VOLUME 12, ISSUE 5 • March 3, 2016

Neil Sperry, editor. Gretchen Drew, design.

✓ We're all hustling! It's our Home Landscape School Weekend! Act now and you can still get a seat, but not many remain. You must register by noon on Friday (March 4). Click on the ad just below.

Talk about a watershed weekend of activity for Texas gardening - you are there, my friend. We have details for you.

Photo: Tomatoes are featured in this week's e-gardens, so it's only fitting we show you where it all starts - tomato blooms. They aren't far away!

Gardening for this Weekend

Trees that were in full bloom around DFW in late March last year are in full bloom now. That's 3-1/2 weeks earlier! So it's hard to know what to do this upcoming weekend, but I've listed the most critical tasks among them.

Photo: Frost-hardy petunias are great in patio pots.

Success with Tomatoes

They're the top crop in Texas home gardens. But they can also be a great source of frustration. Here's your chance to make 2016 your best-ever tomato year. Entire books have been written on them. I've boiled it down to the critical facts.

Photo: Great plates of tomatoes start soon across Texas.

Redbuds of Note

No tree better marks the beginning of spring clear across Texas than our many fine redbuds. They're handsome, low-care and well suited to all of our soils and conditions. Nurseries will be well stocked this weekend, so if this is the year you vowed to plant redbuds, we have a great selection.

Photo: Being legumes, redbuds are favorites of bees while they are flowering.

Question of the Week

"How can I eliminate these big, ugly weeds?"

I see this landscape several times each week. It's a lovely home with a nice yard, but at this point, its complexion is marred with big, green pimples. If you've ever been faced with this sort of dilemma, you no doubt wondered what you could do to bring about a quick fix. I have some help.

Fire Blight in Texas

Ever have a pear or apple that suddenly developed brown or black twig ends? It's a common bacterial infection with damage that ranges from very serious/fatal down to cosmetic. Other types of plants can also be involved.

Photo: Some varieties are highly susceptible to fire blight, chief among them the popular Bartlett pears.

Coming Next Week…

• Pruning Spring-Blooming Shrubs, Vines
• Spring Care of Trees
• Geraniums
• And More!

Until then, happy gardening!
Neil

(Please remember to share us with gardening friends!)