Holidays

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 for November.

Check out our November 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. Fill Pots and Spots 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 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 Lawn Care

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. 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.

Read: Fall Lawn Care

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.

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 the week of November 18th, then poinsettias the following week. Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs are already here and Christmas cactus will arrive any minute!

There are some great alternatives to cut Christmas trees.

Norfolk Island Pines are one of the most popular because of their look. They are layered like many fir trees and resemble a Christmas tree.

Hollywood Junipers and Blue Point Junipers are another alternative with the look of a true Christmas tree. They grow well in our area and can be planted in the ground after the holidays or kept as a container plant and used for years to come.

Yaupon holly trees are also great with their red berries this time of year. Magnolia and Ficus Trees can also be used.

All of these can be strung with lights and used indoors for a couple of weeks before needing to be put back outside in their normal environment. Be creative. Look around the patio and see what you have to decorate. It’s always fun to decorate a non-traditional tree and surprise your family and guests!

-Sally

Our Thoughts On Living Christmas Trees:

There are some great alternatives to cut Christmas trees. Norfolk Island Pines are one of the most popular because of their look. They are layered like many fir trees and resemble a Christmas tree. Hollywood Junipers and Blue Point Junipers are another alternative with the look of a true Christmas tree. They grow well in our area and can be planted in the ground after the holidays or kept as a container plant and used for years to come. Yaupon holly trees are also great with their red berries this time of year. Magnolia and Ficus Trees can also be used. All of these can be strung with lights and used indoors for a couple of weeks before needing to be put back outside in their normal environment. Be creative. Look around the patio and see what you have to decorate. It’s always fun to decorate a non-traditional tree and surprise your family and guests!

Bugs On Your Garden Greens?

Thanksgiving morning James noticed inch worms and flea beetles on his coveted greens he is growing in pots. He grabbed his trusty Natural GuardNeem Ready To Use and with a couple of pumps of the spray bottle, problem solved! The Neem acts as a repellent for beetles and caterpillars and kills soft bodied insects like aphids. It also helps to control powdery mildew.

Some Cedar elms have gold leaves, some just starting to turn!

This photo was taken at our Airline store this past Monday. This is a great example of how like plants, growing right next to each other, behave differently. One has turned gold, the other is still very green. Both are very healthy, just on a little different time schedule! And…please note, it’s the same in spring – there’s always one to leaf out later that causes concern but more often than not, it just decided to sleep a little longer!

It’s time to think about getting your fall bulbs.

Amaryllis is one of the easiest bulbs to grow that will bloom for you year after year. They can be planted in a perennial bed or grown in pots. When planting them in the ground, pick a location that receives morning sun and afternoon shade. Every three years in October you can dig up and divide these bulbs as they multiply underground. Cooler temperatures in the fall will encourage your bulbs to bloom. Feed regularly with a water soluble plant food every 2 weeks or Hi-Yield Bone Meal every 4-6 weeks. Each plant will send up 1-2 bloom spikes with 4-6 blooms per spike. Holiday blooming Amaryllis are always a treat!

Another great holiday bulb is Paperwhite Narcissus. These can be grown in a vase with water or in a pot with soil. Most are forced in decorative vases in water for the holidays. All you need is a clear vase or bowl, small pea gravel to stabilize the bulbs and water. Pick your container, add several inches of pea gravel to the bottom. Nestle the bulbs side by side into the gravel and add water just to the bottom of the bulbs. Roots will emerge into the water and gravel. The bulbs will grow and bloom faster if refrigerated for 4-6 weeks prior to planting. We have them under refrigeration now. If they are potted Thanksgiving weekend, you should have pretty budded and blooming Paperwhites for the holidays. An optional tip to discourage tall floppy plants is to water them with 8 parts water to 1 part Gin or Vodka. That is approximately 4 cups water to ½ cup spirits. Both Amaryllis and Paperwhite Narcissus make for beautiful holiday gift giving.

Paperwhite-Img

-DeAnna

“What smells so good in the kitchen?” my family asks. “Just sautéing the onions.” I reply. Funny how the pungent tear evoking root awakens our noses and our stomachs that something incredibly good is bound to come from of it. Its onion planting time and the first ones are here and ready to plant…just in time for the holidays! Onions need lots of sun, good drainage, fertilizer, and time if you want larger bulb onions. Harvesting green onions is just a month or so of growing, plucking and eating. Because onions are a root vegetable, they can rot in our hard clay soil but planting them in raised gardens or large pots to help soil moisture makes it easy and more successful. We grow short day onion varieties in South Texas and our favorites are Bermuda White, Southern Belle Red, and the famous 1015Y Texas Super Sweet . See our Garden Guide on growing onions in South Texas. You’ll soon be hearing…” What smells so good in the kitchen?”

-Debbie

I spent much of last Saturday cleaning up the front yard, making plans to hang Christmas lights in another week or two. I had someone stop and ask me about my cutting back the Purple Showers ruellia along the sidewalk. It has taken over about half the sidewalk. I explained that this plant can take shearing back most any time of year and that by cutting it now, it has time to regrow some and be nice for the holidays. Most all plants can be trimmed to shape right now. Roses and most winter hardy shrubs can take a harder prune but no more than a ¼ of the plants’ size. Plants that are sensitive to cold, like ixora, hibiscus and bougainvilleas should not be pruned hard. They need their foliage to help stay warm. Plus new growth that appears after trimming is more sensitive to cold damage. If you’re not sure to prune or not to prune, check with us…we are always here to help!

-Debbie

We know it’s still early November, but we couldn’t resist! You have to see all the cute cute cute holiday decor we have coming in… happy (almost) holidays!!!

We just received a nice selection of geraniums for last minute planting in your garden for the holidays! Ours are the zonal “Fantasia” variety with large ball shaped clusters of flowers and rings on their leaves. These geraniums are known to be compact and very hardy.

Originally from South Africa, geraniums like part sun to full sun fall through spring. They can be planted in well drained soil in flower beds or in containers with good rich potting soil. They make good cut flowers, really don’t have pest problems and don’t need a lot of water. They love being fertilized with Hasta Gro.

We promise this will brighten any sunny spot in your garden all winter and spring long. Hardy to the upper 20’s (which probably won’t happen this winter). Enjoy!!

-Sally