Troubleshooting
The Texas Two Step: Planting Products Made for Success
Successful planting starts long before leaves appear or blooms show off—it begins underground. For Texas gardeners, building healthy soil and inoculating roots at planting time can make the difference between a plant that merely survives and a plant that thrives. Two...
Winter is Time to Plan for a Better Spring Garden Season
When colder weather settles in for a long rest, many gardeners do the same. But winter isn’t just a time for rest—it’s the perfect time for reflection, and planning, so you'll be prepared next year to have an even more successful spring garden season. Taking time now...
Fresh Cut Christmas Tree Care
Bringing home a fresh Christmas tree fills the house with fragrance and cheer—here are eight quick tips for how to keep it looking vibrant and safe all season long. 1. Make a Fresh Cut Before placing your tree in the stand, cut ½–1 inch off the bottom of the...
Houseplants: Winter Care Tips
When winter comes along and we head indoors more often than outdoors, our houseplants provide us solace when we are yearning to be working in our gardens. While our attention is turned to our houseplants, we must be careful not to heap too much attention on them...
Winter Plant Protection: Indoor Winter Care
When cool nights start signaling the approach of winter, many San Antonio gardeners begin the annual ritual of bringing tender plants indoors. But before you shuffle those pots inside, there’s a crucial step that often gets overlooked: treating plants for pests before...
Poinsettia Care: Watering Tips – Ditch the Ice Cubes.
Using ice cubes to water poinsettias has become a trendy “hack,” but it’s actually not helpful and can even be harmful to the plant. Poinsettia care really starts with watering correctly. It can be the difference between a gorgeous holiday plant that thrives or one...
Growing Reblooming Bearded Iris in San Antonio: Care Guide
Bearded iris are some of the most iconic spring bloomers in Texas gardens. Their ruffled petals, bold colors, and dependable performance make them a favorite for creating showstopping beds with minimal maintenance. For gardeners interested in extended color,...
Planting Onions in San Antonio Texas: Nov.- Dec. is Prime Time.
It's time to start planting onions here in the San Antonio area and you're in the right place for some great tips. Onions are one of the most satisfying and versatile vegetables to grow. When done right, you can enjoy crisp green onions early in the season or...
Planting Spring Wildflowers in San Antonio, Texas: An Easy Guide.
If you’ve ever dreamed of a yard bursting with bluebonnets, Indian blanket, and cheerful coreopsis, you can have it! Planting spring wildflowers in San Antonio, Texas is easier than you might think. The trick is getting the timing right, understanding how wildflowers...
Pests & Diseases
Quick Look: Perennial Pollinator Plants
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 landscape....
Maximilian Sunflowers: A Perennial Treat for Native Pollinators
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 Butterfly...
Gayfeather (Liatris spicata): A Pollinator-Attracting Perennial
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...
The Butterfly Landing: A Habitat for Pollinators!
This spring, our Rainbow Gardens location is in for a real treat. Every Saturday from about 11AM - 4PM, guests will be treated to expert butterfly and pollinator advice courtesy of Laura Jarvis of The Butterfly Landing. Many of you know the name Laura Jarvis as she...
Urban Pollinator Gardens: Why Are They Important?
Urban pollinator gardens are a way to help build local ecosystems and support the biodiversity that is abundantly found within them. By definition, ecosystems are geographical areas where organisms (both living and nonliving) work together to create a communicable,...
Profuse Blooms on Profusion Zinnia
You know how at the end of summer, plants look a little peaked and you are craving some color in your landscape but the weather is still too warm for cool weather annuals to really live comfortably? Enter the solution. Profusion zinnia is a great choice for...
Mystic Spires Salvia: A Great Pollinator Plant for San Antonio
Mystic Spires Salvia is a fabulous butterfly and bee attracting plant to include in your pollinator gardens. The sheer number of blooms that this salvia puts out sends the pollinators into a dizzy frenzy as they visit each and every flower. Take a look at some...
Pollinator Garden Tried and True Butterfly Picks
Butterfly and pollinator gardens are hot topics, especially since we are on the cusp of the fall pollinator migration about to soar through San Antonio. Today I wanted to highlight a few of the amazing plants that live in our butterfly garden at our Bandera location....
Planting Milkweed for Butterflies: The Dos and Don’ts
If you want monarch butterflies to visit your garden this fall and spring, planting milkweed in your landscape is a must! Not only is milkweed a great nectar source for thirsty pollinators, it is also THE ONLY host plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs upon....
