Episode 7: What to Plant (and Not Plant) in Central Texas in Late December

Written By Colleen Dieter

Welcome back to The ATXGardens Podcast with landscape consultant and certified arborist Colleen Dieter of ATXGardens.com !
This episode covers the second half of December—from freeze prep and winter weeds to evergreen invasives, pruning, fruit trees, cool-season perennials, and what veggies are (and aren’t) worth planting this time of year.

If you want to garden confidently through winter in Central Texas, this episode is packed with practical steps you can use right now.

🌼 Client Story: Choosing the Right Fruit Trees

This week, Colleen helped a customer who planted fruit trees in the past—but had no success.
Why? They unknowingly chose varieties that won’t produce fruit in Central Texas, or that can’t survive our climate.

Colleen guided them through which apple, pear, and peach varieties actually thrive here, how to choose trees based on chill hours, and how to avoid the common “wrong tree, wrong place” mistake.

If you’ve been wanting fruit trees—or have struggled with them—this story is gold.

❄️ Late December Garden Big-Picture Tips

As we move deeper into winter, focus on these essentials:

  • 🌡️ Watch for freezes. Know which plants are native and cold-hardy vs. which ones need protection.

  • 🔍 Learn winter weed seedlings. Early ID saves you hours of pulling later.

  • 🌱 Expect perennials to die back. It’s normal—new gardeners often think they’ve killed their plants.

  • 🛑 Pause warm-season perennial planting. But you can still plant cool-season species.

  • 🌳 Now is the safest time to prune red oaks and live oaks to avoid oak wilt.

  • 🍎 Bare-root fruit trees are arriving soon—best value + healthiest results.

🌿 Winter Weeds: What to Keep and What to Pull

With early November rains, winter weeds are popping up everywhere. In this episode Colleen explains:

  • How to identify seedlings before they take over

  • Why she keeps dandelions and henbit (they’re edible + great for bees)

  • Why she removes Japanese Rescue Brome while it’s tiny

  • How to spot taproot weeds and best tools for pulling them

  • Why December/January is prime time for clearing woody invaders like ligustrum, privet, nandina, and trumpet vine seedlings

Tools mentioned:

  • Dutch push hoe

  • Stirrup hoe

  • Fiskars Uproot Weeder

  • Digging fork

  • “Handy weeder”

  • Flame weeder

  • “Pullerbear” root removal tool

🌳 Woody Plants: Trees & Shrubs

Now that trees are dormant, it’s the ideal time for:

✔️ Structural pruning for safety

Clear branches rubbing the roof, growing into driveways, or causing repetitive injuries.

✔️ Winter oak pruning

Colleen explains how to safely prune red oaks and live oaks to avoid oak wilt, why beetles are inactive now, and why you must paint wounds on oak species.

✔️ Evergreen invasive removal

Ligustrum, nandina, and other invasives stand out this time of year, making them easier to identify and remove.

More info: Texas Forest Service Oak Wilt page (linked in Resources)

🍎 Fruit Trees

Late December is prime time for planting:

  • Apples (pome)

  • Pears (pome)

  • Peaches (stone fruit)

  • Nectarines (stone fruit)

  • Grapes

  • Persimmons

Colleen explains the huge advantages of bare-root fruit trees:

  • More varieties

  • Better health and root structure

  • Easier to shape from a young age

  • Lower cost than containerized trees

She also discusses:

  • Why tiny bare-root trees establish better than older potted trees

  • Best Texas suppliers: Womack Nursery and Legg Creek Nursery

  • When to expect bare-root trees to arrive

  • How to prepare your garden for planting

🌸 Perennials & Bulbs

In mid–late December:

  • ❌ Do NOT plant warm-season perennials.

  • ❌ Do NOT divide or transplant warm-season perennials.

  • ✔️ Plant cool-season perennials like spiderwort, yarrow, and columbine.

  • ✔️ Look for emerging cool-season bulbs: Dutch iris, snowdrops, rain lilies, yarrow.

If you still have bulbs that need chilling:

  • Place them in the crisper drawer

  • Keep them in a paper bag (not plastic)

  • Plant in January

🥕 Vegetables & Herbs

Freeze protection remains priority #1. Keep soil evenly moist and be ready with covers.

🌱 Should you plant veggies now?

There’s disagreement in the gardening world:

Some gardeners say yes:

  • Arugula

  • Lettuce

  • Collards

  • Mustard

  • Carrots

  • Beets

  • Radishes

  • Turnips

  • Cilantro

  • Dill

  • Fennel

  • Calendula

Others recommend waiting until late January to avoid repeated freeze damage to small seedlings.

Colleen explains the risks, how to decide based on your comfort level, and how to get free seeds from:

  • Seed swaps

  • Local seed libraries supplied by Central Texas Seed Savers

🌱 Herbs & warm-season planning

  • Plant crowns now: Artichokes, asparagus, cardoons, strawberries

  • Start warm-season plants indoors in early January

  • Tomatoes & peppers need 8+ weeks before last freeze

Colleen walks through how to set up indoor seed starting:

  • South-facing window

  • Grow lights

  • Propagation mix

  • Heat mats

  • Trays & pots

  • Keeping pets away from seedlings

🌸 Wildflowers

If you planted wildflowers in fall, you should start seeing seedlings now:

  • Bluebonnets

  • Lemon beebalm

  • Evening primrose

They’ll stay small all winter, then take off in early March.

You can still add 4” transplants of some species from local nurseries.

🎉 Events & Classes

📅 Dec 13 – Vegetable Gardening Workshop
Taught by Scott Blackburn at The Natural Gardener
Topic: crop selection, interplanting, season extension, winter-spring veggie success

📅 Jan 17 – Tree Pruning Class
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Learn pruning timing, safety, and techniques

📅 Jan 31 – Winter Maintenance Class
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Covers perennial trimming, winter weeds, and seasonal care strategies

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

Consultations & Shop — http://ATXGardens.com
Book a consult, shop Colleen’s favorite tools, find resources mentioned in the episode

Tools:

Fruit Tree Sources:

Oak Wilt Info:

Seed Libraries:

🌼 Stay Connected

For more Central Texas garden tips, visit ATXGardens.com , follow Colleen on Instagram @‌ATXGardens_, and don’t forget to subscribe to The ATXGardens Podcast for biweekly, season-specific guidance straight from your favorite Austin landscape consultant.

Colleen Dieter
Next

Episode 6: December Garden Prep for Austin Homeowners: Weeds, Trees & Winter Care