With all the recent rains, mosquitoes are here. First of all, remove any sources of standing water (that’s where they breed). For your favorite birdbath, use Mosquito Bits in the shaker,for larger ponds or ditches, Mosquito Dunks, both totally safe for birds and frogs. We have several ways to kill, control and repel them.Mosquito Beater hose-end (Permethrin) is an easy spray to killmosquitoes, ants, fleas & tics throughout the yard. It is safe to spray on all plants where mosquitoes hide. We also carry Mosquito Beater Granules which is a combination of natural essential oils to repel. It contains citronella oil, garlic, geranium oil, cedar oil and lemon grass oil. Covers 4000 sq. ft and lasts up to 3 weeks. Patio Egg Diffuser is an easy safe and effective way to help deter mosquitoes and other biting insects from your patio, porch and other outdoor living areas. It protects up to 200 sq. ft. and comes with enough refill oil to last up to 4 months.
You DO Have A Green Thumb!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say “oh no, I can’t grow anything! I don’t have a green thumb.” Well, I’m here to tell you that you most certainly do! 
Everyone, and I mean everyone, has killed a plant in their gardening career. But don’t let it get you down! Just make sure you get all the information you need to know how to care for your new plant, which includes: sun requirements, watering, soil conditions, and growth habit. Next time you see your plant dying, please take a picture and bring it in! We’ll help you figure out what happened, and how to avoid it in the future.
-Marta
Periwinkle Update
We are holding off on bringing in periwinkles (one of our favorite, most reliable annuals!) due to the rain patterns we have been having, and we encourage you to stay away from them until the days get longer and drier. With rain and heavy moisture in the air, they suffer from Phytophthora, an airborne fungus, and die within days. We promise we will get them in as soon as conditions permit!!
-Sally
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
