VOLUME 13, ISSUE 32 • August 10, 2017

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Thanks for putting up with my special e-gardens last Sunday to announce Lynn's and my 50th wedding anniversary. It was a grand day with families and friends as we celebrated a recommitment ceremony at our church. We'd heard about those before, but we'd never attended one. We invited people who had meant a great deal to us over the years, and we introduced them all to one another. We had a great time. God has embraced us richly.

Now it's time to jump back into the regular e-gardens mode. Today's topics include:
• Zinnias in your fall garden (best time to plant them);
• Nutsedge ID and control;
• Pecans falling prematurely;
• Eliminating poison ivy; and
• Tasks of this weekend.

My best book ever…
Admittedly it's a small sampling of only five books, but this is the book I always wanted to be able to hand you: My best work, totally self-published. Completely different from the old 1991 book with the cowboy boots, and a quarter-century newer. Not on Amazon and not in stores. Available only from my website or by calling my office M-F 9-5 (800-752-4769). Satisfaction guaranteed. I sign every book before we send them out. Great for gifts or for planning fall landscape improvements.

Photo: Mid-August is a great time for planting zinnias.

My Favorite Time to Plant Zinnias

I've tried them in the spring, and I've tried them in the fall, and there's no comparison in my eyes: Fall is my preferred time to be growing tall, full-flowering zinnias. I'll explain the details.

Photo: Zinnias in fall can be fabulous!

Gardening This Weekend

Mid-August is a pivotal time in Texas gardening. It's your last chance to get a lot of things done in your landscape and garden, first chance to do others. I have the most critical among them.

Photo: Oakleaf hydrangea shows severe iron chlorosis (deficiency).

Question of the Week 1: August 10, 2017

"Neil, why are so many of my pecans falling now? They have dark splotches on their husks. Are they any good?"

I'm already getting this question, as I have for 47 Augusts in a row.

Photo: Pecans are falling already, and this is what they look like.

Question of the Week 2: August 10, 2017

"Neil, how can I identify and control poison ivy?"

This is more convoluted than you might imagine, but I'll make sense of it all. See my explanation.

Photo: Which, if either, of these plants is poison ivy?

Question of the Week 3: August 10, 2017

"Neil, my beds are overrun with nutsedge. What can I do to get rid of it?"

This is a horrific outbreak! It may fall to Plan B. See both plans in my reply.

Photo: Nutsedge ravages this reader's shrub bed.

And in closing…

That's it for e-gardens for this week. I hope you've enjoyed it and found it useful. If so, please tell your friends. And please do business with our advertisers. It all starts with a click into their websites. I chose them all myself.

I already have some good ideas for next week's e-gardens, but who knows what other things might crop up in the meantime.

Next week I'll be back with more stories, more plants and more answers to gardening questions. Meanwhile I'll hope to see you on my website, downloading podcasts, checking in on radio, visiting my Facebook page, or down the pew at church.

Until next week…

Happy gardening!

Subscribe to Neil's Podcast!

Available for both Apple and Google Play

Click here to listen on Neil's web site »