VOLUME 12, ISSUE 30 • August 25, 2016

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

 
 
 
 

I am so glad you opted to open this week's e-gardens! It may be the most important e-gardens of the fall.

• Pre-emergent weedkillers are prime topics, and their time to prevent winter and early spring weeds is now!

• Questions of the Week: I watch the numbers here, and I see that these are among our most-viewed pages. I have two more questions this week.

• Spider lilies: Buy them now, and plant them immediately. Enjoy them for years.

If you enjoy e-gardens, please share it with at least one gardening friend every week. You are my teammate, and I'm asking for your help.

Photo: Spider lilies seem to pop up out of nowhere. Once established, they'll stay with you for years.

 
 
 
   

Gardening This Weekend

Late August means it's time for some very specific and ultra-timely gardening activities. You really need to read through the notes here today.

Photo: Sow wildflower seeds now so they can establish this fall and be ready for spring.

 
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Fall Pre-emergent Time!

You get only one chance to prevent winter weeds, and that time is here now. This is my most important message of the entire fall.

Photo: I get several annual bluegrass questions every day in the spring. Time is here now to prevent it!

 
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These Spiders Aren’t Scary

They look like little pyrotechnics exploding right before your eyes. Spider lilies are putting on their annual fall show across Texas. If you'd like to grow them yourself, I have the details.

Photo: Spider lilies in an abandoned rural Collin County landscape, blooming where they've bloomed every year for decades.

 
 
 
   

Question of the Week #1

"Neil, what is this ugly growth on my rose bush? What should I do?"

This disease can show up on many types of plant species. It's a very unusual type of gall. Unlike most other galls, it's very serious.

Photo: Posted by a reader to my Facebook page, this is crown gall.

 
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Question of the Week #2

"Neil, with all the rain last week, I'm getting tons of mushrooms. How can I get rid of them, and is any of them edible?"

We saw this in the wet Spring 2015, and here they come again.

Photo: They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some are harmful. Most are not.

 
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And, in closing…

Hay no mas, amigo o amiga. Es todo.

We're done for another week. In the meantime, join me on the radio, on Facebook, in newspapers, or at church.

If you're interested in a copy of my book, I've sharpened my pen and I'm ready to sign. You can have it ordered within mere minutes right here.

Until next week,

Happy Gardening!

Neil