VOLUME 20, ISSUE 21 • May 23, 2024

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Gardening This Weekend

It's no breaking news that temperatures are rising. Summer is near, and most of us still have several important tasks to get done. Hopefully this weekend will find you time to accomplish them. Check through my list. And stop by your favorite independent retail garden center. Watch for special sales!

Photo: Inviting, isn't it!

Garden screens - masters of disguise

Diane Sitton helps us create privacy and shut off unsightly views.

Photo: Use low-growing plants to skirt a house or camouflage a tree trunk.

Smitten with the fancy-leafed begonias

Since I was a young teen, I've been in love with begonias. I looked at the seed catalogs and dreamed of the day that I'd grow Rex begonias in a greenhouse or angel wing begonias on a porch. Well, I've done both, and I'm here to share that joy.

Photo: One of the hundreds of fancy-leafed begonias.

Unusual lawn issues

There are several less common turfgrass challenges that show up about now. I thought this might be a good time to address them. Click through to see what I've brought for you.

Photo: How serious is "slime mold?"

Q&A – Ask Neil

Lawns predominate as usual. Bag vs. don't bag. Crown gall on oak roots. No grass beneath oak limbs. Few leaves on mature pecan trees. Coffee grounds in the garden? Holly fern develops yellow leaves. What fertilizer for new Zeon zoysia? Those were your topics. See my answers.

And, in closing…

I'll be live on the air this weekend as always. Give me a listen, and give me a call:
• Statewide on 33 stations Saturday 11:06-noon (888) 256-1080.
• KLIF 570 AM and 96.3 Saturday 1-2 pm (888) 787-5543.
• WBAP 820 AM and 93.3 FM Sunday 8-9 am (800) 288-9227.
(Podcasts of these programs will be on my website by Monday evening.)

Graduation cake, Serenity High in McKinney

Last night was one of my favorite times of the entire year. Graduation at Serenity High in McKinney. It’s a part of the McKinney ISD, but it’s open to students from partnering districts. Serenity High is for students who have found their lives and educations interrupted by substance disorders, but who have come back from rehab seeking a sober completion to their high school experience. My wife and I helped start this school, the first public school of its kind in America, in 1999, but scores of great people joined in this effort to support youth in recovery – it took a team! I got to lead 200 people last night as they said the Serenity Prayer with and for these young men and women.

Thanks for checking into e-gardens this week. I'll be back same time, same e-mail next week. Until then…

Happy gardening!