Ep 134 Garden and Landscape Hacks for Great Outdoor Spaces with Jay White and Morgan McBride

Mike and Trey Farley host Jay White, publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine, and Morgan, a longtime DFW landscaper now with Verde Growers, to answer homeowner questions about gardening and landscaping around pools. They stress planning for sunlight, drainage, and soil (often alkaline in North Texas), using soil tests, reading plant labels, and favoring local nurseries over big-box stores. Topics include soil prep differences for annual beds vs trees, backfilling trees with native soil, staking, container vs balled-and-burlapped trees, best planting season (fall), raised-bed vegetable gardening and crop rotation, chill hours for fruit trees, water efficiency and avoiding overwatering (drip on timers), fertilizing with balanced ratios and slow-release nitrogen, protecting trees during construction, common regional pests/diseases, privacy screens (hollies and junipers), invasive bamboo, and recommended perennials like roses and salvias.   Discover more: https://texasgardener.com/ https://www.farleypooldesigns.com/ https://www.instagram.com/farleydesigns/ https://www.instagram.com/luxuryoutdoorlivingpodcast/   00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:12 Meet the Guests 03:20 Soil Prep Basics 05:02 Soil Tests Explained 08:37 Tilling and Living Soil 11:06 Skip Big Box Stores 15:12 Find Your Planting Zone 17:37 Gardens Near Pools 21:11 Crop Rotation 101 25:38 Best Time to Plant Trees 27:51 Container vs B&B Trees 33:02 Water Smart Gardening 40:19 Right Plant Right Place 43:01 Fruit Trees and Chill Hours 43:53 Chill Hours Basics 44:46 Early Bloom Plum Experiment 45:46 Avoid Big Box Fruit Trees 46:50 Plants and Memory Bonds 48:50 Best Shade Tree Picks 50:49 Privacy Screening Plants 53:32 Bamboo Planting and Removal 55:52 Favorite Perennials for Texas 59:33 Killing Poison Ivy 01:00:29 Garden Pets and Critters 01:02:08 Fertilizer Ratios Explained 01:08:38 Protect Trees During Construction 01:10:03 Texas Pests and Regulations 01:14:23 Synthetic Turf Pros and Cons 01:15:16 Texas Tomato Timing 01:16:27 Easy Starter Vegetables 01:18:28 Rapid Fire Favorites 01:22:49 Show Wrap and Mission