Landscaping in the Big Country with Adam Andrews 8/8/26: Vines That Thrive

August has arrived in West Texas, and with triple-digit temperatures settling in, Adam and Amber explain why this is the time to maintain rather than push new growth. They cover smart hot-weather landscape care, including watering, mild organic fertilizers, gypsum for heavy clay soils, and Hydretain to help landscapes make better use of available moisture. They also preview their trip to the 2026 Texas Nursery & Landscape Association Expo in San Antonio.Then it's all about vines for the West Texas landscape, beginning with Adam's Plant of the Week: Crossvine. This hardy, drought-tolerant native offers spectacular orange blooms, attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, stays evergreen through much of the year, and provides a much better-behaved alternative to invasive trumpet vine.Adam and Amber compare a wide variety of climbing favorites, including American and evergreen wisteria, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, star jasmine, Carolina jasmine, butterfly vine, chocolate vine, and passion vine. They discuss where each works best, bloom times, fragrance, sun and water needs, invasiveness, pollinator benefits, and even how combining different vines can provide changing color throughout the growing season. Plus, Amber explains the fascinating relationship between passion vine and Gulf fritillary butterflies—and why those hungry caterpillars stripping the leaves aren't necessarily something to panic about.