VOLUME 14, ISSUE 52 • December 27, 2018

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Our office has been closed this week, so I wanted to prepare something that was rather timeless. If you listen to any of my four radio programs you hear me talking about our own rural landscape. What better time than mid-winter, when you can see through things better than ever, to show it all to you.

Here's what I've brought you…
• Our drive and entryway;
• The gardens south of our house;
• Art in our garden;
• Our backyard into the woods; and
• As always, things to do now.

My book is available…
I'll let my website give you all the details. You'll need to order it there, since the office is closed as you read this. I self-published this book so my editor, graphic designer and I could have it just the way that we wanted it. Click to see how it turned out.

Photo: North view as we Sperrys see things.

Our Entryway and Courtyard

When we moved to our rural Collin County home we had a white rock gravel driveway. To say the least, it was unpleasant. Adding Pavestone was a major upgrade. Let me show you our drive, courtyard and entry.

Photo: Welcome to the Sperry home. We're glad you stopped by.

Gardens to the South

This used to be nicely sodded St. Augustine turf. However, shade became an issue and the grass began to thin at the edges. I'll take you through the steps in this major re-do.

Photo: Shade-tolerant shrubs and groundcover have come to our rescue!

Garden Art and Accessories

I collect a lot of things. More than I should. But two in particular should be noted today. I'll explain each of them, but you'll have to click through to see them.

Photo: Chimney pots with a past.

Finally, the Backyard

In all respects, this portion was our last major development. Its look now is dramatically different from when we moved in 42 years ago. I'll explain.

Photo: A view out the north windows of our sunroom.

Gardening This Weekend

Here are what I'd deem to be the most important assignments gardeners face in the upcoming few days. When you have a second, take a peek through the list.

Photo: Dutch hyacinth bulbs must be planted now.

And, in closing…

That's it for our last e-gardens for 2018. We look forward to a great year ahead, and I hope you'll let thousands of your friends know about us as well.

In the meantime, please join me on Facebook, at my website, and on the radio. I mentioned my four programs. They are: KLIF 570AM Sat. afternoons 1-3; WBAP 820AM Sun. mornings 8-10; Texas Lawn and Garden Hour on many stations Sat. mornings 11-noon; and Plant Talk Texas weekday mornings on many stations. All are available via streaming audio, most especially the first two.

That's it for this year. Until 2019, thanks for visiting us here every week.

Happy New Year, and

Happy gardening!

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