Melissa,

In Texas fall planting is preferred over spring planting. The plants have time to settle in, get roots established, and generally receive more moisture before the heat hits. We are about 20 miles south of Waco, and I plant right up to December, or a hard freeze, (which is generally not the first freeze. A hard freeze is 30 or below, and is not the "frost on the grass gone by 10 am" kind of freeze), whichever is first. Plant bulbs now until the end of November, for spring flowering. Fall flowering bulbs should be planted in late January or early February. Deciduous plants--perennials and shrubs and especially roses, are best planted in the fall. I strongly suggest you wait to plant trees until they are fully dormant. Trying to establish roots and maintain a leaf canopy is very stressful for a little tree. The same goes for evergreens, root and needle growth at the same time--difficult. One of the great joys of gardening in Texas is that we have two planting seasons. Have you thought about a fall vegetable garden?

I really don't want to plant veggies, they are too much maintanence. I have artemesia, lantanas, cannas, and shrubs I want to plant. I also want to plant a couple of desert willow trees.
Thanks for your help, Marlin!

Not all veggies are high maintenance. I think fall veggies may be even easier than spring because of fewer insects and disease. Swiss chard and cabbages and others can be food as well as ornamental. My broccoli didn't need any help to produce. Herbs are also a great choice and there are a lot of fall herbs you can do like cilantro or parsley. Heck you could even start some basil now that would last until the first freeze.

I added lots of compost to my veggie bed and got it all tilled in this weekend. Then I mounded the soil mix in rectangular raised beds where I planted carrots, black-seeded Simpson lettuce and a mesclin mix - three separate areas. Then my 90 pound lab walked through it. . . :-( I do love these veggies over the winter. They're very easy to grow. I even know people who grow them in containers on their patios. The lettuce especially looks very pretty in the containers.

My gardens had a run-in with a rogue chicken yesterday!

I have begun to use the moon signs to plant and Wed/Thurs are good days to plant this week...so I will be putting out more garlic, garlic bulbils, some walking onion bulbs, pipevine, carrots, etc.

Peggy

I'd like to plant, too, but like last year, the rain has disappeared for the last month, Heck, I watched two storms this week, one went to the east side of this tiny town and the other went to the west and we were left high and dry, I was SO annoyed. City water is just not good and so expensive for gardens,sigh.

Here's a calendar that might help you out a bit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Calendar