VOLUME 12, ISSUE 40 • November 3, 2016

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Welcome back to another e-gardens. We're proud to have you, and we hope you'll tell others about us.

In this week's newsletter:
• What to do with banana plants;
• Choosing which plants you'll keep over the winter;
• Important Rose Rosette conference;
• Flowery senna - a plant you should meet; and
• Timely Tips for the first weekend of November.

Give my book as a gift (and save!):

Buy the book for yourself at the regular price of $31.95, and get the second and third copies (signed) at only $26.95 each (all plus tax and postage). Details are here.

Photo: Boston fern is being readied to come indoors for winter.

Gardening This Weekend

Really warm earlier this week. Now a bit cooler. By the end of November, most of us will have seen our first freeze. Changes are coming. Here are this week’s critical tasks.

Photo: Very early outbreak of brown patch in St. Augustine. This is the time to address it.

Flowery Senna Needs Better Publicity

You can drive through hundreds of neighborhoods and not ever see this plant. In South Texas it's a tad more common, but it needs a promotional push, and I'm here to give it.

Photo: Flowery senna as it looks in the fall when it's in full bloom.

Which Plants to Save

We can't wait much longer. We have to decide which summer plants will come indoors for the winter and which we'll give up to the frost. It's your choice, of course, but maybe I can help.

Photo: Mandevilla must be protected from freezing weather.

Banana Time Again!

I get questions about bananas producing clusters of fruit fairly frequently in fall. And what about protecting the plants over winter? Here are the facts.

Photo: Large cluster of bananas in Texas landscape. (Photo by FB friend Michelle Bahar)

Rose Rosette Conference

Rose rosette virus has devastated roses, particularly in the DFW area. If you love roses, attend this important conference on Sat., Nov. 12 north of McKinney. Here are details on RRV and the meeting.

Photo: Fatal rose rosette virus is rampant in DFW and beyond.

And, in closing…

Did you ever go into a really great nursery, and when you reached the back wall of the place you felt disappointed that you'd seen everything? Well, I hope you have that same feeling here now, because you’ve reached the end.

If you like e-gardens, please tell other gardeners about us.

I'm going to step away now and head to another project. Maybe we'll meet again there. It could be radio, Facebook, newspapers, podcasts, my book or website. Wherever it is, I'll be looking for you.

Happy Gardening!

Neil