VOLUME 13, ISSUE 44 • November 2, 2017

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Welcome to the first November issue of e-gardens. This one ought to be a readers' favorite. Count 'em: three questions of the week. And some fun plants and great ideas to boot. Here are better details:
• Ornamental sweet potatoes - Save 'em? Eat 'em?
• Garden mums - what to do now;
• Raise the mower for winter?
• Garden tasks for the weekend; and
• My favorite fern for Texas gardens.

Book offer continues a little longer…
Need a gift for a gardener on your list? It's a highly biased suggestion, but Neil Sperry's Lone Star Gardening might just be perfect. Consider these facts:

• Totally different format than my "boot book" (Complete Guide to Texas Gardening).
• A quarter-century more up-to-date!
• 344 pages and 840 of my photographs.
• Hardback and printed right here in Texas!
• Covers every aspect of landscaping and gardening in Texas.
• Chapter 2 alone is worth the price: month-by-month calendar of when to plant, prune, fertilize and spray all the plants that you're growing. Do the right things at the right times!
• Not in stores and not on Amazon. Available only from my website or by calling my office weekdays 9-5 at (800) 752-4769.
• I sign every book. Personalized if requested.
• SALE OFFER! First book at regular price of only $31.95 (plus tax, postage). Second and third books shipped to same address, only $26.95 each. Prices good for limited time only.

And now, without further delay, here's this week's e-gardens!

Photo: Autumn fern 'Brilliance' brightens its spot in the Sperry home landscape.

Gardening This Weekend

Last week found a lot of us wondering what hit our gardens. We'd been up into the 80s and 90s, and for those of us in North Texas at least, frost came visiting. Let's assess where we are now region-by-region and see where we go next. I'll have some suggestions.

Photo: Plant pinks now for cool-season color.

Fabulous Ferns for Fall

After growing them for several years in our landscape, I'm signing up for the autumn fern fan club. And there are nice new choices in the marketplace. You'll want to read about them!

Photo: Autumn fern, variety 'Brilliance,' has done well in the Sperry landscape.

Question of the Week - Number 1: November 2, 2017

"Neil, should I raise my mower going into the winter? What's the best mowing height for my lawn?"

I'm guessing that half of our subscribers will be surprised by my answer. Click for details.

Photo: Checking mowing height of turf.

Question of the Week Number 2: November 2, 2017

"Neil, What should I do with my mums once they finish blooming?"

They've been beautiful this fall, but everything comes to an end. I'll tell you what you should do with them then.

Photo: Handsome fall garden mums in McKinney just a few days ago.

Question of the Week - Number 3: November 2, 2017

"Neil, Can I save my sweet potato vines for next year? Are the big roots edible?"

I'm asked both of these questions dozens of times every fall. I have the answers.

Photo: 'Blackie' ornamental sweet potato.

And in closing…

That's all of e-gardens for this week. Study up on it, and we'll have a test sometime soon. I'll start preparing another issue for this time next week.

Note about the time change…
Set your clocks back at 2 this Sunday morning. As a collector of old clocks, many of which strike the time, don’t move their hands backwards – that’s hard on the mechanisms. Just stop them for one hour.

In the meantime…
If you enjoy e-gardens, please let your friends know about us. And plan on joining us same time, same e-mailbox next week.

I'll see you on Facebook, at my website, via my newspaper columns, on the radio or on podcasts, at a burger shop or deli, and at church this coming Sunday.

Until we meet again, thanks for reading…
And Happy Gardening!

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