VOLUME 20, ISSUE 41 • October 10, 2024

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

 
 
 
 

October is the most gardener-friendly month of the entire calendar year. It may be a tiny bit warm this coming weekend, but great weather will ease into our state early next week. Hopefully e-gardens will help you gain the most from it.

In this issue…
The best unknown flower;
What size are those seeds?
This weekend's checklist;
Diane Sitton, the pumpkin juggler; and
Your Q's, My A's.

NEIL SPERRY'S LONE STAR GARDENING
Only $34.95

Texas' most thorough gardening reference book ever.
11 chapters. 344 pages. 840 photos. More than 25 multi-page charts.
A 48-page perpetual calendar of when to do all important tasks - the calendar alone will pay for the book in savings and frustration.
Covers every aspect of landscapes, lawns, fruit, flower, and vegetable gardening.
Written for every county in Texas.
Hardback. Printed in Texas.
You get a year of my writing time and a lifetime of my learning time right at your fingertips.
I sign every copy as it sells and I personally guarantee your satisfaction or full refund.
Makes an appreciated gift!
Book is not in stores and not on Amazon.

• Available only from:
• My office: (800) 752-4769
(T-F, closed Mondays)
• My website: www.neilsperry.com

Photo: There's nothing better than a nursery bench filled with crossandras in bloom.

 
 
 
   

Gardening This Weekend

We've been very warm and very dry. No news there. It will be cooler next week, but dry in much of the state. That said, let's look ahead at tasks you'll want to accomplish over the next several days. Scan through the list quickly.

Photo: Plant ornamental cabbage now for showy colors all winter.

 
CONTINUE READING
 
 
   

Welcome the season with pumpkins

Our wonderful friend in East Texas has outdone herself. Diane Sitton brings us a gardenful of ideas to match up with pumpkins, squash, and decorative gourds of the season.

Photo: Magnify the seasonal celebration by extending fall décor beyond the porch.

 
CONTINUE READING
 
 
   

One of our best unknown plants

Say it with me: Crossandra infundibuliformis. Say it 'til you love it. Better yet, look at it once and you'll love it like I did. That was back when I was a teenager, and I've been growing it on and off ever since. This is a great little potted plant, and class is in session. Click the page to find out more about it.

Photo: Crossandra flowers are the refreshing color of orange sherbet.

 
 
 
   

How many seeds per ounce?

Such a simple question. Such an amazing answer. Can you name the plants with the tiniest seeds? What common plants have the largest seeds? I've always been fascinated by this topic. I'll cover a few.

Photo: Seeds are fascinating. Open a few packets. They come in all shapes and sizes.

 
CONTINUE READING
 
 
   

Q&A – Ask Neil

We got your basic fire ants in the vegetable garden. Gold Star Esperanza with a splitting headache. A lacebark elm with a beer belly. And a sickly forsythia. Welcome to the Sperry Infirmary. See where the commentary takes us.

 
CONTINUE READING
 
 

And, in closing…


That's it for another e-gardens. This one has been unlike any other. Knowing it was going to be a crazy weekend and work week (thank you, IRS), I started writing it 6-1/2 days ago. But it's done, and this baby is beautiful.

Join me on the radio live this weekend. And in church. And out in the garden or at a nursery.


Before I leave, though, my wife Lynn made a new friend as we were finishing up the last parts of our taxes to take to the CPA. Seems he'd been watching us for some time, so Lynn decided to watch him back.

I sent the photo to our kids. Brian replied, "Squirrel's on two legs. Mom's on all fours."

That's what tax work will do to your brain.

And I'll sign off with a more serious note. A happy note, though.


FOUNDED OCTOBER 11, 1999

Tomorrow, October 11, will be the 25th birthday of
Serenity High in McKinney.

Serenity High was the nation's first public high school especially dedicated to youth in recovery from issues of substance disorders. These students were coming back from drug and alcohol rehab, but they were being advised not to go back into their old school environments.

More than a dozen ISDs in and around Collin County have partnered with McKinney ISD to send their qualifying students to Serenity. Many miracles have happened within those walls of Serenity High.

Lynn was on the McKinney ISD school board when this disease broke out in our family and she's still on the board today, and Serenity High has been one of her finest accomplishments. But it wouldn't have happened without great public support and school personnel.

Happy Birthday, Serenity High in McKinney!

And until next week,

Thanks for reading…

And happy gardening!

 
 

Subscribe to Neil's Podcasts!

Available for both Apple and Google Play

Click here to listen on Neil's web site »