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Volume 6, Issue 2
Welcome
to our late-winter edition of e-gardens. January was a significant month
in Texas gardening. We'll cover the critical points that still remain
(coping with cold damage to our plants), then we'll look toward the month
ahead. But we start with our usual favor: if you enjoy e-gardens, please
tell a friend. It's the main way we can grow our numbers.
From the Sperry Garden
I
had an unusual phone call this past weekend on my radio program. It seemed
like the caller and I were sharing parallel lives. Click
for details.
Ask
NeilHave a question you’d like to pass on to Neil? This is your place. Click here to send your question (must have photo attached). Click here to see this month’s answers.
From the Magazine
The
January/February 2010 issue of Neil Sperry's GARDENS Magazine features articles
on raised-bed gardening, seedling secrets, and trees with exfoliating bark.
Neil writes about some of his "wrong turns" through the years.
Click
here to read his article.
Those
vivid blue lobelias we see in the nurseries don't always perform well
in our gardens. This month Jimmy Turner shares some secrets of success
with this desirable flower. Click
here to read his article.
February
is a watershed month. Winter tasks must be completed, and spring tasks
await. Click
to see the critical issues of the next several weeks.
Leslie
Finical Halleck says "winter is for color," and she doesn't
mean just pansies and Iceland poppies. Click
here to read her article about shrubs that shine in winter.
I
purposely order enough calendars for us to offer them into the new gardening
year. This is the calendar that offers you huge amounts of information
on when to plant, prune, fertilize and spray all the plants in your landscape
and garden. But, supplies are running out, and this is the last mention
we'll be making. Get the best deal by buying it with a subscription (new
or renewal) to our magazine. Click
for details.
You've
counted on Neil's fertilizers for many years, and we hope you will in
2010 as well. Watch our website in the next couple of weeks for some very
important details.
A
well-decorated truck sends our native son in search of "culprits."
The trail leads past the berry-laden yaupons. Click
here to read Steven Chamblee's newest tale.
February
brings new special events and new seminars to a botanical garden near
you.
Click
here to access the events calendar for the coming month.
When
I discovered that even university departments have a Facebook presence,
I decided I’d climb into the 21st Century and create an account for
my radio, newspaper and magazine friends (and of course, e-gardens). It
will be yet another good way to reach you should we have weather alerts
and other breaking news. We’ll see how it goes. Click
to become a “fan.” (Their word, not mine.)
The
extreme cold spell several weeks ago did a real number on lots of Texas'
landscape plants. In the event that you're the owner of one or more such
plants, what should you be doing right now to help them? Did they survive?
Should they be pruned? Click
to find out.
This
month Andrea DeLong-Amaya of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center tackles
the subject of native plants: What is a native? What are the rewards
of planting natives? Click
here to read her article.
Three
different places in this issue of e-gardens, we've asked you to refer us
to fellow gardeners that you think might enjoy this free monthly information
(and the critical weather alerts, too). We're not obsessive. We just really
want your help. Click here to make that referral. (Thanks, in advance!)
This winter's cold and ice are exactly what some roses have needed to produce a fantastic crop of blossoms. Click here to read about the spring spectacle that Mike Shoup of the Antique Rose Emporium anticipates.
On
Sunday, February 7, we will once again devote our entire radio program to
fruit and pecan topics. As always, Dr. George Ray McEachern, Professor Emeritus
of Texas A&M (and the state specialist on grapes, pecans and other fruit
crops) will be our guest. Listen 8-11 a.m. that day, and call to go on the
air with George Ray and Neil. In DFW, call 214-787-1080. Elsewhere, call
1-800-765-1080, or on cell, #1080.
Join
us February 26-28 at the All Texas Garden Show at the Arlington Convention
Center. I've been invited to make a guest appearance to answer your questions
Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 3, and we'll have a truckload sale of
our fertilizers as well. Watch for more details in the next issue of e-gardens.
The plant-loving Surinam cockroach often
makes an appearance during the winter months. Click
here to read Extension entomologist Kimberly Schofield's article about
this pest and to learn more about the increasing interest in oil controls
for insects.
Ben,
Lizzie, JoJo and Connie are among the deserving pets waiting at Dallas-area
SPCAs for loving families. Click
here to learn more about them and to read about the dangers that Valentine
chocolates pose to your pets.
-
Neil Sperry - Publisher
Carolyn Skei - Editor
Gretchen Drew - Administrator
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In the meantime, here's hoping the weather will be great for you and your plants. If it isn't, we'll be sending another special edition of e-gardens your way. You can count on it.
Until then, happy gardening!
Neil Sperry