VOLUME 22, ISSUE 8 • February 19, 2026

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

Gardening This Weekend

Things are ramping up like never before starting now and running through the rest of the spring. Check here weekly for all the critical assignments if you expect to succeed with your landscape and garden in Texas.

Photo: It's potato-planting time across much of Texas.

Timing critical with pre-emergents

I never cease to be amazed by the impatience of gardeners when it comes to applying pre-emergent weedkillers. For them to be effective they must be applied in a timely manner. Let me lay out the schedules.

Photo: Crabgrass and grassbur seedlings don't show until after last freeze date.

Love you some Aglaonemas

There's been a big bunch of breakthrough breeding done on aglaonemas just in my lifetime, and it's spectacular to get to report it to you. One of our best small groups of interiorscape plants has exploded. Let me tell you how, when, and where.

Photo: Aglaonema Pink Valentine is one of the results.

Scalping is good lawn practice

You can make a case for scalping your lawn, and if you're in South Texas, it's just about time. (2-3 weeks in North Texas.) Let's list the benefits and how best to do it. I'll give pointers and precautions.

Photo: Henbit is an early spring weed you'll eliminate by scalping.

Q&A – Ask Neil

Where can unusual plants be found? Have you ever heard of Oak Leaf Itch Mites? How do you prune a plant that's all thorns? And how can squirrels be kept out of pots? Read my answers to this week's questions.

And, in closing…

We've come to the end of this e-garden's path, but I can see another just around the bend coming up next week, same time and same e-mail.

In the meantime, this would be a great time to stop in at an independent retail garden center near you and see what they have in store for you at the lead end of the season. Start making your plans for a great spring ahead.

Tune me in this weekend on the radio or hear podcasts of the programs on my website. I'll see you in 12 Texas newspapers, and maybe in church or at a hamburger stand down the street.

Before I go, just for fun…
Our son Todd had a little spare time last weekend so he took a hike up a trail at Pismo Beach in California. He spotted this unusual stump along the path. His inventive eye imagined a rare California crocodile, so he asked AI for a little help. Here was his result.

Images clickable for larger views.

So, that's it for now. until next week…
Thanks for reading.

And happy gardening!