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An International Landscape Conference Worth Traveling 3,000 Miles to Experience!

That’s right, last week I flew 3,000 miles round trip to Toronto, Canada to meet with 137 landscape design colleagues from the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Saudi Arabia. We bonded with a “full mist” experience at Niagara Falls, wearing our Canadian red rain ponchos.

Then we promptly dried off and got down to business exploring the Niagara Botanical Gardens. I re-discovered old garden favorites such as amaranthus, copper plant, and strawberry fields gomphrena re-imagined in an unusual tapestry of hot summer colors. The plants were alive with birds, butterflies, and bees!

Over the next two days we toured 15 gardens of all sizes and styles. One of my favorites is a tiny 4 year old garden showcasing diversity through materials. The materials came from far and wide, contributing to the result… lumber from a barn in southwest Ontario, a reclaimed mask from New York city, ledge rock from a church in Cambridge, building stone from north eastern Pennsylvania, windows from the home that previously existed on the site and even perennials from the designer’s mom’s garden that were ‘just the right item for that corner’.

Fast forward to the Toronto Botanical Garden where Paul Zammit (renowned garden container designer) told me the benefits of using parsley in garden containers. That’s right, PARSLEY!! I’ll share the “why” and “how tos” with you at my Garden Talk, Saturday September 29th, 10 am, Gill’s, 2810 Airline Road!

-Kathy

We’ve had abundant, much needed rain this past week! Soils are well hydrated. There may be issues with too much rain with the forecast of more tropical downpours coming over the next few days. If you have any concerns about water coming into the house or garage, you have a little time to act preventatively.

Make sure there are no impediments to flow! I have seen back yards and side yards filled with old ice chests, firewood, unused bricks or stepping stones, bags of mulch, trash bags full of yard waste, and yard waste fallen from the trees and never picked up, all slowing the flow of storm water and causing it to back up so high it is going over the foundation and into the garage or house. If leaves have collected, use the blower to clear the area.

Also, mowing or using the weedeater to lower grass or weeds is beneficial, tall grass slows water flow. Make sure you have several inches of clearance under fences or gates, as debris afloat on storm water will move until it catches on a low fence and then will form a dam.

If a mulched bed or soil or lawn area is too high to allow water to flow out, start digging. Remember, a ditch does no good when dug only in the low areas, any high area overlooked will prevent the water from running out. So spot that high area and start working there. I’ve often found after a flood where people in desperation have dug a ditch across the back of the house and down the side yard, and then stop at the fence! If you don’t reach a low area, with no impediments in between, you did not finish the job.

Our landscape department has the tools, experience, and manpower to handle drainage problems, so if the result of this rain has you concerned about your drainage, and its more than you can handle yourself, give us a call.

-James Gill

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

We have less control over our plants during prolonged periods of rain or flooding than during drought. Unless they are in moveable containers, there is little we can do except wait for the weather to change.

If your soil is waterlogged, chances are good your plants are showing signs of stress. Water logged and flooded soil has insufficient amounts of oxygen in it for the plants roots to take up and release water. Plants may look like they are wilting, but it is not because of too little water, it is because they can no longer access the available water. This leads to root rot and decline.

Signs your plants have been damaged by waterlogged soil include: stunting, yellowing leaves, twisting leaves, dropping leaves, soft spongy areas at the base of the plants, wilting despite plenty of water, roots turning dark with a rotting odor.

Some plants prone to root rot from prolonged wet soil are Rosemary, Esperanza, Cape Honeysuckle, Plumbago, Tomatoes, Peppers, and Texas Sage. Just because a plant shows signs of distress does not mean it will or will not recover.

A few things we can do to help them recover quicker is to poke air holes around the root system of the plant to allow them to dry out faster. If the wilting persists, you can cut the plants back to eliminate some of the foliage since the plant has lost roots. Next, improve drainage in the area by adding expanded shale.

-DeAnna

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

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.

Clockwise from Top Left: Lantana, Mist Flower, Salvia Mystic Spires, Salvia Gregii, Shrimp Plant, Mexican Mint Marigold

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.

Common Name: Larval Food Source
Black Swallowtail: dill, parsley, fennel, carrot tops
Fritillaries: passionflowers
Giant Swallowtail: citrus, rue
Julias: passionflowers
Monarchs & Queens: milkweeds
Pipevine Swallowtail: Dutchman’s pipevine
Skippers: mallows
Snouts: hackberry
Sulphurs: cassias
Viceroys: pear, cottonwood, willow
Whites: mustards, pepper-grass
Zebra Longwings: passionflowers

Clockwise from Top Left: Black Swallowtail, Monarch, Snout, Zebra Longwing

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

Wow! Snow and 2 hard freezes has really hurt my lawn. The only thing growing are the weeds. The weather is now warm enough, but not quite sunny enough to spray your Weed b Gon Spray. Weed killer sprays will work their best with sunshine and no rain. Be sure to check the forecast to see if we are sunny for 3-5 days with no rain or your irrigation system.

Wait to fertilize once your grass is completely out of winter dormancy so it will absorb the fertilizer and give you the results you are looking for.

Have you finished pruning? It not, please prune quickly. The spring flush of new growth is about to happen since the weather has warmed up and you don’t want to miss the opportunity for Mother Nature to give you all that new foliage and then just cut it all off. Watch the video below for tips to proper spring pruning.

Once everything is pruned and new growth begins flushing it is time to fertilize. You will fertilize your tropicals and shrubs with Hibiscus Food, Rose Glo or even easier, Gill Lawn and Garden Food when you fertilize your lawn. Timing is key to a beautiful lawn and landscape once again.

-DeAnna

Even though your lawn has filled with weeds it is not too late to apply a pre-emergent. The weeds you have now will put on a flower and drop seeds to sprout more weeds. A pre-emergent will not kill the existing weeds but will prevent more from sprouting. Broadleaf Weed Control with Gallery is recommended for most broadleaf weeds and Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension will kill some broadleaf as well as grassy weeds like sticker burrs.

Once our weather warms up to 70-80 degrees with no rain for 5 days or more it will be time to apply Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns to kill the existing weeds. It is safe for Floratam St. Augustine and Bermuda. Give it 2 weeks to fully work and then it should be time to fertilize the lawn as well. Remember that fertilizer is taken up with active growth, so until we are mowing consistently every week for 2-3 weeks it is too early to get the full benefit of lawn food. Be patient with your spring lawn care. We all want to see results and have a pretty lawn again this spring.

-DeAnna

rain

An International Landscape Conference Worth Traveling 3,000 Miles to Experience!

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