VOLUME 17, ISSUE 47 • November 25, 2021

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Sperry family to you and yours.

You no doubt see that e-gardens is in your "In" box a couple of days early. That's intentional. Take a couple of minutes and read through - I've prepared some timely tidbits.

In this issue…
• Cyclamens hit the big time;
• Do your oaks need to be pruned?;
• Best screening plants;
• This week's most important tasks; and
• My favorite tree for fall color.

NEIL SPERRY'S LONE STAR GARDENING
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(Office will close at noon on Wednesday, November 24, for Thanksgiving weekend.)

Photo: Nurseries are well stocked with cool-season color. This was Calloway's McKinney just 9 days ago.

Gardening This Weekend

Gardening may not be your top priority over the next several days, but just remember that winter is knocking on the door. There are some things that you really ought to get done. Maybe you'll have a few extra days. Let's make a list.

Photo: If you want to plant pansies, you'll want to get it done soon.

Cyclamen come of age

Cyclamen have become mainstream winter color plants for the house and even the garden. You just have to honor a few simple requirements. Let me tell you about them.

Photo: Frilly pink cyclamen represent best of breeders' work.

Question of the Week - Number 1: November 25, 2021

"My red oak has dead limbs in its top. Can I leave them to see if they will leaf out in the spring?"

Photo: Top growth in red oak was killed by last winter's cold. What should be done?

Question of the Week - Number 2: November 25, 2021

"Neil, I need a tall screen along the edge of my property. What would you suggest? Are bamboo and redtips options?"

Those two are dogs. I'll tell you the ones I would suggest.

Photo: Eastern redcedar makes a good natural barrier.

Ginkgo Gold

We had our family Thanksgiving this past Sunday afternoon, and we posed ourselves in front of one of our three ginkgo trees because of its great and glorious gold fall foliage. I love this tree. Let me tell you about it!

Photo: The entire Sperry family moved into this picture about 2 minutes later.

And, in closing…

That's it for the Thanksgiving edition of e-gardens. We're thankful for you and for our advertisers. My hope is that you will figure a way to let them know that you're grateful for their supporting this project.

I'll be on the air this weekend doing my radio programs live. Here's a list of stations and times from my website. We post podcasts of the programs on the website in case you miss them, and you can also find answers to my 1001 Most-asked Texas gardening questions on my website as well. Join me on Facebook, or maybe we'll run into one another at a nursery somewhere nearby.

Have a great weekend, and until Thursday, December 2, just a little after 6 p.m….

Thanks for reading, and

Happy gardening!

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