VOLUME 22, ISSUE 40 • October 1, 2026

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

That vibration you felt was the ground shaking as Texans did the Happy Dance when it finally began to rain! It's autumn!

In this issue…
• Oxblood lilies peeking on through;
• This weekend's goals;
• If you've been wanting a greenhouse;
• Sweet autumn clematis - Steve Huddleston; and
• Your questions and my answers.

NEIL SPERRY'S LONE STAR GARDENING
$24.95
LOWEST PRICE EVER!

• Covers Landscapes, Lawns, Fruit, Flower, and Vegetable Gardening - everything outdoors for every county in Texas.
• 344 pages. 840 of my photos. Hardback.
• Cover price $38.95.
• Contains a 48-page perpetual gardening calendar of when to plant, prune, fertilize, and protect every plant that you grow.
• I sign every book as it sells. I guarantee satisfaction or full refund.
• Supplies are limited to books on hand, and numbers are shrinking. I will not be reprinting the book and I'm not working on another title.
• Not in bookstores. Not on Amazon.

AVAILABLE ONLY FROM MY WEBSITE

Photo: The Sperry driveway landscape in the early morning sunlight this week.

Gardening This Weekend

As of mid-afternoon today I’m seeing that many parts of Texas have received several inches of much-needed rain over the past 18 hours. Hooray for that! Click for the things you’ll want to get done as working conditions improve later this weekend.

Photo: Gloriosa daisies like these 'Mama Mia' hybrids should be divided in fall.

Sweet autumns begin with this clematis

Here's a fragrant, fall-blooming vine that has adapted well to Texas. It's a quick cover for a fence or trellis, and it does well in sun or part sun. But let's let Steve Huddleston give us the details.

Photo: Sweet autumn clematis has been in flower the past several weeks.

I wondered if they'd bloom this year

My fearless little oxblood lilies came popping out to bloom just a few days ago, just as they've done every year for 40 years. This time, however, they're way behind schedule. Let me try to explain why. And I'll tell you why they're still one of my all-time favorite fall bulbs.

Photo: First blooms of the fall just a few days ago.

Home hobby greenhouse for you?

Maybe 2026 is the fall you'll get that hobby greenhouse you've been wanting so long. Let me do everything I can to encourage you. I have some tips to help you get the most possible enjoyment out of it. Click to read on.

Photo: A greenhouse lets this gardener extend the fresh vegetable season. Shutterstock Guy Banville.

Q&A – Ask Neil

A couple of old oak questions still hanging around from 2021 - understandably so. How good is rabbit manure? Splitsville for a rose-of-Sharon, and a plumeria that's been gassed. But wait - there's more. Click to see what!

And, in closing…

Thanks for reading e-gardens this week. Hopefully the rain found your gardens in just the right amounts.

Image clickable for larger view.

We've had quite a week around our house. Since last we visited the Arborilogical Services guys finished their great work on our trees. We celebrated my wife Lynn's birthday, and several other family things. Hopefully it's been good for you as well.

A quick reminder that I'll be on the air live this weekend and I'd love to hear from you with your gardening questions. This page on my website gives you the stations, frequencies, times, and phone numbers. Give me a listen, and give me a call. Podcasts of the programs are available on my website early the following week.

Until next week, same e-mailbox but with new and timely gardening messages - Be well, and…

Happy gardening!

Subscribe to Neil's Podcasts!

Available for both Apple and Google Play

Click here to listen on Neil's web site »