summer

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?!

Gill’s Landscape Designer, Kathy Hubner attended a webinar presented by Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories in which they shared amazing results from a mulch study in San Antonio. Soil temperatures were measured at 6″ deep (where plant roots live) on a 105 degree summer day. Bare soil with no mulch, 6″ down was 102 degrees. Soil under grass was 92 degrees. Soil beneath a 3″ layer of mulch was only 76 degrees!! Mulch for the win!

Keeping plant roots cool helps them take up water and nutrients and prevents heat stress on the plant. Cooling alone are a great motivation to maintain a 3″ mulch layer, but there are lots of other magical powers. Mulch helps you water: it helps retain depth moisture in the soil when you water slow and deep, and when we a good rain.

A 3″ mulch layer also helps suppress weeds. It allows good water, oxygen, and nutrient transfer, but blocks light that weed seeds need in order to sprout. And speaking of nutrients, natural hardwood mulch or pine straw mulch breaks down over time and helps build healthier soil.

To achieve a 3″ layer of mulch takes about 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. Be sure you spread the mulch evenly and avoid creating the dreaded “mulch volcano” around the trunks or main stems of plants and trees. Mounding mulch up against the trunk can invite disease. Best to mulch around trees and plants then pull mulch away from the trunk to create some space.

Pro tip: As your summer veggies finish their growth cycles, pull them up and use a nice layer of pine straw mulch over your garden beds to keep weeds down and help keep your soil alive and ready for the next season. Fall veggie planting is right around the corner!

KEEP COOL AND MULCH ON!

Temperatures may not feel like it yet, but it’s time to start making the transition into an exciting new Fall planting season! There’s a lot to do in August to set yourself up for big garden success this Fall and beyond. Here are our top must-do’s!

Check out our August 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. Water to Maintain Depth Moisture!

Yay for rain!! It looks like there might even be some more in the forecast late next week! Since we have the luxury of good depth moisture, our goal with watering this month should be to maintain it. For lawns and established plants and trees, this means watering less frequently, but watering deeply when you water. New plantings will require water every day for the first couple weeks to get the roots established, but again, think deep drinks so the roots dive deeper. Use a water wand with a cut-off valve to make it easy on you and conserve water. Pro tip: Conserve water by watering at ground level, not spraying from above. This way, water soaks down to the roots rather than evaporating off the leaves.

2. Start Planting for Fall Pollinators!

Important fact: birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Plants attract and provide food for them to keep the cycle going. For example – plant Zinnia and sunflower seeds now, and they’ll be ready to feed migrating birds this Fall. Plant salvias now, get roots established, and they’ll be gorgeous this Fall and covered in hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Take it a step further and plant Texas natives! They provide for pollinators and require less water once established. If you’re excited about planting natives for pollinators, check out Homegrown National Park! It’s a nationwide movement to plant natives and restore native biodiversity at home. Just by planting a few native plants, you can get your yard on the map and become part of the Homegrown National Park.

3. Pick Out Your Seeds!

Watching your plants grow from a tiny seed is exciting and rewarding! Our Fall Vegetable Planting Guide provides the specific seed-planting dates to help plan your Fall garden. In early August, we’ll receive the new 2024-2025 seeds from our favorite seed suppliers, including heirloom vegetables, new releases, and wildflower seeds. Use peat pots or seed starting trays to start seeds indoors this month, then move to a covered patio once they sprout. This will protect the seedlings and slowly acclimate them to outdoor temps.

4. Prep Your Garden Beds

August is the time to start prepping Fall veggie beds! Finish your Summer harvesting, clean out your beds, and pull weeds. To get your soil ready, we recommend mixing Nature’s Blend Compost or Cotton Burr Compost into your soil to replenish nutrients and loosen the soil before planting. About 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. is good. Once prepped, add a thick layer of pine straw mulch, which will help retain moisture, keep weeds from sprouting, and keep the soil cooler until you’re ready to plant. As you plan your space, think crop rotation – don’t plant the same veggies in the exact same place you planted them last season, or you encourage pests and diseases.

5. Mulch for Moisture Retention

We know fresh mulch is the quickest way to refresh the look of your landscape. Proper mulching has other big benefits, especially during hot weather. A good 3” deep layer of mulch will keep your plants and the soil moist and cool for longer after you water or after it rains. Not just a little cooler – we’re talking more than 25 degrees cooler!! Give the main trunks or stems of your plants a little space – mulch 3” deep throughout the bed, but no more than 1” deep against the main trunks/stems of plants.

6. What About All the Weeds??

With all this amazing rain comes lots of weeds! We can’t apply weed killer to lawns right now because temperatures are still too high – we need to stay below 90 degrees to be able to treat existing lawn weeds. For now, keep the lawn mowed to prevent weeds from going to seed, and apply pre-emergent Weed Stopper with Dimension to prevent new weeds from sprouting. For landscape beds, we recommend spot treating weeds with an organic contact killer like Horticultural Vinegar or Captain Jack’s Deadweed Brew. For pesky Bermuda grass in beds, spot treat with Grass-B-Gon, and for our old friend nutsedge (aka nut grass), use Sedgehammer. Keep in mind, Bermuda grass and nutsedge will likely require several applications to eradicate.

It sure feels like summer outside, but in order for fall tomatoes and peppers to have time to produce lots of fruit, we gotta plant em now! Here are a few tips for growing the most and the tastiest tomatoes and peppers.

1. Count Your Days to Maturity

The average tomato, like our beloved Celebrity slicing tomato, needs about 70-80 days to mature and produce fruit. That means they’ll be ready around the beginning of November if we plant today. Similarly, Jalepenos and bell peppers need 60-80 days to maturity. Be sure to get them planted now or very soon so you can get a good harvest before we have chances of cold weather which tomatoes and peppers can’t handle.

2. Adequate Spacing + Cages for Support

When planting, keep in mind that tomatoes should be planted a good 4 feet apart, and peppers should be 2.5-3 feet apart. This gives them room to grow to their full potential, ensures good airflow around the plants, and helps prevent pest outbreaks. Remember – tomato cages are your friends! It’s important to cage the tomato right when you plant so you don’t risk breaking branches if you try to add a cage later. A tomato cage works great for supporting pepper plants too. And be sure to have some flexible green garden tie tape to help secure floppy branches, especially when they get heavy with fruit! The flexible tape is nice because it’s soft and won’t cut into the plant like string or wire would. Yes, we have some!

3. Follow DeAnna’s Tried & True Feeding Schedule

Remember that plants use lots of energy to produce fruit, so they need plenty of good food! Use compost and Biotone Starter Plus you plant to promote good soil microbes and bigger roots. Then take DeAnna’s advice on feeding: apply a quality granular fertilizer (Plant Tone or Medina Growin Green) on the 1st of the month, then supplement with liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th. Add these reminders to your calendar to make it easy. Follow this schedule and you’ll have tomatoes & peppers to share!

It’s almost that magical time of year again when ruby-throated hummingbirds make their way through the Coastal Bend on their way south for the winter! Expect to start seeing hummingbirds around town any day now, with peak numbers around mid-late September, right in time for the Rockport-Fulton Hummerbird Celebration. With our hungry guests arriving very soon, it’s time to set the table with all the right hummingbird plants! Here’s what and how to plant to make your yard a preferred stop on the migration path.

1. Plant Tubular Blooms in Shades of Orange and Red

If we think about our list of top-notch hummingbird-attracting plants like Firebush (pictured), Flame Acanthus, Firecracker (russelia), Salvia greggii, and Coral Honeysuckle, to name a few, they all have tubular blooms that are perfect for a hummingbird’s long, skinny beak. And their blooms are all shades of orange and red! Hummingbirds have a high concentration of cones in their retinas which filter color differently than what we see. To hummingbirds, the red spectrum appears more vividly while blues appear more muted. That said, scientists have run experiments with different color blooms and found that hummingbirds learn very fast which blooms have the most nectar, regardless of bloom color. As a local example, we know that hummingbirds also love Duranta‘s blooms which are purple and not tube-shaped. Lantanas are another plant that hummingbirds seem to love in all colors.

2. Plant in Groups, Not Just 1 or 2

When planting for hummingbirds and other pollinators, make your food sources easy to find. Instead of planting 1’s and 2’s of hummingbird plants spread out across the yard, plant a few or several of the same plant in a group. This helps mimic how most plants are found in nature, helps the hummingbirds spot them more easily, and provides a higher concentration of nectar. If you have limited space, go with 3 of the same plant rather than 1 of each. We had a customer call Gill’s this week to ask about hummingbird plants for her balcony…on the 13th floor! That may seem like a stretch, but hummingbirds can fly up to 500 feet – if they have a good reason to fly up to your balcony, they can and will!

3. Supplement with High Quality Organic Food and Shallow Water

The right plants will get you more hummingbirds, but it doesn’t hurt to supplement with some feeders too. They need all the energy they can get for their long journey. Place your feeders in easy to access spots since they need to be cleaned regularly. And don’t use the fake red dyed “nectar” that you might find at big box stores. Use a high-quality, nutritious food that’s truly made for hummingbirds. We’re big fans of organic Hummingbird Momma, which is the only nectar we carry. And don’t forget about water! No hummingbird haven is complete without a shallow bird bath or fountain. They can’t stand in deeper water, so look for something very shallow!

Fall planting season is here!! September is the best time to plant almost everything. And the recent rain is excellent news for getting started! Here are our top 7 must-do’s this month as we head into our favorite season in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend.

Check out our September Garden Guide for more tips!

1. Ready, Set, PLANT Veggies, Herbs, Citrus, and Fruits!

It’s time! Tomatoes, peppers, & warm weather edibles should be planted by now, or at the latest, early September. Plant cool weather veggies & herbs anytime in September and remember to shelter them from still-intense sun and keep watered. When planting, you can’t go wrong with organic BioTone starter fertilizer + a good handful of Earthworm Castings. Neither of these require precise measurement, and they make an incredible combo for building stronger, deeper roots, preventing pests, and creating an active soil environment for plants to thrive.

Here’s our Fall veggie planting schedule. And save space for citrus trees, figs, and other fruits to round off your garden grocery store! They’ll all be arriving before or right around mid-September.

2. Plant Trees and Shrubs for the BEST Start

Plants that are cold hardy (trees and woody shrubs) will benefit greatly by planting during our fall season. They’re under less heat stress, and they grow more roots through the fall and winter, making them stronger and ready to take off next spring. More roots, stronger plants, and less watering! Oak trees, Crape Myrtles, Hawthorns, Yaupon Holly, Plumbago, Boxwoods and a host of other trees and shrubs should be planted starting this month for the best start.

3. Plant to Support Pollinators!

We’re bringing in lots of new plants this month with our pollinator friends in mind! While you’re choosing what to plant, consider adding Texas Natives like Turk’s Cap and Lantana that birds and bees love. If you want to attract and support butterflies, try native butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Gregg’s mist flower, and lots of different blooming salvias. So many gorgeous options! Bring in some pictures of your outdoor space and we can help you plan the perfect pollinator garden – big or small. You can DIY or we can plant it for you!

4. Set the Table for the Fall Hummingbird Migration!

Ruby-throated hummingbirds will soon make their way through for the fall migration! These tiny birds are BIG eaters. They stop here in the Coastal Bend to fuel up before their non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Host them in your yard by planting some of their favorite foods! Hummingbirds find plants using their excellent vision and are attracted to bright colored blooms, which indicate a high-sugar food source. Some of our favs for South Texas are Flame Acanthus (aka hummingbird bush), Salvias (like native Salvia greggii and Salvia leucantha), Cape Honeysuckle, Firecracker plant, Coral bean – the list goes on! Plant a few of these and hummingbirds will find them. And don’t forget to visit the Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Celebration September 19-22!

5. Make Way for New Growth with Light Pruning and Clean-up

Chances are you have established plants that could benefit from a clean-up after working so hard all summer. Wait until about September 15th and give them a light pruning to make way for new growth this fall. A good rule of thumb for most plants is to prune up to 1/3 (not more) in the fall, then wait until January to do a heavy pruning/cutback. If you have questions about how to prune specific plants, you know who to call!

6. Watch Your Watering and Adjust as Needed

We’ll keep repeating – water to maintain depth moisture! That means water slow and deep. Conserve water and force those roots to dive deeper for moisture. If you use an automatic sprinkler system, take some time this month to give it a good audit. Make sure all your sprinkler heads are working properly, and make sure you are applying a good 1″ of water, evenly, when you water your lawn and established landscape beds and trees. The easy way to do this is to get some simple sprinkler gauges (pictured) and place them in different locations. You may find that different sprinkler zones need various different run times.

7. You’re Invited! Gill Garden Talks and Events this Fall!

Gill Garden Talks and Events are back this Fall! We’re kicking it off with Kids Fest at KEDT studios on September 14th where we’ll be on hand giving away plants, seeds, and other fun garden stuff! Stay tuned here and on Instagram and Facebook for details of each event. We’ve got a few more that we can’t announce just yet 🙂

Garden talks are back! Are you considering planting more natives that thrive in our weather extremes, require less water and TLC, support wildlife, and look stunning?! Join Wyatt Page, our native plant specialist, this Saturday, September 28th, at 10am here at Gill’s for his talk about how to incorporate more native plants in your landscape. He’ll show you lots of native alternatives to common landscape plants, and give you ideas for where and how to use. This talk is free and open to everyone, and we’ll be doing some fun giveaways! Click to watch Wyatt’s invite video below and learn more:

Fall is OUR ABSOLUTE BEST TIME for planting veggies, trees, flowers, and just about everything else! Some rain in the forecast…and some cooler temps…fall is shaping up beautifully. But time is of the essence! A lot of the things we do in the garden this month will set us up for success for seasons to come. Here are our top must-do’s for October.

Check out our October Garden Guide for more tips!

1. Plant Trees Now for the Best Start – Citrus Too!

We’ll say it again… planting trees is all about growing roots. Trees planted in fall grow more next spring & summer because they spend time all fall and winter working on their root system. Having that established root system also helps prepare them for hot temps next summer. Live Oak, Burr Oak, Magnolia, Anacua, Cedar Elm, & Wild Olive are some of our South Texas fav’s and we’ve been getting some gorgeous specimens, big and small. And don’t forget about citrus trees! We have a nice fall crop of lemons, different lime varieties, kumquats, mandarins, and more. For years we’ve been trying to source larger citrus trees and it finally happened! In addition to our 5gal citrus, we’ve got some larger 15 and 30gal! Planting a small 5gal citrus tree is great, just know it will need a couple of seasons of growth before it can support bearing fruit. The larger 15 and 30gal citrus trees can start giving you fruit right now!

Read: The Advantages of Fall Planting

2. Plant Your Fall Veggies

Some of the best… Broccoli, Cauliflower, Lettuces, Cabbage, Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Cilantro, Artichokes, and the list goes on! October is our window for planting! Remember – veggies are heavy feeders, so it’s important to keep fertilizing throughout the season. We recommend using BioTone Starter when you plant, followed by a good organic granular like Medina Growin Green or Plant Tone on the 1^st of each month, then supplement with liquid Hasta Gro on the 15^thof each month. Set these reminders on your phone/calendar and you’ll have BIG harvests with plenty to cook and share.

Watch: Coastal Bend Veggie Gardening Guide

3. Plant Fall Flowers Galore

Take advantage of the weather while the days are still long. It’s the perfect time to start cool weather Impatiens, Marigolds, Snapdragons, Violas, Petunias, Calendula, Begonias – the flowers and colors that say, “FALL!”. Warm days help flowers develop roots so they can look their best during the cooler months ahead. Since we don’t experience dramatic changing of the seasons here in South Texas, we create that fall feeling with gorgeous fall colors!

4. Ready, Set, Fertilize Your Lawn + Prevent Weeds

Fertilizing lawns this month is essential for developing strong roots and healthy growth next spring and summer. We emphatically recommend organic Medina Growin Green! Amazing stuff! A 40lb bag covers 3000 sq ft of lawn, and for a small fee, we can rent you a spreader which makes it very easy to apply. Not only does Medina Growin Green work wonders on lawns, you can use it in all areas of your landscape, including your veggie garden. If you want to prevent weeds, now’s the time to apply preemergent Weed Beater Complete or Hi-Yield Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper. Remember this: treat for weeds, wait 2-3 weeks, then fertilize. Do not use “weed & feed” products!

Read: Fall Lawn Care

5. Plant for Hummingbirds and Migratory Birds

Right now is a great time to plant all kinds of blooming plants that hummingbirds and other migratory birds need. Some of our favs for South Texas are native Flame Acanthus (aka hummingbird bush), Salvias (like native Salvia greggii and Salvia leucantha), Cape Honeysuckle, native Turk’s Cap, native Beautyberry, native Loquat, Firecracker plant, Coral bean – the list goes on and on. We have been covered in hummingbirds here at Gill’s!

We’ve been getting a ton of lawn questions spanning all sorts of possible issues from weeds to watering to lingering bugs to fungus to fertilizing – you name it! Yes, we can help you figure out what’s going on with your lawn! Here’s where to start.

Bring Us a Grass Sample

Are you noticing brown or yellow patches in your lawn? Yellow strips near sidewalks? Thin, patchy spots? A sad lack of green? Any of these could be symptoms of serious pest damage or fungal disease. We can sometimes tell a lot from pictures if you want to email us or send us a message to any of our social media accounts, but often pictures lead to more questions. The quickest and best way for us to figure out what’s going on is to bring us a grass sample. Simply take a small shovel-full of grass from an area where good grass meets not-so-good grass. Make sure you get the roots and some underlying soil. Then bring that chunk of grass, roots, and soil to Gill’s in a bag or box. We’ll take a look, determine what’s causing the problem, and get you what you need to resolve. You can take that sample shovel-full and plug it right back into your lawn when we’re done.

Prevent Problems with Good Watering and Maintenance

Healthy lawns with healthy roots are far less likely to be attacked by bad pests or fungus. You gotta water! You can still maintain proper watering even given our current watering restrictions. Once every 2 weeks is sufficient now, and you can water less than that as temps cool. The key is to water deeply to maintain depth moisture. Use empty tuna cans or sprinkler gauges to measure and be sure you’re applying a good inch of water evenly across your lawn. This will ensure you’re getting water down to the roots and forcing the roots to grow deeper. Of course you should adjust your watering schedule if we get a good rain, but don’t count on rain to do the job for you. Always water in the morning – watering in the evening invites fungal issues. When you mow, be sure your mower blades are sharp. Dull mower blades will shred grass blades leaving a dull brown look across the lawn. And don’t cut too short: proper mowing height for St. Augustine is 3″, and Bermuda is 2-2.5″.

Prevent Weeds First, Then Fertilize

If you want to prevent new weeds form sprouting, now’s the time to apply preemergent Weed Beater Complete or Hi-Yield Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper. Remember this: treat for weeds, wait 2 weeks, then fertilize. Do not use “weed & feed” products. There’s still time to fertilize, but that window is closing. Fertilizing lawns in October (aka “winterizing”) is essential for developing strong roots and healthy growth next spring and summer. We recommend feeding with organic Medina Growin Green! Amazing stuff! A 40lb bag covers 3000 sq ft of lawn, and for a small fee, we can rent you a spreader which makes it very easy to apply. Not only does Medina Growin Green work wonders on lawns, you can use it in all areas of your landscape, including your veggie garden.

Maybe You Have too Much Lawn?

If you’ve read this far, you might be thinking, “Hmm…this sounds like a lot of work!” You might consider whether it’s time to reduce some of your lawn space and convert it to planting beds or native groundcover plants that require less maintenance and far less water than a turfgrass lawn (St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia, etc.). Turfgrass lawns are often referred to as biological deserts, meaning they’re monocultures that don’t support many species in the ecosystem. A fresh-cut, perfect green lawn might be pleasing to look at, but we’d argue that planting beds bursting with butterflies and birds and color is more fun. You can even create lawn-like open green areas with low-water native groundcover like Frogfruit or Horseherb that you don’t need to mow! You’ve got options and many good reasons to find areas of your lawn to reduce/convert.