by Greg Grant | Oct 5, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
I didn’t think the weather would ever break and that they would arrive, but they are finally here. Few flowers capture the magic of Southern gardening quite like the red spider lily, Lycoris radiata radiata. I first cherished these brilliant red pass-a-long flowers as...
by Greg Grant | Sep 30, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
Fire is one of those words that naturally gets our attention. We are taught from childhood that fire is dangerous, and uncontrolled wildfire certainly can be. But fire is also one of the natural forces that helped create and maintain the various East Texas landscapes...
by Greg Grant | Sep 22, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
Every spring, I wait for old friends to arrive. Thanks to years of coevolution, they normally show up when the native coral honeysuckle and red buckeyes are in bloom. By September, however, it is time to start saying goodbye to our beloved ruby-throated hummingbirds....
by Greg Grant | Sep 20, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
Each fall, one of nature’s great migrations passes through Texas. Monarch butterflies that spent the summer across much of the United States and southern Canada begin moving south toward their wintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico. For many of...
by Greg Grant | Sep 11, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
September is a game changer in Texas. It may not look or feel like fall when the month begins, but gardeners know better. The days are getting shorter, the nights are gradually getting longer, and sooner or later the first cool front will come rolling through. After...
by Greg Grant | Sep 8, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
If there were an official tree for stubbornness, the post oak would certainly be in the running. Post oak, Quercus stellata, is one of the toughest and most characteristic native trees of East Texas. It grows where many other trees would rather not, often occupying...
by The Arbor Gate | Sep 7, 2026 | Events
The Houston Rose Society has two upcoming programs to share with East Texas rose lovers. This Saturday, HRS is hosting an online session on fragrant roses. The meeting is held via Zoom, and registration is required — you can sign up here: register for the...
by The Arbor Gate | Sep 1, 2026 | How To Videos
Summer feeding is the easy part. What you put down on top of the soil afterward is where a lot of gardeners go wrong — and it’s the difference between beds that struggle through August and beds that stay cool, weed-free, and thriving. Here’s a look at a...
by Greg Grant | Aug 30, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
Every year, there comes a moment when the worst of summer finally begins to loosen its grip on East Texas. The days grow a little shorter, the mornings become slightly more comfortable, and gardeners begin watching for the first signs of fall. One of the most reliable...
by Greg Grant | Aug 13, 2026 | Greg's Ramblings
“The devil called and wants his weather back.” That old church sign still sums up those summers when the heat seems endless, the rain disappears, and the garden starts looking more like a desert than a landscape. Other than the spots that I’m watering with sprinkler,...
