Gill Garden Center + Landscape Co.
Corpus Christi, TX Garden Center
Texas Sage eaten by caterpillars? Take a close look at your Texas sage and see if you find small black spiny caterpillars.
Although they are small they have a huge appetite for sage leaves. They can devour the leaves of your plant in a matter of days. They are easily killed with Thuricide, Dipel dust or Spinosad and your plants will leaf back out in no time.
-DeAnna
Monday night I had the pleasure of viewing the newly completed Caribbean Journey Exhibit. I am proud of what the Texas State Aquarium brings to our community and to be a partner in the construction of a facility that educates our youth about an ecosystem unlike our own and the value of its preservation.
The Caribbean Journey interior landscape is the most unique and challenging installation of my career. From achieving the ideal soil mix to plant maintenance in hard to reach areas, this project required research, critical thinking and team work. The “dream team” featured: Fulton Construction, Texas State Aquarium project representatives, world class designers and Gill’s.
Some of the challenges included:
All this required careful thought and lots of muscle!
I knew this landscape would be home to birds, sloths, lizards and other critters. It would be natural, not polished and clipped. The mulch would be natural leaf litter. I’m thrilled to see plants typical of the Caribbean such as ‘Shady Lady’ Olives that love nice, moist soil and quickly drop all their leaves if they go dry. It’s a real treat to see orchids and bromeliads growing on palms and trees- their natural homes. And I must admit the request to plant a dead tree was a first for me!
In my opinion, this is a world class exhibit. Check it out!”
-Kathy
Shortly after graduating from the University of Texas, I began dating a handsome young man, our very own James Gill. Months after we started dating, we got the idea (from one of James’ friends, honestly) of starting a landscape business. I went to my parents and told them of our plans. The looks on their faces were priceless. I’m sure they were thinking…and our daughter is doing what? It didn’t take my dad long to come around to the idea of his daughter going into business for herself. And yes, James and I got married. The first year we operated with no outside financial assistance. I sold my car, we combined what little savings we had and between landscape jobs we threw newspapers for the Corpus Christi Caller Times. It wasn’t until the second year of business we realized the value of a retail garden center, which required land and more money.
I’ll never forget the day James, my dad and I visited every banker we knew in town, presenting our business plan, doing our best to sell the idea to the bank, hoping someone would loan us the money to buy the land we had found on Airline to build our store. It was a tough day; no one was interested. Eventually, after much number crunching, and consulting with my dad, we borrowed money from my parents and James’ parents, thank goodness. For the record we did pay them both back in short order. Interest rates at the time ran around 18%; crazy!
Besides helping to finance Gill’s early years, my dad also spent many evenings with James and me at his engineering firm, teaching us accounting. Now, that was painful! James and I knew absolutely nothing of debits and credits.
Another critical thing my dad helped us with was the layout of our garden center, including setting a good grade on our Airline property so that when it rained, it would drain. Believe me, James and I have visited many a garden center with puddles throughout due to poor drainage. It hurt when he said we needed 35 truckloads of soil, but we did it, and have been forever grateful to him for his advice.
Most importantly, I have to thank my dad, “Daddy”, for setting a good example for me. Many, many people over the years have told me 
how much they liked working with Roy because of his strong character and commitment to doing a good job for his clients. He was honest, he treated his co-workers and clients with respect and he did what he said he would do.
I am very thankful to my dad for his support, his advice, his encouragement, his love, and I celebrate his life this very special weekend! I wish all whose dads are still around a joyful Father’s Day celebration!
-Sally
We all know how hard you’ve worked to have a beautiful landscape. Now how do you keep it thriving and surviving the summer heat? Here are some of our top tips for keeping everyone happy and healthy:
-DeAnna & Debbie
It can be challenging to find the right plants for a hot, dry, summer in South Texas. One of my favorites is known by most of us as Poinciana (Caesalpinia). That’s a common name for a large group of blooming shrubs and trees found throughout most tropical, subtropical, and desert regions around the world.
Some of you have seen such beauties in Mexico and the Caribbean, or blooming profusely in front of the La Palmera Mall. I was introduced to this group of summer heat lovers’ years ago while living in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was told, “It’s hot – but it’s a dry heat!”… well, it’s still HOT, very hot!
My 2 summers there, I became aware of the flora that was thriving in such adverse conditions. There were several Poinciana species used in commercial landscapes and highway plantings; the most common being Pride of Barbados Poinciana (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), Mexican Poinciana (Caesalpinia mexicana), and Desert Bird Of Paradise Poinciana (Caesalpinia gilliesi). Each of these has its own unique growth pattern, flower shapes, and colors in varying shades of red, orange and yellow. All thrive with full sun and limited water in very hot conditions. Sounds like they will love South Texas, right?
They thrive and survive with minimal help from us. That makes them a winner for me! We have all three of these fantastic summer shrubs and it’s a perfect time to plant them. Visit us to find out which is best for you!
-Debbie
Dennis Gray with the Coastal Bend Beekeeper’s Association reminded us this week that Texas Sage plants are one of our local bees main source of food this time of year.
Some of the cultivars we carry are Greencloud Texas Sage, Desperado Sage, Silverado Sage & Rio Bravo Sage. Debbie just ordered some more in the week and they’re pretty!
-Sally
“I can’t possibly water enough. This summer must be hotter than last summer.” I don’t think our summers have gotten hotter, but as I age, I do not handle the heat as well. Most plants that grow in South Texas, on the other hand, love our heat and humidity. Crape Myrtles, Esperanza, Bougainvillea and Firebush are just a few that love the heat and thrive in it.
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The key is to water properly and give the plants what they need when they need it. Once your plants are established (on average after 2 years in the ground) they only require once a week watering. Water plants slow and deep early in the day so they are well hydrated. It may be easier to water when you get home in the evening, but that is not the best time for plants.
When a plant becomes stressed from heat, lack of food, high winds or other environmental conditions it becomes weakened and susceptible to bugs and disease attack. So try to keep your plants watered, fed and happy so they can resist insect attack and develop a stronger root system to handle our climate. Having the right plant in the right place and given proper care makes for a happy landscape and a happy gardener!
We’re here to help you identify the best care for your plants. We have automatic shut off timers, soaker hoses, sprinklers, fan sprays and more to help make your watering easier. As well as thinking about the health of your plants, remember to think about yourself. Try to garden early in the day or later in the evening. Seek out shade when possible and always drink plenty of water.
-DeAnna
Plants have thrived through hurricanes and worse for around 500 million years. Most of your plants will come back fine, and for those you lose, something new will grow, with a little help from you.
Don’t worry too much about wind-damaged foliage, it will be replaced by pretty and efficient new leaves. Some plants that have lost the shade from a damaged or destroyed tree or large shrub will suffer from sunburn. Some varieties will grow new and more sun-tolerant leaves, but some plants will never be happy in full sun. These will need to be dug up and transplanted to a shady spot or given away or tossed. If you need help determining which plants will tolerate the new sun and which won’t, bring a sample or photo by the nursery and we will advise you.
Some tipped over plants can be raised and staked, but some will be too top-heavy and will need cutting back before raising and staking. We have run across some bottlebrush, for example, that required this. Some soft herbaceous plants were really trounced, such as coleus and basil, but if damaged portions are pruned out, they will bounce back for fall. In fact, many perennials benefit from a light pruning in September for a better fall showing. Younger trees with broken branches, or tipped over sideways, should be staked or pruned, and will recover just fine. Larger and older trees are more iffy. Was the tree healthy and vigorous before the storm, or already declining? Is it the right tree for that spot? If not, maybe it’s a good time to change.
If you determine the tree should stay but needs damage pruned away, remove large damaged branches with the 3 cut method to avoid stripping bark off the side of the tree. Undercut the branch first, 18″ out from the trunk, followed by cutting down from the top, 20″ out from the trunk, until the branch falls. Then remove the remaining stub to within an inch or two of the trunk. If the tree is leaning, small trees can be pulled upright and secured with 6′ steel t-posts, with the tree tied to the post with a soft material, or wire cushioned with hose, being sure the loop around the tree is large enough not to constrict the growth of the trunk. Larger trees will need 2″x4″ stakes driven into the ground, or maybe even steel earth anchors, like used to tie down sheds or mobile homes. Before lifting the tree up straight, soak the ground around the roots so the roots can slip through the soil back to an upright position instead of being held back and maybe broken off by hard dry soil. Until you get to the process of raising the tree or shrub, don’t keep the roots flooded, but do keep the roots moist, and if small roots are exposed, maybe even cover them with some shade, like burlap.
Be safe, serious injuries occur when ladders and chainsaws are involved. Also be cautious of men knocking on your door and saying they have just trimmed your neighbors trees and if you pay them a down payment, they will go get gas and be right back to trim your trees.
Please come into the store with pictures if you have additional questions. We are there to help.
-James
