VOLUME 13, ISSUE 28 • July 13, 2017

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Welcome to this week's edition of e-gardens. I've covered a lot of ground this time around, and I hope you enjoy it:

• What everyone’s asking about St. Augustine;
• My favorite potting soil;
• More than you want to know about webworms;
• Gardening tasks for this weekend; and
• Landscape lighting - the finishing touch.

Read a good book lately?
Fall landscape projects are only 6 or 7 weeks away. If you need a good reference book, I think I have one to offer. It's not in stores, and it's not on Amazon, but I can sign one and put it in the mail to you within 24 hours. I self-published Neil Sperry's Lone Star Gardening. It's only $31.95 plus tax and postage, and it's only available from my website or by calling my office M-F 9-5:30 at (800) 752-4769.

That's the windup. And here's the pitch - Here's this week's e-gardens.

Photo: Ornamental peppers spice up the late summer, fall garden.

From the Sperry Garden: Potting Soils

I'm frequently asked to recommend a brand of potting soil. I say that I haven't found one that I really like, so I mix up my own. I'll give you my formula and how I adjust it.

Photo: Three distinctly different plants with modestly different potting soil needs.

Gardening This Weekend

It's getting hot. I've shortened the list so that you can get right to the things that most need to be done over this middle weekend of July. This is our most-read part of e-gardens, and I've brought my best for this week.

Photo: Ornamental peppers planted now will be colorful until frost.

Lighting the Night

I fell in love with landscape lighting 45 or 50 years ago when it first came onto the Texas A&M campus. When I had trees large enough to accommodate it, I vowed that lighting would follow. But it was an unusual journey. Let me tell you my story.

Photo: A portion of our backyard at night.

Question of the Week Number 1: July 13, 2017

"Neil, what can I do to control webworms that are all over my pecan tree?"

This common pest is showing up all across Texas. I have some answers.

Photo: Webworms in pecans have voracious appetites.

Question of the Week Number 2: July 13, 2017

"Neil, what is happening to my St. Augustine? Why is it so yellow?"

This fungus has become epidemic in the past couple of weeks. If this looks like your lawn, I have the answers.

Photo: Gray leaf spot is attacking St. Augustine.

And in closing…

Hang up the hammock, Homer. That's e-gardens for another week. But we'll pop up again next week, same time, same e-mailbox.

In the meantime, your homework assignment: If you like e-gardens, tell others about us. Help us grow this garden of words. Copy and paste this link and send it to your friends: http://neilsperry.com/e-gardens/

I'll be watching for you on Facebook. Our page just went past 60,000 friends this past Saturday about 3 p.m. When I began it back in 2010 I never would have dreamed that. Thank you for your support and kind words!

Until next week, thanks for reading, and

Happy gardening!

Neil