Jesse Jenkins

Looks like we will be seeing some cold temperatures, probably upper 20’s, on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Having already been through some cold snaps this winter, your plants should have already slowed their metabolism, making them more cold tolerant.

Lantanas and experanzas already have a lot of brown leaves, and a few more won’t hurt, and they both need pruning before spring anyway. But if your ixoras, ficus, and scheffleras are still mostly green and you want to avoid damage, covering should prevent loss of foliage and branch tips.

Dracenas, Ti plants, Crown of Thorns and Madagascar palms should be brought inside if possible, or watered, tipped over, and covered if too large to easily move. Citrus will probably be okay close to the coast, but out toward Kingsville or Alice, wrapping trunks or banking with dry leaves, or covering (good luck with the winds) might be prudent.

If you have stuck your neck out by planting bottle palms, Cuban royal palms, or foxtail palms, you may want to wrap or cover, and if you can locate a pipe heating cable to put under the wrapping, much the better.

Cold tolerant annuals, like geraniums, petunias, impatiens, begonias, might get a little nipped, so we would recommend dropping a cover over them until temperatures are back to high 30’s or more.

We do sell a frost protection blanket at the nursery if you don’t want your bedsheets and quilts outside. It’s impossible for us to list all plants here, and it is also possible that temperatures will be either colder or warmer than presently forecast, so you are welcome to call us at 361-992-9674 to ask for advice for your particular situation.

-James

A young Gary, just starting out with his Dad’s firm!

No, numbers aren’t the most glamorous part of a successful garden center, restaurant or sporting goods store. It’s the plants, food and surf boards. That’s why we shop in those stores, but that’s only one of the reasons why those stores continue to thrive!

A very important part of the success of a business is proper accounting and money management. The first lesson, money can’t be managed unless it is properly accounted for.

Very early on in our business I needed accounting help. I immediately thought of Gary Pearce, a good friend and CPA. After graduating from the University of Texas in accounting, he moved back to Corpus Christi to work with his dad, Marshal W. Pearce, in his accounting firm. Gary and I had known each other since elementary school. His parents, Marshal & June, hosted our first boy-girl party in their backyard! I called Gary in March (middle of tax season), 1979. I can’t believe he took my call! We met at the end of tax season to discuss our business venture. Gary, always the optimist, listened to our ideas and encouraged us, giving us guidance in our business. For the next year, Gary did an income statement for us each month, donating his time! He is a very kind man, as many know. James and I had no experience in retail before starting Gill’s. We didn’t know you were supposed to take the register tape out of the cash register at the end of each day to check cash, checks, charges, etc… Oh, there was so much to learn!! To this day we seek Gary’s advice and his services. THANK GOODNESS FOR GARY!

A few years into the business I called Gary again and told him I was having a hard time keeping up with the buying and accounting. He mentioned a woman who had worked for him in the past whom he felt would be a perfect match for us. Betty Maskey. She was a detail person, understood numbers, and loved to garden! She was perfect for Gill’s.

Betty with our son, Trevor, back in the late 80’s.

Betty accounted for inventory coming and going, did our payroll, accounted for our landscape job costs and at the end of every month created an income statement, all by calculator, paper and pen. No computers back then!

James and I did not disagree often, but when we did we would seek Betty’s advice. What a wise woman! I’ll say, beyond wise, she was also kind and unbiased. She didn’t play favorites, even though I know she adored James! Today, we all say in chorus, THANK GOODNESS FOR BETTY!

In the early 90’s, Betty and her husband Harry decided they wanted to be closer to their kids so she turned in her notice. She gave us six months to find a replacement. Again, very, very kind!

Barbara & Stacy taking a break from numbers to play in the snow!

We placed an ad in the Corpus Christi Caller Times for the position and, oh my goodness, the applications came rolling in! I bet we had forty applications. As I looked through them, I kept wishing, “if only I could find someone like Barbara.” My mother had hired Barbara to work at my dad’s engineering firm years ago. I kept looking and looking, and towards the end of the enormous pile was Barbara’s application! What a gift! We hired Barbara immediately. Betty trained Barbara and voila, the transition was made.

As the company continued to grow, we hired assistants for Barbara, including Debbie, and then in the early 2000’s we hired Stacy. Today, Stacy manages our accounts payables and receivables. Stacy has an eagle-eye for accounting mistakes and finds them very quickly. She is a plant lover, too, and always snags beautiful plants as they roll off our vendor’s trucks. I love seeing her finds tucked next to her desk in the accounting office!

Barbara and Stacy make a fabulous accounting team. Their attention to detail, professionalism, reliability and true love for our company are beyond the best. They are the best of the best!!

Sally, James & Betty around Thanksgiving, 2017.

Betty stopped in before the holidays to visit and amazingly, even 25 years later, she can still walk in and we all get excited, “Betty’s here!!”

So, yes, Gill’s is more about plants than anything else, but we could never do it without our people.

THANK GOODNESS FOR GARY, BETTY, BARBARA & STACY, our “numbers people”!

-Sally

The last few months have given us a roller coaster ride of weather events. Freezes, snow, record wind chills, sleet; winter has been much like…winter. We are all itching to get outside and start our gardening but perhaps a little leery of planting.

No need to wait, there’s a plethora of plants that are cold hardy to help start your landscaping, relieving that itch. Many of our shrubs, trees, and ornamentals are cold hardy, and greatly benefit by planting now. Not only are they tough enough to withstand our winter temps, they will start growing roots, giving them, a head start before our summer heat.

Check out a few prime choices for planting now. There’s a whole lot more to look at while you’re here!

shrubs:

Indian Hawthorn
Dwarf Burford Holly
Viburnum
Junipers
Elaeagnus
Japanese Boxwood
Pittosporum
Wax ligustrums
Pineapple quava

trees

Live oak
Crape myrtle
Cedar elm
Mountain laurel
Burr oak
Ash tree
Mesquite
Magnolia
Loquat

Carolina Jessamine

Waxleaf ligustrum

Viburnum

Juniper

Indian hawthorn

Eleagnus

Japanese boxwood

Pittosporum

Peach tree bud and bloom

See you soon,
Debbie

About this time of year, every year, we visit our Texas plant growers. This year we took them Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, as a thank you for shipping us their best grade A plants!

While at the growing grounds we drive the fields with our sales rep, looking at new plant varieties and new sizes of plants being grown. We even have a coding system to remind us which plants are the best for early spring shipment.

For the first time in 40 years, this year James and I saw robots spacing plants out in the fields. They say robots are a little better at spacing than humans. I’m not sure about that; here they are in action!

Below are photos of our visit last week.

Thin Mints, ready for delivery!

James on the loading dock, checking quality.

Greenhouse full of Tuscan Blue Rosemary!

Mona Lavender Hanging Baskets

Sally with some big Live Oak we’re bringing in

Greenhouse of Geraniums

Planting Seedlings in bedding flats

Beautiful Italian Cypress – A Rating!

Cool Looking Mangave Pineapple Express

James with Ron, Salesman & Great Gill Advocate

Meredith, native to CC, works with one of our growers. She was a real treat to tour with!

These Gentlemen are our angels, driving Texas highways to bring you your plants!

-Sally

Lots of folks will find freeze damage on some of their favorite tropical blooming succulents. Neglecting these damaged plants may not mean the end of them, but most of us are itching to do something to help them!

I have seen frozen plumeria tips shrivel, dry up, and then drop off, replaced by new tips sprouting below the damaged tip. But if cool and rainy weather persists, it may encourage rot to occur in the damaged tips and proceed to damage healthy tissue. If you want to be proactive, squeeze the stem until you find you are below any squishy or shriveled portions, to a healthy portion of stem that feels firm like a fresh carrot.Make a pruning cut in the healthy stem to remove any damaged tissue. Sterilize pruning shears with alcohol before the initial cut and any subsequent cuts. Check lower down on the stem, because if you have damaged areas below healthy areas, you are wasting time by not cutting out the lowest damaged area.

Some folks like to coat the fresh cut tip surface with DAP latex caulk to seal out any moisture and rot, and some do not bother. Do not try to encourage new growth with watering and fertilizer while temperatures are still cool, wait until you see healthy vigorous growth.

Cold-damaged Crown of Thorns.

Tiny new growth emerging from cold-damaged Crown of Thorns.

More new growth.

Crown of thorns will be much the same, except you are more likely to get healthy growth from the base of the plant after pruning, rather than just below your cut, and people generally do not use caulk on the cuts.

Healthy, protected Desert Rose.

Cold-damaged Desert Rose

Rot starting at the base to remove Desert Rose.

Desert rose may also need pruning to remove dead tissue, and if a portion of the base, below the branching, is freeze damaged, surgery to remove that tissue, followed by dusting sulfur to inhibit rot, may be the call.

If your plant is small enough to travel, and you’re not sure what to do, you are welcome to bring it by for diagnosis. And if it is too big, send us a photo on Facebook and we’ll have a look.

–James

We had a great garden talk last Saturday about plants for the indoors from Margaret Hicks, owner of Charlie Cook Associates in Dallas. Below are some of her top tips and picks.

Margaret recommends talking to them, not loving them to death with too much water and fertilizer. Most indoor plants can go 2 to 4 weeks between watering. It’s not the soil at the top but the soil in the lower part of the container to check. When it’s dry, then you water. Water them well, then let dry. We use a moisture meter to help us here at the nursery.

Light is important to all plants, unless you’re a mushroom. A great way to tell how much light a plant would need is the darker the leaf, the less light required. The more variegation in the leaf, the more light required. It’s not an absolute rule but a good guide.

I asked Margaret what she thinks are the top 5 picks for houseplant success:

Hoya is her top choice. Hoya can go virtually anywhere in your home there’s light. No natural light is required and very little water. Plus they bloom a cluster of star shaped flowers that look like wax. Very cool.

Aglaonema aka Chinese evergreen are good for low to medium light depending on the leaf color. They add interest with patterned leaves. They do not get too tall so are good as table accents.

Dracaena Janet Craig compacta is a rich dark green color with more rigid leaves, another low light low water plant.

Sanseveria aka snake plant or mother in law’s tongue have tall or short rigid blades that look like sculpture. They are patterned or solid colors and will grow with minimal care.

Tillandsias aka air bromeliads truly need no soil and low light. Perfect for hanging, driftwood, or holey rocks. Just give them a spritz of water every couple of weeks.

Want more? Come in, we can help!

–Debbie

Even though your lawn has filled with weeds it is not too late to apply a pre-emergent. The weeds you have now will put on a flower and drop seeds to sprout more weeds. A pre-emergent will not kill the existing weeds but will prevent more from sprouting. Broadleaf Weed Control with Gallery is recommended for most broadleaf weeds and Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension will kill some broadleaf as well as grassy weeds like sticker burrs.

Once our weather warms up to 70-80 degrees with no rain for 5 days or more it will be time to apply Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns to kill the existing weeds. It is safe for Floratam St. Augustine and Bermuda. Give it 2 weeks to fully work and then it should be time to fertilize the lawn as well. Remember that fertilizer is taken up with active growth, so until we are mowing consistently every week for 2-3 weeks it is too early to get the full benefit of lawn food. Be patient with your spring lawn care. We all want to see results and have a pretty lawn again this spring.

-DeAnna

Jesse Jenkins

shrubs:

trees

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