VOLUME 13, ISSUE 18 • May 4, 2017

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Happy May, friends! It's a super-busy time of the gardening spring, and we have a great e-gardens in store for you.

In this issue…
• This weekend's critical tasks;
• Over-watering vs. under-watering;
• Pruning trees properly;
• Oak sprouts all over the place; and
• Declaring war on dallisgrass.

HURRY! Neil Sperry's Lone Star Gardening
(not in stores and not on Amazon). Book sale continues for just a few days more. Don't delay! Sale price: only $29.95 plus tax and postage. 344 pages. 840 photographs. The perfect Mother's Day or Father's Day gift. I sign every book, and your satisfaction is guaranteed. Order from my website or by calling my office M-F 9-5:30 (800) 752-4769. Completely different from (and a quarter-century more up to date than) my 1991 Complete Guide to Texas Gardening.

Book sale and signing…
Come see me in Weatherford at the Weatherford Library, 1014 Charles Street, this Saturday, May 6, at 3 p.m. I'll be giving a few comments and doing a book sale and signing. (Bring any of my older books, too.)

Photo: Purple coneflower and yarrow brighten the springtime.

Gardening This Weekend

Good grief! It's already May! We're in the big middle of spring, and things are moving in the "fastest-forward" imaginable. I've jotted a list of the most critical tasks of this time for you. Hope you find them useful.

Photo: Purple coneflowers and yarrow are both available in Texas nurseries.

Over-watering? Under-watering? How to Tell the Difference

For every person who thinks they over-watered a plant, there are a thousand who actually under-watered them. I'll give you a quick way to tell which it is.

Photo: What's causing this oakleaf hydrangea to wilt? You might be surprised.

Prune Properly, Avoid Problems

I have critical pointers the pros use.

Photo: Sperry pecan pruned over the years by certified arborists of Arborilogical Services shows two wounds in different stages of healing.

Question of the Week: May 4, 2017

"Neil, how can I keep the little live oak seedlings from sprouting up all over the place? It's impossible to pull or dig them all up."

My answer may surprise you.

Photo: Saplings abound beneath this live oak tree.

Defeating Dallisgrass

This may be the most-hated lawn weed of them all. It's big, it's ugly and it's hard to control. But if you're ever going to get ahead of dallisgrass, you need to get started. I have suggestions.

Photo: Dallisgrass is one of the most tenacious weeds in Texas turf.

And, in closing…

That's it for this week. If you enjoyed e-gardens, please send that word out.

Come see me at the Weatherford Library, 1014 Charles Street, at 3 this Saturday (May 6). If you miss me there, I'll see you in church this coming Sunday. Or on Facebook or my website. We have podcasts at the website, or you can hear my programs live on the weekends.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, and until next Thursday…

Happy Gardening!

Neil