VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2 • January 12, 2017

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

 
 
 
 

Wow! What hit us last weekend? Freezilla has come and gone. Now we're toasty, soon to be soggy. Texas weather is weird.

But gardeners prevail, and this week's e-gardens will help. In this issue:

• Pruning overgrown shrubs;
• Asparagus gardening in Texas;
• Neil's bottle tree confessions;
• Gardening tasks for the week; and
• Assessing the cold damage.

Here's hoping you have your copy of my newest book, Neil Sperry's Lone Star Gardening (not in stores, not on Amazon). Only $31.95 plus tax and postage. All copies go out signed. Satisfaction guaranteed. Order here.

Photo: Garden pinks are second only to pansies in their cold-weather durability. And they've needed it this year!

 
 
 
   

Gardening This Weekend

Looks like another weekend where many of us may be confined to indoors. Oblivious to all that, I'll still list the critical issues that should be addressed.

Photo: With a little warm weather, hopefully our garden pinks will soon look like this!

 
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Bottle Trees: Love 'em or Hate 'em!

Bottle trees are southern traditions. Time was when you only saw them in older neighborhoods, but now even the most polite landscapes are wearing them. What are they? Why are they there?

Photo: One of the Sperry bottle trees after an ice storm.

 
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Asparagus: First Crop to be Planted

Nurseries are getting in their supplies. Asparagus-planting time has arrived, and we have great information for you.

Photo: A bunch of just-harvested asparagus, as "borrowed" from a TAMU publication.

 
 
 
   

Question of the Week: January 12, 2017

"Neil, how far back can I prune my ___, and when should I do it?"

The plant name in the blank is always changing, but the need remains the same: the plant is too large for its surroundings. I have suggestions.

Photo: From the Sperry backyard

 
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Early Assessment of Cold Damage

This winter's cold has taken its toll on Texas landscapes and gardens. Temperatures last weekend were uniformly bitter over almost all of the state. I've polled the experts as well as my Facebook family.

Photo: Variegated pittosporum has been hurt by the cold.

 
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And, in closing…

That's it for another week of e-gardens. We're moving our offices this week, so if you find a comma misplaced or a sentence fragment in the wrong paragraph, forgive us our errors. We're very tired.

Until next week, join me on Facebook, in newspapers, on podcasts or on radio. Or I'll see you in church.

Happy gardening!

Neil