Above, we have Mystic Spires Salvia (usually an evergreen ornamental) planted with Giant Red Mustard. Edible kales, with their unusual leaf colors and textures, are fun to use in designs, too! Same with Swiss Chard!
Why IS Fall the BEST Time to Plant?
In Central Texas and across the American South, fall planting is the best way to ensure the success of your investments. Folks up north probably do it differently. We're really not sure.
Heat! Plants "drink" more as our air temperatures climb. The reverse is also true; plants will "drink" less in cooler weather. Planting now will allow the plants to establish new roots during three seasons of cooler weather. There will be less demand on the roots to provide the needed water and nutrients.
Drought! Again, our rainy season(s) are typically Fall, Winter, and Spring. Again, this will give the new transplants up to nine months of help to establish their root systems! Often, these seasons can surprise us with droughts, but (see #1) the cooler temps will lessen the demand for water and nutrients! And! Supplemental irrigation is far less likely to quickly evaporate like it can in a warm Spring and Summer.
Warm Soil! The majority of the plants utilized in landscapes enjoy warm soil to spread their roots into. After a nice, warm summer, the soil is perfect for root growth. In the Spring, the opposite is true. We wait for the soil to warm up for many of our landscape plants.
Less work and worry! The first year after transplanting can be touch-and-go, especially when planting mid to late Spring or early Summer when our temps can become hellish. One missed watering in an extra-hot July can spell disaster. We see this almost every day. Fall planting makes life so much easier on the home /land owner, and one missed watering (if it's even needed) can usually be shrugged off with little if any damage to the new planting!
What you CAN plant now: Nearly EVERYTHING!
Trees, Shrubs, Roses, Xeric cold hardy Cacti & Succulents, Native and Adapted Perennials, Vines, Ground Covers, Cold Hardy Palms, Ornamental Grasses, and more!
What you should not plant now: Warm-Season annuals, warm-season vegetables (unless you have a greenhouse), and Tropical Plants.
Happy Planting!
We garden 12 months of the year here in Central Texas, and you can too! We're here to help give our neighbors the best advice available. We can't predict the weather, but we can help you plan for the best possible outcome. See ya soon!
Cool-Season Edibles and Ornamentals (flowers, etc.) can be planted now! Mix it up!
The Herbs and Veggies List is updated weekly. Feel free to text us at 512-560-6788 to check if a specific plant is still available.
Cardoons are another cool-season vegetable with MASSIVE ornamental appeal. They are relatives of Artichokes, but the Cardoon mid-rib is eaten instead of the flower bud.
Seen above growing alongside Texas Tarragon / Mexican Mint Marigold, an ornamental herb. It's too hot to grow French Tarragon in Texas. This South American native is a great replacement.
Always a helpful garden resource:
See the Williamson County Vegetable Planting Calendar here.
November is for Transplanting! If you have trees, shrubs, roses, and perennials in the wrong spot or planted too deep November is the ideal time to move them. Every job/species is a little different and we'd be happy to coach you on-site ("Garden Coach") or here at the nursery (bring photos). Walking you through the process can be difficult over the phone or through email.
Fall May Bring Fungus!
Fall brings cooler temperatures, often high humidity, less sunlight, and greater amounts of rainfall. This can be the perfect storm for a fungus of an undesirable nature.
Many fungi can be easily treated. While others, like Brown Patch in St. Augustine lawns, are incurable. Manageable, but incurable. We can fight fire with fire! MicroGro from Microlife aims to build up soil microorganisms to crowd out and outcompete soil-borne pathogens like Brown Patch.
(Still)NEW!
MicroLife introduced Liquid AF in 2024! While not labeled as a fungicide, AF is a thoughtful collection of Bacteria with an appetite for fungus. Mix this liquid with equal parts liquid molasses (for an initial feeding for the bacteria) into one gallon of water. The solution can be poured into the soil (ex. as a treatment for root rot on boxwoods) or sprayed onto the foliage. We recommend using chlorine-free water; distilled, RO, or water left out to outgas for 72 hours.
After using AF for most of 2025, we can say we've seen some pretty cool results. Especially when used on young cuttings or seedlings! We've used it on lawn fungus, but did not set up a good scientific study, and we'll have to start the trials over in Spring 2026.
Speaking of rainfall. Fall can be a very tricky time to grow in containers outdoors. The amount of irrigation needed last summer will not be the same amount needed in the fall. This is where deadly overwatering happens! Our analog moisture meters take the guesswork out of container gardening! By pushing the sensor into the soil media 4-6 inches, the meter will tell you if water is needed!
Of course, you can use these indoors and, in the garden, but be very careful in the garden! The metal shaft and sensor are far from indestructible, and care should be taken when pushing the instrument into the ground. Press gently!
Cabbage Loopers: A common "pest" of brassicas (cabbage, kale, cauliflower) and leafy greens during the cooler seasons. They're a fact of life here. While the caterpillar can make a great snack for our songbirds, most of us like our Lettuce without holes. Bt bacteria sprayed every two weeks, once a week in severe infestations, can help keep the moth larvae at bay.
Because Bt only affects caterpillars, we don't need to worry about contamination or non-target casualties! Available year-round here at HCWG.
Be sure to store your Bt indoors where temperatures are moderate. It's alive and can be "killed".
If Bt isn't working for you, we can move to Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew with Spinosad. It's a baby step stronger but far safer than Pyrethrins in our opinion.
We are fully restocked on 2025 Cool-Season vegetable seeds! They're ready to germinate now. See the Wilco Planting link above to start your wish list today!
We are restocked on our Texas Bluebonnet seeds! November is a great time to throw out (yes, just throw them out) the seeds. Some will germinate now, others will freeze and crack open to germinate in the spring, while others will remain dormant to germinate next year! Bluebonnets know some years are bad years, so they are programmed by thick seed coats to strategically wait to ensure the species lives on!
We are carrying the most popular native seeds and have added a few new species, including some of our all-time favorites!
Sow them now for spring and summer flowers.
Sharp tools make work easy and safe! Fall is a great time to prune your trees*** and shrubs! We carry our favorite hand tools to get most jobs done! If you have the full collection of garden tools already, take the time this fall to sharpen'em up and reoil'em!
***We do not recommend spraying wound sealer on cuts except for Oaks. Especially Live Oak and Red Oak species. If you're not sure what kind of tree(s) you have, you're always welcome to email, text, or bring in samples or photos.
Text us at 512-560-6788 (text-only line)
If you're shopping for your gardener this holiday season, stop by and take a look at our selection! We can even help you put together custom gift sets!
Plan for the worst and hope for the best!
Row Cover! Last on our list, but this stuff can be the most important part of the list. If you're new to cool-season gardening or want to keep your cool-season annuals primo. This stuff is a must, in our humble opinion. It can keep frost, ice, and snow away from the foliage and flowers while trapping some ground heat to keep those low temperatures a little more bearable for the plants.
New for 2025/26! We have a thicker 2.5-ounce cover available now!
If you prefer Plankets, we have those too!
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