heat

It’s time to transition our gardens as we leap into Summer! Here’s our top priorities for June, which include joining us for DeAnna’s garden talk this Saturday, June 4^th at 10am. Bring your questions!

Check out our June 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. Join us for ‘Summer Garden Tips’ Garden Talk

This Saturday, June 4^th at 10am, DeAnna Baumgartner, Gill’s manager, master gardener, and Texas Certified Nursery Professional with 40 years of Coastal Bend gardening experience will share her best tips for Summer gardening. She’ll cover Summer planting, proper watering techniques, identifying and treating pests and other issues, fertilizing, and lots more. Bring your questions – DeAnna’s got answers. One attendee will win a $100 Gill’s gift card!

2. Plant heat-loving Summer color!

Revamp your old Spring annuals with some eye-popping, die-hard flowers for Summer. Flowers like Purslane, Zinnias, Moss Rose, Periwinkles, and Sweet Potato Vine will need water but thrive in our Summer heat. Try adding spineless Prickly Pear, Texas Sage, and other Summer-lovers that add color and form to landscapes.

3. Water… don’t go by the calendar!

With recent rains AND warmer weather, we need to be extra mindful of watering properly. That means we can’t rely on the calendar to tell us when to water. We need to pay closer attention to plants and check to be sure they need water. Pro tip: Use a moisture meter! We carry them and can show you how easy they are to use. They’ve saved many plants! When it’s time to water, do it in the morning before 10am. Keep the water on the plants, soil, lawn, flowerbeds, not in the gutter, sidewalk, or street. Sprinkler systems are great for established lawns and landscapes but turn them off when we get rain, so you don’t over water and encourage fungal issues. Summer lawns need about 1 inch of water once a week.

4. Houseplants Inside aka Tropical Plants Outside!

Houseplants are beautiful indoors & help rid the air of pollutants from fabrics, carpets, paints, and other household items. They also look spectacular outside on a shady patio set in pretty pots. Check out Sansevieria, Philodendron, & Hoya varieties for easy care and big impact! Pro tip: if you have a sad houseplant, try moving it to a shady spot outside for a few days to get some fresh air.

5. Watch for Summer lawn bugs!

Yes, they will be around more during the Summer. Treat the lawn with Bayer Season Long Grub Control if you see brown areas in the lawn that are easily pulled up, usually a sign of grubs eating the roots of your grass. Chinch bugs love hot dry areas in lawns. They make the lawn look dried out along sidewalks and pavement. Treat with Cyonara in easy ready-to-spray bottles. For organic control, use Spinosad or Diatomaceous Earth. Remember that healthy lawns are less susceptible to damage from bugs, heat stress, and common lawn disease like Take All Root Rot. Water lawns deeply (a good 1”) once a week this Summer and fertilize every 3 months. If you fertilized in April, wait to feed again in July.

6. Crape Myrtles – Choose While Blooming!

Crape Myrtle trees are just starting their Summer bloom cycle. Best to choose your color now while they’re in bloom, then plant and enjoy them for years to come. You must plan to water them or check them every day during this Summer. Crape Myrtles are water-needy when first planted.

1. Water.

Make sure all plants are watered thoroughly before a cold front blows in, especially a dry cold front. You will also have to water after the cold front, since plants dry out quickly in a cold dry wind.

2. Cover Your Tropicals.

Plants may need to be covered when the temperatures drop into the mid to low 30’s. Create a teepee over the plants when covering and not the lollipop look. The key is to capture the ground warmth. Using sheets or other light weight material on the plants and then plastic on the outer layer will add the extra protection against the wind and cold. If plastic is placed directly on the leaves of plants it will burn the foliage, so always put a protective layer between if possible.

We carry N-Sulate Frost Blankets. They measure 12’x10′, $16.99 each. You can use anchor pins, bricks, lumber, clay pots etc… to weigh down around the bottom. We also carry Frost Blanket by the foot. It is 12′ wide and costs $1.69 a running foot. Make sure to uncover during the day when the temperatures warm up, so your plants don’t bake from too much heat build-up. Then re-cover before the temperatures drop again.

Time To Get Tomatoes In The Ground!

Hopefully we have seen our last big cold snap of the season. And I did say “BIG” cold snap. Tomatoes need full sun for their entire growing season. Once frost is done, put them in a bed enriched with compost. A couple tablespoons of Rocket Fuelunder the roots will help your plants get off to a rapid start. Feed them with Espoma Plant Tone monthly through the growing season or Johns Recipe containing Fish emulsion, molasses and seaweed at least every two weeks. I like to put my tomatoes in a cage as soon as they are in the ground and wrap that cage with row cover fabric, top to bottom. Ours is called Grow Web (12ft x 16ft). Cut the fabric to size and cloths pin the sides together. The fabric will protect the plants from cold nights and more important harsh spring winds that can dry them out in no time. It doesn’t block water or sunshine. Remove the cloth when the plant reaches the top of the cage. If it starts blooming before then, remove the cover from the top of the cage and shake the cage gently whenever you walk by. That will encourage pollination from the top of the plant down to the bottom. Row cover can also be used to protect Peppers, Squash, Beans and all the tender spring vegetables in the garden. –DeAnna

Want to try something new?

How about a tiny building with a flowering roof nestled into your flowerbed, or veggie garden? It could be a mini schoolhouse, a doghouse, or an outhouse! This one is made from recycled

silvery cedar fence boards and holds easy care succulents growing from its roof. Place your planter on a concrete paver or brick to keep it off the ground. You could try Petunias, Marigolds, Periwinkles, or Herbs and start a colorful village!

–Merlien

More Garden Tips

Artemesia

James just planted “Powis Castle” Artemesia in our front bed on the corner of Catalina and Santa Fe. I love this perennial for its silver grey foliage and the beautiful backdrop it gives for annuals. Artemesia grows to about 3′ tall and 3′ wide; when it gets leggy, just cut it back and enjoy the quick flush of pretty foliage. James planted Rose Wave Petunias in the bed as well and this week he’s adding Techno Heat Dark Blue Lobelia; can’t wait

for all the color!! I’ll share more photos as the plants grow!

–Sally

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

You may have already done several items on this list, but with all the recent rains they may have been depleted or washed away, therefore another application may be necessary.

Fertilize the lawn, shrubs, trees and tropicals again with Gill Lawn & Garden or Milorganite.
Continue to feed vegetables and herbs with Espoma Plant Tone. Citrus and fruit trees with Espoma Citrus Tone.
Apply pre-emergent again to prevent weeds, Amaze or Dimension.
Spray post-emergent again or as needed to kill existing weeds, Weed b gon or Image. You could also keep the weeds mowed before they go to seed. Most will die with the heat.
Drench Hackberry trees for wooly aphids, bougainvillea for caterpillars, hibiscus and jatropha for mealybugs etc.. with Bayer Protect and Feed to prevent insects for 9 months.
Treat the lawn with Bayer Season Long Grub Control or Beneficial Nematodes.
Watch for Chinch bug activity in the hot dry spots of the lawn near sidewalks and driveways. Spray with Cyonara or Triazicide. For organic control use Spinosad or Diatomaceous Earth.
Treat for fungus. Check the lawn for brown patch. Roses, Crape Myrtles and Gerbera Daisies for powdery mildew and Plumeria for rust. Use F-stop, Serenade or Actinovate for the lawn and Fertilome Systemic , Serenade or Actinovate for plants.
Plant sun or shade loving heat tolerant flowers and tropicals.
Mulch everything including potted plants to prevent weeds and hold moisture for the summer.

-DeAnna

As our days get hotter, your plants might start drooping during the middle of the day. Now, this could be caused by one of two things. Either it’s very dry, and needs to be watered immediately, OR it is in heat wilt, and needs to be left alone! Some plants wilt during the middle of the day to conserve energy, and once it cools down or the sun sets, they pop right back up and look gorgeous. So before you grab your water hose and soak everything that’s wilting, check the soil. If it’s moist or if the pot is heavy, leave the plant alone (it’s just being dramatic)!

Marta

We had a wonderful long wet spring, but now the heat has hit and rains have reduced; it’s time to get back to once a week lawn watering. We need to maintain moisture to keep our plants happy and healthy. Watering slow and deep, at least 1 inch a week is good. We recommend using a tuna fish or cat food can with a 1″ mark inside to measure the amount of water your sprinkler puts out.

Place the can in the path of the sprinkler and when water is up to the 1 inch mark, that tells you how long you need to water with your sprinkler type and water pressure in your neighborhood. New plantings will need to be watered more often, so please use a moisture meter to determine their needs.

You should fertilize again now, as heavy spring rains have washed out much of the soil nutrients. Using Milorganite, Medina Growin Green will not encourage excessive growth, but give your yard the nutrients it needs for the long hot days ahead, and organic fertilizers will increase soil ability to capture and retain moisture.

-DeAnna

You had beautiful roses in the spring, but now they’re looking like they might croak. Don’t worry! This is totally normal. Large flowering plants like roses or hibiscus can get stressed from this summer heat, so they might stop blooming, or even stop growing. Continue watering them through this heat spell, and when the temperatures drop in the fall your roses should flush back out. Using organic fertilizers help build up your soil conditions to keep your roses healthy! We recommend Rose Glo or Medina Hasta Gro.

-Marta