Purpleheart is a true friend

By Neil Sperry • July 30, 2025

When you meet this plant you wonder if it’s a sister to the many types of wandering Jews we commonly grow in pots and hanging baskets. Its growth habits are ...

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Micro-environments and your plants

By Neil Sperry • July 30, 2025

I grew up with botanists all around me. Dad and Uncle John got their PhDs at the University of Nebraska in botany. Dad did research in Colorado, then founded the ...

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Gardening This Weekend: July 31, 2025

By Neil Sperry • July 29, 2025

What’s a gardener to do when it’s still hot, but when you want to start getting ready for fall? Here are your guidelines. PLANT• Fall vegetables. In South Texas, small ...

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Q&A – Ask Neil: July 31, 2025

By Neil Sperry • July 29, 2025

(Please read these instructions carefully.)Before you post your question, please look at recent issues to see if someone else has already asked it. You might find your answer there. July ...

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Showers of sunflowers

By Neil Sperry • July 22, 2025

They germinate and start growing with the first warm days of mid-spring. In fields, roadsides, even gardens. They’re native annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), and they grow just about everywhere. You’ll ...

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Q&A – Ask Neil: July 24, 2025

By Neil Sperry • July 22, 2025

(Please read these instructions carefully.)Before you post your question, please look at recent issues to see if someone else has already asked it. You might find your answer there. July ...

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Backyard makeover — from humdrum to backyard fun: Part 1 – by Diane Morey Sitton

By Diane Morey Sitton • July 22, 2025

It’s summer and backyards beckon. But it’s not just patios, porches and poolsides that promise summer fun. Whether small or spacious, sunny or shady, almost any backyard can be quickly ...

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Gardening This Weekend: July 24, 2025

By Neil Sperry • July 22, 2025

My goal is to help you tend to the most critical gardening tasks of the weekend so you can get back into the house as quickly as possible. The older ...

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