Jesse Jenkins

I’ve had quite a few calls recently about back yard drainage problems. The first two solutions people tend to ask about are “French drains” or filling the low spots. These might end up being part of the solution, but are not the best place to start. The best solution is usually a swale, which is a wide, safe, aesthetically acceptable ditch.

When rain starts falling, it has to go somewhere. If you have a low spot in the back yard, that is where it will go. If you fill that low spot, where will it go now? Unfortunately, many people find out that it will now go onto the patio or into the house or garage.

If you place a drain in the bottom of the low spot and attach a 4″ drain pipe set into a ditch that is carefully and continuously sloped out to a lower exit point in front, you can successfully carry water out of the back to the front. But you are limited, first by the diameter of the pipe (and the intensity of recent rains certainly have exceeded the carrying capacity of a 4″ pipe) and secondly, by the intake drain, which will be quickly clogged by leaves, sticks, and other organic debris floating on the flood water and carried to the drain. So the water will eventually drain out, but intense rainfall overwhelming the system may rise and flood the house before the rain lets up. So, a “French drain” may be a good solution for nuisance water standing in the yard, but a bad solution for potential water flooding the house.

A swale has a much higher carrying capacity, and if kept clear of clutter, is unlikely to clog from the organic debris that is carried on the flood water. Start by finding the amount of drop from the back patio or finish floor grade of the room that floods, and the point of the front sidewalk that the water will have to cross to get to the street. Let’s just say there is a 12″ drop. You can find your grades by renting a builder’s level (I use a ZIPLEVEL altimeter), or you can set up a series of stakes, strings, and line levels (not quite as accurate, but better than eye-balling). Then measure the distance that water will have to travel, and let’s just say the distance is 80 feet. You would like to have a 2″ drop from the patio to the lawn, and then have the lawn slope away from the patio at least another 2″ out into the yard to get the water flowing away from the house. That would leave you 8″ of drop to move the water around the side and out to the front sidewalk, so you would dig your swale to drop 1″ every 10 feet until you get to the front sidewalk. Hopefully you do not have concrete poured all the way out to the side fence, or a big oak tree with massive roots in the way. If you see your way clear, then start digging! Remember if you want to re-sod the swale, you will need to dig 1″ deeper than finish grade to allow for the thickness of the sod. If you still have spots holding water that are lower than the swale, now it is safe to fill them so the water flows into the swale and out to the front.

-James

Living With Snakes

First and foremost, I want to say that gardeners should love snakes! Snakes are a very important part of our ecosystem, and they keep away rats, mice, and other pests from our houses and gardens. With all this rain, you have a much higher chance of running into snakes in your yards and garages (hopefully not in your house). Most snakes are good, but there are a few that you should watch out for. In our area we have coral snakes (red-and-yellow, Kill-a-fellow!), rattlesnakes, and water moccasins. If you see a snake near you, the best thing is to leave it alone! If it’s a garden snake, then it’ll keep your garden in top shape by deterring unwanted rodents. If you’re unsure if a snake is venomous, please call Animal Control (361-232-5627) BEFORE you try to relocate/dispose of it. –Marta

Make Room For These Friendly Snakes!

Time for vinca?

We all love our vinca (a.k.a. periwinkle) and the time is finally right for them!! With the rainy spring this year we delayed bringing them into the garden center. They are susceptible to Phytophthora Stem Blight and Root Rot Fungus primarily caused by heavy rains. Preventing fungus is always better than curing it once it appears. Water management is the main preventative measure. Frequent watering, even in moderate to dry sites, can make conditions favorable for development of branch blight and root rot. It is also important to provide excellent drainage. When preparing a planting bed, thoroughly dig up the entire area adding plenty of organic matter such as Cotton Burr Compost.Treat the area with Actinovate, a biological fungicide to help prevent the disease. Space the plants 8-10 inches apart and mulch heavily with Hardwood Mulch to prevent water from splattering off the soil. Also never water over the top of the plant. Always water slow and thorough on the ground below the plant. It looks like we’re going to have warm dry days ahead which is what makes vincas happy!! –DeAnna

Organic gardening is much more than merely a method of growing tomatoes and other food crops. It’s about growing all plants a more natural and safe way. It’s a way of life. It’s about paying attention to nature. It’s about understanding how everything in nature is related. It’s about working within nature’s perfectly designed system.

Here are the basics of growing organically.

[container][column type=”one-half” first=”true”]Chemical Approach:

Mow low and often.
Catch grass clippings.
High analysis fertilizers 4 times/year.
Synthetic fertilizers – no organic matter.
Fertilizer based on plant needs.
Fertilizers have few or no trace minerals.
Attempt to control nature.
Treat symptoms (insects & diseases).
Use chemical pesticides at first sign of pests.
Poisons used on a calendar.
Discourage the use of beneficial insects.
Use only university-tested products.
Plants require frequent watering.

[/column]

[column type=”one-half” last=”true”]Organic Approach:

Mow higher and less often.
Leave clippings on the ground.
Low analysis fertilizer 2 times a year.
100% organic fertilizer- no fillers.
Fertilizer based on soil needs.
Fertilizers loaded with trace minerals.
Attempt to work with nature’s systems.
Treat soil and cultural problems.
Use natural pesticides as last resort.
Prevention through soil improvement basis as preventative. and foliar fertilizers.
Use beneficial insects as a major tool.
Use food products, teas, and homemade mixtures where appropriate.
Watering can be cut by 50%.

[/column][/container]

Each week I will try to introduce you to an organic product to help make your gardening easier as well as safer for you and the family. Once you begin working with nature, you will be surprised how much happier and healthier your plants are. You will also see how your job is easier. Less watering, less spraying, less fertilizing and yet, beautiful plants. Lets enjoy our gardens, not be a slave to them.

-Deanna

Our Top Plant Picks For Summer

Of all the plants that we sell throughout the year, there are always those the really rise above the rest for each season. For summer these are the plants we think outshine many for their blooms, toughness, carefree maintenance, and best of all, they will look beautiful in your landscape during our hot summer months! Plant these now, so that they bloom in your garden all summer long!

Crape Myrtles
Poincianas
Bougainvilleas
Lantana
Coral Vine (before it blooms)
Periwinkles
Esperanza
Texas Sage
Red Yucca
Rock Rose
Turks Cap
Firebush

-Marta

JUST LIKE MAGIC!

Few weeks back, Grace, James’ landscape design assistant, got to spend her morning with several hundred 2nd & 3rd graders at the Early Scholars Academy next to London School. Grace taught kinder through 8th grade in Banquette before she joined us at Gill’s, so this was like “old home week” for her. Grace spoke to the kids about her job at Gill’s. They were fascinated that Grace could be given a pencil drawn rough sketch and she could transform it into a colorful scaled landscape using an computer aided drafting program. Just like magic!

-Sally

A Few Summer Tips

If your watering hose is in the sun, make sure to let the water run through for a little while before watering your plants. Hot hoses make for hot water!
Caladiums last longer if you pinch off the bloom stalks, which are always great for bouquets.
If your tomatoes or cucumbers remind you of Jack and the Beanstalk, use Takiron stakes and jute twine to lengthen your cage and keep those veggies contained.
You CAN give perennials a haircut in the summertime if you need to, but please nothing too drastic. Shearing blooms and gentle pruning are great ways to keep perennials looking fresh.
Weeds love to encroach on your garden beds in the summer. Walk your beds once a week! Pulling up small weeds now is always easier, and can save you a lot of sweat.
If you have to spray insecticides or fungicides, do in early in the morning or late afternoon, not in the middle of the day! Water droplets have this nasty little habit of acting like magnifying glasses in 90 degree weather, and can cause burns.

-Marta

Got webbing on your trees?

It is not webworms! Webbing on the bark of trunks and branches is a good thing. Don’t spray!! Bark lice is natures clean-up crew. These tiny creatures are scouring the bark for plant, animal, or fungus life which they eat, and while they perform this housekeeping chore, they spin this web for protection. Usually the web will disintegrate in two or three days and will disappear almost a suddenly as it appeared. Leave them alone and let them do their job of cleaning up your trees or shrubs. Thank goodness for good bugs!

-DeAnna

My dad, Mr. Roy M. Munroe

Shortly after graduating from the University of Texas, I began dating a handsome young man, our very own James Gill. Months after we started dating, we got the idea (from one of James’ friends, honestly) of starting a landscape business. I went to my parents and told them of our plans. The looks on their faces were priceless. I’m sure they were thinking…and our daughter is doing what? It didn’t take my dad long to come around to the idea of his daughter going into business for herself. And yes, James and I got married. The first year we operated with no outside financial assistance. I sold my car, we combined what little savings we had and between landscape jobs we threw newspapers for the Corpus Christi Caller Times. It wasn’t until the second year of business we realized the value of a retail garden center, which required land and more money. I’ll never forget the day James, my dad and I visited every banker we knew in town, presenting our business plan, doing our best to sell the idea to the bank, hoping someone would loan us the money to buy the land we had found on Airline to build our store. It was a tough day; no one was interested. Eventually, after much number crunching, and consulting with my dad, we borrowed money from my parents and James’ parents, thank goodness. For the record we did pay them both back in short order. Interest rates at the time ran around 18%; crazy!

Besides helping to finance Gill’s early years, my dad also spent many evenings with James and me at his engineering firm, teaching us accounting. Now, that was painful! James and I knew absolutely nothing of debits and credits.

Another critical thing my dad helped us with was the layout of our garden center, including setting a good grade on our Airline property so that when it rained, it would drain. Believe me, James and I have visited many a garden center with puddles throughout due to poor drainage. It hurt when he said we needed 35 truckloads of soil, but we did it, and have been forever grateful to him for his advice.

Most importantly, I have to thank my dad, “Daddy”, for setting a good example for me. Many, many people over the years have told me how much they liked working with Roy because of his strong character and commitment to doing a good job for his clients. He was honest, he treated his co-workers and clients with respect and he did what he said he would do.

I am very thankful to my dad for his support, his advice, his encouragement, his love, and I celebrate his life this very special weekend! I wish all whose dads are still around a joyful Father’s Day celebration!

-Sally

Did you know that soil is a living thing? We have all heard of microbes. The real deal is that without soil microbes, we would all die. The work they do in our soil is incredibly complex but it all boils down to this: microbes eat, thus we eat. Plants are unable to take from the soil the nutrition they need without microbes working in the soil.

Microbes are alive, and must have nutrition to survive, and that nutrition comes from organic matter. As they consume the nutrients they need, microbes create foods like nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorous, potassium and trace minerals for our plants. It is the microbes that convert the NPK and minerals in the soil into a form our plants can use to grow and produce food and flowers for us. Organic fertilizers feed our soil which is why they are so important to use instead of synthetic fertilizers which have little to no benefit to our soil.

We carry 3 different organic fertilizers for lawns & gardens. Milorganite which is made in Milwaukee from bio waste sewer sludge. It contains 4% iron and is non-burning. It does not have to be watered in immediately, but is activated once watered. Covers 2500 sq. ft. Medina Growin Green is made in Texas from kelp meal, humate, poultry manure, molasses, and green sand. Covers 3000 sq. ft. I usually recommend the one that meets your square footage needs. With all the recent rains and summer upon us, it is time to think about fertilizing the lawn and all your tropical shrubs again.

-DeAnna

If your citrus looks like it is getting munched on, make sure you look for Swallowtail caterpillars before you grab your insecticides. Giant Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on lemons, limes and even grapefruit trees this time of year, and the caterpillars literally look like bird poop (as their camouflage). So if you see moving bird poop on your citrus, just leave them be and they’ll be beautiful Swallowtails in no time!