should be brought inside.

Ficus and scheffleras will do fine in a freeze in the 30s and 40s.

If you’re unsure about what needs to be protected in your yard, give us a call. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have!

For more info, see our Gill Garden Guide: Freeze Protection.

GREEN GIFTS

Succulent Bowl

A great low-maintenance green gift! Work with us to order the perfect custom-made bowl or let us help you assemble your own. Easy care and looks awesome!

Bonus: Succulent Care Garden Guide!

Bromeliads

Happy indoors or outdoors, bromeliads are unique and addicting. You never know which kind you’ll find – come and see our selection.

Bonus: Bromeliad Care Garden Guide!

Fruit Trees

Winter is the perfect time to give a fruit tree, and will be a seasonal treat for years to come.

Bonus: Fruit Tree Planting Garden Guide!

Have you read our December Garden Guide? Everything you need to know about caring for your South Texas garden this December.

GARDEN ART & STONEWARE

The nursery is full of non-living items, too! Any gardener on your list will love some garden art, stoneware, or statuary to enhance their outdoor space. Check out our benches and pottery, too!

We’re still delivering Christmas Trees! Our trees are kept in water for freshness, and are available for pick up or delivery to your home. Come in and pick out the perfect one!

Christmas Tree Care

Keep your Christmas Tree fresh for longer and your home free of stray needles!

HOLIDAY DECOR

Deck your halls with holiday decor with a natural flair. We have ornaments, garden metal art, pillows, flags, fragrance, doormats – you name it!

Happy Holidays – See you in the garden!

(Citrus × meyeri, the Meyer lemon, is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange, from Wikipedia)

What do you do when Sally Gill gives you lemons from her Meyer lemon tree? You make Ina Garten’s yogurt lemon cake, of course! And, since Meyer lemons are so big and juicy you’ll have plenty to make fresh lemonade, as well as squeeze and freeze for future use.

Here is a neat tip Sally gave me. You freeze the juice in ice cube trays, then store the cubes in freezer bags or containers ready for the next cake or concoction of your choice.

I’m also experimenting by zesting the lemons and freezing the lemon zest in bags, ready to measure and add to anything needing a hint of citrus flavor.

If you’ve been wanting to plant a citrus tree you won’t go wrong choosing Improved Meyer lemon. Plant it in the ground or in a large clay pot (like the Italians do) in a sunny spot in your yard. Before you know it you’ll be sharing fruit with your neighbors and friends.

-Kathy

One day you look outside at your lawn and BAM, you notice there are weeds everywhere! Before you start spraying with an herbicide, make sure you read the label. Some weed killers have temperature restrictions and either take longer to work or don’t work at all! A better option for this time of year is to put down a pre-emergent weed prevention like Hi Yield Weed & Grass Stopper With Dimension or Fertilome Broadleaf Weed Control With Gallery to stop the spread of weeds until the weather warms up. It won’t kill the weeds you have now but it sure will slow the weed crop down in the months to come.

–Marta

We’re getting our first freeze tonight. It shouldn’t be too bad, but there will be some damage. Watch for info from James on what needs to be covered or brought inside, along with best practices for protecting your plants from freeze.

Food from a garden is one of life’s best experiences. You get to play in dirt, sweat with a purpose, and the payoff is just plain rewarding: nutritious, delicious foods for you and your family. Not only is food-gardening fun, but it teaches us patience, trust, and connects us to where life begins – in the soil. So let’s get started!

1. Keep it Simple

Not too big, not too much. Gardening is fun and laborious. Your first few gardens should be manageable enough for you to have fun and success with.

2. Choose Your Food

We have two great seasons for growing food. Spring (Feb. 1st – June 1st) and Fall/Winter (Sept. 15th – Jan 31st). Each offers their own bounty. Mother Nature plays a vital part in this – check out “Gill’s Spring Vegetable Planting Dates For Nueces County” to help you decide what to grow and when to plant.

3. Pick Your Spot

All food gardens need: Adequate sun, nearby water source, good soil, and proper drainage. Whether you are planting in the ground, raised beds, or in containers, 4 to 6 hours of mid-day sun is generally enough for popular edibles like tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, and most herbs.

Above: Last year, Debbie shared a weekly log of her fall/winter veggie garden – check it out!

Planting in: The Ground

Most vegetable plants will enjoy a good 12 inches of rich soft loam to grow in. You can make your own by adding Nature’s Blend or Cotton Burr Compost, to your existing soil. Follow this with Dried Molasses to attract good soil microbes.

Here’s my recipe for ground planting:

Clean/clear area of all weeds and grass
Moisten soil a couple of days before breaking ground-good for your back!
Break soil with a dirt fork if it’s hard packed. Then till the soil.
Add compost, till some more
Add molasses and Medina Growin Green Organic Fertilizer. Chicken feed it across the bed.
Hand rake into soil, water and rest the soil, at least a few days

The end result should be good rich soil, slightly mounded and ready for planting.

Above: A raised bed we installed for one of our landscape customers – all ready to plant!

Planting in: Raised Beds

Raising the bed has some great benefits including reducing weeds, helps with soil compaction, concentrates your energy in smaller spaces, easier to maintain, and it’s easier on your back…for those of us who need all the help we can get!

Here’s my recipe for planting in raised beds:

Build your gardens up as little as 4 inches, as much as 24 inches, more is better, with cinder blocks, rocks, or treated lumber.
Add sandy loam, purchased in bulk, and Nature’s Bend Compost. Mix it up.
Add Medina Growin Green and dry molasses.
Mix in, water, and rest; a few days for the soil & as needed for you.

Planting in: Containers

Using containers for growing food is perfect for small spaces or those who just want a little something to grow…a tomato, a pepper, a few herbs. You can add a trellis for beans and a few herbs or edible flowers for a pop of color.

HERE’S MY RECIPE FOR PLANTING IN CONTAINERS:

Choose some large pots, at least 5 gallon size, 10 gallon is better. Something pretty or old used nursery pots are fine.
Fill with good potting soil. Potting Soil by Landscaper’s Pride and Premium Potting Soil by Back to Nature are quality mixes for containers.
No need for anything to rest, the soil’s already blended and the work is easy!

Look ahead for the next part of this series. We’ll talk about what to plant this spring, seeds and transplants, growing vertical, fertilizing, and watering.

-Debbie