Texas Gardening

Every fall, Central Texas yards fill up with crape myrtles holding clusters of small, round seed pods long…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 27

Plenty of Texas gardeners have looked at a sprawling lantana and wondered whether something better could grow in…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 27

Every fall, adult monarch butterflies move through Texas on their way south, and they need nectar to fuel…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 27

Chinch bugs can turn a healthy St. Augustine lawn into a patchwork of brown, crispy grass before most…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 27

Owls do not show up just because a yard has one big tree. They need safe places to…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 27

Spotting a large, fast-moving spider inside your Texas home can send anyone scrambling for a shoe. Before you…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 27

A viral claim has been circulating among Texas homeowners: plant one specific herb in your yard and rats…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 26

Spotting a toad tucked under a garden pot or hopping across the patio at dusk is one of…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 26

Finding a vine that covers a fence quickly without taking over your whole yard sounds like a simple…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 26

Plumeria thrives on Texas warmth and sunshine, but when brutal heat teams up with dry soil, hot wind,…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 26

If you keep spotting a possum in your backyard after dark, you are not alone, and there is…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 26

When a Central Texas flower bed starts looking tired by midsummer, the problem is often the plant, not…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 26

Walk out to your tomato patch one morning and you might find whole branches stripped bare, with dark…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 25

Fall lettuce in Central Texas can go from tender to harsh-tasting faster than most gardeners expect, and lingering…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 25

Gulf muhly is a native Texas grass that puts on a stunning cloud of purple-red blooms every fall,…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 25

Lantana is one of the toughest flowering plants Central Texas gardeners can grow, but even heat-proof plants perform…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 25

Central Texas summers can push fig trees to their limits, and when the heat really sets in, fruit…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 25

Spotting a Great Horned Owl perched in your backyard live oak is one of those Texas moments that…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 25

Scorpions turning up near your back door or tucked under a garden stone can catch any homeowner off…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 24

Spotting a green anole on your fence post or clinging to a shrub is one of those small…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 24

By late summer, most Texas flower beds look like they’ve given up. The heat has beaten back the…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 24

A feeder can bring cardinals close, but it cannot do everything they need in a Texas fall. As…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 24

Every spring, stretches of Texas highway turn vivid blue with blooming bluebonnets, and plenty of homeowners wonder whether…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 24

Spotting a Greater Roadrunner darting through your Central Texas yard is one of those moments that makes you…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 24

Mexican oregano is one of those patio plants that earns its space through looks, fragrance, and toughness rather…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 23

Fall nights in Central Texas can sneak up on a basil patch fast, and gardeners who walk outside…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 23

Stepping out to check your fall kale bed and finding silvery streaks across the leaves is a jarring…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 23

Growing jalapeños in Central Texas can feel like a battle when summer heat takes over and your pepper…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 23

Tan, bronze, or spreading patches in a Central Texas lawn can stop a homeowner cold on a July…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 23

Spotting a possum shuffling through your yard after dark can catch you off guard, especially if it keeps…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 23

Spotting a Greater Roadrunner perched on your fence at first light is one of those Hill Country moments…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 22

Watching your Purple Martin house go quiet in late summer can feel like something went wrong, but most…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 22

Fall broccoli is one of the most satisfying vegetables you can grow in Central Texas, but watching a…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 22

Central Texas summers bring heat, and with the heat come clouds of mosquitoes hovering over every backyard. Purple…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 22

Possumhaw holly is a Central Texas native shrub that can genuinely help Eastern Bluebirds by providing bright winter…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 22

Something is wrong with a lot of Central Texas oaks this fall, and homeowners are right to pay…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 22

Every fall, Central Texas homeowners start hunting for a shade tree that can survive scorching summers, rocky Hill…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 21

Holiday amaryllis bulbs are one of the easiest ways to bring bright color indoors during the winter, but…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 21

Spotting a Great Horned Owl perched in your yard as the sun goes down over Central Texas is…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 21

Central Texas oaks are some of the most valued trees in any yard, and watching one drop leaves…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 21

Purple Martins are one of the most eagerly watched signs of spring across Central Texas, and plenty of…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 21

Walk the edge of almost any Central Texas creek and you might notice a tree you can’t quite…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 21

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

By Ella Brown T · Sep 20

Rock and gravel can look tidy in a planting bed, but exposed stone in a sunny Texas yard…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 20

A sweet-smelling yellow vine that can handle Texas heat sounds almost too good to be true, and the…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 20

Somewhere between the cedar and limestone of the Texas Hill Country, a fruit tree most neighbors have never…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 20

Snapdragons are one of the best cool-season flowers you can grow in Central Texas, but many gardeners watch…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 20

Lantana is one of the most familiar shrubs in Central Texas yards, showing up in front beds, highway…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 20

Fall spinach is one of the most rewarding cool-season crops a Central Texas gardener can grow, but getting…

By Ella Brown T · Sep 19