Landscaping in the Big Country with Adam Andrews

Adam and Amber talk about preparing landscapes for summer, including pre-emergent timing, sod installation, Water-Wise Tax-Free Weekend, and why more homeowners are tackling landscaping projects themselves this year.

This episode’s Plant of the Week is the Vitex (Texas Lilac / Chaste Tree) — a drought-tolerant Texas Superstar that thrives in West Texas heat while attracting butterflies, bees, and pollinators. They also cover landscape planning basics, mulch vs. weed barrier, xeriscaping, sucker growth on trees, and practical advice for building low-maintenance flower beds and yard designs in the Big Country.

Adam and Amber celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with gift ideas from Willow Creek Gardens, including potted flowers, roses, hydrangeas, bird baths, pottery, hummingbird feeders, and kid-friendly planting projects.

This episode also covers May lawn care, pre-emergent timing, fertilizing, sod orders, Vinca, Pentas, citrus trees, and Adam’s Plant of the Week: Hydrangeas. Plus, they talk crepe myrtle scale, spider mites, and what landscape issues are starting to show up around the Big Country.

Landscaping in the Big Country with Adam Andrews is your weekly guide to thriving West Texas yards—lawns, trees, beds, soil, water-wise strategies, seasonal to-dos, and practical fixes for pests and disease. Broadcast live at noon Saturdays on NewsTalk1560, KZQQ-AM (Abilene, Texas), Adam answers listener questions and shares expert tips tailored to the Big Country climate. Send your questions for on-air consideration to [email protected]

It’s the last weekend of April, and spring is in full swing. Adam and Amber talk mowing, fertilizing, sod season, summer annuals, perennials, and why April and May are prime time for finding the best plant selection of the year.

Adam’s Plant of the Week is Pentas, a heat-loving, pollinator-friendly annual that brings bold color to West Texas beds, pots, and commercial landscapes all summer long. They also dig into ladybugs, praying mantis eggs, native and adapted perennials, milkweed for monarchs, and how Willow Creek Gardens decides which plants truly belong in Big Country landscapes.

After a welcome April rain, Adam Andrews is back on Landscaping in the Big Country with guest Austin Starling for a timely spring update from Willow Creek Gardens. They cover mid-April lawn care, including why now is the right time for a second fertilizer application for lawns and trees, what kind of fertilizer to look for, and why spring remains one of the best windows for planting.

The conversation also highlights what’s arriving at the nursery during the busiest stretch of the season—tropical hibiscus, bougainvillea, pentas, vinca, milkweed, ladybugs, praying mantis eggs, and more—along with why this is prime time for gardens, annual color, perennials, shrubs, and sod.

Adam’s Plant of the Week is Calibrachoa, better known as Superbells, a heat-loving, long-blooming favorite that thrives in West Texas containers and hanging baskets. The show wraps with a practical, detailed look at how to plant and water trees correctly, from hole size and root ball depth to staking, mulching, and why deep, focused watering matters far more than relying on a sprinkler system.

Landscaping in the Big Country with Adam Andrews is your weekly guide to thriving West Texas yards—lawns, trees, beds, soil, water-wise strategies, seasonal to-dos, and practical fixes for pests and disease. Broadcast live at noon Saturdays on NewsTalk1560, KZQQ-AM (Abilene, Texas), Adam answers listener questions and shares expert tips tailored to the Big Country climate. Send your questions for on-air consideration to [email protected]

This week on Landscaping in the Big Country, Adam and Amber tackle another dose of classic West Texas weather—summer heat one day, a cold front the next—and explain what that means for tender plants, new deliveries, and spring planting plans. They share practical tips for protecting outdoor pots and fresh plantings from sudden wind and temperature swings, along with a look at all the new color, pottery, tropicals, and blooming plants arriving at Willow Creek Gardens.

Adam’s Plant of the Week is the Texas Bluebell, a striking Texas native also known as lisianthus, and he breaks down why it is such a standout in local landscapes, from its bold color and long bloom season to its pollinator value and native toughness. The episode also dives into one of the busiest spring topics at the nursery: sod season. Adam and Amber compare the different grass options they carry—including Celebration Bermuda, Tahoma 31, Palmetto St. Augustine, and Palisades Zoysia—and explain the pros, cons, sunlight needs, and why proper prep matters before you lay a single piece.

Along the way, they talk tropical care guides, plant truck excitement, why checkerboarding sod is a mistake, and how to make smart planting decisions now while spring is still getting started. It’s a practical, timely episode for anyone trying to keep up with a fast-moving season in the Big Country.

Landscaping in the Big Country with Adam Andrews is your weekly guide to thriving West Texas yards—lawns, trees, beds, soil, water-wise strategies, seasonal to-dos, and practical fixes for pests and disease. Broadcast live at noon Saturdays on NewsTalk1560, KZQQ-AM (Abilene, Texas), Adam answers listener questions and shares expert tips tailored to the Big Country climate. Send your questions for on-air consideration to [email protected]

It’s classic March in West Texas—91 degrees one day, near freezing the next—and Adam and Amber spend this episode helping listeners navigate the weather roller coaster. They cover what to do before the weekend’s strong winds and cold snap, including why it’s smart to water outdoor plants ahead of time, what should be brought inside, and why freeze cloth or an old sheet beats plastic every time when protecting tender vegetation.

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, Adam’s Plant of the Week is the clover, and he clears up the difference between true clover and oxalis while sharing why both can be useful, attractive choices in the right part of the landscape. Then the show shifts into one of the biggest spring topics at Willow Creek Gardens: sod season. Adam and Amber break down the grass varieties now available—Celebration Bermuda, Tahoma 31, Palmetto St. Augustine, and Palisades Zoysia—including sunlight needs, drought tolerance, cold tolerance, and what homeowners should know before choosing one.

They also walk through the practical side of laying sod: why checkerboarding is a bad idea, why you usually don’t need to till heavy clay soil, how to prep the area correctly, why pre-ordering matters, and the smartest time of year to install new grass before summer heat takes over. It’s a timely, practical episode packed with early spring advice for anyone trying to stay one step ahead of the weather.

Spring is starting to wake up across the Big Country, and Adam and Amber cover everything that comes with it. This episode looks at the early signs of the season, from much-needed March rain to the flood of new plant trucks arriving at Willow Creek Gardens with fresh color, shrubs, pottery, tropicals, and more.

Adam’s Plant of the Week is the live oak, and he explains why it remains one of the best long-term shade trees for West Texas, including its growth habit, durability, history, and what homeowners need to know about its annual leaf drop. The show also covers what to tackle right now in the landscape: pre-emergent timing, tree and shrub drenches, dormant oil for fruit trees, weed control, sprinkler checkups, and why it is still too early for Bermuda seed.

They also discuss what gardeners can plant now, what is still coming soon, and why patience matters with warm-season plants like crepe myrtles, lantana, plumbago, and esperanza. It’s a practical early-spring episode packed with timely advice to help you get ahead before the season fully takes off.