flowers

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

Watering slow and deep but not too often is the key to a strong and deep root system. By contrast, frequent, short watering encourages roots to stay shallow, in a zone that dries out faster. Texas A&M recommends applying one inch of water once a week or less, on your chosen watering day. You can measure this by setting out a rain gauge or a tuna fish can. If you find water running off into the gutter before you get one inch (likely) then you need to break your watering into two or three applications on the same day (Learn more: Cycle Soak Method of Lawn Irrigation) The second watering and third watering will push the water down deeper into the soil, to help grow a deeper root system. Remember, shallow watering every few days forces the roots to rise to the surface where the moisture is. Shallow roots demand more watering and make for a weaker plant.

Newly planted trees, shrubs and grass will require more frequent watering since they do not have an extensive root system. Annual flowers and vegetables require more also due to their limited root system. So start now, and water slow and deep to maintain that beautiful lawn and landscape for the summer with minimal care.

-DeAnna

Because we have a lot of flowers and reservoirs of water at Gill’s, we also have a wonderfully large population of butterflies, dragonflies and bees.

This past 4th of July, I walked into our accounting office and found 8 bees buzzing around our ceiling fluorescent lights. I had never seen so many bees in our office and honestly, wasn’t quite sure what to do. Our buyer, Debbie walked in and immediately had the solution. She directed me to turn off all the lights & close the doors to get the room as dark as possible. Then we opened a window that had good natural light coming from outdoors and the bees, within seconds, began filing out through the window one by one.

I was so happy and amazed at how smart they were. Another example of the WONDERS OF NATURE!!

-Sally

I was blown away by the bromeliads that came in our last order from Florida. I wasn’t shopping for anything new but couldn’t resist their breathtaking beauty. Sometimes you’re only window shopping, and then, presto! – you walk out with something new. I thought, “wow, this is pretty, but how do I take care of it?”

Here’s what I learned:

Bromeliads originated in southern North America, most of South America, and isolated portions of Africa. There are a couple you may already know. The smallest is found hanging from oak trees. Spanish moss, a tillandsia, is part of the bromeliad family. Another bromeliad is a well-known tropical fruit, often used to garnish tropical drinks. Pineapple!

The more than 3,400 species of bromeliads have unique and fascinating foliage and flowers.

Some are toothed, some bloom tall spikes; others change color or develop tiny flowers inside their water wells.

Most bromeliads gather water and nutrition from their foliage or water well. They need little to no soil for their root system. They are often epiphytic, clinging to trees or other structures. They are not parasitic.

Caring for them is super easy.

Bromeliads enjoy filtered bright light – indoors or a patio is perfect. Keep water in the cup and only water the soil when dry. Dump water weekly to avoid stagnation. Feed them with a half-strength fertilizer once monthly. (We suggest Hastagro.)

Remember, they don’t need a big pot to grow. You can mount them on driftwood or stumps, even hang them from mossed wire.

Now, here’s the cool part.

As the flowers fade, the parent plant will produce offshoots around the base. These are baby bromeliads that can be removed and planted – making one plant into many plants! As new ones grow, the parent plant has done it’s part and begins to die. You can enjoy them for years to come and share them with friends.

To start your new plants, leave the sprouts growing until they are just big enough to handle, 3″-4″ tall should be good. Remove them by cutting them off just under the soil and plant them in sphagnum moss or loose planting mix. Orchid bark or seed and cutting mix would be great. They will require the same care as the parent plant. Moisten the soil and fill the center cup with water.

The more widely cultivated species are Aechmea, Guzmania, Cryptanthus, Vriesea, and Tillandsia. They are commercially grown in Florida, making them available for us year-round.

Tropical and exotic and easy?! You bet! See ya soon!

-Debbie

I get my green thumb from my sweet, sweet grandma. She was an avid organic gardener long before the term was coined. Her beautiful vegetable and flower gardens mesmerized me and instilled a love and wonder for the beauty of nature within my soul. I bet she chuckles in heaven, accepting that I am usually too busy to adopt her old fashioned ways of planting from seed. I usually begin with starter plants, but a busy girl has to do what a busy girl has to do.

My Grandma Atkinson always did everything the old-fashioned way, meaning plants were propagated from cutting or by seed and everything got a good dash of rich, smelly cow manure from time to time. She even saved seeds from her beloved garden babies and set them aside for future generations.

A couple of years ago I decided to grow sunflowers, my grandma’s way, from seed. Once they were up and blooming, even my husband Mike fell in love with them. That year the smash hit ended with us harvesting the seeds for the birds!

This year Mike purchased some sunflower seeds from Gill’s at the end of May. I started numerous varieties, more babies than I had room to plant in my garden. So many that I was able to share some with Gill staff! I staggered the seed plantings so the plants would set bloom over a period of weeks. The seedlings this year were sown in starter flats. They also can be successfully started in other types of containers like recycled milk cartons (Grandma’s favorite) or even straight into your flowerbed. The key to success is water. Keep the soil damp enough that the seeds are able to break out of their heavy shells and emerge as seedlings. Once they emerge, don’t splash water on their foliage because that can cause downy mildew. Find that sweet spot where they do not drown from being kept too wet, and yet never allow the soil to completely dry out.

Prior to my second set of seedlings being transplanted to the ground, I did a show and tell with them at Gill’s at one of my garden talks. After the talk, it was time. My seedlings were large enough to endure being transplanted, so into the garden they went. I mixed Plant Tone into the soil for good organic matter. I was rewarded with a ton of rain shortly thereafter. They started growing by leaps and bounds.

The week of July 4th, they started revealing their happy faces one by one all over my backyard almost as if to announce, “Summer is here!” As a result, my Facebook page was filled to the brim with happy sunflowers that warmed everyone’s hearts and vases were filled with sunshine flowers I shared with friends.

Gill’s has sunflower seeds now and no, it’s not too late to plant for a beautiful fall harvest! Hope you enjoy them as much as my family has!

-Grace

Yes, it is time to begin preparing the vegetable gardens for your tomatoes and peppers!

Work in Cotton Burr compost or Natures Blend to enrich your garden for the new season. A good dose of Espoma Bio Tone containing mycorrhizae worked into the soil before planting will help to develop a strong deep root system for healthier plants this Fall season. After 2 weeks of having your vegetables planted, work Worm Castings into the soil to help guard against whitefly, aphids and spider mites. After 2 more weeks, you can begin fertilizing monthly with Espoma Plant tone.

Timing is a key to your garden success. It’s the time to plant tomatoes, peppers, squash and many other warm season crops. Watermelon, Cantaloupe and Pumpkins need to planted now if you have the space. They need a lot of room to spread. Stop by and pick up a Nueces County planting guide to help you plan what and when to plant your favorite veggies. Then you can check out the new Botanical Interest Seeds for 2018/ 2019. With a great selection of veggies, herbs, flowers & sprouts; most are certified organic & they’re all non-GMO.

It’s too early to plant Broccoli, Cabbage and Cauliflower since the temperatures are still too hot but it’s right around the corner so plan now. You will also need to wait a little longer before planting seeds of lettuce, carrots, spinach, kale and other leafy greens until we begin to cool down a little in September.

So get planning, get your hands in the dirt, and grow your own veggies. Nothing tastes better than homegrown!

View Nueces County Vegetable Planting Schedule

-DeAnna

This Saturday, October 6th, Gill Landscape Nursery invites the community to come celebrate with our staff 40 Bloomin’ Years in business!

Enter to win Gill’s gift cards, enjoy a cool drink and snacks, and hear live music in the garden. Kids and kid-like adults can enjoy colorful veggie-themed (temporary) tattoos. Everyone is invited to choose a color and help paint a collaborative celebration mural to be displayed in the garden center to commemorate the 40th anniversary.

The garden center is loaded with a great selection of fall annuals, perennials, shrubs, and shade trees along with great savings on veggies, herbs, flowers, and Gill’s Lawn & Garden Fertilizer. And yes, it’s time to do that fall fertilizing!

Fun Facts and Some History

Back in 1978, Corpus Christi natives Sally and James Gill casually decided to start a business. At 22 and 25 years old, fresh out of college, they both needed jobs and thought, “Why not?” James had a background in landscape architecture, Sally in business, they saw a need in the area, and they figured not much start-up cash was needed for a landscape company. They started small; Sally sold her car and they put their meager savings together to buy a tiller, some tools, and a used pickup truck from the City of Austin.

Apparently, in the late 70s, “trenching” (driving a car through an unsuspecting front yard and leaving huge trenches in the grass) was a popular prank among teenagers. James got the bright idea to place large, yet attractive limestone boulders in front yards to discourage such activities. He and Sally would make trips to the Hill Country, push boulders onto Sally’s dad’s trailer by hand, haul them back to Corpus, then go door-to-door in heavily trenched neighborhoods (i.e. South Shores) asking, “How would you like to cause some serious damage to the next car that tries to tear up your yard?” This kind of hard work and ingenuity is what got the business off and running.

While Sally and James describe the decision to start a landscape company as “casual”, it was not an accident. James’ love and respect for plants came from his mother, Ruth Gill, who was an avid gardener and heavily involved in nature conservation efforts. Sally learned her business values and commitment growing up shadowing her father, Roy M. Munroe, who owned a local engineering firm. Sally loves plants too, especially for the ambiance and environments they create. They realized early on that they shared the passion, stamina, and values required to successfully operate a small business. They laugh at how different they are from one another but feel that their combined strengths and the trust they share have allowed them to endure and grow.

The Gill’s also attribute their longevity in business to slow and steady growth. About a year into it, they decided to open the garden center as a showcase for the landscape business. At the time, the only land they could afford was “out in the country”, 2810 Airline Road, which is where the garden center, offices, and landscape department is still based today. Over the years, Corpus Christi has grown up around them as Airline Road has become one of the busiest streets in town.

The company has grown too, adding more land, staff, inventory, and services to meet the changing needs of the community. Sally says their level of commitment ratcheted up with the hiring of their first employee. They both felt and still feel great responsibility and commitment to offer every employee a good, safe place to work. Sally and James both strive to maintain the feel of a small company with some of the perks of a larger business. They want each team member to be a part of earning and maintaining the reputation for quality, service, and expertise that Gill’s is known for.

The Gill Landscape Nursery Team

At Gill Landscape Nursery, building lasting relationships with the community and among the team is the key to continued success. Sally and James love hearing feedback from customers about how each member of the Gill team is helpful and knowledgeable. One customer recently said that the garden center staff, “know what I’m talking about even if I don’t know!” The company culture at Gill’s is centered around the people: 39 great people with a combined 467 years of working at Gill’s and even more combined years of plant knowledge.

These days, while there is an abundance of helpful online garden tips and resources, nothing beats in-person knowledge and expertise. Here in the garden center, customers often bring in plants and samples from their landscapes and get a diagnosis and solution on the spot. Gill’s staff take pride in being comfortable enough with gardening to be able to help people in each unique situation. Sometimes plants even find their way back to Gill’s. DeAnna Baumgartner, Nursery Manager with 33 years at Gill’s, describes many instances where customers have gifted their cherished plants back to DeAnna once they are no longer able to care for them, knowing that the plants will enjoy a good home.

Garden center staff, including Buyer, Debbie Pinkerton are always researching and navigating the complex world of garden products to bring customers the best of the best. While always looking for new plants, new ideas, and new solutions to share with the community, Gill professionals take care to ensure that new products will withstand the local climate and meet customer’s long-term needs.

Out in the community, Gill landscape designers and landscape installation crews work incredibly hard to make each client’s vision a living, growing reality. Residential and commercial landscape design and build projects include everything from plants and garden beds to trees and hardscape construction. Landscape Designer Kathy Hubner with 31 years at Gill’s has seen all sorts of projects come to life. One of her specialties is creating beautiful vignettes and different views within a small space. With one long-term client, she has embarked on a garden adventure and continued to modify their residential space to include plants, materials, and design elements inspired by the client’s world travels. For example, Kathy and her crew planted Viburnum to create a green wall reminiscent of the hedgerows in the Hamptons.

Passion for Learning and Sharing

If you spend 20 minutes walking around outside with James Gill, he will teach you the name(s) of every plant you see (scientific and folk names) and which ones are edible, medicinal, poisonous, or otherwise. James describes himself as a plant evangelist and is dedicated to sharing that deep knowledge with as many people as possible. According to James, the main benefits of gardening are “spiritual first, but it’s also great exercise.” Gardening can be compared to learning music or art; anyone at any age and any level of expertise can enjoy it. Gardening will meet you at your level, but you can spend a lifetime learning and growing.

That passion and excitement for learning and sharing knowledge has become one of the core values at Gill’s. Gill’s regularly conducts community outreach activities including their weekly Gill Garden News, Garden Tips, Garden Talks series, interacting on social media, and partnerships with local schools and nonprofits.

Thank You!

As Gill Landscape Nursery celebrates 40 years of serving the Coastal Bend community, Sally and James look forward to the future. Like most business owners, they want Gill’s to stay vibrant and continue to grow. The Gill team, along with Sally and James, want to thank you for the years of friendship, crazy fun, and challenging times we have all had. Thank you for letting us connect you with plants; we truly love the excitement and energy that is shared with garden successes.

– Jesse Jenkins

We’ve finally had some great sunshine! So, with the time change this weekend and cooler temps, it’s the best time to get your fall and winter flowers planted. Planting now gives them time to grow and bloom! Your family and friends will be super impressed with your green thumb and your beautiful flowers for the holiday season.

There are many varieties to choose from for sun and shade. Here’s a few of our faves.

For shade gardens, nothing blooms better than New Guinea Impatiens and Begonias. Both will give beautiful color to brighten up your shade areas. They last all winter with not much care.

Plant in the shade: Begonias, New Guinea Impatiens

For sunny areas, try Petunias, Violas, Dianthus, Calendula, Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Geraniums, Stock, Snapdragon, Alyssum and Pansy. All have dazzling colors that will bring your landscape to life.

Plant in the sun: (Clockwise from top left) Alyssum, Calendula, Pansies, Stock, Ornamental Kale, Dianthus

Here’s a few tips for planting for your best success:

Prepare the soil. Most annuals have fine hair-like roots that require rich loose soil with good drainage. Turn the soil with a digging fork or tiller, add Cotton Burr Compost and mix, rake area, top dress with Natures’ Blend and you’re ready to plant. The Nature’s Blend acts as a natural fertilizer and helps with controlling certain disease possibilities. If you are planting flowers in containers, use a good potting mix like Landscapers Pride Potting Soil.

Start planting! It’s important to know how close or far apart to plant your flowers. Most annuals need some space between each plant so they can grow to their potential. We can help you determine the plant spacing when you come in. Set out the plants in a zigzag pattern, equal spacing between each plant, to fill the area. Use Bio-Tone in each hole as you plant. It really helps the roots to grow and be very healthy! Healthy roots-healthy plants.

Mulch, water, fertilize. Mulch makes your new planting look great, helps with weed control and reduces watering. Water the area well with a gentle shower of water; you don’t want to beat up your new young plants. Fertilize with Hasta Gro every week or Rose Glo every month.

Check your new planting every day for water for at least the first couple of weeks, cutting back as the plants grow and temps cool down. If you get worried or just not sure, we are always here and ready to help!

Happy Gardening!

-Debbie