Jesse Jenkins

I always make it a point to garden in a way that works with nature and promotes life. Using the least toxic products when I have a problem or a pest in the garden is a big part of that equation. All pesticides and fungicides are killers, organic or not, so it is important to choose a product that is selective in what it kills. Bee Safe 3 in 1 Garden Spray is relatively new here at Gills and has quickly become one of my favorites for a few reasons:

It works. I use Bee Safe to treat aphids, mealy bugs, and powdery mildew with great success. It is also labeled for spider mites and fungal issues like black spot on roses – hence the name “3 in 1”.

Bee Safe is not a kill all. Bee Safe will not harm bees, butterflies, or hummingbirds. This is important because pollinators play a critical role in a healthy thriving garden.

It’s totally organic. Bee Safe is OMRI certified for organic gardening. The active ingredients are sesame oil and fish oil, which are very safe to use around your pets, your family, and the bees! It is also labeled for “same day use” which means you can spray your veggies and eat them in the same day. I’d still recommend washing them of course. And keep in mind that Bee Safe is an oil-based insecticide, which means you should spray it in the evening to avoid burning.

Promoting life in the garden is the best way to prevent pests in the first place. Make sure you are attracting pollinizers (like bees, birds, and butterflies), promoting beneficial insects, and adding compost to encourage healthy microbial activity in the soil. All these living things will work together to maintain healthy plants which are not as susceptible to pests.

-Wyatt

Recent rains are WONDERFUL for our gardens and landscapes, but they also bring unwanted pests: mosquitoes. Before dousing yourself and your gardens with chemical sprays, learn about using plants and other natural solutions that help repel these vampires and look beautiful in your outdoor space.

Several edible and useful plants repel mosquitoes AND grow well in our area. Pro tip: fragrant foliage needs to be touched or brushed against to release their mosquito-repelling scents. Place these plants near walkways, doorways, and patios where you can brush them gently with a broom to release their mosquito-repelling fragrance.

***Clockwise from top left:*** *Basil, Rosemary, Marigolds, Mint, Lemongrass*

Combine these plants with natural Mosquito Beater Granules, Skeeter Eggs, Skeeter Incense, Cedarcide granules, and/or Cedar Repel spray and you’re ready to enjoy summer with less bites.…chemical free!

-Debbie

Still scratching your head 4 months post-freeze? Still trying to decide which direction to go with your landscape? You can visit Gill’s anytime and get guidance with your DIY landscape projects – here’s how.

Our garden center team, rather than designers, are plant geeks: they know how particular plants grow, what plants like (sun/shade, wet/dry soil, etc.), and what supplies you’ll need to be successful with your project.

The best way our garden center staff can help you is for you to:

Start small: pick 1 area of your landscape to start with.
Bring inspiration photos: drive around neighborhoods, take photos of landscape styles and plants you like, get ideas from magazines, Pinterest, etc.
Bring photos of your landscape: 1) zoomed out views of your home and landscape and 2) pics of the area you are working on with rough measurements.
Bring the basic plant care info: 1) About how many hours of sun does the area get? 2) Does the area drain well, or does it ever have standing water? 3) Is the area exposed to high wind?

All of the above will help our garden center staff point you in the right direction, select plants, get you what you need to prepare your soil, and teach you how to feed and water your plants properly for the best results.

Remember, Gill’s is also a landscape design and construction company. If you’re looking for a new landscape design and complete landscape overhaul, our landscape department handles the whole process from start to finish. This process takes time: call or visit Gill’s to schedule a landscape design consultation, one of our designers will visit your property, create a custom design, then our installation crews will bring it to life.

-Sally Gill

We’re all plant geeks here at Gill’s. We spend time around plants all day, then go home and garden some more! We get excited to talk to each other about the plants we’re growing at home, so we thought it’d be fun to share with you too.

Debbie’s Fiesta Hibiscus

I’ve always loved hibiscus and this Fiesta variety is at the top of my list. BIG non-stop flowers, deep green foliage, and loves this spot in my courtyard! Some sun, some shade….Perfect!!! Hibiscus add tropical beauty and they love our climate.

Kelsie’s Monstera Minima

I brought this tiny 4” Monstera Minima home about a year ago and it’s grown to over 6 feet! I love it because it’s the easiest plant I’ve ever grown – super forgiving of low water and low light. Since it grows so fast, I’m training it to grow up around my window.

Josh’s Porterweed

This is my purple Porterweed. I chose this plant for its big leaves and small blooms. The small blooms compliment the deep red trim and door on my front porch!

Sally’s Turk’s Cap

I love plants that give back to nature. Hummingbirds love Turk’s Cap, it’s native to our area, and it has NO bug or fungus issues. It thrives in the part sun/part shade spot under our Texas Sabal Palms in the front yard.

Wyatt’s Crystal Ruby Grass

Crystal Ruby Grass is a beautiful low-growing grass with a max height of about 14-16” and about the same width, with light pink to white blooms in the Summer and Early Fall. Great for borders and creating small grassy areas in your pollinator garden.

It’s officially Summer – don’t forget to hydrate your plants and yourself! Here are some useful watering tips from the plant pros to keep everything green and happy.

DeAnna: New Trees are Thirsty

I am hearing customers ask daily, “how often should I be watering my new tree?” We are watering trees twice a day here in the garden center; first thing in the morning and again mid-afternoon. Morning watering is most important to make sure the trees are well hydrated to handle the heat of the day. Big drinks of water are necessary to saturate the root balls. I recommend watering twice a day for the first 2 weeks, then once a day for 2 weeks, then every other day for 2 weeks. This is just an approximate schedule depending on the heat, wind, type of tree, and of course rain. I should have taken my own advice on my new Southern Catalpa tree at home – I got busy, and the tree got too dry: perfect on Saturday, damaged by Monday. Gonna strip the leaves and let it start over!

Harry: Let the Hose Do the Work!

I tell my clients all the time – don’t work too hard! Instead of holding the hose while you water, drag the hose to the base of the plant, then go turn it on to a slow trickle. This gets water down deep to the roots. If you turn the hose on full blast, most of the water will run off instead of soak in. This slow, deep watering takes time, but you can play with the dog while the hose does the work for you.

Diane: Don’t Scald Your Plants!

Run the hot water out of your hose before you water!! The longer the hose, the longer this takes. And remember that water can burn a leaf if it sits on the foliage (like the way a magnifying glass focuses heat), so always water the soil, not the leaves.

Hidalgo: How to Use a Jar or Glass to Prevent Soil Erosion

My Grandfather always had a big veggie garden with long planted rows that he watered by hand. He taught me this trick: to keep the water from blasting the soil and eroding at the base of your plants, slide a mason jar or heavy drinking glass over the end of the hose, lay it down, then turn on the water. This way the water hits the bottom of the glass first, then flows back gently and evenly instead of eroding the soil.

Mike: Aerate (Poke Holes) to Get Oxygen and Water to the Roots

Our heavy clay soil tends to compact and not allow oxygen and water to penetrate, especially after a rain. For trees and large shrubs (or any plant that looks like water is not soaking into the soil), I recommend aerating around the root ball about once a month. Drive a piece of rebar into the soil about 2 feet deep, about every 8 inches outside the root ball to help get oxygen and water down to the roots.

With all the recent rains, a lot of us are doing more indoor gardening and houseplant collecting. Here are our top houseplant how-to’s to help keep them happy inside.

Light is Good, A/C is Bad

Placement is a key factor in growing plants indoors. Some plants can handle less light than others, but we know that plants need light. Start with a sunny window, then move the plant closer/farther from the window to adjust the amount of light. Keep in mind that most houseplants prefer a humid environment, so make sure they are not in the path of an A/C vent, which will dry plants out.

HastaGro: Liquid Organic Plant Food

HastaGro is our favorite food for houseplants. So simple and so nutritious – just mix 1oz to a gallon of water and use every 2-3 weeks. Or you can mix lighter (1/2oz to a gallon) and use it every time you water.

Water Matters

Tap water is OK, but it contains a lot of additives that can affect plant health. If you are confident that you are watering and feeding properly, but still not getting good results, try using rainwater. Distilled water or condensate from an air conditioner or dehumidifier is also excellent for plants.

Repot or Not?

If you can remove the plant from the pot and the roots are tangled, wrapped, and/or growing in the shape of the pot without much soil left, then its probably time to repot. Choose a slightly larger pot, but not too big, and be sure it has good drainage. Use a good quality potting mix and fertilize when you repot (see HastaGro!).

Still Not happy – Take it Outside!

Plants that can thrive indoors are generally referred to as ‘houseplants’, and they may be grown in greenhouses, but their natural habitat is outside. A breath of fresh air can often help bring houseplants back to life. Try moving them to a shaded patio for a few days. Keep in mind that their watering needs will change when moved outdoors, so keep an eye on watering.

With all the recent rains, mosquitos have invaded – bigtime! Spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time swatting with these solutions.

Get Rid of (or treat) Standing Water

First of all, remove any sources of standing water (that’s where mosquitos breed). Dump out any pots or buckets that are holding water, and clear areas along the side of the house/garage to allow water to flow out of your yard.

Remember that it’s also important to have a source of water for birds and other wildlife. So, for birdbaths and fountains, use Mosquito Bits, and for larger ponds or ditches, use Mosquito Dunks. Both are organic and safe for pets and other creatures.

Pro tip: collect rainwater in empty coolers. Let them fill up, close the lid, no mosquitos!

Treat Your Yard

Mosquito Beater or Summit Mosquito and Gnat Barrier hose-end (Permethrin) are easy sprays to kill mosquitoes, ants, fleas & ticks throughout the yard. It is safe to spray on all plants where mosquitoes hide. Cedar Repel hose-end is a totally organic cedar oil yard spray that works great to repel mosquitos.

Keep ‘em Away

Mosquito Beater Granules are a combination of natural essential oils to repel. They contain citronella oil, garlic, geranium oil, cedar oil, and lemon grass oil. Covers 4000 sq. ft and lasts up to 3 weeks. Cedarcide granules are great too – they’re just cedar granules that you spread around your lawn. Works well and smells nice too.

The Patio Egg Diffuser protects up to 200 sq. ft. and comes with enough refill oil to last up to 4 months. Great for a porch or balcony area. The Patio Egg Diffuser protects up to 200 sq. ft. and comes with enough refill oil to last up to 4 months. Great for a porch or balcony area. We are keeping a few sticks of Skeeter Screen incense burning here at Gill’s this week with good results. One stick lasts about 8hrs!

A combination of all these safe solutions + the right plants = a lot less buzzing and biting.

We were watering Pentas earlier this week and came across this funky looking fellow (above). At first, we thought it was a more common Tomato Hornworm, but after doing some research, it’s a Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) caterpillar! Actually, both in the photo are Tersa Sphinx caterpillars at different stages. Pretty soon they’ll transform into their beautiful moth form.

Caterpillars have been a big topic of conversation here at Gill’s this Summer; more rain than usual = more caterpillars. A good rule of thumb is to leave them alone unless you see a large congregation and they’re eating enough of a plant to cause harm. A few munched leaves here and there is not a problem. If you do get a large infestation, you can treat with organic Thuricide that only targets caterpillars.

Most different species of caterpillars are only attracted to specific host plants. Pentas are a host plant for the Tersa Sphinx, which was a big clue for identification. We know that Monarch caterpillars like milkweed, Gulf fritillary’s host plant is Passion Vine, and Swallowtail caterpillars like Rue and Dutchman’s Pipe Vine.

Once caterpillars reach their butterfly or moth form, they feed on nectar from a broader variety of South Texas plants like Lantana, Zinnia, Mist flowers, Turk’s Cap, and lots more. So, it’s a good idea to plant host plants and nectar plants together to enjoy the caterpillar’s full life cycle.

-Jesse