The Texas Grass That Can Turn a Sunny Central Texas Yard Soft Pink in Fall
Picture a clump of fine green grass that suddenly floats a cloud of pink and purple above your garden bed. That is what Gulf muhly…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11, 2026
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Ella Brown T
1,446 Articles
Texas Gardening
The One Crop Central Texas Gardeners Should Get in the Ground This October for Winter Harvests
When the summer heat finally breaks in Central Texas, most gardeners feel like the season is over. In…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 10
Texas Gardening
The Fall Native Plant Sales Where Texas Gardeners Snag Rare Plants Before They Sell Out
Every October, Texas gardeners line up before sunrise with wagons, coolers, and wish lists in hand. Fall is…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 10
Texas Gardening
Cenizo Is Low-Maintenance After Establishment: Why Fall Is a Smart Time to Plant This Texas Native
Silvery leaves and purple blooms make cenizo one of the most recognizable shrubs in Texas. Once its roots…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 10
Texas Gardening
Turning Your Central Texas Yard Into a Monarch Rest Stop This Fall Takes Less Than You Think
Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies funnel through Central Texas on their long trip to the mountains of…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 10
Texas Gardening
The Winter Birds Showing Up at Your Central Texas Feeder This October Are Staying Until Spring
If your feeder suddenly got busier in October, you are not imagining it. A wave of northern birds…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 10
Texas Gardening
Cedar Elm: A Texas-Native Shade Tree to Consider for a Central Texas Yard
Triple-digit Texas summers make shade feel like a necessity, not a luxury. Many homeowners wonder which native tree…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 10
Texas Gardening
What Repeated Anole Sightings May Tell You About an Austin-Area Porch This Fall
A small lizard keeps turning up near your front door, and you start to wonder why. In Austin…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 9
Texas Gardening
The Native Prairie Grass That Once Blanketed Texas Is Quietly Returning to Central Texas Yards
Some Central Texas homeowners are trading thirsty turf for a grass that grew on the plains long before…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 9
Texas Gardening
Frogfruit May Be a Low-Growing Texas Native Groundcover for Some Driveway Borders
A bare strip of gravel along a Texas driveway soaks up heat and gives nothing back to the…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 9
Texas Gardening
A Texas Native That Can Bloom Through Summer and Into Fall: Plant Turk’s Cap This Fall
Few Texas shrubs keep their red flowers coming when the summer sun is at its worst. Turk’s cap…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 9
Texas Gardening
The Cluttered Garage Corners Where Black Widows Hide in Your Central Texas Home This Fall
When Central Texas nights finally cool off in fall, black widow spiders start looking for sheltered spots, and…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 9
Texas Gardening
Plant Your Texas Spinach and Kale Now So You’re Still Picking Greens After First Frost
Most Texas gardens look tired by the end of a long, hot summer, but fall is when the…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 8
Texas Gardening
When to Plant Garlic in Texas and When to Expect a Harvest
Garlic is one of the few crops you plant in fall and pick months later, and it turns…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 8
Texas Gardening
Crossvine on a Texas Fence: Spring Hummingbird Nectar and Fall Planting Advice
Crossvine is a tough, red-orange flowering vine that can climb a Texas fence and offer nectar to hummingbirds.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 8
Texas Gardening
Could a Skunk Be Digging Up Your Central Texas Lawn This Fall?
Waking up to a patch of torn-up turf is frustrating, especially when it looks like someone came back…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 8
Texas Gardening
Why Your Central Texas Live Oak Leaves Have Yellow Veins This Fall, and What It Means for the Tree
You walk past your live oak and notice leaves with veins that have gone yellow, then brown. Many…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 8
Texas Gardening
What It Means When Your Central Texas Lawn Suddenly Has Torn-Up Strips of Sod Overnight
You step outside with your coffee and find a strip of lawn peeled back like a rug. Nothing…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 8
Texas Gardening
Flame Acanthus: Orange Summer-to-Fall Color for Sunny to Partly Shaded Texas Beds
Late summer in Texas can leave garden beds looking tired and washed out. Flame acanthus is a tough…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 7
Texas Gardening
Barn Swallows, Native Texas Plants, and Mosquitoes: What Really Works in Your Yard
Many Texas gardeners hope one native plant can bring in graceful Barn Swallows and cut down on mosquitoes.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 7
Texas Gardening
How to Protect Your Texas Plumeria Before the First Freeze
A plumeria that sat in full Texas sun all summer can be hurt fast when a cold snap…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 7
Texas Gardening
Yaupon Holly: A Native Evergreen Screen for Chain-Link Fences That Can Support Birds
A bare chain-link fence shows your neighbors everything and gives birds nothing. Yaupon holly is a tough Southern…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 7
Texas Gardening
Fall Firebush Care in Texas: A Possible Nectar Source for Hummingbirds
As Texas nights cool off, the orange-red flowers on a firebush can still be glowing in the garden.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 7
Texas Gardening
Plant These Native Purple Perennials in Your Texas Garden This Fall and They Return Every Spring
Fall is the secret planting season in Texas, when cooler air and warm soil give new roots a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 7
Texas Gardening
Yaupon Holly: A Native Texas Evergreen to Consider Instead of Privet Hedges
If you are tired of trimming a ligustrum hedge, you may be wondering what else could fill the…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6
Texas Gardening
Horseherb May Retain Winter Foliage Where Your St. Augustine Goes Brown in Texas
Every winter, plenty of Central Texas lawns fade to straw while the shady corners look worst of all.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6
Texas Gardening
Why Blue Jays May Be More Noticeable in Central Texas Yards This Fall
Maybe you have heard a loud, scolding call from the oak tree and looked up to see a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6
Texas Gardening
The Texas State Parks Where Fall Color Actually Rivals a New England Road Trip
Most people think you have to fly to Vermont to see red and gold leaves. Texas has its…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6
Texas Gardening
Is Fall the Right Time to Prune Central Texas Salvia greggii? Optional Cuts and the Winter Shaping Plan
Autumn sage is still putting on a show in many Central Texas yards right when the pruning urge…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6
Texas Gardening
Your Texas St. Augustine Greens Up Faster Next Spring When You Fix Fall Brown Patch Now
Cool nights and damp days can bring odd brown or yellow rings to a Texas St. Augustine lawn.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6
Texas Gardening
What Fall Circling Over a Central Texas Roof May Mean
Maybe you have stood in your Texas yard at dusk and watched a cloud of small, twittering birds…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 5
Texas Gardening
This Austin Nursery Under Giant Oaks Feels Like Wandering Through a Secret Garden
Some plant shopping trips feel like errands, but a few feel more like a day out. On Old…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 5
Texas Gardening
Gregg’s Mistflower: The Blue-Purple Texas Perennial That Can Light Up a Fall Bed
Late in the season, many Texas beds start to look worn out, and a patch of blue-purple flowers…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 5
Texas Gardening
Put Up a Purple Martin House in Your Central Texas Yard This Fall to Welcome Spring Nesters
Purple martins are glossy, chatty swallows that Texans have welcomed to backyard housing for generations. Fall is the…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 5
Texas Gardening
Replacing Nandina in Texas? Why Possumhaw Holly Is Worth a Look for Bird-Friendly Fall Color
Nandina is everywhere in Texas yards, with its red berries and neat evergreen look. But it has a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 5
Texas Gardening
Why a Kissing Bug Might Appear Near a Texas Porch Light in Fall
You flip on the porch light on a warm fall evening and spot a dark, odd-looking bug resting…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 5
Texas Gardening
Gulf Muhly: A Texas-Native Ornamental Grass With Pink Fall Color and Possible Dragonfly Perches
Gulf muhly is a Texas-native grass that turns a yard into a cloud of pink every fall. Some…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 4
Texas Gardening
Where Central Texas Gardeners Actually Find Native Seed for Fall Wildflower Planting Before the Window Closes
Every fall, Central Texas gardeners face the same race against the calendar. Bluebonnets, Indian blankets, and other spring…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 4
Texas Gardening
What That Mourning Dove Cooing in Your Central Texas Yard Every Fall Morning Is Really Telling You
That soft, rolling coo drifting across your yard at sunrise is one of the most familiar sounds in…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 4
Texas Gardening
How Much Water Texas Trees Need Going Into Winter to Reduce Freeze Stress
A Texas tree can look fine in October and still be running low on soil moisture. When a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 4
Texas Gardening
What a Yard Full of Gulf Coast Toads Is Really Telling You About Your Texas Garden This Fall
Step onto a Texas porch on a fall evening and you may find toads hopping across the bricks…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 4
Texas Gardening
Why Carolina Jessamine Along Your Central Texas Fence Turns Gold Before Spring Even Arrives
Picture a plain wooden fence draped in glossy green vines and dotted with sunny, sweet-smelling yellow flowers while…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 4
Texas Gardening
The Texas Fruit Tree You Plant This Fall That Shrugs Off Next Summer’s Triple-Digit Heat
Pomegranate has a reputation as a tough plant for hot Texas yards, and that reputation is partly earned.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 3
Texas Gardening
How to Grow Camellias in Pots in Central Texas and Manage Alkaline Water Yellowing
Camellias can put on a beautiful show in fall, but Central Texas water and soil make them tricky.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 3
Texas Gardening
Cut Your Texas Lantana Back This Way Now and It Keeps Blooming Until First Frost
Texas lantana is still putting on a show in many yards come October, but some branches start to…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 3
Texas Gardening
Mexican Plum as a Small Native Patio Tree for Central Texas
Picture a small Texas native tree that blooms white in early spring and throws a little shade over…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 3
Texas Gardening
Why a Raccoon Keeps Returning to Your Central Texas Yard
A masked visitor on your patio, a toppled trash can, or glowing eyes by the pecan tree can…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 3
Texas Gardening
Cenizo as a Central Texas Privacy Screen: What to Expect Before You Plant
Looking for a living wall between your yard and the neighbor’s? Cenizo, also called Texas sage, is a…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 3
Texas Gardening
Winecup: A Native Texas Groundcover Worth Trying on Rocky Slopes With Soil Pockets
Rocky slopes are tough places to plant, and many Texas gardeners end up staring at patchy grass and…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 2
Texas Gardening
Could Yaupon Holly Bring Spring Pollinators and Winter Berries to a Central Texas Yard?
Plenty of Central Texas yards still hold a Bradford pear, and many owners are looking for something better…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 2