Texas Sage Is a Tough Native Shrub for Hot, Sunny Texas Yards
Silvery leaves that glow in a baking Texas yard are hard to miss, and one native shrub is known for exactly that look. Texas sage,…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 19, 2026
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Ella Brown T
1,446 Articles
Texas Gardening
The Fall Pruning Mistake That Quietly Costs Central Texas Pomegranate Trees Next Summer’s Fruit
Pomegranates seem tough, so it is easy to grab the loppers when a bush gets unruly. But a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 19
Texas Gardening
What It Really Tells You When Tree Frogs Cling to Your Central Texas Windows at Night This Fall
You flip on the porch light after dark and spot a small frog stuck to the window glass,…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 19
Texas Gardening
Planting a Desert Willow in Central Texas This Fall Could Give Roots a Head Start on Summer Blooms
A small tree with orchid-like flowers sounds like a great fit for a sunny Texas yard. Desert willow…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 18
Texas Gardening
The Low-Maintenance Texas Shrubs to Plant This Fall So Your Yard Looks Great With Half the Work
Fall is the secret planting season in Texas, when cooler air and warm soil help new shrubs grow…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 18
Texas Gardening
What It Really Tells You When Geckos Crowd Your Central Texas Porch Light This Fall
You flip on the porch light after dark and spot a handful of small geckos clinging near the…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 18
Texas Gardening
Pasture Mealybugs in Texas: What the 70-County Detection Count Really Means for Your Grass
Brown patches in a Texas lawn or pasture can make anyone nervous, especially with news about a new…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 18
Texas Gardening
American Sycamore for Central Texas: A Fast-Growing Shade Tree and When to Plant It
A fast-growing shade tree sounds like the answer to a hot Texas yard, but the label fits more…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 18
Texas Gardening
Why Do Scorpions Turn Up in Central Texas Bathtubs and Sinks? Do Cool Nights Play a Role?
Few things wake you up faster than a scorpion sitting at the bottom of the bathtub. Many Central…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 18
Texas Gardening
Why Your Central Texas Lawn May Still Crunch Underfoot Even After Fall Rain
You step onto the grass after a good rain and it still crackles like breakfast cereal. That sound…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 17
Texas Gardening
Why You May See Cottontails at Dusk in a Central Texas Garden
You step outside as the light fades, and there is a rabbit nibbling near your lettuce bed. It…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 17
Texas Gardening
Why an Owl Keeps Showing Up in Your Central Texas Yard Once the Nights Turn Cool
A soft trill or a shadow on a fence post can make you wonder why an owl keeps…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 17
Texas Gardening
A Tiny Ruby-Crowned Kinglet May Be Flitting Through Your Central Texas Shrubs This Fall and Winter
Something very small and very busy may be hopping through the shrubs outside your window this season. The…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 17
Texas Gardening
What Texas Gardeners Can Do This Fall to Support Painted Buntings in Spring
Painted buntings are some of the most colorful birds in Texas, with blue heads, red bellies, and green…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 17
Texas Gardening
The One Fall Task Your Texas Roses Need Before the First Freeze Hits
Your roses worked hard all through that long Texas summer, pushing out blooms in heat that would wilt…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 17
Texas Gardening
The Fall Lawn Mistakes Texas Homeowners Keep Making No Matter What They Read Online
When the Texas heat finally breaks in fall, most of us want to rush outside and fix the…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 16
Texas Gardening
Why Might a Lizard Bask on a Sunny Fence or Rock in Your Central Texas Yard?
You step outside on a bright fall morning and spot a lizard stretched out on a warm fence…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 16
Texas Gardening
Red-Streaked Leafhopper in Texas: A Small Grass Insect Worth Checking For
Pale, yellowing patches in a Texas lawn can send any homeowner hunting for a culprit. One tiny insect,…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 16
Texas Gardening
Mealy Blue Sage: A Texas Native to Consider Beside a Struggling Agapanthus
Blue flowers are hard to keep looking good through a Texas summer. When an agapanthus sulks, many gardeners…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 16
Texas Gardening
The Fire-Resistant Native Tree Texas Homeowners Are Quietly Planting Near the House Instead of Ornamentals
Some trees look tough enough to handle a Texas summer and a wildfire season, and Mohr oak gets…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 16
Texas Gardening
What to Do When a Scorpion Turns Up in Your Central Texas Bed Sheets or Shoes This Fall
You pull back the covers or slip on a shoe, and something small with a curled tail is…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 16
Texas Gardening
Fall Aster: A Texas Perennial for Purple Autumn Blooms and a Possibly Fuller Patch Over Time
Right when many Texas beds start to look tired, one purple-flowered perennial is just getting going. Fall aster…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 15
Texas Gardening
Are Central Texas Homes Seeing More Scorpions This Fall? What We Know and Don’t Know
Maybe you spotted a scorpion near the baseboard last week, and now you are wondering if your neighbors…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 15
Texas Gardening
The Venomous Critters Texas Homeowners Run Into Most Often in Fall Yard Cleanup
Fall in Texas finally brings cooler mornings, and that is when most of us haul out the rakes,…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 15
Texas Gardening
Texas Yards and Quail: How a Habitat Patchwork and Fall Coveys Explain Those Sightings
Seeing a group of quail scurry across your Texas yard in fall can feel like a surprise visit…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 15
Texas Gardening
The Native Plant Swaps Around Texas Where Gardeners Trade Rare Seedlings for Free This Winter
Winter in Texas is quiet in the garden, but it is busy at the swap table. All over…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 15
Texas Gardening
Central Texas Onion Transplants: Match 1015Y to Your January or February Window
Texas 1015Y onions have a loyal following because of their mild flavor and big-bulb reputation. The catch is…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 15
Texas Gardening
Is That Recurring Central Texas Lawn Weed Nutsedge? Why It Keeps Returning and What Fall Can Really Do
You pull a grassy-looking weed out of your lawn, and a few weeks later it is back like…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 14
Texas Gardening
The Odd-Looking Native Texas Shrub That Keeps Bees and Butterflies Swarming Your Yard This Fall
Picture a shrub covered in white golf-ball-sized flowers that look like tiny pincushions stuck full of pins. That…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 14
Texas Gardening
The One Fall Task Your Texas Crape Myrtles Need Before Winter Sets In
Your crape myrtles worked hard all summer, blooming through triple-digit Texas heat while other plants gave up. Now…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 14
Texas Gardening
The Native Texas Grass to Consider Instead of Pampas for Fence-Line Plumes
Tall, feathery grass along a fence line can make a yard look soft and full of motion. Pampas…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 14
Texas Gardening
The Fig Tree Mistakes Central Texas Gardeners Keep Making Every Fall Without Realizing It
Fig trees are tough enough to handle a Central Texas summer, but fall is when a lot of…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 14
Texas Gardening
What It Really Means When a Texas Spiny Lizard Keeps Sunning on Your Central Texas Fence This Fall
You glance out the window and there it is again, a rough-scaled lizard stretched out on the fence…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 14
Texas Gardening
Could Your Texas Yard Be Less Welcoming to Roadrunners?
Many Texas homeowners notice one day that the roadrunner that used to dash across the lawn hasn’t shown…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13
Texas Gardening
Texas Redbud Near Your Driveway: A Compact Native Tree Worth Considering
Picking a tree for the spot beside your driveway can feel like a gamble. Roots, shade, and slab…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13
Texas Gardening
The Texas Trees Worth Planting This October Before Nursery Shelves Thin Out
October is the secret season for planting trees in Texas. The soil is still warm, the brutal heat…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13
Texas Gardening
Yaupon Holly for a Texas Privacy Screen: A Low-Maintenance Native Option, Depending on Cultivar and Look
A good privacy screen can make a Texas backyard feel like a calmer place to sit. Yaupon holly…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13
Texas Gardening
The Wheel Bug on Your Central Texas Porch Looks Like a Kissing Bug but Is Actually a Garden Ally
A big, cone-nosed insect crawling near your porch light can make anyone stop in their tracks. In Central…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13
Texas Gardening
Where Central Texas Gardeners Actually Find Native Bulbs and Transplants Before Winter Planting Ends
Winter is planting season in Central Texas, even if the calendar says otherwise. Roots grow strong in cool…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13
Texas Gardening
Texas Sage for Your Front Walk: A Tough Native Shrub, Not a Scorpion Fix
Texas sage is a silvery, heat-loving shrub that looks great beside a front walk. Some people say it…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 12
Texas Gardening
Blue Jays Burying Acorns in Your Central Texas Yard Are Doing More Than Hiding Snacks
A noisy blue jay lands on your lawn, grabs an acorn, and flies off again. Minutes later it…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 12
Texas Gardening
Can Mantises Catch Hummingbirds at Texas Feeders? What the Evidence Shows
A praying mantis waiting beside a hummingbird feeder sounds like something out of a nature thriller. Mantises can…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 12
Texas Gardening
Fall Fig Care in Central Texas: A Mistake That Can Put Next Summer’s Figs at Risk
Fig trees look tough, and in much of Texas they are. Still, a few choices made between October…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 12
Texas Gardening
The Texas Perennials You Should Cut Back This Fall and the Ones Wildlife Needs Left Standing
Fall in Texas is when many gardeners grab the pruners and start tidying up tired beds. Some perennials…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 12
Texas Gardening
What It Means When Geckos Keep Showing Up by Your Central Texas Porch Light at Night
You flip on the porch light after dark and there it is again, a small gecko clinging to…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 12
Texas Gardening
The Underrated Native Texas Shrub That May Bring Hummingbirds to Your Front Steps This Fall
Late in the season, a front yard can go quiet fast. One Texas shrub keeps pushing out bright…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11
Texas Gardening
What to Do After a Scorpion Sting in Your Central Texas Yard
You reach under a flat rock to pull a weed, and something sharp stings your finger. Scorpions live…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11
Texas Gardening
Texas Sage Along the Foundation: A Pretty Shrub, Not a Rat Barrier
Bare foundation lines look rough, and nobody wants rats moving in next to the house. It is tempting…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11
Texas Gardening
Pansies for Texas Porch Containers: Seasonal Winter Color Without the Guesswork
A porch pot can look tired by the time fall settles in, but pansies can give it a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11
Texas Gardening
Can a Porch Plant Keep Hornets Away in Texas? What Actually Helps at Your Front Door
Plenty of Texans have heard that one old-fashioned porch plant can keep hornets away from the front door.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11