Gardening This Weekend: February 26, 2026
This is one of the more difficult times to minister to the garden people of Texas. Weather forecasts for the next several weeks certainly look different for the Texas Gulf Coast compared to the north side of the Panhandle. But, undaunted by the task, I’ll give it a go.
PLANT
• Cool-season annual color, including petunias, sweet alyssum, English daisies, larkspurs, stocks, ornamental Swiss chard – all those from 4-inch or larger pots for immediate impact in patio and entryway container gardens.
• Leafy and root vegetables: carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, spinach in Central and North Central Texas. Broccoli, cabbage and other Cole crops farther north. Begin to plant beans, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and other warm-season vegetables along the coast.
• Nursery stock of all types, notably spring-flowering shrubs, trees, and vines as they arrive. They tend to sell quickly. Protect tender flowers and foliage from highway winds on the way home from the nursery. Either wrap them in old sheets or nursery shade cloth tied securely or put them in an enclosed truck or trailer.
PRUNE
• Scalp your lawn to remove winter-browned stubble, also to eliminate many of the succulent early spring weeds. It involves dropping the mower blade down one notch. Remove clippings and use them in the compost pile. Do not send to the landfill and do not try to mulch them back into the lawn. Wear dust-proof goggles and a respirator to avoid an allergic attack.
• Winter-killed branches and tips of twigs to tidy shrubs up before new growth begins.
• This is also the time to do corrective shaping to shrubs, but do so immediately to take advantage of their bursts of spring growth. Avoid pruning into uncomfortably round or square shapes.
• Spring-flowering shrubs and vines as soon as they finish blooming to reshape before new growth begins.
FERTILIZE
• Rye and fescue turf with all-nitrogen food to get rid of yellowed look caused by recent cold spells. It’s still a bit early to fertilize our warm-season grasses.
• Newly planted trees and shrubs with liquid root stimulator to encourage best possible root growth before summer.
• Shrub and groundcover beds with all-nitrogen lawn fertilizer. They typically green up earlier than turfgrass. Follow feedings with deep watering.
• Annual flowers and vegetables with water-soluble, high-nitrogen fertilizer weekly to keep them growing rapidly. Best production comes from vigorous plants.
ON THE LOOKOUT
• Aphids are cool-season pests that congregate on tender new growth. You’ll find them in many colors, always with pear-shaped bodies. Try washing them off with a hard stream of water. If you still have the pests, most general-purpose insecticides are labeled for controlling them.
• Broadleafed weedkiller to control non-grassy weeds such as dandelions, clover, chickweed, plantain, and others. Most contain 2,4-D as one of their active ingredients. Read and follow label directions for best results.
• Continue fruit spray program according to schedules published online by Texas A&M horticulture. You must begin while peaches and plums are in bud, then in full bloom, and on through the season to prevent plum curculios (worms) in the fruit.