Do you ever feel like you’ve missed out on the best of your garden by the time you get home from work in the evening? Why not enjoy your garden by moonlight! Creating a moon garden is a wonderful way to to enjoy your garden after the sun goes down, which is often when we […]
houston
Top 5 Plants to Grow in Houston’s Heat
by Scott Hill Summer is well on its way, and you’re going to need something that can tolerate the brutal sun. Got a spot with plenty of light? Here are the top 5 plants to grow in Houston’s heat: This evergreen perennial can be used for borders or as ground covers. It also looks great […]
Hummingbirds Arrive in Houston!
Now that August is here, it’s time to make your garden ready for hummingbirds that will be passing through Houston this month! Hummingbirds typically make their way through Houston for a short period in spring during their northern migration. A majority of this population usually returns for a month, or a bit longer, in August […]
Get Ready for a Fabulous Fall Garden!
August: Yep, it’s hot and humid. It’s also probably not when gardening is front and center on your mind. But experienced gardeners know that August is the perfect time to start planning and plotting for the fall garden. If you don’t start now, it’s easy to get sucked into back-to-school and other fall events; before […]
Pollinators and the Plants They Love
When choosing plants for your garden, it’s always important to consider the pollinators. We depend on pollinators like bees, butterflies and bats for much of the food we eat, clothes we wear and even the houses we live in. Providing nectar and pollen in your garden for a variety of pollinators is not only a […]
Time to Plant Fall Tomatoes!
Yes, we know it’s a bit warm outside; but that doesn’t mean our Houston veggie gardens are put to bed for the summer. Now is the time to get your second crop of tomatoes in the ground for fall harvest. Fall is a good time for developing tomatoes because the cooler temperatures allow for better […]
Beautyberry: A Texas Native Showstopper!
You might have noticed that with the arrival of fall that one of our very best Texas native plants has started putting on its best show. American beautyberry, Callicarpa sp, is best known for its fantastic display of fall berries; most often in a stunning shade of purple. Beautyberry is an excellent native for Houston […]
The Best Screening Shrubs for Houston
You know the phrase “good fences make good neighbors”? Well, we couldn’t agree more! But what do you do when there is no fence or the fence is unsightly? Privacy screening shrubs to the rescue! Here at Buchanan’s, we think that living plants can make the best fences. Now through fall and winter is an […]
Growing Figs in Houston
When it comes to growing fruit in Texas, you can’t get any easier than figs! Common figs, of the species, Ficus carica, are unique in that they do not require pollinators for the fruit to develop. What you’re actually eating when you enjoy a fig is modified stem tissue, instead of mature ovary tissue (such […]
Esperanza Beats the Heat!
When you ask us here at Buchanan’s to come up with something negative about Esperanza, you just might find us speechless for a change! We can’t think of anything we don’t love about this beautiful group of plants. Right now, we have a great selection of different Esperanza (Tecoma stans) varieties in colors ranging from […]
Gingers for your Houston Garden
Gingers are a real treasure here in Houston summer gardens. Gingers we grow here can range from large specimen plants to short ground covers and offer up a variety of bloom colors and fragrance. While there are too many types of ginger for us to highlight here, we thought we’d share a few of our […]
Leopard Plant: Striking Foliage for the Shade Garden
In our hot Houston climate, it’s important to plant shade trees to cool our homes and landscapes. But once those shade trees develop, we may find ourselves struggling to maintain sun-loving plants in a now-shady garden. It can sometimes feel like there aren’t as many options available to us for the shade garden, but here […]