Planning/Design

Want to build a rain garden, but not sure where to start? Consider your landscape’s sun and shade situation before you pick your plants. With all the rain we’ve been getting — and the possibility [...]

There are lots of plants with some degree of toxicity to pets, but most are not a threat except in extreme cases of allergy or unusual consumption.  By Calvin Finch, Ph.D. If your experience with [...]

That killer freeze gave you the perfect opportunity to make your yard more drought and cold resistant with plants that can handle our sizzling summers and weather our winters. Did your landscape [...]

By Calvin Finch Ph.D., Guest Author Entice the widest selection of feathered finery with thickets and tangles. The most attractive landscape to the widest selection of birds is one that offers [...]

December and January are an excellent time to put your thoughts down on paper and begin researching resources. Even now when most of my communication with customers happens via email, one of the [...]

While you’re digesting your outdoor, safely distanced Thanksgiving feast, grab a pencil and jot down some ideas for an alfresco living space or garden bed. If you’re not cooking for family [...]

Spice up your autumn garden with warm hues, berry-bursting blooms and fragrant foliage. It’s the coziest backdrop for enjoying your preferred pumpkin-spiced beverage outdoors. Fall in South Texas [...]

Forget water-intensive privets and thirsty rose trellises. Options abound for pretty, posh plants that are as drought-tough as they are bucolic and cozy. England in the 1870s saw the rise of the [...]

Draw inspiration for your yard with these lovely landscape designs and outdoor living spaces that are drought-hardy, heat-tolerant and pollinator-friendly! The best inspiration comes from [...]

At the nursery, plants always look pretty in the pot. But will they grow and thrive once you get them home? Most likely, yes — as long as they’re planted in the right place. Plants need the [...]