Texas Garden Finder

Garden centers in Rowlett, Texas

Independent operations hold five of Rowlett's eight listings, led by Covington's Nursery and Landscape, which has kept a 4.7 rating across roughly 600 reviews, remarkable consistency at that volume. Jabo's Ace Hardware matches the 4.7 from the chain side, and Standing Squirrel Gardens Plant Nursery gives small-batch shoppers a 4.5-rated alternative with a following of its own.

This lakeside stretch east of Dallas gardens on Blackland Prairie clay, the black, alkaline gumbo that swells shut in wet winters and cracks apart by August. Winter lows in the 15-to-20-degree range demand genuinely hardy plants, the last freeze typically clears by mid-March, and summers deliver long runs of triple digits. It sounds punishing, but a deep bench of adapted plants treats these conditions as home, and the nurseries that last here stock accordingly.

8
garden centers
5
independent
4.3 ★
average rating
Zone 8b
USDA zone

All 8 garden centers in Rowlett

Sorted by rating and review volume · 8 open on Sundays

Covington's Nursery and Landscape in Rowlett, Texas

Covington's Nursery and Landscape

4.7(600)

Spacious local garden center offering a selection of plants & accessories, plus landscape design.

IndependentZone 8b
Jabo’s Ace Hardware in Rowlett, Texas

Jabo’s Ace Hardware

4.7(327)

Hardware store stocking household tools, garden supplies, home decor & more.

National chainZone 8b
Harbor Freight in Rowlett, Texas

Harbor Freight

4.4(1,058)

Retail chain carrying a wide range of tools, hardware & other products for the home, garden & car.

IndependentZone 8b
Ferguson in Rowlett, Texas

Ferguson

4.3(48)

Plumbing supply store in Rowlett, Texas, 2905 Singleton St.

IndependentZone 8b
The Home Depot in Rowlett, Texas

The Home Depot

4.2(1,710)

Chain home improvement retailer for tools, appliances & other products (some offer truck rentals).

National chainZone 8b
Alta Vista Nursery in Rowlett, Texas

Alta Vista Nursery

3.4(15)

Wholesale plant nursery in Rowlett, Texas, 1200 Lakeview Pkwy.

IndependentZone 8b

Planting in Rowlett: zone 8b quick guide

Central Texas offers a very long growing season, but summer heat, not winter cold, is the main limit. Plant early so crops mature before July, then replant for a strong fall garden. Typical growing season: ~260 days, from the last frost in early to mid March to the first freeze around late November.

Alkaline-proof Texas standards rule the beds: salvia greggii, lantana, Texas sage, rock rose, and blackfoot daisy bloom through heat that flattens fussier perennials, and crape myrtle, vitex, and desert willow handle the small-tree layer. Live oak, cedar elm, and chinkapin oak grow into the clay without complaint. Bermuda dominates sunny lawns, with zoysia taking the partly shaded ones. Vegetable beds produce well once compost loosens the gumbo, tomatoes and peppers race to finish before July heat shuts down fruit set, then a late-summer planting rides the long warm autumn. Skip azaleas and blueberries unless you build fully contained acid beds; the native soil chemistry fights them forever.

July

Plant now

Fall tomato transplants, Pumpkins for Halloween

Garden tasks

Survive: water deeply, mulch, harvest

August

Plant now

Fall tomatoes & peppers (early), Beans (mid), Squash

Garden tasks

Fall garden is Central Texas's best season, plant it

September

Plant now

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower transplants, Lettuce, Spinach (late)

Garden tasks

Plant wildflower seed for spring

Full 12-month calendar for Central Texas & Hill Country (zone 8b)

Local gardening tips for Rowlett

  • Work expanded shale and compost into black clay once, deeply, it permanently improves the structure in a way yearly tilling never will.
  • Deep-soak beds and young trees weekly in summer; cracked August clay lets water race past roots, so run drip lines slowly.
  • Treat yellowing leaves on hollies and oaks with chelated iron, alkaline Blackland soil locks up the iron plants need.
  • Choose fall over spring for planting trees and shrubs; roots build all winter here and face July already established.
  • Cover tender new growth in early spring, warm February weeks followed by a March freeze catch plants that broke bud early.

Rowlett garden center FAQs

›How do I make Blackland clay workable?

Amend once, seriously, instead of fighting it every season. Fork three inches of expanded shale plus three of compost into the top foot of new beds and the clay stays loose for years. Never dig or till it wet, working saturated gumbo creates clods that set like brick. For vegetables, many Rowlett gardeners skip the battle entirely and build raised beds filled with a purchased soil mix.

›Which lawn grass handles the clay and the summers?

Bermuda takes full sun, drought, and heavy traffic, and recovers fast from summer dormancy, the practical default for open yards. Zoysia gives a denser, softer lawn and manages part shade, at a higher install cost. St. Augustine survives here but sits at the cold edge of its range; a winter in the teens can thin it badly, so plant it only in sheltered, shaded yards.

›Why do freezes kill some plants and spare others here?

Sudden cold after warm spells does more damage than the absolute low. Plants harden off gradually in fall, and a 70-degree week followed by a plunge into the teens catches them with tender tissue. Water deeply before any arctic front, mulch root zones, and wrap or cover broadleaf evergreens exposed to north wind. Established, fully dormant natives generally shrug off the same freeze that kills marginal choices.

›How often should I water in summer?

Twice a week, deeply, beats daily light watering for everything from lawns to trees, and most North Texas cities limit summer irrigation schedules anyway, so build habits around fewer, longer sessions. Run sprinklers before sunrise to cut evaporation, and use drip or soaker hoses in beds. On cracked clay, water in two short cycles an hour apart so the first pass swells the soil and the second soaks in.

›How many garden centers are there in Rowlett, TX?

Our directory currently lists 8 garden centers and plant nurseries in Rowlett, Texas, 5 independent and 3 chain locations.

›What is the best-rated garden center in Rowlett?

Covington's Nursery and Landscape is currently the top-rated garden center in Rowlett, with a 4.7-star average across 600 Google reviews.

›What USDA hardiness zone is Rowlett, TX?

Rowlett is in USDA hardiness zone 8b (average annual minimum temperature 15 to 20°F). The last spring frost typically falls in early to mid March, and the first fall frost arrives around late November.

›When should I start planting in Rowlett?

In zone 8b, set out warm-season vegetables and annuals after the last frost in early to mid March. Cool-season crops go in earlier, and fall planting (September to November) is excellent in Rowlett for trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Garden centers near Rowlett