Jesse Jenkins

In honor of Texas Native Plant Week, we’re celebrating at Gill’s with 20% off all Texas Natives up to 15gal! Our native section is stocked with native grasses, blooming perennials, shrubs, trees, and groundcovers. Speaking of, here are some ideas for replacing parts of your lawn with natives!

In 2009 the Texas Legislature designated the third week in October as Texas Native Plant Week to help raise awareness of the importance of planting natives. Great timing! This is typically when we feel the weather cool down and when many of our Texas native plants look stunning, and when there are more native varieties available for sale.

Why is planting natives so important? Not only are they better adapted to thrive in our area and require less water once established, native plants are a critical part of delicate local ecosystems. Birds, bees, butterflies, moths, bats, and other wildlife all depend on native plants. By planting natives in our gardens, however big or small, we help restore native habitat that has been altered or removed by humans over the years.

Does this mean I need to replace my entire landscape with native plants immediately? Not necessarily, although that’s doable and can look amazing! Another educational organization that advocates for biodiversity, Homegrown National Park, suggests that the goal ratio for homeowners should be about 70% native and 30% non-native. They have great educational resources for planting native, including their interactive map. When you plant natives, you can register to have your yard light up on the map and be a part of the “homegrown” national park!

Start small and consider replacing areas of your lawn with native plants! I wanted to share with you all a couple of lawn areas at my house that I’ve removed and replaced with natives. I had a semi-shady small lawn area (about 8’x8′) in front of a trellis wall that wasn’t doing anything but taking up space. So, in September 2022, the Gill’s crew dug out the grass, added a flagstone path, and planted the whole space with Texas Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora var. incisa). It took some time to fill in, but now it’s thick and lush and TOUGH! It handled freezing temps during the winter and our long, dry summer just fine with very minimal hand watering. The 2nd photo shows it wild and blooming, but once the blooms are spent, I buzz it down with the mower.

In September of this year, we tackled the boring 4’x40′ curb strip out front. Our Gill crew stripped out the grass (with a machine this time), amended the soil with compost, and planted 100 Salvia coccinea aka Tropical Sage. I chose this native salvia (there are many others) because it can handle partial shade/dappled light and because it reseeds easily. After a few weeks, it’s beginning to fill in and bloom and it will reseed and come back up year after year. I chose to plant only 1 variety in this area because I love the way a mass planting or big swath of 1 color/texture looks…and so do pollinators! Planting several of the same plants together makes them easier for pollinators to find.

-Jesse

It’s full-on FALL FLOWER TIME here at Gill’s! Time to add new splashes of color to landscape beds, pots by the front door, and start flowers to cut and share. We’re seeing absolutely stunning Snapdragons, Petunias, Impatiens, Violas, Begonias, ornamental cabbage and kale, Lobelia, Calendulas, Dianthus and more! Here are 4 important tips for the best and brightest blooms through the fall and winter.

1. Plant Fall Flowers Before the Time Change

Fall flowers need sun! Especially when they’re freshly-planted babies. So, part of the urgency of planting fall flowers now is to take advantage of the light before our days start getting shorter. We like to use the end of daylight savings time as a marker – get your fall flowers planted before November 5th!

2. Sacrifice Lingering Summer Blooms?

Even if you still have some lingering summer blooms (like Zinnias, Purslane, Coleus) most of them won’t last much longer. It’s better to pull them now to make way for new fall color like Impatiens, Petunias, Violas, and Snapdragons that will last through the fall and winter and into the early spring. One exception that you might decide to over-winter are Periwinkles. They’ll melt in cool weather and look rough, but their roots will continue to grow. If you have the space and the patience, you could cut them back in late January/early February and you could have gorgeous Periwinkles again in spring.

3. Enlist the Help of Fungi

When planting your fall flowers, add Bio-tone Starter Plus! The “plus” means + mycorrhizae, which are fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with plants. Mycorrhizal fungi absorb nutrients and transfer them back to the host plant. As a result, there is an increase in the absorption surface area of the plant’s roots. That means bigger and better roots, which is great for all plants, especially delicate fall flowers.

4. Keep Feeding Through the Winter!

Flowers are heavy feeders! If you want continued blooms, be sure you continue feeding your flowers once a month through the fall and winter with a good quality granular organic fertilizer. We love Rose Glo or Medina Growin Green for fall flowers. No need to be precise, just set a reminder to sprinkle some around your flower beds and outdoor pots once a month. For an extra boost, supplement with liquid Hasta Gro every 2 weeks.

November is one of our most beautiful months in South Texas – nice weather for spending time outdoors! Now’s the time for fall flowers and planting trees! And there’s still time for veggies, too. Good timing this month will keep us looking good through the fall and winter and set us up for showtime next spring. Here are our top must-do’s for November.

Check out our November Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind!

1. Fill Pots and Spots with Fall Flowers

Here’s our list of Fall/Winter flowers – tons of choices for outdoor color to redo pots & inground plantings. Flowers take a little time to grow and bloom. Plant early this month so they can be WOW for the holidays! Many of these fall flowers, like Petunias, Lobelia, and Geraniums will looks great through the winter and look their very best next spring. Good reason to plant now! Once they’re all planted, give them a good meal of granular organic Rose Glo. To keep them growing and blooming through the fall and winter, they’ll need regular feedings about once a month. For an extra boost, follow up with liquid Hasta Gro in between your monthly feedings.

2. Plant Trees and Shrubs Now for Better Growth Next Spring

Now is the very best time to plant cold-hardy shrubs and trees! They focus energy this fall and winter on building a good root system, which allows them to explode with growth next spring, and prepares them to withstand hot weather next summer. Other benefits to planting now – easier digging and not as much watering as during warmer seasons! Always fertilize when you plant and follow our watering instructions.

3. Still Time to Plant Veggies!

We’re still bringing in lots of fresh cool-season crops like broccoli, kale, lettuce mixes, Swiss chard, spinach, cauliflower, beets, onions, and more! Three big tips for fall/winter veggies: 1) Mulch well to help protect tender young veggies 2) Water well, but not too much 3) Keep feeding! Organic Plant Tone or Medina Growin Green once a month, followed by liquid Hasta Gro every 2 weeks for a bountiful harvest!

4. Last Chance Lawn Care

Early this month is our last chance to fertilize aka “winterize” lawns for strong roots and healthy growth next spring and summer. Our tried and true favorite lawn food is organic Medina Growin Green. November is also the time to prevent spring weeds in your lawn by applying Weed Beater Complete or Hi-Yield Weed & Grass Stopper with Dimension.

Read: Fall Lawn Care

5. Feed Your Landscape Too!

Landscape plants, including trees, perennials, and hardy shrubs need food early this month while they are still actively growing. Just like lawns, the idea is to give them a boost before they head into dormancy this winter. We love organic granular fertilizer Medina Growin’ Green for trees and shrubs, and Rose Glo or Plant Tone for blooming perennials.

6. Plant Herbs to Share and Use for the Holidays

Cooking without herbs is a waste of thyme! Sage, Rosemary, Cilantro, Parsley, Fennel, Dill, (and Thyme) are just a few herbs that thrive in our cool season. Limited space? A sunny spot, container & a few favorite herbs is all you need. We can even pot them up for you. A container herb garden makes a great gift…

Over the past week, we’ve talked to a lot of customers about brownish and speckled gunk that they’re noticing on their outdoor plants, and sometimes houseplants, all of a sudden. This time of year, it typically means several different types of 1 thing…scale insects! Luckily we’ve got an effective (and eco-friendly) solution.

The photo above is a leaf from a Cast Iron plant that a customer brought in. This one happens to be infested with 2 different types of scale insects. Notice the white specks and the brown gunky spots. There are many different types of scale that go after our common landscape plants like Cast Iron plant, Flax Lily, Hibiscus, Indian Hawthorn, and more.

Have no fear! All-Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Oil Spray is here! Horticultural oil is a mineral oil solution that works by coating the insects and suffocating them. It’s safe and harmless for humans, pets, birds, and other wildlife, but very effective against scale insects and other plant pests.

Scale insects tend to like houseplants too, especially if you’ve had them outside. As you plan to bring patio and houseplants inside for the winter, it’s a great idea to treat them with Horticultural Oil too. Just spray all over and wipe down the leaves. It’ll prevent scale and other pests from hitching a ride inside the house, and it’ll shine up your houseplants beautifully!

We’re happy to report that Christmas trees are here and they look….WOW!! These are some of the best quality trees we’ve ever seen! The garden center is stocked with fresh-cut trees ranging from 5ft to 12ft, and the Gill’s crew has delivered one very special Nordmann Fir measuring 22ft at The South Texas Botanical Gardens! Here’s some more info about our Christmas tree varieties this year plus a few important care tips.

Did You Know Real Fresh-Cut Christmas Trees are the Environmentally Friendly Option?

They help support forests and don’t require the carbon emissions that it takes to produce plastic trees. We work with sustainably managed Christmas tree farms who plant 3 new saplings for each tree they harvest. Their forests of Christmas trees consume several thousand pounds of carbon dioxide per year helping to clean our atmosphere and provide oxygen. After the season, recycled trees can be used for building barrier sand dunes on Padre Island, creating artificial reefs in local bay waters, and chipped for garden mulch. No waste!

Tree Varieties at Gill’s

Fraser Fir is one of the most popular trees. They are highly sought for their needle retention, tolerance to warmer climates, soft silvery foliage, and fragrance. We have seen Frasers in March look almost as good as they did in December!

Noble Fir in traditional form or the layered look. Nobles are known for their long-cut life, deep green foliage, and stiff branches that hold ornaments well. Plus, they’re the most fragrant.

Nordmann Fir has a soft needle and little to no fragrance, which makes it a great choice for those with allergies. With excellent needle retention, they are very pretty with contrasting dark green and silver foliage.

We offer delivery + set-up as well as Xmas tree takeaway after the season.

2 Very Important Xmas Tree Care Tips:

#1 – Keep your tree in water! Our trees have had a fresh cut and have been immediately placed in water to maximize freshness. As soon as you get your tree home, get the base of the trunk in water. If you need to wait to put it on the stand, get it in a bucket of water. If you plan to give your tree a fresh cut when you get home, only cut ½” off the base, and you must get it in water within 10 mins, or the cut will seal over and not allow the tree to take up water. Keep monitoring your water level in the stand throughout the season. We carry the Watering Elf which makes refilling super easy.

#2 – Keep your tree away from heating and A/C vents (if a vent is nearby, close it). Heating and A/C will dry out the tree quickly – you don’t want that! You want to keep it as hydrated as possible.

Go See The Big Tree!

We are happy to be a part of the annual Botanical Gardens holiday light display. Visit the Botanical Gardens website for more info about holiday hours. Can’t wait to see this year’s big tree!

Have you noticed lots of holes and chunks missing from the leaves of your fall veggies like cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower? These are delicacies for caterpillars! A little snacking is nothing to worry about, but here’s how to prevent a feast!

First, decide for yourself how much caterpillar snacking you can tolerate. If it’s a few holes here and there, you might leave them alone or try to find and relocate them. If you decide it’s time to treat, bacteria is your friend. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a naturally occurring bacteria that targets caterpillars but is safe and harmless for humans, pets, birds, and other wildlife. We carry it in a spray (Captain Jack’s Bt) or a powder form (Dipel Dust) – same active ingredient that works when caterpillars eat it. Some folks prefer the spray because you can spray all over the plant, up under the leaves, etc. Some prefer the dust because it’s easy to sprinkle over the plant. Both work great!

December is here! These last few weeks of 2023 are sure to fly by. Our advice: make sure you spend some time in the garden to balance out the hectic holiday season. Here are our top to-do’s this month: what to plant, gift ideas, holiday plant care, and more.

Check out our December Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind!

1. These Plants Want to Be Planted in December

There’s always the BEST time to get plants growing and here’s a few that LOVE this season as much as we do!

Trees…shade, flowering, small, big, they all benefit from planting now. Good root development during the cooler months of winter gives them better growth in spring and a deeper, stronger root system to withstand the summer heat.

Onions…we grow short-day onion varieties here in South Texas. Lucky for us the 1015 Texas Supersweet is one of those along with tasty Texas Early White & Southern Belle Red.

Roses…our mild winters are perfect for big, beautiful roses & the cooler temps will only make them prettier and the flower color richer.

Ornamental Cabbage…these winter classics need to be planted early this month and enjoyed through the season! Easy care, vibrant colors, and unique texture in the garden.

Alyssum…gorgeous white blooms all winter long. Did you know Alyssum flowers and leaves are edible? They have a pungent horseradish-y flavor.

Other plants that require short days…some plants require short days/enough hours of darkness to bloom and look their best. Think Aloes and other outdoor succulents, Camelia, native Salvia greggii, and Kalanchoes!

2. Tips for Holiday Plants

Fresh-cut Christmas Trees…we give all of our trees a fresh cut and get them in water immediately to preserve their freshness. Many customers ask us for another fresh cut before they take the tree home. If you decide to have us do another fresh cut, or if you do it yourself, keep in mind that you have 10 minutes to get the tree in water before that cut seals over! Check water in your tree stand daily and keep it full. If you have pets who like to drink or splash the water, try covering with a piece of foil.

Poinsettias…Think of poinsettias as succulents – because they are! They are a type of euphorbia. That means give them a good drink, but let them dry out between waterings. Also, the leaves bruise and break easily, so avoid touching them as much as possible. So tempting to touch!

Christmas Cactus…Probably the easiest of all holiday plants, and they can last a LONG time! There are stories of Christmas Cacti that have been gifted and passed down through families for 100+ years. They like well-lit areas, but not direct sunlight. Let dry between waterings, then mist the leaves as well as water the soil when its time to water.

Living Holiday Trees…Junipers, Norfolk Pines, Loblolly Pines, Magnolias and Ficus trees all make great Christmas trees that can be planted outside after the holidays. If you bring these in for decorating, be sure they have good bright natural light. Keep watered but not too much, and as soon as the holidays are done…take them outdoors for a breath of fresh air and get them in the ground.

3. Think Gifts for Gardeners!

If you have gardeners on your list this year, we’ve got you covered! Silverware herb markers, handmade ornaments, quality tools and gloves, nature-themed holiday cards, beautiful houseplant cutting jars, and lots more unique garden gifts. And of course, plants!! If they’re picky, you can’t go wrong with a Gill’s gift card!

4. Plant and Feed Winter Flowers

Winter flowers are AMAZING right now! Violas and Pansies are breathtaking and Geraniums are full of buds and blooms. All that blooming makes them hungry, so take a moment and fertilize your beauties. We love using granular Plant Tone once a month, then following up with liquid Hasta Gro every 2 weeks. Both are organic and give you big results. Have that “one more empty pot” to fill?

5. Adjust Your Houseplant Care for Winter

Most houseplants will not experience a complete dormancy period during winter, but they will slow down growth and react to climatic changes like drier conditions inside the house. Give your houseplants more light and less water as temperatures and the amount of daylight hours drop. Dust/shine leaves regularly to ward off insects. Cooler temps = drier conditions and less of the humidity that houseplants love. Try grouping them together to create more humidity, or use a humidifier. When bringing patio plants inside for cold snaps, be sure to treat with All Seasons Horticultural Oil spray to prevent any pests (like scale insects) from hitching a ride indoors.

6. Start Thinking About Frost Prep

We typically don’t get a frost until January or February, but there’s always a chance! Be sure you’ve got your frost blankets or frost cloth ready to protect any tender outdoor tropicals and new plantings. Mulch beds at 2-3″ deep to help seal in warmth. And don’t prune yet! Remember that pruning signals to a plant that it’s time to put on new growth. Instead, plant leaves need to harden off and go dormant for the winter. Foliage that you leave on the plant will help insulate it against cold weather.

Gill’s is here to be your holiday stress antidote! Come take a stroll and pick out a few gifts for the green thumbs on your list. We’ll help you find the right plants, useful tools, nature gifts for kids, holiday cards, and all kinds of other unique and fun gifts to help connect your loved ones to the outdoors. Here’s 12 of our favs.

1. Gifts that Grow

Now is a great time to plant winter flowers like petunias, geraniums, and snapdragons, and they’re quick and easy to plant! Easy for Santa to sneak in and secretly plant a few flowers.

Roses, herbs, and onions are all great to plant right now too. Or if you want to make it a truly memorable holiday, plant a tree! Remember that trees benefit greatly from being planted in fall and winter, including citrus trees! And if you don’t want to do any digging, we’ll plant it for you.

2. Poinsettias and Other Holiday Classics

Poinsettias are THE classic holiday décor and centerpiece for holiday meals. They make great gifts for teachers, bosses, coworkers, and friendly acquaintances – they just make people happy!

A blooming Christmas Cactus or Kalanchoe is great too, or a small living holiday tree like a juniper, Norfolk pine, or rosemary. We can gift wrap these for you. Easy wow!

3. Custom-Planted Pottery

Let us help you put together something totally unique! Choose the pots and plants and we can pot it all up for you. Houseplants, flowers, herbs, native plants for pollinators, and lots more can stand alone or be combined in the right pot.

4. Quality Garden Tools

We don’t carry a huge selection of tools, just nice tools that are made to last. Pruners, loppers, kitchen/herb shears, or even a quality sharp-shooter shovel make great gifts. Working with quality tools makes gardening a lot more fun.

5. Soothing Wind Chimes

Lots of different tones and styles for relaxing in the garden, including our favorite chimes of all time, Music of the Spheres. Hand-made and hand-tuned here in TX.

6. “Gordo” Birdhouses + Bird Baths

These Gordo birdhouses have been a huge hit this fall. People seem to love them and birds too! Pair these with a nice stone bird bath and some bird-attracting plants and you’ll make the birders on your list very happy.

7. Cyanotype Print Kits

Cyanotype photography or printing is a technique that involves laying an object, like a leaf, on paper coated with a solution of iron salts before exposing it to light to create stunning white and blue images. The kit comes with everything you need to make your own prints! Just find the leaves and flowers you want to capture – no darkroom or other tools required!

8. Silverware Herb Markers

These might be our fav garden markers we’ve ever seen. Herb markers etched into old silverware!

9. Rain Chains

Rain chains are THE gift for nature lovers who enjoy the soothing sound of rain. They’re a beautiful alternative to gutter downspouts, guiding rainwater gently into planting beds.

10. Houseplant Cutting Jars

Our cutting jars make great gifts for houseplant lovers. We collect interesting glass jars and use LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) + water as the growing medium for cuttings. We have some ready to go, or all the supplies for you to make your own.

11. Nature-Themed Children’s Books and Holiday Cards

This year, we’re featuring new children’s books and holiday cards by author and illustrator Phoebe Wahl. Her first book, Sonya’s Chickens, was the recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, and her most recent book, Little Witch Hazel is an Indie Bestseller. Perfect gifts for a young gardener!

12. When in Doubt – Gift Cards!

Can’t go wrong with a Gill’s gift card! Good for plants or services too. You could give the gift of landscape design, a food garden next Spring, a planted tree, or anything else we provide. We can help you with ideas too!