Earth Day 2025’s theme was applied to energy; but it also applies to our greenspaces approach. We do have “power”, to benefit the planet, individually and collectively by incorporating plants in more nuanced ways. Green installations and maintenance are artificial...

Are oaks, eagles, and lichen related?  Yes! They are “keystone species.” These species are organisms that have a huge impact upon an ecosystem. Larger than their abundance in that system would suggest. They keep nature’s systems healthy and producing food for all...

“What’s your sign?”  NOPE  “What’s Your Soil?” Austin is a crossroads with 3 soil types and your plants feel the difference. Most Common in Austin Edwards Plateau: Generally, west of I-35. Exposed and/or crumbled limestone and clay soil. Challenge: usually not enough...

Austin is unique. Our music, food, and culture. Unique for plants too; Greater Austin encompasses 3 Eco Regions and 2 climate zones - from Jarrell to San Marcos, and roughly Bastrop to Dripping Springs.   Fortunately, this resource helps with climate zones. The...

What is “Smart” Irrigation and why should I care? Let’s start with why. 2 huge reasons. Beneficial to the environment It will hit your pocketbook one way or another very soon. Get ahead of it and reap the savings faster! Like up to 50%!!! PLUS get the bragging rights...

Water is News. Where it’s from, going, and the prognosis for more. Too much water or too little. Conservation always important. Modern cities, like Austin, have long range plans which usually include demands to use water sparingly, and encouraging xeriscaping. Texas...

Dirt, Soilless Potting Media, Soil What’s the difference? Can Leaf Landscape Supply help me get the most out of my plants wherever I plant them? You bet! Dirt: It’s everywhere and usually not where you want it!  – and it’s not alive, in the sense that it helps...

Organic is always better than synthetic, right? Happily, mostly yes. Interestingly enough, plants don’t care! Basics of fertilizers, important to know. Both organic and synthetic contain NPK, the top 3 substances needed in the soil to encourage healthy plants. Both...

What are we talking about? Fertilizer! Ah, feeding plants. Right? Nope. Feeding the soil plants grow in! Let’s start with 2 terms: pH and NPK pH is the term used to describe how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale runs from 0 (highly acidic/battery acid) to...

Let’s ask a different way. How can I reduce the amount of water I use in my yard? Now that’s a great question! Not surprisingly, there is a specific scientific explanation of Xeriscaping, which would make your eyes glaze over. What you really want to know is, “What...

What we surround ourselves with matters. It’s true of friends and influences, and equally true of plants. Trees, shrubs, and plants are key parts of climate strategy; in our personal living space, the block and city where we reside, our country, and ultimately our...

We humans connect with nature using our physical senses and at an instinctual level which probably transcends all senses combined. That link is so strong medical professionals are now writing prescriptions to spend more time in green places – parks, neighborhoods, and...

Not away from something - to something - your personal living oasis! Palatial or postage stamp, it’s the space that enfolds you into its timeless embrace. Where deadlines… and dinner can wait. An estate, half acre, a trio of potted plants on your deck, or indoor...

Plants are incredible! They are a positive in any situation. Need an immune health boost? Add a plant or a bunch of them! Increase your home’s value? Same. Give wildlife a hand or enhance your inside space? Yep, add plants! It’s always a wise decision to bring nature...

The original phrase, by American writer Mark Twain, referred to gold in the hills. But…really….it should be plants. Trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, even indoor plants are good for us. Singly or in combination, their healing powers are proven. Let Leaf Landscape...

Sense of smell is one of our oldest, in terms of evolution. Scent information from our nose bypasses usual brain circuitry and registers without us being consciously aware. Crucial for a pre-modern human’s survival, and we are learning, for human well-being even...

Reasons to love February abound! Ground Hogs’ Day on the 2nd, Valentine’s Day on the 14th, Do a Grouch a Favor on the 16th, and Carpe Diem (seize the day) on the 26th. Here, though we never know what weather is around the corner, it doesn’t matter if the groundhog...

The words above come from a Joseph Parry poem, written sometime after the 1850’s. Most of us are familiar with the sentiment, making “new friends but keeping the old,” as it applies to people. Let’s take a deeper look and think about our home landscape as a living,...

With Leaf, it's easy being green - even Kermit agrees! December is still a great time of year to plant. Though many shrubs, trees, and perennials no longer call our attention with bold displays of color, a subtler excitement can be found in our landscapes. it’s also...

November – Duck In!   Fashionably late to the Planting Party! If you missed sprucing up your personal space in October, take heart! It’s still a great time to plant almost anything. Why Duck in the headline? Picture a duck on the surface of a lake; then...

Plan-Tober: FULL SPEED AHEAD and PLANT LIKE YOU MEAN IT! October in Austin is a time like no other. Oppressive summer heat is done for the year and gentler temperatures draw us outdoors again. Trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, perennials, annuals; it’s open season for...