VOLUME 22, ISSUE 43 • October 22, 2026

Neil Sperry editor. Gretchen Drew design and circulation.

It was fun getting e-gardens ready for you this week. I got to write about a plant I've loved for a lifetime, and other stories fell into place.

In this issue…
• Unheralded heroic hoyas;
• This weekend's prime tasks;
• A new feature - Texas Garden Tip;
• Diane Sitton explores the pumpkin patch; and
• I answer your questions.

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Photo: The U.S.D.A. says that a typical fall harvest of pumpkins in Texas totals 50,000 U.S. tons! That’s a lot of heavy lifting.

Gardening This Weekend

Parts of Texas have already had their first frost or freeze (last weekend). The rest of us won't be too far behind. That means that weekends right now count double on getting fall tasks done. Check out my list of the most critical ones.

Photo: Plant snapdragons now for color this fall, and in South and Central Texas, all winter.

Pumpkin primer

If you’ve been admiring all the variety in pumpkins at local nurseries and groceries, you need to read what Diane Sitton has prepared for us this week. She describes all the common types. What a fun story.

Photo: Country pumpkin. Decorating with pumpkins is as easy as loading them into a wagon.

Texas Garden Tip: October 22, 2026

St. Augustine lawns across Texas are showing signs of this fungus as they do almost every fall. With this new feature I'm going to begin in this week's e-gardens I'll give you quick pointers on how to recognize it early and deal with it promptly.

Photo: Brown patch, also called "large patch" in St. Augustine.

Unheralded hoyas: October 22, 2026

I can't begin to describe my excitement when, back at age 12, my first wax plant (variegated Hoya carnosa came into bloom). And then I stopped by the house of a friend and saw her collection. These are unbelievable little vines. Let's talk.

Photo: Waxplant flowers put on quite a show.

Q&A – Ask Neil

A rangy young pistachio tree. A ferny weed that's taking over a lawn. How to find glyphosates. A badly split redcedar trunk. Repairing armadillo damage, and potential risk from a decaying raintree. See how I answered these question and others.

And, in closing…

That's it for this week's edition, but our editorial staff (me) is busily getting next week's stories lined up.

In the meantime, please tune me in on the radio this weekend. Stations, cities, frequencies, and phone numbers are all on this page from my website. Give me a listen and give me a call.

Many of the stations live stream the program, or you can listen to it as a podcast on my website by Monday evening.

This would be a great weekend to stop by your favorite nursery. Pick up some bargains in plants you've been wanting.

Thanks for reading, and until next week…

Happy gardening!

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