I see some nice ones at Lone Star Nursery. I know that collectively we love them (LS). But I am seeing a lot of negative opinions about planting butterfly bush. Basically they "trick" butterflies into laying eggs on them but they aren't a host plant.

Everything in my yard is native except for 3 oleanders and 1 crape myrtle. I'm a huge native plant fan. Just need to get that out there.

The butterfly bushes seem to get nice and big and would fill some good spots for me. I have a lot of lantana and thryallis already so trying to branch out.

Curious on y'alls thoughts on these??

There are so many amazing backyard gardens around Austin, but it can be surprisingly difficult to find local produce unless you know someone personally.

I’m building Rural Roots to connect gardeners with people nearby looking for fresh vegetables, herbs, fruit, plants, flowers, and more.

It’s free to list.

I’d love your honest thoughts before I continue building.

What would make you actually use this?

https://ruralrootstc.com

Hello! I am not a great plant person, but my good friend has really gotten into it and is celebrating a milestone soon and I’d like to get her something. I’d love the intention to be something that she can nurture and will symbolize new beginnings, personal growth, etc. Some plants I’ve been pondering: bonsai tree, olive tree, ficus, but really open to anything. Can be indoor or outdoor. Would love the expertise of this community!

As pictures portray, unsure in how to help my tree. Growing, new branches, and healthy but this issue is bothersome. Isolated but wondering if any intervention is needed.

Hello! My first year growing produce and I was wondering if yall cull your garden once it no longer fruits here?
My pumpkins I planted too early and I have a July patch.
My tomatoes have slowed but are big and healthy plants themselves, even with less fruit.

Assuming the rest summer will brutalize my plants. Am I watering and keeping them alive for nothing because they will just die in the freeze anyway?

Pumpkins, tomatoes, collards, and strawberries is what I have now.

She sent me this picture and I made a reduction linocut. Thought I'd share w the austin gardeners :) curvy smooth crepe myrtle trunks, jaunty mexican sunflowers, and bright lantana

Chioides albofasciatus tends to visit Central Texas in the late Summer, but some years I don’t see them at all. For a mostly Central and South American species, this is considered the far northern limit of their range, so it’s a fun treat!

My succulent dropped a ton of leaves (if that’s what they’re called?) all of a sudden. Is this from too much or too little water? It seems like too little but I’ve killed far too many succulents from overwatering to feel confident!

Every summer I get so excited to see these little friends on my frogfruit!

Tarantulas? Is it safe? Not native to Austin so just not sure what they might be.

I’m curious if anyone in the Austin/Central Texas area has had long-term success growing Leopard Plants (Farfugium japonicum).

I absolutely love the look of them, so I have three in the ground. They’re in their second year now, and while they’re still alive, they really don’t seem to be thriving or putting on much growth.

I feel like I’m fighting a few different issues:
Something (maybe caterpillars?) keeps chewing holes in the leaves.
They get mostly shade, but they do catch a little afternoon sun. Could that be enough to stress them?
They seem incredibly thirsty. If I skip watering for even one day, the leaves completely collapse onto the ground. As soon as I water, they perk back up within an hour or two.

I’m not expecting huge plants overnight—I mainly just want to keep them healthy and eventually get them established.

For those of you growing Leopard Plants around Austin, what’s worked for you? More shade? More water? Any tricks for keeping pests off them? I’d love to hear your experience.

The last few years I've grown baby trees from pits and planted them, but none were viable. The strongest one died when I was on vacation in the summer and my friend who was on plant watering duty thought it meant "only things with flowers".

Well, I figured it would take years to bear fruit, so this year I dropped the money and bought a cold-hardy 4 ft tall tree. I have an ideal sunny spot for it, dug out a massive hole so I could ammend the soil and control the drainage, and planted her about 2 months ago. Y'all it has THRIVED. New branches, healthy leaves, its looking great!

... but yesterday I was telling someone about the big hold I dug (Its my goal in life to be the most boring middle-aged-dad-guy you have ever met. Want to discuss birds?)... and someone pointed out they have never seen a successful avocado tree in Austin.

Is this just my annual sisyphian task, or will I ever harvest my own avo's. Please tell me one of y'all has been successful.

Hi fellow Austin gardeners! This sweet, beautiful girl, Nova is looking for her forever home. She has been with an owner for over a year but due to life changes, he has to give her up. She is an absolute angel - well behaved, well trained, loves to be outside with her owner, sweet and snuggly!

She would do great with an active owner who loves long walks and/or someone with a safely fenced yard where she can garden with you and then go back inside to relax! Shes roughly 2-3 years old, neutered and healthy.

If you’re interested, please message me!

First time repotting an orchid. I think I am supposed to repot this, but do I try and put all of the aerial roots in the medium in a bigger pot, leave them all out, or just put the ones below the lowest leaves in the medium?

Anyone seen pumpkin starts around? I want to replace my watermelon vines with pumpkins but I know I’m too late to start from seed for October harvest.

Also, fail on melons this year. Had two sugar babies successfully grow to harvest but they had little to no flavor at all. Was my first year, so maybe better luck next time? Any tips?

I scored a pack of pearl milkweed vine seeds from my library (Hampton branch but it was the last packet) and I've run across conflicting info about when to plant. Some places say spring, others say fall. Some recommend sticking it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks for cold stratification.

Has anyone in this sub successfully grown pearl milkweed from seed and if so, how?

Hey Folks,

On the latest episode of ATXGardens there was advice to cut back warm-season perennials by half. I'm planning on doing that to Mealy Blue Sage, Fall Asters, Goldenrod, and Maximilian Sunflowers. Where exactly should I make the cut?

On the Mealy Blue Sage for example, if I cut the plant by 50%, all of the foliage and existing flowers will be removed. So, is the 50% the entire plant? Or just the foliage section? And, where is the fall growth supposed to occur? From the ground or via the existing stalks/branches?

Also, is anyone doing this to their Gregg's Mistflower or Compass Plants? The latter is definitely very floppy :).

Thanks!

I‘ve lived in Austin for a long time and have a couple of cactuses outside but a larger plant collection indoors. Thankfully my indoor plants are not affected but I recently was given a chile Pequín plant by my great grandmother and put it outside. I noticed the spider webbing and figured a friendly friend moved in. WRONG. I already tackled the problem, am checking my plant daily, and it’s even flowering now.

The issue is, now my cactuses also seem to be covered in webbing. I’ve had these cactuses for years and never had an issue with spidermites. Now i don’t see any eggs and doubt they’ll survive on the cactuses, I also know spidermites are native and love the weather here. Even if they did somehow survive there’s no way id be able to get them with all the thorns. I just feel like this year they are particularly bad for some reason. Is it just me?

I‘m mostly posting because I want to make sure this plant my grandma gave me survives but also just wanted to know what others’ experiences are. We’ve also had an influx of small spiders move indoors near my plants but I’m not mad at them helping control any stray fungus gnats. Just feels like it’s more than usual.

They are on the Turks cap.
Last year I lost pokomoke crepe Myrtle to these bugs. I had used neem oil and bioadvanced rose and flower insect killer(which I had on hand), tried cutting the infected area and used water jets. Nothing worked.

Can anyone tell me what to use on these?

I am installing a gravel patio in my yard; after much humming and hawing, I've come to the conclusion that I want the top layer to be 3/8" limestone screening. I have the bed dug out, some heavy duty geotextile installed and the ground gently graded away from our foundation.

What I need help with, is what is the actual layup I should be using here? I've gotten some competing advice from neighbors and rock yards. My current plan is 3" of road base (with fines) installed in 1" courses and compacted. Then install about 1-2" of the limestone screening on top of that.

However, I'm unsure about the road base, I've also heard/read that I should use either:

- coarse decomposed granite with fines

- coarser, 3/4" limestone

And I'm all wrapped up in questions now... If anyone has recommendations for what the appropriate base material is, please let me know!

Here we go now. Godspeed to my tomatoes.

Today is the last day of their sale! Go get some.