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 cracks all seem to be tied together.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 13, 2026
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Ella Brown T
1,562 Articles
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
Texas Gardening
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…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 11
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