Most people know to look for perennial plants that are cold hardy in their region, but here in Texas it’s about as important to look for perennial plants that can withstand our Texas heat. If you’ve ever planted something in spring just to watch it wither and die...
This week, the St. John’s Wort we have at Rainbow Gardens is bursting into bloom and the display is spectacular! Sunshine-yellow flowers with fiber optic centers appear in profuse numbers as if to greet the arrival of summer and stay long enough to greet fall. Blooms...
More and more people are learning about Duranta being an amazing pollinator plant for butterflies and hummingbirds and I couldn’t be more thrilled. If you’ve never heard of this plant, or seen it in action, you are in for a treat today. I’m taking...
Pineapple plants are now at Rainbow Gardens! These are such a fun and easy tropical fruit to grow that we thought it would be worth highlighting today. Pineapples offer up all the feels of the tropics with their palm-like foliage and tangy, yet sweet, flavor that...
The time of year has come when our tropical fruit shipment has arrived. Both of our Rainbow Gardens locations recently brought in your favorite tropical fruit tree varieties like: Mango, Papaya, Avocado, Dragon Fruit, Guava, Banana, Pineapple, Star Fruit and more. You...
We are super excited about our upcoming Pollinator Gardening 101 class on May 11th, at our Bandera location. Laura Jarvis, of The Butterfly Landing, will be offering up her expertise and sharing tons of tips for how to get started on your own pollinator gardens. Today...
My goal today is to share one of my favorite herbs to as many people as I can because I want everyone to get to enjoy this amazing plant. There are so many things to love about Mexican Mint Marigold, that once you read about them here, I just may have you making plans...
Walking through the nurseries when the shipments of Kimberly Queen ferns and Macho ferns have been delivered has a way of transporting me to another world. Surrounded by baskets filled with majestic fronds that seem to reach out and beckon me towards them invokes a,...
When spring weather warms up and colorful annual and perennial plants are filling the nurseries, I get especially excited to welcome back Mexican Heather. Not only is Mexican Heather the perfect size for the front borders of my annual or perennial gardens, it also...
Irene lantana is a very colorful evergreen perennial. Hues of yellow, pink and red blend create a gorgeous combo throughout each individual flower cluster. Whether you plant Irene lantana in containers or in the landscape, the result is a stunning effect. Lantana has...
Today I am offering a “quick look” at some perennial pollinator plant options that we have been bringing into Rainbow Gardens lately. If you desire pollinators to visit your garden in abundance, you might want to consider adding one or all of these to your...
A stop in to one of my favorite Facebook pages, The Butterfly Landing, inspired this week’s blog on Maximilian sunflowers. Laura Jarvis, owner and operator of The Butterfly Landing, often highlights amazing pollinator plants, many of them native, on her...
If you’ve been going back and forth about purchasing an Improved Dwarf Meyer Lemon, I’m here today to push you in the direction of loading one up in your vehicle and bringing it home. Besides being able to enjoy the bright, fresh, citrusy taste of your own homegrown...
If you’ve shopped at Rainbow Gardens during spring in the past years, most likely you’ve heard of or seen signs for the Rodeo Tomato of the year. Each year a tomato variety is selected by the Texas Agrilife Extension Service for the San Antonio rodeo to hold the...
Pollinator season has begun and along with that comes the search for some amazing pollinator attracting plants to offer them nectar for energy and food sources for butterfly caterpillars. With that being said, Gayfeather, or Liatris, has been voted this year’s...
If you are looking to have a green, healthy, and lush lawn, spring fertilization is a garden task you don’t want to overlook. A well fed lawn is your best defense against many common problems that homeowners face when it comes to their turf. Today’s blog will explain...
To create a great mixed container display, we suggest incorporating a variety of plants with different heights and growth habits for stunning visual appeal. We often call these container arrangements a “thriller, spiller, filler combo”. Today we’ll take a look at some...
Today’s blog is a recap of our “Spring Into Summer Vegetables” class we recently had with Karen Gardener. Karen always shares some wonderful tips for successfully growing vegetables in our climate. I will walk you through her outline and highlight her advice for...
Including desert specimen plants (yucca rostrata, yucca thompsoniana, agave, sotol, cactus, etc…) can create striking texture and interest in your Texas landscapes. These plants are not only beautiful, most are also native and xeriscape options. Today i’m...
In keeping with our plan to share our guest speakers’ key notes from our classes and events, today’s blog is a recap of our Tomato Class we recently had, featuring Keith Amelung, our local heirloom tomato supplier. Keith gave us a ton of information to help grow...
