VOLUME 16, ISSUE 6 • February 6, 2020

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Goodness, this has been an unusual week. Hopefully we're about to see good gardening times coming soon.

In this issue…
• How well do you know tree trunks?
• A fatal rose problem;
• Live oak leaves falling all over;
• This weekend's tasks; and
• Number One question about pecans.

Fourth Printing Coming Soon
To all who already have my newest book, thank you! I appreciate all your kind comments. The next printing is being made ready to run.

Price will be going up!
As with all things, life gets more expensive. Get one of the remaining copies of the third printing…

Neil Sperry's Lone Star Gardening
Still only $33.95 (plus tax, postage)
• Hardback, printed on high quality paper and in San Antonio (not China).
• 344 pages and 840 of my best photos.
• 11 chapters that cover all aspects of gardening for every county in Texas.
• I sign every copy.
• Satisfaction guaranteed or full refund.

Not in stores and not on Amazon.
Order from my website, or call my office M-F 9-5 at (800) 752-4769.

Photo: Stocks are fragrant, frost-tolerant annuals that can be planted now across most of the state.

Gardening This Weekend

Well, this week has been a workout for many of us. Snow, sleet, ice, rain and cold across big parts of Texas. But maybe better prospects of good weather are ahead. Spring isn't too far away. Let's look at the pending tasks for this weekend into next week.

Photo: Plant cole crops like broccoli now.

Most-Asked Question from Weekend Radio

This past Sunday was "Fruit and Pecan" time on my program on WBAP. I invited people to post questions for my guest Dr. George Ray McEachern on my Facebook page. By far the most-asked was, "I had a huge crop of pecans, but why were so few filled out?"

Read what his answer was.

Photo: Not all pecans looked this good.

So you think you know tree trunks?

Trees' trunks are useful in identifying the various species. I took a bunch of photos in the Sperry home landscape a while back. They're of trees I planted, as well as those growing natively in our woods. See how many you can recognize.

Photo: This is a fairly common small native Texas tree.

Question of the Week - Number 1: February 6, 2020

"Why are my live oaks dropping all their leaves like this?" It's been going on all winter."

Simple explanation, and I'll give it.

Photo: Walks, beds and landscapes are covered.

Question of the Week - Number 2: February 6, 2020

"As we got ready to prune our roses last week we noticed that they were covered with thorns. Is this rose rosette virus?"

I'll answer and explain. If you grow roses, you need to read this.

Photo: Rose stems as posted by a FB friend.

And, in closing…

That's a wrap for e-gardens for this week. I just realized the thermostat's been set low in my office, which explains why I've been shivering all the while I've been typing. Yet another reason to hope for spring to arrive sometime soon.

In the meantime I'll be back with another e-gardens next week. More important information on other exciting topics.

Until then, join me on Facebook, and tune me in on the radio. I write for a dozen Texas newspapers, and I hang out in nurseries. Oh, and we post podcasts of my radio programs on my website. If you missed the fruit and pecan program last Sunday, it's there as well.

Until next week's e-gardens, thanks for reading, and…

Happy Gardening!

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