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Now that we’ve weathered our first big storm this season, we’re cleaning up and thinking about how to be better prepared next time. Here are some important tips for keeping your landscape storm-ready.

Trim Your Trees

Remove dead or rotting tree limbs, brown palm fronds, and even healthy limbs that pose a threat to homes, other structures, people, or traffic. Do not remove healthy tree limbs or green palm fronds that are not a hazard; excess vegetative removal is detrimental to plant health. Try to do this far enough ahead that limbs are removed from property well ahead of a windstorm. A good habit is to trim trees once a year, that way you don’t need to scramble when a storm is coming.

Protect Potted Plants

Move potted plants inside the garage or other protected area, especially those with delicate structure or foliage. If they are too heavy or not enough room, move them into a corner, or behind hedges, and tip them over (water first so soil is heavier). Of course, also stow away lawn furniture, bird feeders, wind chimes, bbq pit, etc.

Keep Storm Water Flowing

Clean gutters, clear downspouts, do drainage repairs as necessary, including digging/cutting drainage swales and removing any impediments to drainage. Double check that drainage paths are clear to speed runoff of storm water. We often find stacks of bricks, lumber, firewood, etc. placed where they prevent fast water flow out to the front yard.

What About the Lawn?

Remember to shut off sprinkler system. If we are likely to get excessive rain, don’t start with saturated soil. Mow the lawn. It may be awhile before you can mow it again, plus water runoff flows faster with short grass, and short grass makes it easier to rake up debris after the storm.

Assess Your Trees and Plants After the Storm

Start by clearing streets of broken branches and straightening small trees that have become tilted, if feasible. If you need guidance on which trees or plants can be saved and what should be removed, call a trusted tree care professional or garden center. We can help save you time and effort.

-James

Beautiful Fall weather is ahead and it’s time to get started planting veggies! I’ve decided to expand my veggie garden at home and invite you all to follow me this season for some of my best tips, successes, and failures to overcome. I’ll be posting video updates here in the Garden News and on Gill social media pages.

Part 1 – Prepping a Veggie Garden Bed

A bountiful veggie garden starts with the soil! Check out my time-lapse video of creating a new veggie bed, and read my tips below for additional info and a recap:

A couple of things I didn’t mention in the video that are very helpful:

If the ground is dry and hard, you can water the area thoroughly for 2-3 days before turning the soil. This will loosen it up and make it a lot easier.
Get rid of all grass and weeds before prepping the bed. Pull them out making sure you get the roots.
The fork tool I’m using in the video is actually called a spading fork, not a pitchfork. Great tool to use!

Video recap:

Amend your soil with compost. Whether you are using an existing garden or starting a new bed it is important to use compost every season. Compost should be tilled (by hand and/or with a tiller) into the top 6-8 inches of soil. Compost helps build the soil structure and has great benefits for your plants including stronger root growth.

Create a barrier. I like to edge the garden with bricks or timbers, but you can use bendaboard, stone, steel edging, logs, etc. This stops weeds from creeping into the garden and helps keep things organized.

Top dress with mulch. Mulching is greatly beneficial to a healthy veggie garden. Mulch helps keep the weeds down, helps retain moisture in the soil, and when you use natural mulches like Hardwood or Pine Straw, they break down in the top layer of dirt building your soil structure even more.

Happy gardening!

–Wyatt

With quite a bit of rain in the forecast, what should we do? Let’s start with getting excess water off the roof and out of the yard. The short recent drought was enough to get some trees to drop quite a few leaves, so check your gutters and downspouts and clear them if needed.

Check downspout exits to see that the ends have not been crimped closed by wayward mower wheels, and that there are not bags of mulch or pots or bricks obstructing their flow. Same goes for drainage pathways away from rainfall off the roof, removing any boxes, bags, etc. that would slow the flow of excess rainfall trying to exit the yard.

A common problem is where the bottom of the fence has inadequate clearance above the ground, and so grass, leaves, and branches get caught at the base of the fence and create a dam that allows water to get high enough to flow into the house. Mow grass or use a weed trimmer along flow pathways, as water will move much faster over short grass.

If you have an automatic irrigation system, turn it off now! Assuming you get 1″ or more of rainfall, wait a week, then check soil to see if the lawn is ready for water again. Turn the system back on when it is hard to push a screwdriver into the soil because it is dry.

Mosquitos will be a problem on the other side of these rains. Be sure to turn wheelbarrows and other potential vessels over to prevent accumulation of water that would hatch mosquitos. Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits (for saucers or birdbaths) will prevent mosquitos from hatching in standing water, without harming any other organisms. We will also have Mosquito Beater sprays and granules to help control adult mosquitos.

Caterpillars are also likely to be a problem after the rains. Some caterpillars will become beautiful butterflies, but others will become small nondescript moths that will then lay more eggs and eat until your lawn is gone! So, ask us about any potential problem you may have. We can tell you whether treatment is warranted or not, and if so, what is the safest and most sensible method of control.

–James Gill

We are lucky that we can garden year-round here in South Texas, but Fall is our best season for planting – especially for trees! Here’s why.

Trees (shrubs and perennials, too) get a great bonus when planted in Fall. South Texas enjoys relatively warm soil temperatures through Fall and Winter, and cooler air temperatures direct the new tree to grow roots instead of foliage all through this time.

So, a tree planted in the ground in Fall will grow much faster the following Spring due to having already developed a healthy root system. That root system will also help the tree take up deeper moisture and not suffer as much stress during its first South Texas Summer.

More Tips for Tree Success:

Consider size: starting with a small 3 to 15 gallon size tree makes planting easier and you get to watch it grow. Planting a larger tree gives you instant impact in your landscape, but planting is more involved. Be sure to choose a space suited for the size the tree will be once it has matured. We can help you choose the right tree and location and take care of the planting for you if you like.
Dig the hole as deep as the container & about 12” wider. Plant the tree so the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding ground or slightly higher. Don’t plant too deep!
Use Nature’s Blend compost to improve existing soil when planting. Don’t put the compost in the hole – mix it with the soil that you dig up, then back fill with the soil + compost mixture. Better yet, spread compost over the area where the tree will be planted, till it into the soil using a roto-tiller, then dig your hole and plant your tree in the middle.
Fertilize with Agriform tablets or Plant Tone mixed into soil around the root ball.
Mulch around trees & keep grass & weed eaters away from tree trunks.
Stake trees especially in high wind areas.
Follow watering instructions. New trees need TLC and W!

– James and Debbie

Akasha Yoga is a great example of a collaborative design between property owners and Gill’s landscape designer Harry Villarreal. The owners’ vision for Akasha was to harmonize and integrate the indoor and outdoor spaces. To compliment the modern interior design, the owners used earthy, grounding updates to the exterior including the wooden sign, steel planter boxes, and a gabion rock wall out front.

Harry had the task of tying the existing design elements together with carefully chosen plantings. The owners knew they wanted a low-maintenance landscape with a strong visual impact to accent the clean lines of the space, so Harry kept it minimal: a decomposed granite bed with a single line of Blue Glow Agave and Hedgehog Aloe, Orange Bulbine that can take the heat of the steel planter boxes, and soft Purple Fountain Grass to frame the corner of the gabion wall.

Such a fun, collaborative project for Gill’s that we get to drive by and see on Airline Road every day!

-Jesse

I’ve admired BJ and Michael’s home for years. It’s a beautiful Santa Fe style stucco home with a clay tile roof and old dark stained wood front doors. The landscape follows the theme with brightly colored benches and ceramic containers mixed with artistically placed specimen agaves, yuccas, and palms.

This past week a group of us toured her garden; I felt like I was visiting a remote Mexican countryside estate. We moved from the front under a wood arbor and through a gate into their herb garden, all in large pots – Italian parsley, chives, mint, sage, some tucked under towering jatropha and schefflera. The walk to the back led us through banks of holly fern, ruellia, and liriope with blooming viola in Talavera wall pots hanging on the fence, interspersed with climbing red passion vine. The back included an area with blooming poinsettia, fire spike, plumeria, European olives, night blooming red cereus and lots and lots of succulents. The view from the interior looks out on to an intimate clay tile patio, scattered with dining tables and chairs and a multi-level stone Cantera fountain with cascading water and a backdrop of bougainvillea blossoms. Stunning!!

And you think, all they must do is work in their garden. Well, no. BJ shared with us her tricks to making her garden work for their current lifestyle. The first rule is nothing gets covered during cold spells. They live a block from the bay, which does bring warmer air off the water. After a cold winter, there’s a lot of cutting back, but if a plant doesn’t make it, it’s gone. Their permanent collection of potted plants are all on a drip irrigation system with a timer. She said the biggest challenge is keeping the timer adjusted correctly. And finally, no grass in this landscape!

I’m thinking BJ must have been born with dirt under her fingernails. Her parents weren’t gardeners, but at a very young age she was attracted to women neighbors that did garden. One woman had an extra square of space and let BJ loose to grow veggies and flowers of her choosing. In college she was advised she should be a farmer. When raising her boys, BJ grew vegetables but gave that up when she realized her sons and husband weren’t crazy about greens. Today, succulents are her passion.

BJ loves succulents. She loves collecting succulents, some from Gill’s, some from friends, some from HEB – anywhere and everywhere she can find a new variety. She harvests from the mother plant, growing from cuttings and offshoots. Many of her succulent arrangements are combinations of three or four varieties, each placed to compliment the other. BJ has a designated work area strung with shade cloth where she does her potting and another area where she does her growing. She doesn’t just keep all these succulents to herself; she has one more station where she places plants that are ready for delivery to our South Texas Botanical Gardens to be sold in their gift shop!

Dr. Wommack of our South Texas Botanical Gardens said how thankful he is for folks like BJ & Michael in our community who share their talents and gifts to enrich the gardens. By growing and gifting plants, income is generated for the gardens and visitors benefit from BJ’s passion for succulents.

Thank you BJ and Michael this Thanksgiving week for sharing your garden gifts with our South Texas community!

-Sally Gill

Brown patch/Large patch fungus and Take-all Root Rot (TARR) are two unwelcome Fall and Winter visitors to our South Texas lawns. Cool nighttime temperatures and moisture on the grass from rain, dew, or excessive watering frequency are the two main factors promoting these diseases. Large patch is relatively easy to diagnose visually if you are familiar with the symptoms. TARR has more subtle and varying symptoms and requires 60x or greater magnification to positively ID. Large patch is an unsightly annoyance for Fall and Winter, but damaged grass will regrow in Spring. TARR does not show much damage while the disease is spreading over Winter, but when hot temperatures arrive in Summer, the weakened roots and runners are unable to support the water requirements of the infected areas, and they decline or die.

There is no “curing” or eliminating these diseases, but you can attempt to prevent them, or manage them, by various means. Culturally, you should “goldilocks” your lawn: not too much water, not too little, but just right. Water deeply when needed to avoid drought stress but keep the frequency of application to a minimum. Mow as often as needed. Do not let grass grow too tall, but do not cut it too short. Fertilize according to recommended timing and quantity, not too much or too little. If you see a fungus damaged area, mow it last to minimize spreading into healthy areas. Keep mower blades sharp, so grass is cleanly sliced rather than ripped with slower-healing ragged edges. Any stresses make the lawn more vulnerable to infection by a harmful fungus.

We have fungicides that can help prevent or suppress harmful fungus, but keep in mind that there are also beneficial fungal organisms that recycle dead organic matter into plant nutrients and help prevent thatch. So excessive fungicide use, like most excesses, can cause new problems. My personal recommendation is to let large patch fungus run its course, as it does no permanent damage, just temporary unsightliness. But I recommend topdressing TARR infected lawns with peat moss, to control (can’t eliminate) the disease, as the damage is permanent. Best is for you to bring in some samples (still alive but with symptoms) and photos for us to look at, and offer to you various courses of action, for you to choose whatever approach you are most comfortable with.

-James

They’re coming – weeds! Due to our relatively warm Winter and recent rains, weeds are sprouting earlier than usual. Control them now before they get out of hand – here’s how.

Weeds in Lawns

Start simple instead of going directly to battle mode. If your lawn is stressed, think about using a good organic like Nature’s Blend compost to give the grass a boost before doing any weed control. Healthy grass will prevent weeds on its own and using chemicals can have negative effects on the quality of the underlying soil.

If you have a chronic weed issue and need to use a chemical, right now (late Jan/early Feb) is your last chance to use a pre-emergent weed control. We recommend spreading Bonide Weed & Crabgrass Preventer. If you’re already seeing some weeds, you can spread Weed Beater Complete which kills existing weeds and helps stop new ones from sprouting.

Once its consistently warmer and sunnier, you can use hose-end Weed b Gon Spray to spray your entire lawn for weeds. Be sure to check the forecast to see if we are sunny for 4-5 days with no rain and don’t water or run your irrigation system before you spray.

Wait for the right time to fertilize. Grass has just started to come out of Winter dormancy, and as we continue to get warmer, it will grow quicker. Once your lawn is growing and you’re mowing about once every 1-2 weeks, you know it’s time to fertilize – wait until then! If you fertilize too early, your grass doesn’t get the full benefit.

Weeds in Garden and Landscape Beds

Controlling weeds in beds is simple if you keep up with it. Most weeds are smothered by keeping a good layer of mulch (2-3”) in your beds. Mulch also helps retain moisture and adds organic material to the soil as it breaks down. If you see a large weed – don’t spray, just pull it! Patrolling your garden beds and pulling weeds is therapeutic and great exercise. Be sure to get the root.

If you need to spray for weeds, use horticultural 20% vinegar or the new organic Ortho GroundClear. Both are very effective against small weeds before they spread, which means you should inspect and apply frequently (weekly). You can also use these to spot-treat for weeds in your lawn. Spray directly on the weed, wait a few hours, then pull up the dead weed – nice and easy.