Gill Garden Center + Landscape Co.
Corpus Christi, TX Garden Center
Happy Holidays, gardeners! We hope you’re having fun with family and friends and enjoying nice weather outdoors. We’re back open regular hours December 26th through December 30th. We’ll be open 9-2 New Year’s Eve and closed New Year’s Day. Cheers to 2026! p.s. – check out these amazing cookies from our Gill holiday party!
Holiday season is here…and some cool weather finally! These last few weeks of 2025 are sure to fly by. Our advice: be sure to spend some time in the garden to balance out the hectic holidays. Here are our top to-do’s this month: what to plant, gift ideas, holiday plant care, and more.
There’s always the BEST time to get plants growing and here’s a few that LOVE this season as much as we do!
Trees…shade, flowering, small, big, they all benefit from planting now – including living Christmas trees like Junipers and Norfolk Pines. Good root development during the cooler months of winter gives them better growth in spring and a deeper, stronger root system to withstand the summer heat.
Onions…we grow short-day onion varieties here in South Texas. Lucky for us the 1015 Texas Supersweet is one of those along with tasty Texas Early White & Southern Belle Red.
Roses…our mild winters are perfect for big, beautiful roses & the cooler temps will only make them prettier and the flower color richer.
Ornamental Cabbage & Kale…these winter classics need to be planted early this month and enjoyed through the season! Easy care, vibrant colors, and unique texture in the garden.
Alyssum…gorgeous white blooms all winter long. Did you know Alyssum flowers and leaves are edible? They have a pungent horseradish-y flavor.
Crown of Thorns…very easy to grow succulent, low-water, excellent container plant that blooms all year, including all through December.
Other plants that require short days…some plants require short days/enough hours of darkness to bloom and look their best. Think Aloes and other outdoor succulents, Cyclamen, Camelia, native Salvia greggii, and Kalanchoes!
Fresh-cut Christmas Trees…we give all of our trees a fresh cut and get them in water immediately to preserve their freshness. Many customers ask us for another fresh cut before they take the tree home. If you decide to have us do another fresh cut, or if you do it yourself, keep in mind that you have 10 minutes to get the tree in water before that cut seals over! Check water in your tree stand daily and keep it full. If you have pets who like to drink or splash the water, try covering with a piece of foil.
Poinsettias…Think of poinsettias as succulents – because they are! They are a type of euphorbia. That means give them a good drink, but let them dry out between waterings. Also, the leaves bruise and break easily, so avoid touching them as much as possible. So tempting to touch!
Christmas Cactus…Probably the easiest of all holiday plants, and they can last a LONG time! There are stories of Christmas Cacti that have been gifted and passed down through families for 100+ years. They like well-lit areas, but not direct sunlight. Let dry between waterings, then mist the leaves as well as water the soil when its time to water. They like to stay on the dry side!
Living Holiday Trees…Junipers, Norfolk Pines, Loblolly Pines, Magnolias, Yaupon Holly, and Ficus trees all make great Christmas trees that can be planted outside after the holidays. If you bring these in for decorating, be sure they have good bright natural light. Keep watered but not too much, and as soon as the holidays are done…take them outdoors for a breath of fresh air and get them in the ground.
If you have gardeners on your list this year, we’ve got you covered! Nature-themed holiday ornaments, quality tools and gloves, special edition holiday cards, crystals, cute houseplant grow lights, herb and cutting re-growers, and lots more unique garden gifts. And of course, plants!! If they’re picky, you can’t go wrong with a Gill’s gift card!
Winter flowers are AMAZING right now! They really shine in cooler weather. Violas and Pansies are breathtaking and Geraniums are full of buds and blooms. All that blooming makes them hungry, so take a moment and fertilize your beauties whether they’re in the ground or in containers. We love using granular Plant Tone once a month, then following up with liquid Hasta Gro every 2 weeks. Both are organic and give you wow results.
Most houseplants will not experience a complete dormancy period during winter, but they will slow down growth and react to climatic changes like drier conditions inside the house. Give your houseplants more light and less water as temperatures and the amount of daylight hours drop. Dust/shine leaves regularly to ward off insects. Cooler temps = drier conditions and less of the humidity that houseplants love. Try grouping them together to create more humidity, or use a humidifier. When bringing patio plants inside for cold snaps, be sure to treat with All Seasons Horticultural Oil spray to prevent any pests (like scale insects) from hitching a ride indoors.
We typically don’t get a frost until January or February, but there’s always a chance! Be sure you’ve got your frost blankets or frost cloth ready to protect any tender outdoor tropicals and new plantings. Mulch beds at 2-3″ deep to help seal in warmth. And don’t prune yet! Remember that pruning signals to a plant that it’s time to put on new growth. Instead, plant leaves need to harden off and go dormant for the winter. Foliage that you leave on the plant will help insulate it against cold weather.
While you can certainly still plant in December, many folks gravitate toward completing hardscape projects this month, like flagstone patios, paver driveways, stone pathways, stone firepits, and more. These elements add structure and functionality to your garden spaces – plus they don’t need water or TLC. If you’re considering DIY, we can advise you on proper construction steps and things to consider, plus supply you with the materials you’ll need. If hardscaping sounds like too much hard work, our Landscape Designers and crews can handle everything for you. Give us a call or contact us here to get your project started.
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 7 Must Do’s this May to keep you and your garden feelin’ good.
We’ve got a big May planned here at Gill’s, and we’re kicking it off this Saturday, May 3rd with a fun cyanotype printing event with the TAMUCC Student Art Association. Stop by and create your own cyanotype prints using leaves and flowers! Then next weekend we’re inviting kids to come pot up a flower for Mom for Mother’s Day. Sure to be lots of fun and lots to learn and discuss! Click here for more info and tickets!
It’s time to plant lots of different blooming perennials and blooming trees. Get them established in May so they are rooted and acclimated 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. Crape Myrtles will start blooming soon too. Added bonus: blooming perennials and trees attract lots of butterflies and hummingbirds!
Warm weather veggie time! Plant all kinds of peppers, zucchini, squash, melons, 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. Remember to keep watering your veggies as the weather warms up to maintain depth moisture.
We all know that fresh mulch is like a fresh coat of paint for your garden – instant makeover! But did you know that applying a proper 3” layer of natural mulch keeps underlying soil temps more than 20 degrees cooler?! A good mulch layer keeps weeds at bay, and as it breaks down over time, it add nutrients to your soil. And perhaps most importantly right now, a good mulch layer retains moisture, which means big water savings.
Feed with Natural Fertilizers: Medina Growin Green or Milorganite. Yes, you can still fertilize your lawn, even though our lawn watering is limited. Using a good organic lawn food, like our go-to Medina Growin Green, promotes root growth and long-term health, which makes lawns more tolerant of less water. Ideally you’d want to water the fertilizer in, but you don’t have to. Medina Growin Green is gentle and won’t burn your lawn. You can apply it now and water it in slowly over a few weeks. If you have trees in your yard, keep in mind that fertilizer and water need to be applied at the drip line, aka where rainwater naturally drips off the outer edge of the canopy. Therefore, if you apply fertilizer to your lawn and water it in for the trees, your lawn will get the benefit too. You can also try to time your lawn fertilizing with a light rain. We typically don’t recommend waiting for rain to fertilize since a heavy rain would wash most of the fertilizer granules away. But, given the watering limitations, taking advantage of a light rain is a good solution.
Watering: Homeowners can collect free effluent water at the Oso Wastewater Treatment Plant to use to water lawns, which is a great option. Apply for a quick and easy residential permit from the City of Corpus Christi here. If you do so, keep in mind that 1,000 gallons can water 1,621 sq ft of lawn at a nice 1” depth or 3,225 sq ft of lawn at ½” depth.
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.
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. BioAdvanced 24-Hour Grub Killer or Season-Long Bonide Insect and Grub Control will do the trick for grubs. Diatomaceous Earth, Spinosad, or 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.
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.
Let us help you find something pretty, useful, or both for the gardening moms and grads in your life. Pottery, birdbaths, wind chimes, quality garden tools, hats, gloves, garden decor, plantable greeting cards, gardening books – lots of options. You can purchase Gill gift cards online here and we’ll gift wrap and mail them to your loved one. Or come find the gift that gardeners love most – plants 🙂
The weather this week is making us want to get outside and garden!! We’re stocking up on veggies, Texas native plants, trees, and lots of flowers and blooming perennials as we head into spring! Here’s our top 8 gardening tasks to focus on this month to kickstart an amazing season. Game on!
If you want to make a really good gardening game plan for spring, join us here at Gill’s this Saturday, February 8th at 10am for James Gill’s annual Get Ready for Spring garden talk. James will go over proper pruning techniques, what to plant, how to fertilize, watering tips, and lots more. James is a walking encyclopedia of local gardening and landscaping knowledge – bring your questions! This talk is free and open to everyone. One attendee will win a $100 Gill’s gift card, and we’ll do some other giveaways too! Take a look at all our upcoming talks and events here.
On January 28th, City Council voted to move the new draft Drought Contingency Plan forward to a vote. Council will vote on whether to adopt to the new plan on February 11th, and if it passes, better watering rules take effect on February 12th. Under new proposed Stage 3 rules, hand watering is allowed any day before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m., and drip irrigation systems can be used to water landscapes on your designated watering day every other week. We feel good about these changes – they will allow us all to keep our community alive and vibrant through the drought. The City has also agreed to grant temporary exemptions to watering rules for new plantings for up to 30 days, which will allow homeowners to continue investing in their property. Homeowners should use the City’s form to apply for an exemption to get new landscapes established, then once they’re established, hand watering and/or drip irrigation will keep them thriving. There’s still time to contact your City Council members and Mayor Guajardo to express your support for these changes to the Stage 3 watering rules before the vote next Tuesday, 2/11 – the more gardeners they hear from, the better!
It’s time to start veggie favs like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans, lettuces/greens, & more! Prep those beds with Nature’s Blend compost and get going. If you’re short on space, fill containers or raised beds with Gardener’s Magic soil and plant! Stop by and we’ll help you plan your veggie garden and get you everything you’ll need for a bountiful harvest. We’ve also got 2 fun veggie talks planned this month: Tomato Kickoff with Andy Chidester on the 15th and Start Your Spring Veggie Garden on the 22nd with Wyatt Page. Come learn and share with a group seasoned and aspiring gardeners!
All our favorite spring annuals, perennials, natives, roses, and bright-blooming tropical plants are arriving at Gill’s daily! We’ve entered February and the forecast looks warm and sunny, so it’s time to create bursts of color in the garden and landscape. Yes, there’s always a chance for a late freeze, but given our forecast this year, those chances are getting slimmer every day. Better to plant early and get a head start on root growth. Plus, small plants are easy to cover if need be.
Blooming plants need food! Veggies are especially heavy feeders – they need to be able to sustain blooming and producing fruit. We recommend mixing in a little Bio-Tone Starter when you plant, which contains mycorrhizal fungi that promotes root growth. Then feed with a good organic, granular plant food like Plant-Tone or Medina Growin Green once a month, and supplement with liquid organic Hasta Gro in between. An easy way to remember this is to set an alarm or calendar event for granular feeding on the 1st of the month, then Hasta Gro on the 15th. These will add nutrients to your plants and keep your soil alive and healthy too.
February is the time to get plants cut back to make way for big spring growth! Typically, we recommend waiting until February 15th to prune, but since the weather is warm and the forecast looks good, game on now! Most perennials like Lantana, Turk’s Cap, and Salvias need a good pruning back to about 4-8″ – don’t be shy! For any plants with woody stems/branches (like Esperanza and Hibiscus) that look dead or damaged from our recent freeze, do the scratch test before pruning. Start up high and scratch with your fingernail, a dime, or the back side of a knife. Don’t scratch too deep. If you see the bright green cambium layer (like the photo), that means it’s still alive! If you see brown/gray when you scratch, keep working your way down the plant until you see green. That will tell you where to cut. As always, contact Gill’s if you’re not sure or have questions about whether or how to prune specific plants.
Scale is a variety of hard bodied sucking insects that range in appearance from white oyster shells to brown boogers stuck to the leaves of plants. Some of their favorites are Burford Holly, Bird of Paradise, Flax Lily, & Irises. They are easily controlled with a spray of organic All Seasons Oil Spray, but it must be done now before temps get too warm. The oil spray literally coats and suffocates the the eggs that are waiting for spring to hatch. It’s also good for treating indoor plants that may have scale or spider mites.
Right now, hand pulling the thistle while the ground is moist and keeping the clover mowed before it flowers are the best options to control 2 of our most common weeds. Weed killer sprays (like Weed B Gon) work with warm weather and sunshine with no rain or heavy night fog. The forecast looks good for this next week. Keep in mind – you should only spray for weeds one time or you risk damaging your lawn. Take care of weeds now, but wait to fertilize until March!
Check out our February Garden Guide for more tips!
Good news! We have been working with City of Corpus Christi staff and other local green industry leaders to revise the Drought Contingency Plan, particularly Stage 3 restrictions on most outdoor water use. Thankfully, City leadership has been open to discussing revisions, acknowledging the concern for water shortages as well as the need to keep our city alive and vibrant. As of January 17th, City leadership has agreed to revise the rules and present a new Drought Contingency Plan to City Council for approval. Here’s what you need to know!
Under new proposed Stage 3 rules, hand watering is allowed any day before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m., and drip irrigation systems can be used to water landscapes on your designated watering day every other week. We feel very good about these changes – they will allow us all to keep landscapes and trees alive through the drought. The City has also agreed to grant temporary exemptions to watering rules for new plantings for up to 30 days, which will allow homeowners to continue investing in their property. Homeowners should use the City’s form to apply for an exemption to get new landscapes established, then once they’re established, hand watering and drip irrigation will keep them thriving.
The new draft Drought Contingency Plan will be presented at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 28th. We encourage you to contact your City Council members and Mayor Guajardo to express your support for these changes to the Stage 3 watering rules. Better yet, sign up to make public comments at the Council meeting! We plan to speak at the meeting on the 28th, then again at the meeting on February 11th, where Council will vote to adopt the new plan. If the plan is adopted, the new rules will be effective in time for spring!
Since spray irrigation will still be prohibited under new Stage 3 rules, using recycled water is a great option for lawns. The City is currently building a tank farm to hold recycled effluent water which can be hauled and used to water residential lawns and landscapes. Once this water becomes available, Gill’s will provide this service. If you’d like to get on our list for lawn watering, please get in touch!
Happy Holidays, gardeners! We hope you’re having fun with family and friends and enjoying this warm weather outdoors. We’re back open regular hours December 26th through December 30th. We’ll be open 9-2 New Year’s Eve and closed New Year’s Day. Cheers to 2025!
One of my favorite pastimes, in between planting, fertilizing, trimming, and mulching, is sitting in my backyard and watching the butterflies dance around my garden. Here’s a few tips to entice these beauties to YOUR GARDEN!
Locate a sunny area.
Butterflies and most butterfly attracting plants require bright sunshine.
Plant nectar producing flowers.
Butterflies visit flowers in search of nectar to eat. Many butterflies seem to prefer purple, yellow, orange and red- orange blossoms. Clusters of short, tubular flowers or flat-topped blossoms provide the ideal shapes for butterflies to easily land and feed.
Select single flowers rather than double flowers.
The nectar of single flowers is more accessible and easier for butterflies to extract than the nectar of double flowers, which have more petals per flower.
Use large splashes of color in your landscape.
Butterflies are first attracted to flowers by their color. Groups of flowers are easier for butterflies to locate than isolated plants.
Plan for continuous bloom throughout the season.
Butterflies are active from early spring until late fall. Plant a selection of flowers that will provide nectar throughout the entire growing season. For blooms throughout the year, plant hamelia, shrimp plant. jatropha, lantana, bulbine, buddleia, mist flower, & penta. For flowers spring and fall, try mexican flame vine, verbena, mexican mint marigold, pavonia, passion vine, salvias, & fall chrysanthemums.
Plant for perching.
Plant some evergreen trees or shrubs for perching and rain shelter. Example: Yaupon holly or desert willow.
Include host plants in your garden design.
Host plants provide food for the caterpillar and lure female butterflies into the garden to lay eggs.
Include damp areas or shallow puddles in the garden.
Some butterflies drink and extract salts from moist soil. Occasionally large numbers of male butterflies congregate around a moist area to drink, forming a “puddle club”.
Place flat stones in the garden.
Butterflies often perch on stones, bare soil or vegetation, spread their wings and bask in the sun. Basking raises their body temperature so they are able to fly and remain active.
Do not use pesticides in or near a butterfly garden.
Most traditional garden pesticides are toxic to butterflies. Use predatory insects, insecticidal soap or hand remove the pests if problems occur.
Become a butterfly watcher!
Get to know the colorful butterflies that visit your garden. They are easy to identify with a field guide or butterfly app!
-Sally
Holiday season is here! These last few weeks of 2024 are sure to fly by. Our advice: make sure you spend some time in the garden to balance out the hectic holidays. Here are our top to-do’s this month: what to plant, gift ideas, holiday plant care, and more.
Check out our December Garden Guide for more tips!
There’s always the BEST time to get plants growing and here’s a few that LOVE this season as much as we do!
Trees…shade, flowering, small, big, they all benefit from planting now. Good root development during the cooler months of winter gives them better growth in spring and a deeper, stronger root system to withstand the summer heat.
Onions…we grow short-day onion varieties here in South Texas. Lucky for us the 1015 Texas Supersweet is one of those along with tasty Texas Early White & Southern Belle Red.
Roses…our mild winters are perfect for big, beautiful roses & the cooler temps will only make them prettier and the flower color richer.
Ornamental Cabbage & Kale…these winter classics need to be planted early this month and enjoyed through the season! Easy care, vibrant colors, and unique texture in the garden.
Alyssum…gorgeous white blooms all winter long. Did you know Alyssum flowers and leaves are edible? They have a pungent horseradish-y flavor.
Other plants that require short days…some plants require short days/enough hours of darkness to bloom and look their best. Think Aloes and other outdoor succulents, Cyclamen, Camelia, native Salvia greggii, and Kalanchoes!
Fresh-cut Christmas Trees…we give all of our trees a fresh cut and get them in water immediately to preserve their freshness. Many customers ask us for another fresh cut before they take the tree home. If you decide to have us do another fresh cut, or if you do it yourself, keep in mind that you have 10 minutes to get the tree in water before that cut seals over! Check water in your tree stand daily and keep it full. If you have pets who like to drink or splash the water, try covering with a piece of foil.
Poinsettias…Think of poinsettias as succulents – because they are! They are a type of euphorbia. That means give them a good drink, but let them dry out between waterings. Also, the leaves bruise and break easily, so avoid touching them as much as possible. So tempting to touch!
Christmas Cactus…Probably the easiest of all holiday plants, and they can last a LONG time! There are stories of Christmas Cacti that have been gifted and passed down through families for 100+ years. They like well-lit areas, but not direct sunlight. Let dry between waterings, then mist the leaves as well as water the soil when its time to water. They like to stay on the dry side!
Living Holiday Trees…Junipers, Norfolk Pines, Loblolly Pines, Magnolias, and Ficus trees all make great Christmas trees that can be planted outside after the holidays. If you bring these in for decorating, be sure they have good bright natural light. Keep watered but not too much, and as soon as the holidays are done…take them outdoors for a breath of fresh air and get them in the ground.
If you have gardeners on your list this year, we’ve got you covered! Cosmic seed kits, handmade holiday ornaments, quality tools and gloves, nature-themed holiday cards, crystals, ceramic snakes, beautiful houseplant cutting jars, and lots more unique garden gifts. And of course, plants!! If they’re picky, you can’t go wrong with a Gill’s gift card!
Winter flowers are AMAZING right now! Violas and Pansies are breathtaking and Geraniums are full of buds and blooms. All that blooming makes them hungry, so take a moment and fertilize your beauties. We love using granular Plant Tone once a month, then following up with liquid Hasta Gro every 2 weeks. Both are organic and give you big results. Have that “one more empty pot” to fill?
Most houseplants will not experience a complete dormancy period during winter, but they will slow down growth and react to climatic changes like drier conditions inside the house. Give your houseplants more light and less water as temperatures and the amount of daylight hours drop. Dust/shine leaves regularly to ward off insects. Cooler temps = drier conditions and less of the humidity that houseplants love. Try grouping them together to create more humidity, or use a humidifier. When bringing patio plants inside for cold snaps, be sure to treat with All Seasons Horticultural Oil spray to prevent any pests (like scale insects) from hitching a ride indoors.
We typically don’t get a frost until January or February, but there’s always a chance! Be sure you’ve got your frost blankets or frost cloth ready to protect any tender outdoor tropicals and new plantings. Mulch beds at 2-3″ deep to help seal in warmth. And don’t prune yet! Remember that pruning signals to a plant that it’s time to put on new growth. Instead, plant leaves need to harden off and go dormant for the winter. Foliage that you leave on the plant will help insulate it against cold weather.
Hooray for rain this week! If you’re not already collecting rainwater, now’s the time to start. This time of year, even a simple 55gal rain barrel goes a long way because plants don’t need as much water. We recently installed a big 2,500gal stainless steel tank to collect rainwater from the greenhouse roof. Less than 2″ of rain fills it up! We installed a pump at the base of the tank to pressurize 2 water hoses which allow us to water LOTS of plants. If you’re interested in a rainwater harvesting system like this, Gill’s landscape department can design and install. In addition to rainwater, you can easily catch water from your A/C units and dehumidifiers. We water almost all of the houseplants in our gift shop area with water from 1 dehumidifier with a 2.5gal reservoir that fills up about twice a day. Humidity can be a good thing!
