Garden Checklist (for all Southern states except Florida and Texas)
Texas Garden Checklist

Fall Blooms
Red maple (Acer rubrum) has great fall color in November and December. Foliage varies from deep red to orange or yellow. Papery, red seeds appear in late January or February. Plant in a spot that receives plenty of moisture. Give the tree room to reach its 80-foot height and 30-foot spread at maturity. Red maple is excellent for poorly drained sites. Container-grown red maples can be planted year-round, but now until February is best. Water several times a week for the first year after planting.

Entire State

• Philippine violet--Covered with a coat of tubular, violet blue flowers, Philippine violet (Barleria cristata) blooms from mid-October through December. This perennial grows into a 3- or 4-foot-tall shrub. In regions that have winter freezes, the plant will be killed to the ground but will re-emerge next spring.

North and Central

• Leaves--This is the season when foliage falls from most hardwoods and pines. Leaving most of this natural mulch in areas beneath trees that are too shaded to grow lawn grass will protect against soil erosion. Excess leaves can be chopped with your lawn mower and gathered with its bagging attachment for use in landscape beds. Mulch layers should be around 2 inches deep.
• Spring flowers--Now is the time to plant seeds of bachelor's buttons, larkspur, sweet peas, and Shirley and California poppies. Also set out plants of sweet alyssums, petunias, dianthus, and snapdragons. Place them in full sun.
• Pansies and violas--As soon as night temperatures are cooler (less than 70 degrees), it's safe to set out transplants of pansies and violas. Select a sunny, well-drained site, and build it up with 4 to 6 inches of composted pine bark, peat, or your own compost mix. Choose healthy, compact plants that already have a few blooms, and space them 8 to 10 inches apart. Firm the soil around the roots, and apply a water-soluble fertilizer such as Peters All Purpose Plant Food 20-20-20 or Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food 15-30-15.

South

• Floss silk tree--Pink, five-petaled flowers similar to hibiscus blooms cover this deciduous tree in fall. Floss silk tree (Chorisia speciosa) grows 30 to 60 feet tall. The trunk and branches are covered with protective spines, which may be absent on the lower trunks of older trees. This attractive tree has few pest problems. Plant it now in full sun. Allow 40 feet for its umbrella-like branch spread.
• Winter flowers--Set out plants of sweet alyssums, wax begonias, blue daze, petunias, coleus, dianthus, geraniums, calendulas, impatiens, lobelias, marigolds, periwinkles, annual salvias, snapdragons, and verbenas.