VOLUME 15, ISSUE 41 • October 10, 2019

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Gardening This Weekend

Colder weather is here as e-gardens goes out (a freeze is expected in the northern parts of the Panhandle tonight) or soon will be for most of the rest of Texas. Let's look ahead at this weekend's activities.

Photo: Buy tulip bulbs now, but refrigerate them until late December. Read the details.

Green Bay Botanical Garden - A sense of place…

Forget what they did to the Cowboys. There’s still lots to like about Green Bay.

Photo: Scenic settings abound in this old, but young botanic garden.

Question of the Week - Number One: October 10, 2019

"When can I transplant these Nellie R. Stevens hollies? Any tips?"

I'm asked this question in various forms all year long. See my reply.

Photo: Nellie R. Stevens hollies.

Peak Season for Candletrees

Gardening, like fashions, has its fads, and candletrees were hot plants several decades ago. Now you rarely see them in Texas gardens. But I came across a really pretty one this week, and it prompted me to tell you about them. I hope you enjoy it.

Photo: It's easy to see how candletrees got their name.

Question of the Week - Number Two: October 10, 2019

"What is this new type of weedy grass? I don't recall seeing it before."

This one isn't much fun. I'll identify it (for the second time this fall).

Photo: Introduced as a forage grass, it's not a welcome guest in Texas lawns.

And, in closing…

As I told you last week, tomorrow (October 11) marks a really special day for those of us who have volunteered at Serenity High in McKinney since even before it opened. Serenity High is one of the longest-tenured recovery high schools in America. We think it still is the only public high school of its type in the U.S. and certainly in Texas.

Serenity is in the McKinney ISD, but it's open to students from partnering districts. It's for young men and women who have been successful at drug and alcohol rehab, but who have been advised not to go back into their old school environments. Miracles happen every day at Serenity High, and we will join to celebrate those miracles tomorrow, 20 years to the day - to the moment! I was going to invite you here in e-gardens, but I've been advised that tickets are sold out. For all that support we are very grateful.

Finally, back to business. As always, I invite you to tune me in this weekend for live radio and to join me on Facebook and at my website. Or at our church. Church is always a great place to meet.

Until next week, thanks for reading…

And happy gardening!