Ella Brown T

Growing figs in Texas sounds risky until you find a cultivar that actually suits the climate. Texas Everbearing,…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 5

Around early September in Central Texas, a lot of gardeners get the urge to grab their pruners and…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 5

A bare fence is an open invitation for neighbors, foot traffic, and general nosiness to look right into…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 5

Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies funnel through Texas on their way to wintering grounds in central Mexico,…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 5

Black widows are a real part of life for Central Texas gardeners, and finding one near the woodpile…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 4

Eastern Bluebirds are one of the most recognizable birds in Texas, and if your yard has the right…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 4

Blackfoot daisy is a compact Texas native that keeps producing cheerful white flowers through the kind of brutal…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 4

Most Texas beds start looking tired by late summer, but mealy blue sage has a trick left if…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 4

Every August and September, Texas yards seem to fill up with aggressive yellow-and-black wasps hovering around trash cans,…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 4

Gold Star esperanza is a shrub that packs brilliant yellow flowers into a long Texas summer, making it…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 4

That leggy, bare-stemmed plumbago in your yard is not a lost cause, but the fix requires a little…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 3

Every fall, monarch butterflies pass through Central Texas on their long journey to Mexico, and many homeowners want…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 3

Most Texas yards have at least one crape myrtle, and that tree works hard through summer. But if…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 3

Bradford pear trees became a fixture in Texas neighborhoods for good reasons, but a growing number of homeowners…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 3

Most Texas gardeners are used to watching their fruit trees struggle or shut down the moment summer temperatures…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 3

Most people think spring gardening starts in spring, but in Central Texas, the gardeners with the prettiest March…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 3

Bare mulch along a house foundation gets the job done, but it rarely turns heads or fills the…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 2

A silvery-leafed shrub native to parts of Texas can flush with lavender, pink, or purple blooms after rain…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 2

Oak wilt has killed millions of trees across Texas, and the way you time your pruning can make…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 2

Texas summers are brutal, and if you have ever pressed your hand against a sun-baked patio or watched…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 2

Black-eyed Susan is one of those wildflowers that looks like it belongs in a Texas summer, bright yellow…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 2

Rocky caliche banks are some of the toughest spots in a Texas yard, where thin soil bakes in…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 2

Your fig tree may already have fruit on it right now, and August heat is working against every…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 1

Growing lavender in a Central Texas pot sounds simple until the plant starts wilting, browning, and fading despite…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 1

Bougainvillea is one of those plants that stops traffic when it is thriving and drives gardeners crazy when…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 1

Most Texas gardeners have tried basil, watched it struggle through August, and wondered whether anything edible could actually…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 1

Dragonflies have been patrolling Texas waterways and backyards long before air conditioning made summer bearable for the rest…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 1

Somewhere in a sun-baked Texas yard, a silver-leafed shrub sits quietly through weeks of summer heat, then flushes…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 1

When your city cuts you to one watering day a week, most shrubs start looking ragged fast. But…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 31

Hydrangeas are gorgeous, but keeping them happy through a Texas summer can feel like a full-time job. American…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 31

Seeing your oak drop leaves, turn brown, or look generally rough during a Central Texas heat wave can…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 31

September is a turning point for Texas rose growers in Central and South Texas. A well-timed light trim…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 31

When most flowering plants give up in the Texas heat, a tough native shrub keeps producing the red…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 31

Most Texas gardeners already know Knock Out roses, and for good reason. But every summer, those roses slow…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 31

Your gardenia has brown, crispy leaves and you want to know if the late-summer heat killed it or…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 30

A headline promising one native Texas plant that eliminates rats without traps sounds almost too good to be…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 30

If you want to block your neighbor’s view of your yard without waiting a decade for results, southern…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 30

Spotting a large snake near your shed or garage can stop you cold, but that animal coiling through…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 30

Crape myrtles are one of the most recognizable summer-flowering trees in Central Texas yards, and nearly every homeowner…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 30

A bare wood or wire fence baking in the Texas sun is an invitation for the right native…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 30

Finding a perennial that actually thrives in a Central Texas yard without constant babysitting sounds almost too good…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 29

Spotting a scorpion near your back door or porch light can stop you cold, especially when you are…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 29

Greater Roadrunners are one of those birds that make Central Texas feel genuinely wild, even in a suburban…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 29

Somewhere in a sunny Texas garden bed, a plant with slender, wand-like stems waves clusters of white flowers…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 29

Something large and buzzing is excavating your lawn right now, and the sight of it can stop a…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 29

Every summer, Texas gardeners watch their hostas turn brown at the edges and slowly give up in the…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 29

That soft trill or deep hoot drifting through your backyard after dark is one of the most recognizable…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 28

Most Texas yards have at least one sunny patch where grass struggles and weeds keep winning. Texas frogfruit,…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 28

Texas summers punish yards, patios, and anyone sitting outside when afternoon heat turns concrete into a griddle and…

By Ella Brown T · Aug 28