bees

Happy Earth Day Weekend! A big part of our purpose here at Gill’s is to help gardeners be the best stewards of their pieces of the earth that we all share. We want to help you create beautiful gardens that only get better with time, which means nourishing life in the soil and choosing the right plants. Here are a few areas of focus if you’d like to make your landscape more earth-friendly for Earth Day and beyond!

Focus on Nurturing Life in the Soil

Gardeners know that it all starts with healthy soil. By healthy, we mean ALIVE with all the microbes and fungi that help plants grow stronger roots. We also know that the soil types in our area (heavy clay or sand) need some amendment. Adding compost, worm castings, using organic plant food, and using natural hardwood mulch all help keep those microorganisms active and thriving. Over time, your soil will become lush and beautiful and your established and new plants will thrive. It also makes digging and working in the garden so much easier and more fun! Keep these soil microorganisms in mind if/when it’s time to treat for pests. This is the main reason why we almost never recommend chemical pesticides – they kill the good stuff in the soil too. Many pest problems can be solved by treating organically or by doing nothing at all.

Choose Plants that Support Pollinators

If we’re focused on supporting life in the soil, we can also focus on supporting important wildlife above ground with the plants we choose. We have so many options design-wise in South Texas for plants that attract and feed birds, butterflies, moths, bees, and other insect pollinators. Think of a well-placed native Yaupon Holly + a bird bath near a window where you and your pets can watch birds. Think of a fence line pollinator bed filled with different native and cultivated salvia varieties + Gregg’s Mistflower for butterflies. Think of a boring curb strip seeded with native wildflower mix. And right now, you can gear up for the April hummingbird migration by planting Firecracker Plant, Firebush, Turk’s Cap, Flame Acanthus, and many more. So many options for beautiful AND beneficial!

Reduce Lawn Space

With so much interest in supporting pollinators, combined with our current watering restrictions and a more modern restorative approach to landscape design, many of us are reconsidering the traditional lawn. It’s estimated that there are over 40 million acres of turfgrass lawns in the US. That means 40 million acres of diverse native plants that once supported wildlife have been replaced with a monoculture that provides no benefit to the ecosystem. Does this mean we should immediately remove and replace our entire lawn with natives? Maybe, but we can have a big impact by just reducing some lawn space. Think of it this way – how much of your lawn do you actually use? Could some of that space be devoted to new beds filled with plants that serve more of a purpose and use far less water? Could some of that space be converted to native groundcover like Wooly Stemodia, Dichondra, Frog Fruit, or Horseherb that use far less water than grass and don’t require any mowing?!

Yay for May! Everything’s growing and blooming and we hope you are too! May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a good time to think about the peace of mind that gardening brings us. Gardeners know that all the research is true – gardening is good for you! Here are our Top 6 Must Do’s this May to keep you and your garden feelin’ good.

1. Join Us for Garden Talks and Events!

We’ve got a fun May planned here at Gill’s, and we’re kicking it off Saturday, May 11th with our Mother’s Day Flower Art for Kids workshop! Then we’re hosting an RSVP-only pressed flower workshop the evening of May 16th, and an informative talk on setting up your own drip irrigation system on May 25th. Sure to be lots of fun and lots to learn and discuss! Click here for more info!

2. Plant Blooming Perennials and Trees

It’s still time to plant lots of different blooming perennials and blooming trees. Get them established in May so they are better adapted to withstand warmer temps this Summer. Staples like Esperanza, many varieties of Salvia, Lantana, and tons more are all blooming beautifully right now. And blooming trees like Vitex, Retama, and Wild Olive are looking great right now too. Added bonus: these blooming perennials and trees attract lots of butterflies and hummingbirds!

3. Plant and Harvest Veggies

Warm weather veggie time! Plant peppers, zucchini, squash, and okra this month for continued harvesting into the Summer months. If you planted tomatoes, cucumbers, and other early Spring veggies, you’ll be harvesting now or very soon. Be sure to harvest often! It keeps birds & insects from finding them first. If you do have insect issues in your veggie garden, our go-to organic control is Spinosad – safe for food but takes care of bugs. Recent rain showers have been great for veggie gardens. Remember to keep watering as the weather warms up to maintain depth moisture. Soaker hoses are great to snake around your plants keeping water close to the ground and root systems.

4. Transition Your Lawn to Summer

Water deeply once every 2 weeks unless we get rain (per current watering rules). Watering once every 2 weeks with your irrigation system or sprinklers IS sufficient to keep lawns healthy through the summer. If necessary, you can supplement with hand watering. The key is to focus on depth moisture and root health – not necessarily a perfect green appearance all summer long.

When mowing, the proper height for St. Augustine lawns is around 3 inches. For Bermuda lawns, keep mowed to around 2-2.5 inches. Buzzing lawns shorter than that will cause lawn stress, and stressed lawns are more susceptible to pests, weeds, and disease.

Feed with Natural Fertilizers: Medina Growin Green or Milorganite. These feed the lawn and the soil with great results. Water in to get them started. Plus you can use them elsewhere in your landscape for plants and trees.

Watch for lawn insects & treat when needed. Grub worms & chinch bugs are easy to control when caught early but there’s no need to treat unless you have them. Bayer Season-long Grub Control will do the trick for grubs. Cyonara takes care of chinch bugs. Reminder, you can bring us a grass sample any time you suspect a lawn disease or pest. We’ll diagnose (using our microscope if needed) and get you what you need to knock it out.

Consider reducing your lawn space! Does all this lawn stuff sound like a lot of work? It can be! Many of us are reconsidering whether we really even want all that green lawn space. Why not start converting small portions of lawn to planting beds filled with blooming perennials that benefit the environment and use far less water? One way to start would simply be to deepen existing landscape beds to reduce some lawn.

5. Set Your Mosquito Traps!

We are big fans of the simple bucket mosquito trap. Just fill a bucket 3/4 with water, add a good handful of lawn or plant clippings, and toss in a Mosquito Dunk or Mosquito Bits. These dissolve in the water and release bacteria that target mosquito larvae and kill them before they hatch. And they’re organic and not harmful to birds, bees, pets or humans! Set a few of these traps, sprinkle some organic Mosquito Beater granules around walkways and patios, spray organic Cedar Repel on your lawn, and use Skeeter Screen incense sticks near where you’re working or hanging out outside. Remember that using chemical mosquito foggers kills all the good bugs too, some of which also help control mosquitos and other bad bugs.

6. Gifts for Moms and Grads

Let us help you find something pretty, useful, or both for the gardening moms and grads in your life. Pottery, birdbaths, wind chimes, garden tools, hats, gloves, garden decor, gift cards – lots of options. Check out the Bee Puddles handmade by ceramicist and Gill’s own Wyatt Page! Help bees stop for a drink. Or find the gift that gardeners love most – plants 🙂

Visit our May Garden Guide for more tips! Happy gardening!

Temperatures may not feel like it yet, but it’s time to start making the transition into an exciting new Fall planting season! There’s a lot to do in August to set yourself up for big garden success this Fall and beyond. Here are our top must-do’s!

Check out our August 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. Water to Maintain Depth Moisture!

Yay for rain!! It looks like there might even be some more in the forecast late next week! Since we have the luxury of good depth moisture, our goal with watering this month should be to maintain it. For lawns and established plants and trees, this means watering less frequently, but watering deeply when you water. New plantings will require water every day for the first couple weeks to get the roots established, but again, think deep drinks so the roots dive deeper. Use a water wand with a cut-off valve to make it easy on you and conserve water. Pro tip: Conserve water by watering at ground level, not spraying from above. This way, water soaks down to the roots rather than evaporating off the leaves.

2. Start Planting for Fall Pollinators!

Important fact: birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Plants attract and provide food for them to keep the cycle going. For example – plant Zinnia and sunflower seeds now, and they’ll be ready to feed migrating birds this Fall. Plant salvias now, get roots established, and they’ll be gorgeous this Fall and covered in hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Take it a step further and plant Texas natives! They provide for pollinators and require less water once established. If you’re excited about planting natives for pollinators, check out Homegrown National Park! It’s a nationwide movement to plant natives and restore native biodiversity at home. Just by planting a few native plants, you can get your yard on the map and become part of the Homegrown National Park.

3. Pick Out Your Seeds!

Watching your plants grow from a tiny seed is exciting and rewarding! Our Fall Vegetable Planting Guide provides the specific seed-planting dates to help plan your Fall garden. In early August, we’ll receive the new 2024-2025 seeds from our favorite seed suppliers, including heirloom vegetables, new releases, and wildflower seeds. Use peat pots or seed starting trays to start seeds indoors this month, then move to a covered patio once they sprout. This will protect the seedlings and slowly acclimate them to outdoor temps.

4. Prep Your Garden Beds

August is the time to start prepping Fall veggie beds! Finish your Summer harvesting, clean out your beds, and pull weeds. To get your soil ready, we recommend mixing Nature’s Blend Compost or Cotton Burr Compost into your soil to replenish nutrients and loosen the soil before planting. About 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. is good. Once prepped, add a thick layer of pine straw mulch, which will help retain moisture, keep weeds from sprouting, and keep the soil cooler until you’re ready to plant. As you plan your space, think crop rotation – don’t plant the same veggies in the exact same place you planted them last season, or you encourage pests and diseases.

5. Mulch for Moisture Retention

We know fresh mulch is the quickest way to refresh the look of your landscape. Proper mulching has other big benefits, especially during hot weather. A good 3” deep layer of mulch will keep your plants and the soil moist and cool for longer after you water or after it rains. Not just a little cooler – we’re talking more than 25 degrees cooler!! Give the main trunks or stems of your plants a little space – mulch 3” deep throughout the bed, but no more than 1” deep against the main trunks/stems of plants.

6. What About All the Weeds??

With all this amazing rain comes lots of weeds! We can’t apply weed killer to lawns right now because temperatures are still too high – we need to stay below 90 degrees to be able to treat existing lawn weeds. For now, keep the lawn mowed to prevent weeds from going to seed, and apply pre-emergent Weed Stopper with Dimension to prevent new weeds from sprouting. For landscape beds, we recommend spot treating weeds with an organic contact killer like Horticultural Vinegar or Captain Jack’s Deadweed Brew. For pesky Bermuda grass in beds, spot treat with Grass-B-Gon, and for our old friend nutsedge (aka nut grass), use Sedgehammer. Keep in mind, Bermuda grass and nutsedge will likely require several applications to eradicate.

It sure feels like summer outside, but in order for fall tomatoes and peppers to have time to produce lots of fruit, we gotta plant em now! Here are a few tips for growing the most and the tastiest tomatoes and peppers.

1. Count Your Days to Maturity

The average tomato, like our beloved Celebrity slicing tomato, needs about 70-80 days to mature and produce fruit. That means they’ll be ready around the beginning of November if we plant today. Similarly, Jalepenos and bell peppers need 60-80 days to maturity. Be sure to get them planted now or very soon so you can get a good harvest before we have chances of cold weather which tomatoes and peppers can’t handle.

2. Adequate Spacing + Cages for Support

When planting, keep in mind that tomatoes should be planted a good 4 feet apart, and peppers should be 2.5-3 feet apart. This gives them room to grow to their full potential, ensures good airflow around the plants, and helps prevent pest outbreaks. Remember – tomato cages are your friends! It’s important to cage the tomato right when you plant so you don’t risk breaking branches if you try to add a cage later. A tomato cage works great for supporting pepper plants too. And be sure to have some flexible green garden tie tape to help secure floppy branches, especially when they get heavy with fruit! The flexible tape is nice because it’s soft and won’t cut into the plant like string or wire would. Yes, we have some!

3. Follow DeAnna’s Tried & True Feeding Schedule

Remember that plants use lots of energy to produce fruit, so they need plenty of good food! Use compost and Biotone Starter Plus you plant to promote good soil microbes and bigger roots. Then take DeAnna’s advice on feeding: apply a quality granular fertilizer (Plant Tone or Medina Growin Green) on the 1st of the month, then supplement with liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th. Add these reminders to your calendar to make it easy. Follow this schedule and you’ll have tomatoes & peppers to share!

It’s almost that magical time of year again when ruby-throated hummingbirds make their way through the Coastal Bend on their way south for the winter! Expect to start seeing hummingbirds around town any day now, with peak numbers around mid-late September, right in time for the Rockport-Fulton Hummerbird Celebration. With our hungry guests arriving very soon, it’s time to set the table with all the right hummingbird plants! Here’s what and how to plant to make your yard a preferred stop on the migration path.

1. Plant Tubular Blooms in Shades of Orange and Red

If we think about our list of top-notch hummingbird-attracting plants like Firebush (pictured), Flame Acanthus, Firecracker (russelia), Salvia greggii, and Coral Honeysuckle, to name a few, they all have tubular blooms that are perfect for a hummingbird’s long, skinny beak. And their blooms are all shades of orange and red! Hummingbirds have a high concentration of cones in their retinas which filter color differently than what we see. To hummingbirds, the red spectrum appears more vividly while blues appear more muted. That said, scientists have run experiments with different color blooms and found that hummingbirds learn very fast which blooms have the most nectar, regardless of bloom color. As a local example, we know that hummingbirds also love Duranta‘s blooms which are purple and not tube-shaped. Lantanas are another plant that hummingbirds seem to love in all colors.

2. Plant in Groups, Not Just 1 or 2

When planting for hummingbirds and other pollinators, make your food sources easy to find. Instead of planting 1’s and 2’s of hummingbird plants spread out across the yard, plant a few or several of the same plant in a group. This helps mimic how most plants are found in nature, helps the hummingbirds spot them more easily, and provides a higher concentration of nectar. If you have limited space, go with 3 of the same plant rather than 1 of each. We had a customer call Gill’s this week to ask about hummingbird plants for her balcony…on the 13th floor! That may seem like a stretch, but hummingbirds can fly up to 500 feet – if they have a good reason to fly up to your balcony, they can and will!

3. Supplement with High Quality Organic Food and Shallow Water

The right plants will get you more hummingbirds, but it doesn’t hurt to supplement with some feeders too. They need all the energy they can get for their long journey. Place your feeders in easy to access spots since they need to be cleaned regularly. And don’t use the fake red dyed “nectar” that you might find at big box stores. Use a high-quality, nutritious food that’s truly made for hummingbirds. We’re big fans of organic Hummingbird Momma, which is the only nectar we carry. And don’t forget about water! No hummingbird haven is complete without a shallow bird bath or fountain. They can’t stand in deeper water, so look for something very shallow!

Fall planting season is here!! September is the best time to plant almost everything. And the recent rain is excellent news for getting started! Here are our top 7 must-do’s this month as we head into our favorite season in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend.

Check out our September Garden Guide for more tips!

1. Ready, Set, PLANT Veggies, Herbs, Citrus, and Fruits!

It’s time! Tomatoes, peppers, & warm weather edibles should be planted by now, or at the latest, early September. Plant cool weather veggies & herbs anytime in September and remember to shelter them from still-intense sun and keep watered. When planting, you can’t go wrong with organic BioTone starter fertilizer + a good handful of Earthworm Castings. Neither of these require precise measurement, and they make an incredible combo for building stronger, deeper roots, preventing pests, and creating an active soil environment for plants to thrive.

Here’s our Fall veggie planting schedule. And save space for citrus trees, figs, and other fruits to round off your garden grocery store! They’ll all be arriving before or right around mid-September.

2. Plant Trees and Shrubs for the BEST Start

Plants that are cold hardy (trees and woody shrubs) will benefit greatly by planting during our fall season. They’re under less heat stress, and they grow more roots through the fall and winter, making them stronger and ready to take off next spring. More roots, stronger plants, and less watering! Oak trees, Crape Myrtles, Hawthorns, Yaupon Holly, Plumbago, Boxwoods and a host of other trees and shrubs should be planted starting this month for the best start.

3. Plant to Support Pollinators!

We’re bringing in lots of new plants this month with our pollinator friends in mind! While you’re choosing what to plant, consider adding Texas Natives like Turk’s Cap and Lantana that birds and bees love. If you want to attract and support butterflies, try native butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Gregg’s mist flower, and lots of different blooming salvias. So many gorgeous options! Bring in some pictures of your outdoor space and we can help you plan the perfect pollinator garden – big or small. You can DIY or we can plant it for you!

4. Set the Table for the Fall Hummingbird Migration!

Ruby-throated hummingbirds will soon make their way through for the fall migration! These tiny birds are BIG eaters. They stop here in the Coastal Bend to fuel up before their non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Host them in your yard by planting some of their favorite foods! Hummingbirds find plants using their excellent vision and are attracted to bright colored blooms, which indicate a high-sugar food source. Some of our favs for South Texas are Flame Acanthus (aka hummingbird bush), Salvias (like native Salvia greggii and Salvia leucantha), Cape Honeysuckle, Firecracker plant, Coral bean – the list goes on! Plant a few of these and hummingbirds will find them. And don’t forget to visit the Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Celebration September 19-22!

5. Make Way for New Growth with Light Pruning and Clean-up

Chances are you have established plants that could benefit from a clean-up after working so hard all summer. Wait until about September 15th and give them a light pruning to make way for new growth this fall. A good rule of thumb for most plants is to prune up to 1/3 (not more) in the fall, then wait until January to do a heavy pruning/cutback. If you have questions about how to prune specific plants, you know who to call!

6. Watch Your Watering and Adjust as Needed

We’ll keep repeating – water to maintain depth moisture! That means water slow and deep. Conserve water and force those roots to dive deeper for moisture. If you use an automatic sprinkler system, take some time this month to give it a good audit. Make sure all your sprinkler heads are working properly, and make sure you are applying a good 1″ of water, evenly, when you water your lawn and established landscape beds and trees. The easy way to do this is to get some simple sprinkler gauges (pictured) and place them in different locations. You may find that different sprinkler zones need various different run times.

7. You’re Invited! Gill Garden Talks and Events this Fall!

Gill Garden Talks and Events are back this Fall! We’re kicking it off with Kids Fest at KEDT studios on September 14th where we’ll be on hand giving away plants, seeds, and other fun garden stuff! Stay tuned here and on Instagram and Facebook for details of each event. We’ve got a few more that we can’t announce just yet 🙂

You may have asked yourself at some point in your botanical endeavors, what makes the plant world go around, especially for blooming plants?

Bees are the answer, and are undeniably the most important insect on the planet! They allow us to enjoy all the bounty of our vegetable garden, the bounty of our fruit bearing plants and all the colorful flowers of our landscape. Bees primarily carry out the pollination process, and the impact alone involved in them landing on a flower will sometimes help to start that cycle. Bees harvest pollen by gathering it on their backs and will transport it from one flower to another. This is critical for vegetables like squash, which have both male and female flowers.

To attract bees, you guessed it, you will need flowers. Flat or shallow blossoms like Zinnias, Salvias, Daisies and Asters will attract the largest variety of bees. I’ve found through my experience that bees also love Magic Mountain Basil. Unlike your other basils, you’ll want to keep the flowers on this one. There are many other flowering plants you can choose from and here at Gills, we have most of them in stock, readily available.

If you are running out of room in your garden like I have, you can also consider this alternative: I have found that if you go out and tap all the blooms of your vegetables or fruit bearing plants with your finger, you can transport pollen the very same way. So the next time you get scared when you see a bee, don’t be. We probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for them. Bee friendly!

-Matt Pinkerton

Oak Leaves Will Fall

If you haven’t noticed before, this is the time that live oak leaves turn and fall. They are fine when used as a mulch in shrub beds, but should not be allowed to sit on the lawn, as they can inhibit soil warming and healthy new growth of grass.

–James

Companion Plants For Your Veggie Garden

Planting certain kinds of flowers in your veggie garden can not only attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, but can also help you get rid of pesky insects in your garden. Borage has bright blue flowers, and repels tomato hornworms. Marigolds have a certain compound in their root system that repels harmful nematodes. Catnip is said to keep flea beetles away, so is great to plant near Eggplant and Okra. And last but not least, radishes keep squash borers away. We carry most of these plants in seed form, so be sure to sprinkle them in the garden now!

–Marta

10 Reasons To Mulch Gardens & Landscapes

1. Provides an excellent source of organic compost that offers nutrients for your plantings.

2. Insulates the soil around new plants from fluctuating spring temperatures.

3. Prevents soil erosion from water runoff during heavy downpours.

4. Retains moisture during the dry heat of the summer, which means less watering.

5. Suppresses weed seed germination and weed growth which can rob water and nutrients from landscape plants. Be sure to mulch 3-4 inches deep.

6. Beautifies the landscape, giving beds a manicured look.

7. Encourages earthworms to move in for improved soil structure and nutrient recycling.

8. Protects trees and shrubs from being damaged by lawnmowers and weedeaters.

9. Prevents soil borne fungus from splattering onto the leaves of plants.

10. Bark mulch can decompose over time, thus adding valuable nutrients back into the soil. In essence, mulching is time-released composting.

-DeAnna