As a homeowner, it’s important to assess any damage your turf may have incurred from last year. Consider factors like drought, pests such as grubs and chinch bugs, excessive shade from trees, and diseases like “take all patch.” It get pretty obvious...
Purchasing trees can be a great investment for your property, but it’s important to take care of them properly, and this means right from the very start, when you are purchasing your tree and when you are bringing it home. Research any shade or ornamental trees...
Japanese Maples are a beautiful addition to any garden or landscape, but growing them in San Antonio, Texas can be more of a challenge. While they are more suited to be grown east of I-35 (where the climate is less arid than ours), Japanese Maples are so loved for...
Have you got a black hole in your landscape? You know, a spot that has deep, and I mean deep, shade? Like that place where when people say, ‘You can stick it where the sun don’t shine’, they mean that spot in your landscape? Well, I just might have...
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has compiled a list of plants that are deemed non toxic if dogs were to consume. I’ve pulled out 10 herbs from the list and am highlighting their flavors and a few uses for each. Spring is a...
Tomatoes are one of our favorite things to grow in spring; but they sure do come with their fair share of pests. If you know what you’re looking for ahead of time you can stop these pests in their tracks before they inflict too much damage. Early...
We know that spring has sprung (so early this year) when all the colorful annuals and perennials start arriving wave upon wave at Rainbow Gardens. But when bougainvillea show up and start strutting their stuff, it’s like they are the peacocks amongst a bunch of...
This week is a tomato week. The date is quickly approaching to get your tomatoes into the garden (we use March 15th as a marker), and I’ve been working on a couple of blogs to increase the chances that you will have a successful tomato harvest this year. I recently...
When you add organic matter to garden soil, it supports the growth of microorganisms and helps retain moisture. The organic matter in your soil also provides nutrients for plants, improves your plants’ ability to absorb nutrients and water, and makes it easier...
For San Antonio gardeners, finding the right products to keep their plants healthy and protected from insect damage can be a challenge. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control; what it is, how it works, and when the...
Blueberries are a delicious and nutritious addition to any garden, and if you live in South Central Texas, you have the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of blueberry varieties. Cross pollination is an important factor to consider when growing blueberries in this...
Here we go again. If you’ve been a gardener in south central Texas through any of our past few winters, you know that plant damage after a freeze is a serious concern. Even a single night of freezing temperatures can cause extensive damage to your plants, leading to...
If you didn’t do your homework researching plants before you bought them this spring, are you second-guessing some of your purchases right about now? Are you looking around your landscape and wondering if you could warm up to the look of brown plants in your yard?...
Seeds! It is seed starting time here in San Antonio. But it’s January. Yep. But it seems early. Yep! That’s how we do it here. We start indoor seeds of early spring veggies and annuals that enjoy the warmth of our spring but peter out and stop producing...
If you’ve been a fan of any of our information outlets here at Rainbow Gardens, we are pretty sure you know we constantly stress the importance of planning and researching when it comes to gardening success. Do you also know that we have a Plant Finder Tool...
As the winter temperatures get colder and the holidays get closer, you may think it’s time to tuck your gardening tools away until spring. The reality is that while gardening may slow down a little in the winter, it doesn’t have to stop. Let’s take a...
How are you doing on your holiday gift list? Do you have quite a ways to go? All I know is that December seems to fly by and before I know it, I’m in scramble mode. Lucky for me I have plenty of gardeners on my shopping list. With that in mind, this blog is...
Rainbow Gardens is embarking on a new blog segment where each month we would like to give a shout out to: a local business that aligns with our way of thinking, a product that we really think is beneficial to learn about, a plant that for one reason or another we...
Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are vibrantly-hued, beautiful plants with long lasting color that add instant holiday decor. It seems weird that a tropical plant is the one we choose as a symbol for our winter holidays, but this is when poinsettias choose to flash...
This time of year, we are inundated with requests for holiday plants and Christmas cactus are usually one of the top requests. We bring in these beautiful schlumbergera and they fly out the doors. However, did you know that what you think might be a Christmas cactus...