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 own hidden pockets of fall color, from…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 6, 2026
Category
Texas Gardening
708 Articles
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
Texas Gardening
Texas Frogfruit Groundcover: What It Does for Your Yard and What It Cannot Do About Toads or Roaches
Plant a low, leafy native by the back door, and toads will show up to eat your roaches.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 2
Texas Gardening
What It Really Means When a Painted Bunting Finally Shows Up in Your Central Texas Yard
A flash of blue, green, and red at the edge of your shrubs can stop you mid-step. The…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 2
Texas Gardening
Inland sea oats along a shady Texas fence line bring more fireflies back every summer
That dim strip of ground along a Texas fence line is easy to ignore, yet it might be…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 2
Texas Gardening
Texas Garage Hiding Places for Recluse Spiders: What the Evidence Says About a Fall Increase
You flip on the garage light, spot a small brown spider, and wonder if something is going on…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 2
Texas Gardening
American Beautyberry: A Texas Native Whose Purple Fall Fruit Can Feed Birds
Few shrubs put on a show like American beautyberry in fall. Its branches fill with clusters of bright…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 1
Texas Gardening
The Texas Native Plant Nurseries Worth a Fall Road Trip While Water Restrictions Keep Tightening
Fall is the best time of year to plant in Texas, and smart gardeners know it. Cooler air…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 1
Texas Gardening
Can Crossvine Shade a West Wall? What Central Texas Homeowners Should Know Before Planting
A west-facing wall in Central Texas can feel like an oven by late afternoon. Crossvine, a tough native…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 1
Texas Gardening
Evergreen Sumac: A Texas Native Evergreen Shrub Worth Calling Nurseries About
Most Central Texas yards have a spot where a tough, leafy shrub could earn its keep all year.…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 1
Texas Gardening
Why Texans Plant Coral Honeysuckle on a Trellis for Hummingbirds
A bare fence can do more than hold up a property line. Coral honeysuckle is a twining vine…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 1
Texas Gardening
When Texas Spiny Lizards Start Sunning on Your Central Texas Woodpile, Your Yard Is Doing Something Right
A rough-scaled lizard stretched out in the afternoon sun is hard to ignore. In Central Texas, that visitor…
By Ella Brown T · Oct 1
Texas Gardening
Supporting Texas Spiny Lizard Habitat in Central Texas: Wildlife-Friendly Yards, Not Proven Scorpion Control
Texas spiny lizards are common, eye-catching residents of Central Texas yards, and plenty of people hope they double…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 30
Texas Gardening
Could a Barn Owl Box Help With Rodents in Central Texas?
Barn owls hunt quietly at night, and rodents are a big part of their menu. That makes a…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 30
Texas Gardening
The Fuzzy White Caterpillar in Your Texas Yard This Fall That Might Be a Puss Caterpillar
A soft, fuzzy caterpillar looks like something a kid would love to pet. In Texas, though, some fuzzy…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 30
Texas Gardening
Citronella-Scented Geranium: The Texas Patio “Mosquito Plant” Explained
Walk into a Texas garden center in spring and you may see a leafy pot labeled “mosquito plant.”…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 30
Texas Gardening
Does a Rosemary Plant by the Back Door Keep Rats and Roaches Out? What Texas Homeowners Should Know
A popular claim says one tough plant by the back door can keep rats and roaches away. Texas…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 30
Texas Gardening
A Native Texas Sotol for the Porch Corner: Sculptural Form, Lower Water Needs After Establishment
Some porch corners look flat no matter how many pots you add. Texas sotol (Dasylirion texanum) is a…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 30
Texas Gardening
Where Scorpions May Hide in Your Central Texas Yard and How to Check Safely
Central Texas yards are full of cozy spots where a scorpion could tuck away for the day. Rocks,…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 29
Texas Gardening
Agarita in Your Central Texas Yard: Wildlife Cover Now, Scorpion Control Separately
Agarita is a tough Texas native shrub with prickly leaves that stay green all year. Roadrunners are famous…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 29
Texas Gardening
More Dragonflies Over Your Central Texas Yard Means Fewer Mosquitoes Biting on the Patio
Few backyard visitors are as fun to watch as a dragonfly zipping over a Texas patio at dusk.…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 29
Texas Gardening
Wolf Spiders in Your Central Texas Garage: What They Eat and What Actually Keeps Roaches Out
That big, fast, hairy spider near your garage door can look alarming, but it is probably just hunting.…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 29
Texas Gardening
What Do Texas Spiny Lizards Eat, and Do They Help Control Pests?
That rough-scaled lizard doing push-ups on your fence is a Texas spiny lizard, and plenty of Central Texas…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 29
Texas Gardening
Why Central Texas Yards Are Seeing More Copperheads Near the Porch This Fall
You lift a pile of wet leaves by the porch and spot a banded snake the color of…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 29
Texas Gardening
Your Central Texas Pepper Flowers Keep Dropping in Heat, and These Steps Can Help New Fruit Set After the Heat Breaks
Pepper plants across Central Texas can look perfectly healthy while quietly dropping every flower they produce during a…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 28
Texas Gardening
Why Armadillos Keep Choosing the Same Texas Yard Night After Night
If you have noticed fresh shallow pits scattered across your lawn or garden beds several mornings in a…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 28
Texas Gardening
Your Texas Fig Tree Gives You Another Weak Summer Crop When You Skip This Fall Step
Many Texas backyard fig growers walk outside after a rough winter and wonder why their tree barely produced…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 28
Texas Gardening
Armadillos Keep Tearing Up Texas Yards for the Same Reason They Keep Coming Back
If you have stepped outside to find a patch of lawn looking like something went digging through it…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 28
Texas Gardening
This invasive ant is taking over Texas yards faster than fire ants for a reason
A small reddish-brown ant has been turning up in Texas yards and homes in numbers that can seem…
By Ella Brown T · Sep 28