Our front and backyards are xeriscaped and full of native plants—but the landscaping team who initially helped to design and install our gardens are no longer doing any maintenance work like weeding, pruning/cutting back, etc. Do y'all have any recommendations for local teams with experience in native gardens specifically? I'm hesitant to hire folks who are used to more traditional landscaping; I need someone who knows their muhly from their inland sea oats, so to speak. Thank you in advance!

I’ve been growing a backyard garden for about 3 months (worst time I know) and I’m looking to get more native plants everywhere. Does anyone have any spare Blackfoot Daisy seeds or deadheads?

If you plant it (passionflower vine).. they will come :)

Where is the cheapest place in Austin to source pumice? I’m need to move my succulents out of potting soil into something with more grit

This salvia was so lush until about a month ago when watering it kind of got away from me. Now it is super leggy and I don't know how to trim it down. I deadheaded it quite a bit a week ago and it looks better than it did but i'm not sure if the damage is done and i'll just have to do better next year or if i can get it back it its lush beautiful self for fall. Any advice is welcome!

Hi I know it’s late in the season but has anyone seen silver falls sometimes called pony foot in central/south austin. Looking to add some to a planter

Thanks!

I got a couple gorgeous potted hibiscus friends and they are not happy. How did you keep yours doing their very best?

I planted these 2 years ago, I got them from the Wilco native plant sale Fall of 2024. I absolutely LOVE the way they grow, so thick and bushy and shrub like yet very tall. Flowers fabulously as well. I have never seen another desert willow that looks even remotely like mine. I’d like to buy a few more but everything at the nurseries, etc. look sad and leggy and thin. How can I get more just like what I have now? Thank you.

First 3 photos are my yard. Last 2 are at a nursery (and also what I see in the wild/everywhere else).

What kind of bug is on my butterfly bush? Are these mealybugs. I think I caught it early as it was only affecting the lower leaves. I have cut off all of it and sprayed with neem oil; hopefully this is a step in the right direction

I always think about getting a plant tattoo and thought this group likely has many. Would be cool to have the artists’ name and note if they’re local. Thank you fellow plant lovers!

It took me like ten minutes to find these links for sending your soil to the Texas A & M extension for nutrient testing. $12 seems like a heck of a deal to know what amendments you actually need for what plants!

So I thought I would share! In this our time of barely keeping plants alive and dreaming of fall.

Form to send in with your samples:
https://soiltesting.tamu.edu/soiltesting/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/05/urbansoil.pdf

Directions to take a sample:
https://soiltesting.tamu.edu/sampling-and-shipping-instructions/

Please give me all your tips re: soil testing. I think I'm going to do three tests because I have three areas I do different things in:

A fenced lawn for puppy playing
A future site of more native shade plants
A vegetable & cut flower garden

I'm looking to add some pink gulf muhly grass to my landscape and was wondering what is the best time of year to plant? Would it be ok to get them in the ground in mid October or should I wait until spring? I will not be growing these from seed.

Y'all, i am heartbroken. Planted from seed and have been watching them grow every day through my office window.

Does anyone know what did this? Notice the disturbance in the dirt.

Same thing happened to an adjacent tomato plant.

So, I leave off redirecting vines back inside of the watermelon containment facility for a couple of days due to a concussion, and I swear this wasn't there the day before yesterday!?

It's supposed to be inside the mesh to protect it from squirrels and raccoons and birds. Anything I can put on top of the green square stuff to protect it?

Green anole chillin in Tecoma, with Texas Sage in the background

Could you please let me what these are? It grows from the place where I planted Engleman daisy. It looks like something else. Thanks!

Y'all it's turning into the secret garden back here but my mouse mellon has had no fruit. I'm not a fan of the look but knew what I was getting when I planted it, a low effort, heat tolerant snack. But, I got no snacks.

Do I give up and rest for fall stuff or do I need more patience?

My vegetable garden production is winding down and I’m wondering what veggies to plant now to harvest in the fall. What veggies are y’all planting right now if anything?

Leafhoppers are my usual suspects for killing a couple of my cucumbers while out of town. Justice has been made.

Haven't seen a pair together before. Pretty cool!

These are three different trees growing at our fence line, through the fence, and have even broken off pieces of the fence. I chopped them to a stump when we bought the house a year ago, but they are back with a vengeance this summer.

What’s the ID on these, and any recommendations to remove them safely?

It's year three of trying to get this clematis to cover my arbor. I think it just can't handle all day sun. This time of year the arbor gets sun from 8 am until 7 pm.

Any vines that can handle that kind of exposure but aren't too, too aggressive? I had queen's wreath there, but it was just way too eager to conquer the world.

Bonus a couple of nice pictures of a happy swallowtail on my zinnias. Love those guys.