Brad Wier

SPECIALTY: Conservation

ABOUT:

Brad Wier is a SAWS conservation consultant. Years in South Texas landscaping and public horticulture gave him a lasting enthusiasm for native plants that don’t die when sprinklers — and gardeners — break down. He’d rather save time and water for kayaking and tubing. He is a former kilt model, and hears hummingbirds.

Related Video

Want To Cut Your Water Use in Half? Stop Irrigating Landscape Beds.

Those yuccas, sages and muhly grasses likely don’t need all that extra water, even on the hottest summer day. In newer subdivisions, when it’s done right, irrigation is carefully laid out to water the grass and the landscape beds separately. This hydrozoning technique groups plants with similar water needs so thirsty plants (like grass) can […]
Summer Salvias

Tired of endless watering and changing out bedding plants? There’s likely a perennial salvia that would love to grow in your landscape. There’s a salvia for every occasion in the Texas landscape. The Latin name — salvere or healthy — gives a clue to this genus’ performance in summer, even in the most scorching conditions. […]
Taming Your Irrigation Controller

A controller that’s been programmed incorrectly can swiftly drain your wallet. Take “control” of it and you’ll save money and water. Controllers are rife with hidden programming and settings, especially after years of hanging on the garage wall. An incorrectly programmed controller can swiftly drain your wallet, in addition to drowning your plants. Are you […]
Going Native With Texas Turf

In Texas, a lawn is a precious thing — not a default groundcover to be wasted on side yards and medians. But selecting the right turf type makes all the difference. Despite all the wonderful water-saving landscape options, every now and then I yearn for a plush carpet of grass to walk barefoot on dewy […]
Keep Those Hummingbird Feeders Clean

A hummingbird feeder makes it easy to observe these winged wonders in action. But meticulous maintenance of the apparatus is critical for the health of these hovering houseguests. Once you’ve felt a hummingbird’s heart beating in your hand, it can make these tough little hummers seem a little more delicate. True story: I’ve had to […]
Put Your Landscape On a Water Diet

If you’re starting up irrigation for the year, now is a good time to make sure you’re not needlessly adding water weight to your plants. The approach of warm dry weather can invite worries about slimming down for summer. I’m talking about your water use, of course — and your outdoor landscape. If you’re starting […]
Big Freeze Aftermath: Check Your Pipes and Plants

Our area hasn’t seen single-digit temps since the 1980s. So what garden tasks should take priority? First, check for leaks. Then assess your plants — or what’s left of them. This week’s valentine vortex will be long remembered, with Texas’ lowest temperatures in 40 years: a veritable gut punch to those who forget how far […]
Pruning Roses: The Thorny Truth

If you’re growing modern, ever-blooming roses like hybrid teas (including Knockouts and Belinda’s Dream), February is the time for renewal pruning. With Valentine’s Day fresh in mind, many people start thinking about cutting roses — not just florists, but anyone with modern roses in the garden. If you’re growing old-fashioned garden or antique roses and […]
Purple Martins Majesty

Martins once nested in tree cavities, but they’ve since come to prefer the housing options humans provide. But establishing a colony requires more than just a box on a pole. No matter what the weather holds for us this spring and summer, whether it be rainy or drought, an open area in the yard can […]
Watch For These 5 Winter Weeds

If you’ve been watering all winter, you may need to wage a war on weeds. Here are the five usual suspects to watch for. Cool temperatures and winter precipitation make picture-perfect growing conditions for cool-season weeds. With turfgrass still dormant, irrigated lawns present huge opportunities for winter weeds. Most weeds of bare winter lawns are […]
Have a Hummingbird Garden in Winter

Hardy winter perennials like salvias and Turk’s caps typically thrive without any additional water. And they entice a spectacular show of some of the feistiest, freakiest hummingbirds of the year. When our south Texas summer perennials slow down and drop flowers in autumn, we tend to stow away the hummingbird feeders for the season. But […]
Kill the Sprinklers Now

Before you shriek with horror at the thought of not watering your landscape, here’s the chilling truth: turf fungi could come creeping in when you least expect it! Fall weather in San Antonio can be tricky — from warm, cold or wet to all three in one day. But don’t let that distract from one […]
Sun vs. Shade: The Right Plant for the Right Spot

At the nursery, plants always look pretty in the pot. But will they grow and thrive once you get them home? Most likely, yes — as long as they’re planted in the right place. Plants need the sun’s energy to grow. If they don’t get enough, some will become stunted, bare and diseased. But some […]
Sprinkler Systems Behaving Badly

Notice your in-ground sprinklers running unexpectedly? They may be set to water twice a day — effectively doubling your water bill. Luckily there’s an easy fix. It’s late summer and you’re following all the current watering restrictions. The sprinklers are running only one day a week with the seasonal adjustment at 100 percent to make […]
Make Sure Your Sprinklers Sprinkle

Notice a ghostly mist lingering over your landscape? It’s the in-ground sprinklers screaming they are under pressure. You’ve probably seen it before, clouds of a foggy mist spewing out of the in-ground sprinkler system. The problem is your sprinklers are watering the air instead of your actual landscape. It’s called high pressure and there’s a […]
Stay Home, Water Wisely

Use this extra time at home to get a handle on your sprinkler system and just how often it’s running. Follow our tips to make sure it’s watering efficiently. With predictions of warm spring weather on the way, it’ll be too easy to use a lot of water in a hurry if you start running […]
Forego the Fertilizer for Now

Your grass won’t start actively growing until about mid-April. If you fertilize it now you’ll just feed the weeds. What can you do for your lawn right now? Coddle it with compost! You’ve probably seen them, those shaggy clumps springing up from your lawn. They’re most likely broadleaf winter weeds like beggar ticks, clover and […]
Snip, Snip the Summer Salvias

Salvias are among the most forgiving and satisfying of pruning subjects. They bloom better on fresh growth, so last year’s old wood is often unnecessary for a healthy, attractive specimen. On the whole it’s been a fairly mild winter, and even a few summer perennials are lingering in warmer parts of town. Even a few […]
12 Native Shrubs for Local Landscapes

It can be tricky to choose native substitutes for the cookie-cutter evergreens that populate so many suburban property lines. So we’ve compiled a dozen delightful native screens and hedges for your perimeter planting pleasure. San Antonio is at the extreme endpoint of so many eco-regions — the Texas Hill Country, South Texas plains, Blackland Prairie […]
Near and Deer

Hungry deer will nibble on anything, even the so-called “deer-resistant” plants in your landscape. But you can help discourage them from gorging on your garden. Once deer have established a comfort level and grazing routine around your lawn, they’ll make repeat visits for the foreseeable future. Deer are creatures of habit, but these tips may […]
Keep the Heat Off the Street

If you’ve ever tried to maintain grass in the space between the sidewalk and the street, you know it’s practically impossible. But that doesn’t mean it has to stay unattractive and uninviting. Known as the inferno strip, the area between the sidewalk and the street is bounded by heat radiating from asphalt and concrete. Still, […]
A Shrub for All Occasions

What requires no water, no trimming and is one of the few evergreen native hedges for South Central Texas? Cenizo. It’s the premier plant for a low-water, low-maintenance landscape. Cenizo is a stalwart in the natural Texas landscape. On a rocky western outcrop on a scorching late August or September day, its blooms cover hillsides and valleys with […]
Drip Irrigation: The Devil’s in the Details

When properly designed, drip can be the most efficient method of irrigation. But when installed incorrectly, drip can use as much water as ordinary sprinklers, if not more. When properly designed, drip can be the most efficient method of irrigation, delivering a steady stream of moisture directly into the roots of plants without the evaporation […]
How To Maintain Your WaterSaver Garden

Got a water saver garden? Skip the watering and give your plants an early summer grooming instead to help prepare them for a long, hot summer. It’s June and the dog days of summer are already creeping in. Even in a WaterSaver garden, the spring bloom is over and the initial burst of spring growth […]
Winter Watering – How Much Is Enough?

While there’s no perfect answer to how much you should water in winter, there are some key conditions and observations to consider. As homeowners watch their landscapes enter winter dormancy, many wonder, “How much do I need to water my landscape this winter?” While there’s no perfect answer, there are some key conditions and observations […]
Movement + Color = Garden Style That Pops

Struggling with a design for new landscape beds? There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Spikes and mounds — tall, wispy plants and short, dense plants — are a great way to fill up a large, sunny area. If you’re removing turfgrass, struggling with a design for new landscape beds, and fed up with worrying about […]
Know Where To Plant Your Plants (and Why)

Putting the right plants in the right places can make the difference between thriving and barely surviving. The secret is knowing your yard’s unique microclimates. According to an old song, the devil made Texas. But the sand was too hot, dry and poor — even for hell — and he had to make use of bogholes, brambles […]
Uncommon Evergreens With Uncommon Style

Want a landscape as distinctive as you are? These unique natives can be a challenging to find, but they’re well worth the search. In my previous article, I highlighted useful evergreen natives that could be maintained as hedgerows and box shrubs — as sexy substitutes for the cookie-cutter Burford hollies and ligsutrums that make up […]
Cracking the Code on Mobile Irrigation Devices

If your sprinklers have one of those fancy new smart Wi-Fi controllers, this tip is for you! Even the “smartest” controller relies on settings that were chosen the day it was installed. Do you know what they are and what they mean? Cooler weather and rain means your yard’s water needs have dropped considerably. But […]
How To Save Water While You’re Away

Your family members aren’t the only ones in the house using water. There are at least three automatic home systems using water on their own. And one has the ability to double — possibly triple — your water bill. By August we’ve all earned a vacation from summer in San Antonio. But it can be […]
These Summer Garden Tips Are HOT!

If you’re fortunate enough to have a WaterSaver garden, you can skip the sprinklers and give your plants an early summer grooming instead to help prepare them for the dog days ahead It’s June and the dog days of summer are already here: 100 degrees in the shade! Even in a WaterSaver garden, the spring […]
Birds of the WaterSaver Landscape

Forget grackles and pigeons. When you opt for a WaterSaver garden instead of a lawn, you roll out the welcome mat to a host of feathered finery usually only spotted in woods and natural areas. Locals are accustomed to the gaggle of grackles who stalk the fresh cut grass behind a lawnmower. Like pigeons and […]
Essential Tools for the South Texas Garden

Need to tame some ferocious fronds of foliage? Try this tool trifecta and you’ll wonder how you ever gardened without them. In my work for SAWS conservation I’ve visited many customers’ garages on the way to the irrigation controller. Over time I’ve seen all the standard yard equipment (and marveled at many vintage cars, power […]
5 Signs You’re Watering Too Much

A high water bill may be your first clue that something is terribly amiss. But there are a few other signs that signal you may be overwatering your landscape. Sometimes the biggest water waste happens in perfectly manicured lawns, watering on the correct time and day, with no signs of broken sprinklers or anything wrong. […]
Drought Got You Brown? Don’t Double Down

For many homeowners it’s the norm to use more water on their landscapes in July and August. Although the reason seems obvious, the extreme heat is not why customers double their water use in the summer. Let’s talk about doubling your water bill. Sound like a good idea? For many homeowners it’s the norm to […]
Firecracker Plants for the Fourth

Add a little spark to your landscape this Fourth of July. Firecracker plants are garden superstars with bursts of tiny red blooms that glow like red embers, even during the brightest daylight. Although drought conditions often restrict the sale and use of firecrackers in Bexar County, there are a few options guaranteed to brighten a […]
Favorite Birds of the WaterSaver Landscape

Forget grackles and pigeons. When you opt for a WaterSaver garden instead of a lawn, you’re rolling out the welcome wagon for a fabulous flock of the fine feathered friends. Locals are accustomed to the gaggle of grackles who stalk the fresh cut grass behind a lawnmower. Like pigeons and white-winged doves, these big ground-feeding […]
Are Weeds Driving You Nuts?

Nutsedge is not your average weed. It’s a gnarly nuisance that’s difficult to control. And it’s a sure sign that a yard is poorly drained, overwatered or both. Nutsedge. It’s been called the world’s worst weed. Once native to Africa, Asia, and southern Europe, it now infests crops, agriculture and landscapes in over 90 countries. […]
5 Weeds of Spring

The mild, moist winter has provided the perfect environment for cool-season weeds. The best weapon against them is your mower or weed eater — especially before they go to seed. With a mild moist winter, recent growing conditions have been terrific for cool-season weeds. Here are a few of the usual suspects, which will be […]
How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Birds

The first flocks of purple martins will be back from Brazil this week. If you’re enjoying the return of your martins, you’re not alone: It’s the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 17-20. Purple martins are back! — returning to nests high above Woodlawn, Calaveras Lake, and other long established local colonies. If […]
Freezer Burn: Determine What Plants Survived

Below-freezing temperatures damage some semi-evergreen plants, while others may only appear that way. It’s not a bad idea to wait for spring and see what leafs out and what doesn’t. When residents of south-central Texas experience rare deep freezes, with temperatures dropping to 19 degrees. many homeowners welcomed the cold temperatures as an incentive to […]
Jays: Colorful Denizens in San Antonio

San Antonio is home to three different species of jaybirds. If you’re observant and patient, maybe you’ll get to see one of these feathered jewels this winter. When most people think of jaybirds, they conjure up funny memories of their children running around “naked as a jaybird.” Hee hee! The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is easily heard before […]
7 Signs You’re Watering Too Much

Ever wonder if you might be overwatering your lawn? No need for guesswork. Just step outside and check for these sure signs of too much watering. In such a case, a high water bill may be the customer’s first clue that something’s amiss in the water department. But here are a few signs to watch […]
Drip Irrigation: Get Your Water’s Worth

Drip irrigation delivers water to the root zone of your plants right where they need it and without all the extra spray that causes rampant mold, weeds, work and water waste. (Did we mention water waste?) With easy-to-use drip tubing and carefully spaced emitters, your landscape beds can be watered at a fraction of the […]
A Circular Driveway Landscape Design

Got a circular driveway? Don’t let this prime island of space go to waste. Showcase a WaterSaver landscape! A circular driveway is a great location for showcasing your WaterSaver landscape. Often this prime island of space is wasted; with the exposed location surrounded by asphalt, adding a grove of trees is a way to define […]
A Tale of Two Olives

Both Mexican and European olives are xeric plants and both can tolerate heat and drought. Mexican and European olive are xeric plants and both are included in the fall WaterSaver Landscape Coupon. Although they share a name, along with small greenish fruits and bicolored green-and-white leaves, they aren’t closely related. But either olive can be […]
Agaves: 7 Pain-free Picks

Incorporating agaves into your landscape doesn’t have to be painful. There are a few agaves — and a few similar big succulents — that have soft or spineless (even huggable) leaves. If you’re adding to the watersaver landscape in August, it can still be way too hot and dry for many 4-inch annuals and perennials […]
Big Bend Yucca

True to its name, Big Bend Yucca is a West Texas native that’s able to tolerate serious sun, heat, and drought. The first week of August can be tough in local landscapes: spring blooms have long since faded, the grass is withering, and even the hardiest shrubs, trees and perennials are often feeling heat and […]
Pride of Barbados es Puro SA

On the hottest days of the year, the drought-hardy Pride of Barbados shrugs off dry weather and offers up fantastic cone-like flowers in orange, red and yellow. It’s mid-July, and the aquifer is dropping fast as our water supply is quickly used up on sprinklers. Too bad every San Antonian didn’t just plant Pride of […]
Water Only the Areas That Need It

The first days of full scorch are here. Before you turn up your sprinkler systems — and double your water bill — consider what areas of your landscape actually need water. Want to double your water bill? If you turned up your sprinklers, you just did. The first days of full scorch are here. Scorching […]
Grass Height: The Long and Short of It

How often you mow and how short you cut the grass can determine how much water you save — or waste. We hear it all the time, and I mean all the time: raising the lawnmower blades means the grass needs less water! It’s not often you hear that mowing your grass can save water. So here’s […]
Know Your Landscape Makeup Before Planting

Whether you’re looking for a solution for an existing Hill Country landscape or installing a brand new one, adjust expectations right at the start and plant for your particular landscape makeup. It’s a sight so iconic that it could serve as a symbol: a blooming magnolia proudly planted in freshly laid sod at a brand […]
Hola Ollas, Adios Water Waste!

Ollas are an ancient and very efficient method of “drip” irrigation useful for vegetable gardens, raised beds and containers. An ancient and very efficient method of “drip” irrigation useful for vegetable gardens, raised beds and containers, an olla is an unglazed clay pot buried and filled with water. Water slowly seeps right through the porous […]
Pruning Roses

If you’re growing modern, ever-blooming roses like hybrid teas (including Knockouts and Belinda’s Dream), February is the time for renewal pruning. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, a lot of folks are thinking about cutting roses — not just florists, but anyone with modern roses in the garden. If you’re growing old-fashioned garden or antique […]
Birds are Living Color: Explore Mitchell Lake

Birds are living color. To partake in some of the color, take a mini stay-cation. Just 15 minutes south of downtown is the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, a 1,200-acre home to more than 300 bird species, butterflies and bees, as well as miles of trails easily navigated on foot or by car. Mitchell Lake served […]
Learning from La Cantera

The Shops at La Cantera is a good example of how lush a water-saver landscape can look when it’s smartly designed and managed. By Brad Wier and Rebecca Jost Whether in Texas, California or Saudi Arabia, retail landscaping has historically depended upon heavy watering to maintain an escapist oasis for shoppers. But in the past few […]
Cherry Is Not so Very

In Japan, cherry blossoms are a symbol of beauty and fragility — a national symbol, to be sure, and the inspiration for countless outdoor festivals. But they are also a reminder of impermanence, similar to the way Texans feel about spring wildflowers. Like azaleas and camellias, Prunus serrulata prefers moisture and well-drained acidic soil; south-central Texas’ pH, […]
Spikes and Mounds

If you’re removing turfgrass, struggling with a design for new landscape beds, and fed up with worrying about plant selection, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. To fill up a big area in a hurry — especially in the sun — remember spikes and mounds. Once you learn this concept, you’ll realize it’s quite common […]
Carefree and Evergreen

Using evergreen plants in your landscape will pay dividends in the long run – both in maintenance and appearance. Instead of choosing annuals that’re bound to be dead by the end of every winter and summer — and use a lot of water doing it — design a landscape that’s carefree and evergreen all year […]
Weeding the WaterSaver Landscape

Many common weeds have specifically evolved to spread quickly in human environments, where there’s so much open space, bare ground and (often) so much extra water. If you’ve recently converted your turfgrass to water-saver landscape beds, you’ve actually reduced the real estate available to weeds — though it may be hard to tell while the 1-gallon plantings are still […]
The Sky is Falling! Birds are Migrating

No, it’s not radioactive, but bird fallout can definitely be contagious if you catch it at the right time. Migrating birds take a shortcut directly over the Gulf of Mexico every April and May, leaving the Yucatan at sunset and arriving on the Gulf Coast 12 to 30 hours later. If you offer places to […]
Time to Tame Your Irrigation Controller

Don’t wait for your next four-figure water bill to tune up your sprinkler system’s timer. A quick irrigation audit will often reveal common problems that are easily solved. Your irrigation controller may regulate the sprinkler system, but even when set correctly, it may use 1,500 gallons or more every time it runs. That’s more than a single […]
A Flutter of Color

Want a yard that explodes with color all year long? Animate your yard with winged wildlife. The things that make a yard attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds also make it attractive to us: shade, cover and loads of carefree blooms that return year after year. A wildlife garden is both low-maintenance and delightful. All you […]
To the Bat Cave!

More than 20 million arrive in Comal County each summer and they’re up all night. But they aren’t exactly tourists. Mexican free-tailed bats at Bracken Cave make up the largest colony of mammals in the world – so big, in fact, that their spectacular nightly departures are easily detected by weather radar. Bats’ nocturnal habits have long […]
Savor Shade? Sow Small Trees

Have you ever seen people waiting for the bus trying desperately to shield themselves from the sun under the sliver of shade from a telephone pole? Walkable streets and urban design may be trendy, but in Texas they need a shade component in order to work. The same goes for your landscape. Survey your yard, […]
Give Your Landscape Some Edge – Use a Border

Your lawn is a blank canvas waiting to be filled with color and charm. Now that the weather allows for constructive planning and planting, consider adding or expanding the borders within your landscape. If you’re looking for inspiration, the mixed border is an English tradition that maximizes space for colorful shrubs and perennials, herbs, annuals and wildflowers. […]
Looking for a Lush Landscape?

Mention xeriscape and many homeowners imagine scorched gravel and cactus. It may not be the Gardens of Versailles, but South Texas isn’t a desert either! You too can have a lush landscape without turf. A landscape adhering to the seven principles of xeriscape should be both tough and green, without constant high maintenance that breaks our backs, budgets […]
Bald Spots? Cover Them Up!

The cooler weather is the perfect time to revive the scorched, bald spots in your lawn. In fact, converting bald spots in your yard to shrubs or beds will save water and make for a more attractive landscape next summer. But you needn’t break your back or budget to do so. Here are a few […]
Got Crape Myrtles? Prune Like You Love Them.

Leaves have fallen, branches are bare, yards have gone dormant, and mulch has been laid with care. But the scream of chainsaws signals the season of that most shocking practice of local arboriculture: crape murder. The absurd tradition has become a standard in Texas landscaping. If you’re considering it, remember that severe pruning could permanently disfigure […]
The Art of Wasting Water with Drip Irrigation

When properly designed, drip can be the most efficient method of irrigation. But when installed incorrectly, drip can use as much water as ordinary sprinklers, if not more. You’d be surprised just how much water can be wasted with bad drip irrigation. By its very nature, drip is simple to lay out and simple to […]
Favorite Birds of the WaterSaver Landscape

Forget grackles and pigeons. When you opt for a watersaver landscape instead of a lawn, you open the gate to a host of feathered finery usually only spotted in woods and natural areas. Locals are accustomed to the gaggle of grackles who stalk the fresh cut grass behind a lawnmower. Like pigeons and white-winged doves, […]

Brad Wier

SPECIALTY: Conservation

ABOUT:

Related Video

Related Article