annual

We are beyond excited to host you all in person for our first Garden Talk of 2022! James’ ‘Get Ready for Spring’ talk is a long-standing tradition. If you’ve got questions or just want to learn more about how to prep your garden and landscape for big Spring growth, join us at 10am this Saturday. Here’s a preview from James of some of the topics he plans to cover.

Prune Old Growth to Make Way for New Growth

Clean, sharpen, and lubricate your pruning tools before starting, and before putting tools away. Remember that once you have cut it, you can’t put it back on, this applies to tree limbs, and to human digits, so proceed carefully! My feeling is, cut old growth before new growth has started, to avoid wasting carbohydrate reserves of the plant, and to minimize damage to tender new growth when dragging cut branches out of the plant.

Prepare Your Soil and Get Planting!

Before planting new shubs, vegetables, or annual or perennial flowers, we should prepare the soil with compost. My favorite is Natures Blend Compost, the closest thing to “magic in a bag”. It keeps clay soil lighter and looser, or in sand, helps hold moisture and nutrients available for roots, and provides slow release organic fertility and growth stimulants. Cold tolerant trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials benefit from being planted as far away from summer heat as possible, so NOW! And it’s time to get your spring veggie garden planted too. Follow up with a good organic mulch after planting, such as our hardwood mulch, that will suppress weeds, retain moisture, moderate soil temperatures as it gets hotter, and contribute to soil texture and fertility as it decomposes.

Early Spring Lawn Care

Do not apply lawn fertilizer on grass too early. When lawns are actively growing and need mowing once a week, that is the time to fertilize grass, usually around the first of March. Some weeds will be coming up in beds and lawns, and some of them can be controlled by hand pulling after a rain, some by mowing regularly so they don’t get tall enough to make seed. But some will be best controlled by applying Bonide Weed Beater Complete, LAWNS ONLY, to kill existing broadleaf weeds and prevent new weeds from sprouting. Or in beds, Bonide Crabgrass and Weed Preventer, which will not kill existing weeds, but prevents new weeds from sprouting. Always read and follow label directions for best results. I like Ortho GroundClear Weed & Grass Killer to help control emerged weeds in flower beds. It is organic, and safer to use around desirable shrubs.

Feed Your Fruit Trees

Now is time to fertilize fruit trees with Espoma Organic Citrus-tone, or Fertilome Fruit, Citrus, and Pecan Tree Food. The nitrogen in both is critical to production of healthy foliage, which is what provides necessary carbohydrates for fruit. You will repeat application later in spring, and again in fall. Also, citrus trees should have sprouts removed that come from below the graft, as they will produce only sour fruit.

When to Remove Stakes from Newly Planted Trees

If you have trees planted in the last year or two, with stakes still holding it upright, late winter/very early spring is a good time to check that staking. Loosen the ties, then try to rock the tree. If the rootball stays stable but the trunk bends, remove the staking and ties. If the rootball still moves, the staking should stay another season, but the loop around the trunk may need to be loosened so the new growth is not choked by the staking tie.

Check Your Sprinkler System and Hoses

If you have an automatic sprinkler system, hopefully it has been turned off most of the winter. It would make sense to do a run-through now, to take notes and make repairs on any plugged, sunken, or missing heads, line breaks, or non-functional valves. You may need to start watering once a week in March. If you use hoses and sprinklers, now is time to mend hoses and replace missing hose washers.

Fire Ants and Other Pests

If you are seeing fire ant activity, you can apply Come and Get It Fire Ant Bait now, but my favorite times are at the spring and fall daylight saving time changes. All Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Spray Oil is best applied before new leaves emerge to control scale, mealybug, and other problem insects that may be overwintering on your shrubs or ornamental trees, such as bicolor iris and bird of paradise.

-James

Now it’s finally starting to feel like Fall! November in South Texas…one of our most beautiful months! 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 Snapdragons, Lobelia, Violas (our longer-lasting alternative to Pansies), and Geraniums will look 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 Plant Tone, Rose Glo, or Medina Growin Green. 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 every 2 weeks 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 and Holiday Herbs!

We’re still bringing in lots of fresh cool-season crops like broccoli, kale, lettuce mixes, Swiss chard, spinach, cauliflower, beets, onions, and more! Plus all the herbs like rosemary, thyme, cilantro, sage, and dill that you need for holiday cooking. Three big tips for fall/winter veggies and herbs: 1) Mulch well to help protect tender young plants 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. HO HO HO! Fresh Christmas Trees Coming Very Soon!

We are beyond excited for fresh-cut Christmas trees and holiday plants to begin arriving this month! Look for our Noble, Nordmann, and Fraser fir trees around the week of November 18th, then poinsettias the following week. Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs are already here and Christmas cactus will arrive any minute!

What a gift running into Joyce Barnette this past Saturday while visiting Gill’s. Joyce has been a weekly visitor of Gill’s since we opened our doors 46 years ago. She and her husband Jim have lived in the Country Club Estates neighborhood since the early 70’s, raising three boys and now blessed with daughter-in-laws and seven grandchildren. Joyce reminds me often how much Jim loves flowers and how much she loves to garden. They make a great team!

Joyce grew up in Mississippi. She credits her mother for her love of gardening. Most days, unless she’s adventuring the world with her sister or other family, she’s out in the garden repotting, planting, trimming, or weeding. Their front yard includes oaks, junipers, hollies, roses, and beautiful ferns on either side of her front door. Instead of pulling the hose up to water, she keeps bottles of water just inside her front door for the ferns. They have a terra cotta stone texture front walk and driveway with a beautiful side yard garden anchored with hill country limestone boulders her sons collected over the years for her. Private seating with pergola, container planting, hanging baskets, and art create a very peaceful outdoor garden space to read and relax! Her back yard has two more seating areas, surrounded by palms, Japanese yew (one of her favorite woody ornamentals), vitex, pittosporums, groundcovers, and flowers. A gardener’s paradise!

Joyce loves putting together hanging baskets, which display beautifully from low lying branches of trees and garden hooks. She doesn’t mind experimenting with plants. She’ll try a plant in one spot and if it isn’t happy, she’ll move it, and hope for better results. She has an extensive succulent garden and she even has a “plant hospital” along the far side of the driveway for plants she’s nursing back to health.

It is always fun to hear what project Joyce is shopping for when at Gill’s. She’s either planting annuals at Jim’s office, landscaping at their church, purchasing gifts to donate to the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center for a fundraiser, or working in her own garden. Joyce, along with her good friend Mary Hill, have been volunteering their time and resources, keeping the grounds of St. Lukes Methodist Church beautifully landscaped for over 30 years. Joyce has donated many items over the years for the annual Botanical Garden’s Moonlight in the Garden fundraiser, and she and Jim have been sponsoring the 20+ foot fresh Christmas tree that greets families during the holidays at the Botanical Gardens.

The morning I visited with Joyce a hummingbird darted into the garden to gather nectar and then flew right up to us, stopping mid-air as if it knew we were marveling about the beauty and bounty of her garden. I’m so happy to have gotten to know Joyce and am thankful for her kindness and support she generously gives our community!

– Sally Gill

Now THIS is some gorgeous gardening weather!! We’re all busy planting, re-designing, fertilizing, and getting ready for holidays and weekends outside with family and friends. Here are our top tips for making the most of a very important month in the garden.

1. Feed Your Lawn and Plants

Fertilizing/feeding your plants this month is a must. This includes lawns, trees, and most plants. Everything is actively growing, which means they’ll need more food to continue looking their best. For lawns we love to apply organic Medina Growin Green once in Spring (now!), once in Summer, and once in the Fall. Medina Growin Green is a great multi-purpose food for shrubs and trees too. For blooming perennials, annual flowers, and veggies we really like organic Plant Tone by Espoma and Medina Hasta Gro liquid. Feed with Plant Tone on the 1st of each month, then follow up with liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th. Add these reminders to your calendar and you can’t go wrong!

2. Watering Wands Win!

Hand watering with a watering wand that has a cutoff valve is the most efficient and best way to water, especially for new plantings. Watering plants low to the ground keeps water from escaping via wind and evaporation and keeps water off the leaves which can invite fungal issues. Watering slowly (by turning down the pressure on your watering wand or kinking your hose) ensures that more water gets down to the roots instead of running off the surface.

As of right now, with Stage 2 watering restrictions in effect, you can use sprinklers or spray irrigation once every 2 weeks. Check your watering schedule here. Lawns and established landscapes will like this schedule if you water slowly, deeply, and consistently. For new landscape projects, and some other situations, you can apply for a temporary exemption to watering restrictions and use sprinklers and irrigation systems in order to help get plants, lawns, and trees established. We can help you file for the exemption if you like – it’s a straightforward process.

Keep in mind that hand watering and drip irrigation/soaker hoses are not limited by current watering restrictions. You can hand water or supplement with drip irrigation any time as needed. We carry the pro watering wands that we use here at Gill’s as well efficient sprinklers, moisture meters, timers, and soaker hoses.

3. Plant Blooming Perennials for Pollinators

April is time to add some blooming perennials to attract pollinators like butterflies, bees, and birds to your garden. You support pollinators (and the planet!) and in return they help you have more blooms, better production on your veggies, and a more vibrant landscape! Remember – April is when we start seeing hummingbirds! Add a few of their favorites like this native Salvia greggii, native Flame Acanthus, or firebush and make your backyard a preferred stop.

4. Plant Your Warm Weather Veggies

It’s time to plant hot peppers, squash, zucchini, basil, beans, and more! Tomato time has almost passed, but we still have a few if you still really want to plant a tomato – or better yet, a tomatillo! When starting veggies, the trick is to get the soil as active and alive as possible. Amend your existing soil with Nature’s Blend Compost (about 1 bag per 12 sq. ft.), then add a little Bio Tone starter fertilizer with mycorrhizal fungi and a good handful of worm castings when you plant each plant. Then follow our trusted fertilizer schedule – Plant Tone on the 1st of the month and liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th! Remember that veggies use a lot of energy and need these regular feedings to produce. Plus, strong, vigorous veggie plants are less susceptible to pest damage.

5. Get Ready for Guests

We’re wrapping up March and rolling into April with a gorgeous Easter weekend! For the quickest and easiest impact outdoors, think hanging baskets full of Impatiens, Vinca, Purslane, Geraniums and more overflowing with color. Some pops of color plus fresh mulch in your beds and you’re ready to host! We’ve extended our mulch sale through 4/4/24 to help with that! For indoors, our favorite flower arrangements are those cut fresh from the garden and landscape.

Check out our April Garden Guide for more tips!

April means hummingbirds in South Texas! We’re lucky to see a few pretty much year-round, but April and September are when we see big migration surges. If you want to attract and enjoy hummingbirds, feeders can help, but plants are key. Did you know that most plants which are pollinated by hummingbirds have evolved over time to replenish nectar at night while hummingbirds are least active? That means hummingbirds can feed on the same flower over and over again without depleting the nectar! Here are 10 of our favorite plants for attracting and feeding hummingbirds – plant these now!

1. David Verity Cuphea

There are many different Cuphea (aka cigar plant) varieties, but ‘David Verity’ is our favorite for our area. Grows well in full-sun to partial shade, gets about 2′ tall and 2′ wide, and keeps on blooming through the summer! Like a lot of plants on this list, those blooms are perfect for little hummingbird beaks.

2. Native Turk’s Cap

Turk’s Cap is one of our all around favorite plants for the South Texas landscape. Lots of different birds, including hummingbirds, absolutely love it. Turk’s Cap grows well in shade, partial sun, under trees, in sandy soil, in clay soil…you get the idea. Such a versatile plant! Hummingbirds feast on the nectar, then other birds enjoy the fruit in the fall. Turk’s Cap is part of the mallow family and all parts of the plant are edible for humans too.

3. Hummingbird Plant aka Dicliptera

As the name implies, this is one of THE hummingbird plants! If you haven’t noticed yet, most plants on this list have red blooms. That’s because hummingbirds locate nectar by sight, not by smell. They tend to favor red and orange, although there are some exceptions. Hummingbird Plant does well in full sun and gets to be about 3′ tall and 3′ wide. Again – notice that bloom shape. Perfect straws for hummingbirds!

4. Bottlebrush

Bottlebrush come in a lot of shapes and sizes – the dwarf shrub variety all the way up to mid-sized trees. Hummingbirds will flock to them all! If you take a close look at the blooms, you can see how juicy and filled with nectar they are.

5. Red Pentas

We grow pentas as annual flowers here in South Texas, and the timing for planting them aligns perfectly with the April and September hummingbird migration. They come in many colors, but hummingbirds prefer the red variety.

6. Firecracker Plant aka Russelia

If you’re looking for a summer-tough, fast-growing, shaggy, wild-looking plant that attracts tons of hummingbirds…you found it! Firecracker Plant gets 3-5′ tall and wide and is a tried and true favorite here in South Texas – reliable and drought-tolerant.

7. Native Flame Acanthus

Talk about a tough plant! Our Texas native Flame Acanthus aka Hummingbird Bush survives freezes, summer temps, and long periods of no rainfall. Make sure you give it some space since it wants to be about 5′ tall and 5′ wide. With so many blooms, Flame Acanthus can accommodate a whole hummingbird convention!

8. Duranta erecta

You’ve made it to the only non-red/orange plant on our list! These blooms are not like the others – they’re purple and white and they’re not tubular. Nonetheless, hummingbirds make frequent stops for Duranta. These small trees typically grow to 12-15′ tall with a spread of about 10′ here in South Texas. Lots of room for lots of blooms!

9. Firebush (Hamelia patens)

Firebush is another one of the larger specimens on our list. They get about 8-10′ tall and 6-8′ wide and they grow FAST! They’ve done very well through recent freezes. The foliage dies back, you prune it, then by late spring you’ve got a big full plant again. Firebush is easy on water and can handle hot sunny locations just fine.

10. Red Salvias!

If you plant Texas native Salvia greggii, you might have hummingbirds on it before you finish filling up the hole. This is true for so many of the different red salivas like Summer Jewel, Roman Red, native Salvia coccinea, Hot Lips, and more. Hummingbird magnets!

Spring has sprung!! Look around and you’ll see lots of happy and healthy plants enjoying the sunshine and putting on fresh new growth. We hope you feel the same way! Here are our top must-do’s in the garden this month – time to get planting!

Check out our March Garden Guide for more tips!

1. Fertilize Regularly Starting Now (except for lawns!)

Spring’s here and plants are actively growing. That means they need food, just like us! Flowers and veggies are especially heavy feeders because they’re working to produce a bloom and fruit. And you will certainly notice a difference with your landscape plants as well. Apply a good all-purpose organic food like Plant Tone, Medina Growin Green, or Rose Glo once a month for great results. Don’t sprinkle your granular fertilizer right up against the trunk of the plant. Instead, sprinkle at the drip line, aka where rainwater would drip off the outermost leaves. That’s the zone where plants take up the most nutrients. After you’ve applied your granular food, circle back every 2 weeks to supplement with liquid Hasta Gro. Almost everything should be fed starting now, except lawns! Wait to fertilize lawns until late March/early April with Medina Growin Green.

Added bonus: When planting, add a little Bio Tone starter fertilizer to the soil when you backfill. It contains all sorts of beneficial organic matter, including mycorrhizal fungi which help stimulate better root growth. Amazing stuff!

2. Whatever You’re Planting – Add Compost!

Whether you’re starting a veggie garden, planting trees or shrubs, annual flowers, or blooming perennials, add some compost to improve the quality of your native soil. We love our Nature’s Blend or Cotton Burr Compost. One bag improves about 12 sq ft of clay or sandy soil and gets it ready for planting. That’s a good approximate ratio if you make your own compost too. Adding compost not only improves the consistency of your soil, it adds LIFE! All those beneficial microorganisms help turn your soil into the perfect environment for plant roots.

3. Plant Level – Not Too Deep!

When planting this Spring, DON’T PLANT TOO DEEP! Plant level with the surrounding soil (or even slightly higher) and don’t cover the top of the root ball with soil. Most plants have tiny feeder roots on the surface of the root ball that are critical for taking up nutrients and for oxygen exchange. If you bury these surface feeder roots, the plant will suffocate and decline. After you plant, remember that plants need long, deep drinks of water. Watering often does not equal watering well. Use a moisture meter to be sure you’re getting moisture down into the ground when you water.

4. Invite Pollinator Friends to Your Garden

Now is a great time to incorporate plants into your garden that attract & feed the birds, bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. They need your help finding food and shelter, and you need their help pollinating your blooming plants, increasing your veggie production, and eating bad bugs. Bees are drawn to most anything with a bloom but some fav’s are native Gregg’s Mist Flower, Esperanza, & Lantana. Butterflies love Salvias and Mexican Flame Vine too. Native plants like Turks Cap and Yaupon Holly produce berries for birds, and Hummingbirds love Duranta, Mexican Honeysuckle, & lots more! Keep in mind that pollinators need help locating these food sources. Think about planting several of the same plant together to help make them more visible to our pollinator friends.

5. Looking for Freeze-Tolerant Winter Warriors?

So many of us are rethinking our landscapes after 3 freeze years in a row. The most common question we’re hearing so far this spring is, “what can I plant that won’t freeze?”. We love this idea – creating the bones of your landscape with cold-hardy trees, shrubs, and blooming perennials that won’t be phased too much when our temps dip down. Think about classic shrubs like Indian Hawthorn or Dwarf Yaupon Holly. Think about Foxtail Ferns and Leopard plants. Think about ornamental grasses and salvias. And think about our wide variety of native plants. They’ve weathered freezes in Texas for hundreds or even thousands of years! Once you have some good bones, add seasoning with annual flowers and tropicals that you can have fun updating and replacing more often.

6. Lay Out Your Space – Give Plants Room to Grow!

A little planning goes a long way in the garden. Keep in mind the mature size and growth habit of plants you find here at Gill’s. We include this information on our plant signs to help you decide on that perfect spot. If you bring pictures of your planting areas with rough measurements, our Garden Coaches can sketch up a simple layout on graph paper and help you select plants that will thrive in your space, compliment each other, and not be too crowded once they’re fully grown.

Spring is around the corner and Gill garden talks are back!! We are so excited about this February lineup! As always, the talks are free and open to everyone of all ages and gardening skill levels. We’ll hold the talks outside if the weather’s nice, or indoors if not. Mark your calendars for Saturday mornings at 10am all February. Here’s a preview!

February 3rd – Tomato Time with DeAnna Baumgartner

Early February is prime tomato planting time for us. We’ll be bringing in all kinds of prize-winning and heirloom tomato plants and everything you need to get an awesome spring harvest. Join Gill’s manager and tomato expert, DeAnna to learn about different varieties and how to grow the tastiest tomatoes.

February 10th – Low-Water Landscape Design with Harry Villarreal

If you know Harry, Landscape Designer here at Gill’s, you know he loves pokey plants! Yuccas, different Agaves, Mangave, and cacti can all serve as features and focal points in the landscape AND help you conserve water. Or maybe you’re interested in incorporating Texas native plants and reducing lawn spaces. Harry will cover all this and more – conserve water and look great doing it!

February 17th – Spring Kickoff with James Gill

We’re so happy to have Gill’s founder and Master Naturalist, James Gill back for his annual Spring Kickoff talk! He’ll cover proper pruning, fertilizing, planting, design, and lots more to help you have the most successful spring gardening season. This is an awesome opportunity to bring your questions and share ideas with James. If you haven’t heard him speak before, you’re guaranteed to be entertained and leave with some new plant knowledge.

February 24th – Perennial Color: Tricks of the Trade with grower Zach Halfin, Green Lake Nursery

We have a close working relationship with all of the growers we purchase plants from. Green Lake Nursery in San Marcos has quickly become one of our go-to growers of gorgeous perennial color like salvias, native Turk’s Cap, Lantana, ornamental grasses and many more. Their plants are consistently stunning thanks to grower, Zach Halfin. Zach will share tricks of the trade from an expert grower’s perspective on how to grow showroom-quality plants in your landscape. Not to be missed!

We can’t wait to see everyone! Stay tuned here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram where we’ll continue to post updates about talks and events. We have lots more to come throughout the year!

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve talked to lots of customers about adjusting watering for winter. Most are still watering too much. Plants and lawns need less water, but it’s been tricky to gauge lately with warmer weather and intermittent rain. Here are a few winter watering do’s and don’ts.

DO: Slow Down Watering for Established Lawns and Plants

Slowing down watering will slow metabolism in your trees, shrubs, groundcovers, lawns, and potted plants, and this makes them more tolerant of a freeze. Also, excessive frequency of lawn watering in winter makes grass more susceptible to Take All Root Rot fungus.

DON’T: Run Sprinklers More than Once Every 2 Weeks

At this point (mid-December through the end of January), most sprinkler systems should be turned off and only used as needed, and no more than once every 2 weeks. If freezing temperatures are in the forecast, run the sprinklers the previous afternoon to add heat to the soil and fill air spaces in the soil with water to exclude the cold air.

DO: Continue to Water Winter Flowers and Veggies

Newly planted trees and shrubs, newly potted plants, and winter annual flowers and vegetables in active growth will need more regular watering, and may be particularly sensitive to a cold, low-humidity dry north wind. If there are zero clouds in the sky, and you are licking your lips, and there is a stiff breeze blowing, that dry breeze can necessitate watering despite the cool/cold temperatures.

DON’T: Be Fooled by Light Rainfall

We typically don’t get much significant rainfall in December and January, we get periodic misty drizzle. Keep in mind that even if it drizzles all day, very little moisture penetrates our heavy clay soil. This fascinating article from Texas A&M explains that it takes a whopping 2.5″ of rain to fully penetrate and soak clay soil down to 12″ deep. So, even if we get a little rain, it’s important to continue to water new plants, winter flowers and veggies. When in doubt, use a moisture meter!