Watering

You had beautiful roses in the spring, but now they’re looking like they might croak. Don’t worry! This is totally normal. Large flowering plants like roses or hibiscus can get stressed from this summer heat, so they might stop blooming, or even stop growing. Continue watering them through this heat spell, and when the temperatures drop in the fall your roses should flush back out. Using organic fertilizers help build up your soil conditions to keep your roses healthy! We recommend Rose Glo or Medina Hasta Gro.

-Marta

If you’ve evenoticed at the bottom of our advertising, we say “Over 400 Collective Years of Gardening with Gills!” This comes from the number of years we have worked here combined…I think we are at just over 40 staff members so we average around 10 years per person although some of us are 20 years or more. You know why? It’s because we love gardening. It’s in our blood and we have learned A LOT over our years of sharing garden stories with each other. So how can we share our success with all of you? Garden Talks! As we start this new gardening season…the best in my eyes…so we start our new garden talks beginning September 12^th. They are full of fun, new, interesting topics fitting for all kinds of gardeners. New to the area? These are a perfect way to learn about what lives (and dies) in south Texas. They are packed full of good information, practical suggestions, & we welcome questions. We love to have them outdoors weather permitting but we can move indoors as needed. They are held at our Airline location on Saturdays. Peruse our upcoming topics below, come to one or all! See you soon. Oh did I mention they’re free? Just one more reason to come!

Garden Talks

September-October 2015

Saturdays 10:00 to 11:00am, 2810 Airline
Free – questions always welcome!!

September 12^th

“A Garden For Hummers”

Speaker Marta Swanner, mgr. Gill Landscape Nursery

Hummingbirds are one of nature’s most fascinating creatures with their brilliant colors and supersonic speed. They migrate through South Texas twice a year seeking food and shelter. Join Marta as she talks about the best plants to attract and provide a natural food source for them throughout the seasons.

September 19^th

“Veggies For Fall Gardens”

Speaker Debbie Pinkerton, buyer for Gill Landscape Nursery

Fresh homegrown foods are always the best for you and the most delicious! Fall is the perfect time to plant a food garden with a plethora of choices sure to bring a feast to your table. Come learn about basics of growing food from the soil to the harvest.

September 26^th

“Ireland-Edibles & Garden Designs”

Speaker Kathy Hubner, Landscape Designer, Gill Landscape Nursery

From the ordinary to the extraordinary, Kathy will take you on a journey across the Atlantic to the isle of Ireland! See through her eyes their fantastic gardens filled with flowers, food, and then how you can apply these design ideas to your landscapes. This slideshow presentation brings the weaving of food plants into the landscape creating seamless garden designs.

October 3^rd

“Fall Planting For Trees & Shrubs”

Speaker James Gill, owner, Gill Landscape Nursery

We love the fall weather with its cool nights, warm days, and added rainfall and so do all the plants in South Texas! It is the very best time to plant hardy trees and shrubs. Join James as he talks about the best plant selections, planting practices, and maintenance during the fall and winter seasons.

October 10^th

“Lawn Care & Weed Control For Fall”

Speaker DeAnna Baumgartner, mgr. Gill Landscape Nursery

Lawns hold a top spot in our landscapes…we want them to look good and be free of pests and weeds. DeAnna gives out good sound practices for your lawns during the fall season. From fertilizing, weed control, and watering, she will help “weed out” those questions of what, when and how much.

October 17^th

“More Fun With Containers”

Speaker Merlien Wilder, artist, Gill Landscape Nursery

Join Merlien as she plays with plants perfect for fall patio gardens. Come learn about great combinations, seasonal ideas, new creative projects, and practical tips for small and large containers.

-Debbie

After all the spring rains giving us lush green lawns, it sure didn’t take long for the dog days of summer to take its toll on some. We are diagnosing lots of chinch bugs and grub worm damage. James has a couple of videos on our website and You Tube about lawns. Be sure to check those out to help you diagnose your problems. You can also bring in a sample for us to look at. Use a shovel and dig us up a shovel width square of grass with the soil attached. You will be able to take the sample back home and put it back in the hole you dug. We will help diagnose your problem and get you the best solution to fix it. Spreading Natures Blend Compost over the area will help it to recover quicker. Continue with your once a week slow and deep watering through September and October, but after that, we should be able to cut back to every other week due to shorter days and cooler temperatures and hopefully more rainfall.

The weather was warm & dry last week and I have been watering a little each morning and evening. It is keeping our plants perky. I did our first Hastagro feeding on October 17^th, after fixing my cutoff hose with a new end and invested in a new hand sprinkler. My old one was used as a chew toy. Even though we hoed and pulled weeds before prepping our garden….guess what’s already coming back? The war is coming and I am hoping to have a new secret weapon to use…its organic, smells great and it works….more on that soon. Our seeds are sprouting nicely; all the transplants doing well, the mystery chewers have found the swiss chard already. Think I’ll start with a pan of beer for snails and slugs. If that does not fix it, I will try Dipel Dust or Spinosad. Both are natural and very effective for most chewing critters!

Maybe then I’ll drink the beer☺

-Debbie

A beautiful holiday plant, the Christmas Cactus blooms at Christmas and also sometimes around Easter if cared for properly. A month prior to Christmas you will be able to watch the tips of the leaves beginning to grow. The tips grow darker as each day passes, until a bud forms. At Christmas time, as if by magic, the buds open to a beautiful flower that will add color and warmth to any holiday season. Keep the plant in a well lit location (like near a window) away from direct sunlight-too much heat and light can stunt the growth and burn the leaves. It should also be away from drafts, heat vents, or other sources of hot air. A Christmas Cactus is a tropical cactus, not a desert cactus. If the soil gets too dry, the flower buds will drop, and the plant will wilt. Feel the soil with your fingers; if it is dry, it’s time to water. When watering, thoroughly water the plant. Before watering again, check to see that the top inch of soil has dried thoroughly first. Using a moisture meter may help you determine if it is time to water again. Mist leaves as well as watering the soil. After the holiday season you can trim off any old blooms and move your plant to a shady patio once the weather warms up for Spring. Use a water soluble fertilizer every 2-4 weeks to maintain the health of your plant.

-DeAnna

This past Saturday we had our Creative Container Gardens talk. I enjoy giving this talk because making potted plant combinations is a treat – so easy & fun.

Contrast and repeat for plant selection is key for creating combinations with good visual impact. Choosing the proper container, potting mix, careful planting and using pot feet puts it all together. Timely watering, regular fertilizing, watching our weather, site consideration and pest monitoring helps keep it all going.

Container gardens are versatile. Along with the huge number of plant choices and container styles, you can easily move them around if you need or want to. They can be grouped for greater effect and also raised at varying heights for even more options.

Making a beautiful container garden can also provide more return benefits. They give us the opportunity to experiment, practice patience, engage creativity, see connections, feed curiosity, practice pragmatics, learn – unlearn, slow down, relax, share, play, re-evaluate “perfect”, and even be a little silly – hence the glasses on cacti!

Collect rainwater and pronounce names any way you want.

“I cultivate my garden and my garden cultivates me.” – Robert Braught

Beautifully contains it all.

-Merlien

1. Proper Watering

This is the most important of all. Water slow and deep to make sure at least one inch of water is applied to all established lawn and landscape plants for our long hot summers. Smaller bedding plants such as annual color and perennial beds will require a second supplemental watering since they have a smaller root system.

2. Mulching

Use hardwood mulch three to four inches deep in planting beds to help conserve moisture as well as control weeds. Most mulch is applied too thin, only two inches rather than three to four. Do not bury crown of plant or trunk of shrubs.

3. Top Dress The Lawn

A thin layer of Nature’s Blend Compost applied several times a year helps to enrich the soil and will cut watering demands.

4. Insect Controls

Many insects are seasonal. Chinch bugs attack lawns in the hot summer months, so watch the edges of your lawn for the first signs. Spider mites also love the hot dry summer season. Keep an eye on junipers, pittosporums and houseplants for signs of mottling on the leaves or leaf drop and treat as soon as possible. Mealy bugs are also a hot weather insect and leave white cotton along the stems and undersides of many plants. More than one application may be needed to control some of these insects.

5. Fungus Control

This is not always an issue in the summer, but can be if we are getting periods of heavy rain. Proper year round watering and adding Nature’s Blend several times a year will help minimize fungal issues.

6. Fertilizing

Keeping your plants fed for the summer is very important, but applying at a lower rate may help to keep them healthy without encouraging too much new growth. Using organic fertilizers keep the plants healthy which minimizes insect attacks, Milorganite Fertilizer for instance.

7. Pruning

Some plants will need to be pruned in the summer to keep them more compact and not overgrown. Be careful, though, since some plants can sunburn easily when removing the upper leaves which have been shading the rest of the plant.

8. Weed Control

Some weeds burn off in the summer heat. Pre-emergents, such as Green Light Amaze and Hi Yield Weed & Grass Stopper can be applied year round in landscape beds to prevent weeds. Organic weed killers, such as Nature’s Guide Horticultural Vinegar, for landscape beds, are most effective in hot summer temperatures. But broadleaf lawn weed killers cannot be used in your grass once temperatures get above 85 degrees due to burning. Keep the grass mowed to remove seed heads of weeds. Mechanical means is always the best.

9. Proper Mowing Height

Proper mowing height will shade the ground and cause less water evaporation from the soil, reducing water needs. St. Augustine is best at three inches, so raise the mower. Also a sharp mower blade helps the grass look fresh and green, while a dull blade leaves ragged edges that turn brown and cause the lawn to look somewhat dead and dull.

10. Proper Plant – Proper Place

With any landscape make sure you have thought out the full mature height and width of plants, sun requirements and water needs before planting. You should never be constantly pruning a plant because it is too large for the space. That is the wrong plant for the spot. Also group like water need plants together. The most drought tolerant plants should be those furthest from the water source.

Now that you have worked hard at planting and maintaining the landscape, take the time to kick back, relax and admire the beauty you created. Gardening is great therapy! it not only burns calories, it also reduces stress from a hard day’s work and helps to lower blood pressure. Colleges are even offering courses in horticultural therapy. Gardeners live longer lives; plants give you reason to get up and get moving!