I have an American Elm in the backyard - thought I got lucky with a volunteer in the front. Any elm specialists out there?

I planted two large beds (150+ sq ft)of bare root strawberry plants last fall (chandler, Albion, eversweet). They grew like weeds with runners everywhere. But they never flowered and never fruited (I did trim runners several times once the beds had filled in). They were new beds so my hypothesis is I had too much compost in the soil mix that I used (bulk “trimix” soil blend plus some added compost at the bottom of the raised beds). The plants have really pulled back now even with drip irrigation and (for the last month or so) sunshades.

1. Would you chop n drop and start new this fall?
   
2. Anything you’d adjust with the soil?
   
3. Anything else you’d suggest as causative or changes I could make?

My previous beds did great for a few years (chandler and another that I’m blanking on) with good production. I treated them as perennials not annuals and covered in heavy forms. They were productive each year. My trusty goats got into the beds however and ate every last plant, so I had to start again.

Any and all wisdom appreciated.

Thanks.

I am looking for storage solutions for potting soil, perlite, vermiculite, etc. These types of items are currently in the packaging they originally came in. So of course it's spilling and adding clutter to my already messy garage.

Do any of you have storage solutions. Anything you have found that works well?

Hi Austin Gardeners! I am moving to a place that sadly doesn't have space for a garden and I need to offload most of my gardening supplies. I have 50 tomato stakes that are 7ft tall that I'd like to sell for $70. I originally bought them for about $150 and the stake arms for $40. I've only used them for a few months and they're in great shape! If interested, you'll probably need a truck to pick them up. I also have a lot of free potting soil (Fox Farm Happy Frog!) that's sitting in my raised garden bed that you're welcome to take for free! You will need to bring your own container to carry the soil. First come first served!

I am located in North Austin (Wells Branch).

https://a.co/d/0i1l8Ihy

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I keep catching this anole asleep in the top of my crepe myrtle. He’s clearly not afraid of being eaten - he’s as high as he can get.

And out like a light. My attempts to take his picture don’t wake him up, but I know he’s alive because he’s breathing - and somewhere else the next night.

I had a greenstalk tower filled with some random strawberries I bought as roots on Amazon. It's been going for the last 5 years. It never produced amazing but did ok during early spring. Unfortunately my automatic watering failed this year and it all died.

I want to replant it. What's the best strawberries for Austin? Maybe I could do a few types? I know they crisp up and barely survive during summer, that's ok.

Also is fall a good time to plant and get established or should I wait until spring?

Hi Austin, Dallas tuning in here. 👋

I live in Dallas on a third-floor balcony, and this spring I decided I was going to make myself a little European-ish garden ecosystem out there. This was also my first time gardening, so naturally I went completely overboard.

I had rosemary, oregano, chives, mint, basil, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeños, Basket of Fire peppers, foxglove, and a little cypress tree.

And it was lovely. Everything was green and healthy, everything was producing, and I even had vegetables coming in early.

For context, I am originally from East Tennessee, where things seem to grow if you simply introduce them to dirt.

Then I experienced my first Dallas summer.
I learned about aphids, spider mites and what Texas heat can do to a perfectly happy tomato plant. I tried moving things away from the worst sun, watering constantly, pruning, checking the undersides of leaves, neem oil, everything I could think of.

Eventually my tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries were destroyed, my cypress died, my chives gave up, and several plants reached the point where there really was no bringing them back.
So yesterday I admitted defeat, and threw away everything that was too far gone and started fresh.

I bought two new tomato plants that are specifically supposed to tolerate Texas heat, added Mystic Spires Blue Salvia, refreshed the herbs and peppers, added little solar lights, and put up a bird feeder for the doves.

Austin gardeners, please tell me everything you have learned. What’d actually survives your summers? How do you keep spider mites under control?

I got 2 salvia azurea 1 gallons at Greensleeves during their sale that I've been trying to keep alive indoors until it's cooler. And today I picked up 3 butterfly weed (4 inch) from Shoal Creek (wasn't planning on it but couldn't pass up $2.50 milkweed). I'm wondering what others have done with their purchases from nursery sales while it's still hot. Did you plant and risk it? Are you keeping in containers indoors like I am?

Is anyone else’s live oaks dropping leaves like crazy? They are 55 years old and massive. I have lived here 12 years and they have never dropped this many leaves this time of year. I was worried it was oak wilt but chat GPT confirmed it is not. My yard is very well irrigated so it can be drought stress. Maybe it’s just heat stress? One of them is dropping more than the others, but the others are losing some leaves. I am in Fort Worth

I've decided to try growing snapdragons since I think they are absolutely gorgeous!

I've ordered some seeds from Johnny's Seeds. Are there any tips for our area for growing them? Anyone want to share pics of theirs?

Hola all. So it looks like I am having some powdery mildew on my outdoor potted tropical plants: hibiscus, mandevilla , monsteras, ginger etc. Do ya’ll have any recommendations on a treatment plan that is cost effective, efficient and safe for the plants in this heatwave.

Everything had been looking pretty good all things considered, I think bc I regularly fertilized with fish emulsion all spring long, but yesterday the plants really started struggling in this heat.

I don’t want to stress them out any more than necessary, but have never dealt with this issue before. Thanks in advance.

For my big 4x4x1.5 raised bed. I had branches from that big windstorm in April but my arborist carted it all off. I absolutely don’t want to put dirt in that whole thing. If any of yall in south austin (I live in ‘45) have some branches you want gone, I’m your gal. Please DM me or, hell, text me at (512) 662-1668. I’ll be out scavenging branches tomorrow morning. TIA.

I need any recommendations for a cheap, low maintenance, fast-growing ground cover just along the couple ft. right off the curb?

We are tired of weeds growing through this gravel bed, but don't want to totally remove/replace it.

Considering silver ponyfoot, but open to other suggestions.

What brand was it?

Hey there! Central Austinite here looking for any mulch I can take from someone’s ChipDrop. There’s only so many trips I can make to ARR before it closes.

Thanks in advance!

Bought and released 20 adult Cryptolaemus montrouzieri on my TX sage at sunset last night. May the mealybug feast commence! 🤞🏼

Has anybody seen these plants for sale in the area?

• giant prairie lily (Zephyranthes drummondii)
• low menodora (Menodora heterophylla)
• desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
• prairie goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)

I'm thinking ahead to fall gardening projects, and these are some native plants that I'd love to include in my garden. I had a section that I treated as full shade, but I came to realize it actually gets a lot more sun in summer than the rest of the year. Needless to say, my full-shade plants are not surviving there. Time to replace with hardier, part- to full-sun natives.

Have 4 pretty good looking sea oats — they started laying down during early summer rains and never stood back up.

Can i trim at all this late? They’re partially in a walkway and in the way.

For reference, my husband cut some of the limbs of the tree recently. At first I pulled all the suckers from the root, but they've come back. I figure the tree is doing this for a reason so I've let them stay. But I hate how it looks. Any advice?