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Gill Garden Center + Landscape Co.

Corpus Christi, TX Garden Center

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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 this November.

1. Fill Pots and Beds 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 shrubs and trees 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 to Fertilize Lawns & Prevent Weeds

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. Since lawn watering is restricted, you can try to time your fertilizing with a rain. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all get watered in. Medina Growin Green is all organic and won’t burn your grass. It’s designed to slowly work it’s way down to the roots over the course of a few waterings. 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.

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. Once again, follow up between granular feedings with liquid Hasta Gro. Hasta Gro is designed as a foliar feed, meaning it can be sprayed directly on the leaves. Not only does it help with blooming and overall health, it makes your leaves thicker and tougher!

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 November 15th, then poinsettias the following week. Paperwhite bulbs are already here, Amaryllis bulbs very soon, and Christmas cactus will arrive the week of Thanksgiving!

We’re happy to report that Christmas trees are here and they look….AMAZING!! We are so pleased with the sizes and shapes and freshness this year! The garden center is stocked with fresh-cut trees ranging from 5ft to 11ft, and the Gill’s crew has delivered one very special tree measuring over 20ft at The South Texas Botanical Gardens! Here’s some more info about our Christmas tree varieties this year plus a few important care tips. We can’t wait to help you find your perfect tree – plus, our friends from the Brewery Cafe will be here at Gill’s this Saturday serving up holiday coffee drinks and sweet treats!

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

Real Christmas trees 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 in Washington state and North Carolina 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, creating bug and pollinator habitat, chipped for garden mulch, and more. No waste!

Tree Varieties at Gill’s

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

Noble Fir in traditional form or the trendy layered look. Nobles are known for their long-cut life, darker green foliage, and stiff branches that hold ornaments well. They’re also very fragrant for those of us who love the smell of Christmas trees. 

Nordmann Fir has a soft needle and little to no fragrance, which makes it a great choice for those with allergies. Nordmanns have a very full look with contrasting silver and dark green foliage. Gorgeous!

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. For the first few days, your tree will drink a lot of water! Keep monitoring your water level in the stand those first few days and throughout the season. We carry the Watering Elf long water funnel 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 the needles as hydrated as possible.

Sip in Style While You Tree Shop this Saturday!

We are so excited to host our friends at The Brewery Cafe this Saturday! They’ll be serving up a special menu or holiday lattes and treats created just for the occasion. If you can’t make it this Saturday the 22nd, they’ll be back next Saturday the 29th too!

Go See The Big Tree at the Botanical Gardens!

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!

 

 

Spring has SPRUNG!! Gorgeous weather, rain in the forecast, and the nursery is bursting at the seams with all kinds of blooms! Here are our top must-do’s in the garden this March – time to get planting!

1. Get Your Veggies Going Right Now

We must say…our veggie and herb section is looking mighty good right now! We’ve got tons of different tomatoes, jalapenos, super hot Carolina Reapers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, asparagus, lemongrass, basil, and lots more ready for your garden. Be sure to get your tomatoes going early this month so they have time to produce before it gets too warm – don’t miss your window. The rest of these can be planted any time this month, but you don’t want to wait much longer. Take advantage of the perfect weather!

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

The time to fertilize is when plants are actively growing. That’s when they take up nutrients and get the most benefit from a good feeding. 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.

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!

3. 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. Whichever you choose, 1 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.

4. 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. 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, use a moisture meter to be sure you’re getting moisture down into the ground when you water.

5. Invite Pollinator Helpers to Your Garden

Now is an important 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. 

p.s. If you want to learn more about bees, join us here at Gill’s this Saturday, 3/7 at 10am for a special garden talk:  Beekeeping & Honey Processing with Hebert Honey!

6. Plant Drought-Tolerant Color!

Q:  Can I use far less water and still have a gorgeous landscape bursting with color? A:  Absolutely, you can! Given our drought situation, we’re sourcing even more of the tried and true, top-performing plants that don’t require much water once established. Think about a rainbow of Coreopsis (pictured), native Blackfoot Daisy, Mexican Heather, Bulbine, and all the different color Salvias and Lantanas – all very tough and water wise perennials that will carry you through the seasons. Think about creating some areas of interest in the ground or in pots with Gomphrena, Bluebonnets, and Pentas, all of which thrive with little water. Speaking of pots, even bright sweet potato vine is a low-water winner. 

Keep in mind – turfgrass lawns are by far the thirstiest part of our landscapes. Now’s a great time to reduce lawn space by creating or expanding planting beds, converting to native groundcover like Frogfruit, or adding pathways and other features. How much of your lawn space are you actually using? 

7. Come to Our Nightbloom Event Next Thursday!

Did you know we’re hosting our first-ever night time shopping event at Gill’s next Thursday evening, March 12th?! Stop by and see the nursery lit up at night – it’s magical! Stay tuned to all of our upcoming talks and events here, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates. 

p.s. Now you can sip and stroll at Gill’s any time – we’re stocked with cold drinks including beer & wine 🙂

 

 

Rain in the forecast, wonderful temperatures, holidays with family and friends = AMAZING time to garden! We’re all busy planting, re-designing, fertilizing, and getting ready for outdoor fun with guests. Here are our top tips for making the most of a very important month in the garden. 

1. Feed Your Plants, Trees, and Lawns Too

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. Medina Growin Green is a great multi-purpose food for landscape plants, shrubs, trees, veggies, lawns, you name it! For blooming perennials, annual flowers, and veggies we really like using a good organic granular food like Medina Growin Green, Plant Tone by Espoma, or Rose Glo in combination with Medina Hasta Gro liquid. Feed with the granular 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!

Yes, you can still fertilize your lawn, even though our lawn watering is limited. Using a good organic lawn food, like our go-to Medina Growin Green, promotes root growth and long-term health, which makes lawns more tolerant of less water. Ideally you’d want to water the fertilizer in, but you don’t have to. Medina Growin Green is gentle and won’t burn your lawn. You can apply it now and water it in slowly over a few weeks. If you have trees in your yard, keep in mind that fertilizer and water need to be applied at the drip line, aka where rainwater naturally drips off the outer edge of the canopy. Therefore, if you apply fertilizer to your lawn and water it in for the trees, your lawn will get the benefit too. You can also try to time your lawn fertilizing with a light rain. We typically don’t recommend waiting for rain to fertilize since a heavy rain would wash most of the fertilizer granules away. But, given the watering limitations, taking advantage of a light rain is a good solution. 

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.

Keep in mind that hand watering and drip irrigation are allowed during current watering restrictions. You can hand water any day before 10am or after 6pm, and you can supplement with drip irrigation once every other week. We carry the pro watering wands that we use here at Gill’s as well as moisture meters, timers, and other supplies to help make the most of your water.

For any new plantings, including turfgrass, 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.

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, red yucca, 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! 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 – granular food (like Medina Growin Green or 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 – you WILL get more and better-tasting fruit with a good fertilizer schedule. Plus, strong, vigorous veggie plants are less susceptible to pest damage.

5. Mulch! Not Just for Good Looks…

We all know that fresh mulch is like a fresh coat of paint for your garden – instant makeover! But did you know that applying a proper 3” layer of natural mulch keeps underlying soil temps more than 20 degrees cooler?! A good mulch layer keeps weeds at bay, and as it breaks down over time, it add nutrients to your soil. And perhaps most importantly right now, a good mulch layer retains moisture, which means big water savings. 

6. Get Ready for Guests

Get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather and prep for gathering with family and friends! For the quickest and easiest impact outdoors, think hanging baskets full of periwinkles, coleus, hummingbird falls salvia, bougainvillea, and more overflowing with color. Some pops of color plus fresh mulch in your beds and you’re ready to host! For indoors, our favorite flower arrangements are those cut fresh from the garden and landscape, or we have some cute dried arrangements too!

 

James Gill had his annual Get Ready for Spring garden talk here at Gill’s last weekend. As always, it was a big hit – standing room only! In case you missed it, we decided to do a recap:

Pre-Spring Lawn Tips
  • Prevent and treat Take All Root Rot using Peat Moss:  Rake out dead grass, spread Peat Moss, and water it in. Wait until dry to water again. 
  • Know when to water your lawn – if a screwdriver is hard to push into the soil, its’ time to water. If it pushes into the soil easily, you’ve got enough moisture. 
  • Wait to fertilize your lawn until it’s growing, and you need to mow it once a week – usually March
  • If you get Bermuda grass in your landscape beds, use Grass B Gone
  • There’s not a practical way to remove Bermuda grass in your St. Augustine lawn – the best way is to keep your St. Augustine healthy (watered and fed) and it will choke out the Bermuda
To Prune or Not to Prune?

Prune Now

  • Lantana
  • Esperanza
  • Plumbago
  • Hibiscus
  • Firebush
  • Jatropha
  • Grasses 
  • Shrub Roses

Do Not Prune

  • Crape Myrtles
  • Citrus Trees
  • Bougainvillea
  • Fig Trees

Prune AFTER Spring Bloom

  • Azaleas
  • Mountain Laurel
  • Indian Hawthorn
  • Climbing Roses
Fertilize Citrus Trees Now
  • Use organic Citrus Tone
  • Spread inside and just outside the drip line (where water drips off the tree branches and leaves when you water it)

-James

1. Proper Watering

This is the most important of all. Water slow and deep to make sure at least one inch of water is applied to all established lawn and landscape plants for our long hot summers. Smaller bedding plants such as annual color and perennial beds will require a second supplemental watering since they have a smaller root system.

2. Mulching

Use hardwood mulch three to four inches deep in planting beds to help conserve moisture as well as control weeds. Most mulch is applied too thin, only two inches rather than three to four. Do not bury crown of plant or trunk of shrubs.

3. Top Dress The Lawn

A thin layer of Nature’s Blend Compost applied several times a year helps to enrich the soil and will cut watering demands.

4. Insect Controls

Many insects are seasonal. Chinch bugs attack lawns in the hot summer months, so watch the edges of your lawn for the first signs. Spider mites also love the hot dry summer season. Keep an eye on junipers, pittosporums and houseplants for signs of mottling on the leaves or leaf drop and treat as soon as possible. Mealy bugs are also a  hot weather insect and leave white cotton along the stems and undersides of many plants. More than one application may be needed to control some of these insects.

5. Fungus Control

This is not always an issue in the summer, but can be if we are getting periods of heavy rain. Proper year round watering and adding Nature’s Blend several times a year will help minimize fungal issues.

6. Fertilizing

Keeping your plants fed for the summer is very important, but applying at a lower rate may help to keep them healthy without encouraging too much new growth. Using organic fertilizers keep the plants healthy which minimizes insect attacks, Milorganite Fertilizer for instance.

7. Pruning

Some plants will need to be pruned in the summer to keep them more compact and not overgrown. Be careful, though, since some plants can sunburn easily when removing the upper leaves which have been shading the rest of the plant.

8. Weed Control

Some weeds burn off in the summer heat. Pre-emergents, such as Green Light Amaze and Hi Yield Weed & Grass Stopper can be applied year round in landscape beds to prevent weeds. Organic weed killers, such as Nature’s Guide Horticultural Vinegar, for landscape beds, are most effective in hot summer temperatures. But broadleaf lawn weed killers cannot be used in your grass once temperatures get above 85 degrees due to burning. Keep the grass mowed to remove seed heads of weeds. Mechanical means is always the best.

9. Proper Mowing Height

Proper mowing height will shade the ground and cause less water evaporation from the soil, reducing water needs. St. Augustine is best at three inches, so raise the mower. Also a sharp mower blade helps the grass look fresh and green, while a dull blade leaves ragged edges that turn brown and cause the lawn to look somewhat dead and dull.

10. Proper Plant – Proper Place

With any landscape make sure you have thought out the full mature height and width of plants, sun requirements and water needs before planting. You should never be constantly pruning a plant because it is too large for the space. That is the wrong plant for the spot. Also group like water need plants together. The most drought tolerant plants should be those furthest from the water source.

Now that you have worked hard at planting and maintaining the landscape, take the time to kick back, relax and admire the beauty you created. Gardening is great therapy! it not only burns calories, it also reduces stress from a hard day’s work and helps to lower blood pressure. Colleges are even offering courses in horticultural therapy. Gardeners live longer lives; plants give you reason to get up and get moving!

deanna-DeAnna

Now that the weather is getting warmer, it is finally periwinkle time. Periwinkles are a great annual that thrive in our hot summers and keep going into the fall. My mother has a periwinkle hanging basket my sister gave her last summer that stills looks great!!

An irritating issue with periwinkles is they can get stem rot, a bad disease problem for periwinkles. The variety we sell, Cora, is less susceptible to stem rot than the older varieties, but can still get it. This disease is caused by a soil-borne, fungal-like microorganism, phytophthora, that can persist in the soil for years. Under conditions of overhead watering or heavy rainfall, this disease can spread rapidly throughout your periwinkle planting beds.

To minimize the possibility of this disease there are a few steps you can take to help prevent it from occurring. Be sure to work compost into the soil to help loosen the ground for better drainage. Space the plants 8-10 inches apart. Mulch heavily with hardwood mulch.

Slow easy watering with a soaker hose or drip irrigation at the base of the plants is best instead of overhead irrigating. Hand watering carefully to saturate the soil around the plants without watering directly over the top is also advisable. If you have had stem rot or want to insure success, water your plantings in with Actinovate Fungicide.  All these tips will help you be successful with periwinkles!

deanna-DeAnna

 

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