TIPS FOR YOUR
GARDEN & LANDSCAPE

October Gardening Checklist

Vegetables: October is prime planting for many cool-season vegetables. Plant Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, and Cauliflower from transplants. Swiss chard, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Spinach, Collards, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Asian Greens and Spinach may be planted from seed or transplants. Beets, carrots radishes, and cool-season peas such as snap, English and snow peas should be planted directly from seed. Be sure to follow directions on thinning carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce and spinach in order to produce a harvestable crop! October is the best month to plant Garlic from cloves separated from [...]

By |2025-12-16T12:45:11-06:00October 3rd, 2018|Monthly Gardening Checklist|
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Pecan Tips for Late August and Early September

Why August and September Watering Is Critical for Pecans in Central Texas If you grow pecan trees in Central Texas, August and September are critical months for watering. During this late-summer period, pecan kernels fill out inside their shells. In Central Texas, this process usually occurs between August 15 and September 15, making adequate moisture especially important. A dry August or September can affect both the size and quality of your pecan crop. With proper irrigation at the right time, you can give your trees the moisture they need to [...]

By |2026-08-23T14:46:42-05:00September 3rd, 2018|Fruit & Nuts, Trees|
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Ornamental Grasses – Lots of Beauty with Less Effort!

Ornamental grasses are overlooked too often. A balanced landscape requires many elements, and ornamental grasses are a great choice to fill the need for a structural variation in foliage. While everyone loves the plants that give us color, we also need to “break up” the landscape to avoid monotony, and give texture to our plantings. We have a wonderful selection of native ornamental grasses available to us, and not only do they fill a design void, but they are often quite heat and drought tolerant as well. Even when dormant [...]

By |2018-08-20T17:24:08-05:00August 20th, 2018|Plants|
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August Pruning in Central Texas

August Pruning in Central Texas Central Texas has a lot going for it in the gardening realm, if you know how to play it. For one thing, we have fabulous fall weather, which our plants really love. As gardeners, we can prepare for that extra “push” the fall will give us. But, only if we prepare now, from mid to late August. Roses Roses are looking stressed and tired from the long, hot summer. Pruning shrub roses back by 1/3 and fertilizing with an organic rose fertilizer such as Maestro [...]

By |2026-07-18T14:57:28-05:00August 13th, 2018|Plants|
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Ball Moss

Ball Moss is a flowering plant (not a moss at all!) that has been given a bad rap by many people in Central Texas. We have customers frequently ask how to “kill” the moss in their trees, as they believe it is harmful to the tree. Well, I’m going to give you the real scoop on this often misunderstood plant. It’s not hard to believe that the native Ball Moss is related to our popular “Air Plants”, which are sold as house plants. Both belong to the Genus Tillandsia. They [...]

By |2021-11-22T09:00:08-06:00August 1st, 2018|Plants, Trees|
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Summer Lawn Issues

Many of you are concerned about your lawns right now, as large brown areas are starting to show up as the summer heats up. I would encourage all of you to do an irrigation audit first, to determine if it is water-related. Never “assume” that all is being watered equally.  Instructions for an easy, DIY irrigation audit can be found HERE. There are certain lawn issues that show up at specific times of the year, and there are specific times to treat them. For instance, we only see chinch bugs in [...]

By |2022-01-05T10:55:18-06:00July 23rd, 2018|Disease, Insects, Lawn Care|
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Lawn Irrigation Made Simple

Lawn Irrigation Most of us cringe when asked how much and how often we should water our lawns. Well, cringe no more! There is a very simple way to determine how long to run our lawn irrigation, and a simpler way to determine how often to run it!  Better yet, once you determine the “magic number”, you will not have to do it again! (I know that most people pick a “magic number” out of the sky to determine how long your sprinkler will run.) No more guesswork! Each lawn [...]

By |2024-07-17T16:43:44-05:00July 23rd, 2018|Lawn Care|
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Chinch Bugs

Chinch Bugs Explained Here it is, the end of summer, and the hottest days are upon us. Many lawns have been showing signs of stress, and chinch bugs could be one of the culprits.   Chinch bugs typically begin feeding in sunny areas along sidewalks and driveways, sucking juices from the grass blades and leaving yellowing grass bordering green grass. At the same time they are feeding, they inject a poison that causes the blades to turn brown and die. If your lawn is looking brown at the edges of [...]

By |2026-08-27T11:18:52-05:00July 23rd, 2018|Insects, Lawn Care|
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Bagworms

All About Bagworms Bagworms have a fascinating life cycle! After hatching, each caterpillar spins a silk and leaf “bag” around itself. These bags are protective against predators, and are easily carried by the caterpillar as it crawls around feeding on trees and shrubs. If you see one of these little bags moving, look closely and you will see the head and front legs peeking out of the front of the bag. The caterpillars feed and grow throughout the summer, then pupate in August or September. The male emerges as a [...]

By |2020-07-22T16:57:23-05:00July 16th, 2018|Insects, Trees|
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Beyond Cactus for Your Xeriscape

Your Xeriscape Tutorial Anyone who is stuck watering their lawn (or with the water bill) over our long, hot summers can probably appreciate the notion of a nice xeriscape. Cacti are a popular choice for xeriscaping, are well-suited for hot and dry weather, and look sharp (pun intended) in many different settings. They are not the only choice, however. There are many drought-tolerant plants and shrubs that can be added into a water-wise landscape. There are also several plants that are just as low-maintenance as cactus. Click the links to [...]

By |2023-02-28T08:39:44-06:00July 12th, 2018|Succulents and Cacti|
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Cicada Killers – Don’t Kill These Killers

Giant wasps sound like something out of a nightmare! Fear not though, the huge yellow and black insects loudly buzzing around are gentle giants that are either slow to sting, or unable to sting, depending on the gender. Although they are Texas-sized, these wasps are not limited to our state, and can be found from Canada to Mexico. Cicada Killers, Sphecius speciosus (Drury), are large, solitary burrowing wasps.  The name ‘solitary wasp’ may seem questionable as Cicada Killers can appear in large numbers, but refers to the fact that they do not [...]

By |2018-07-05T09:36:00-05:00July 4th, 2018|Insects|
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Texas Sage Varieties

Summer is the perfect time to look around your neighborhood and see what is thriving in the oppressive Central Texas heat. If you have been thinking about planting in a new area, adding screening or simply rejuvenating an existing landscape, observing what does well at the hottest time of the year should give you some great ideas of what will thrive in years to come. Texas Sage, also known as Texas Ranger, Cenizo, or Barometer Bush is one of the most prolific bloomers in our hot summers. Abundant flowers appear [...]

By |2025-11-08T14:17:33-06:00July 4th, 2018|Plants|
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