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Volume 5, Issue 12
Welcome
to our December issue of e-gardens. We have timely information for the
season (as we always do). Know, too, that we'll always keep you abreast
of any serious weather issues that might crop up via special alerts from
e-gardens. All we ask in return is that you let others know about us.
Thanks for checking in this time around.
From the Sperry Garden
Someone
sent a question to our mailbox this month asking simply, "What are
these 'pinks' you talk about?" Since I'm a big fan of these durable
winter annuals, I thought I'd give you my spin. Click
here to see it.
Ask
NeilHave a question and photo you'd like to share with Neil? Send them here, then watch the following e-gardens for his reply. Remember, however, that Neil requires a photo, and he requests that you give your home city to ensure the most accurate answer possible. No plant IDs, please. Click to see this month's answers.
From the Magazine
The
November/December issue of Neil Sperry's GARDENS Magazine includes features
titled "Small Trees, Big Impact," "Cool Containers with Conifers,"
and "Plants with a Twist." Neil writes a personal note to readers
about his "bark mulch addiction." Click
here to read it.
Jimmy
Turner says it's all right to be tempted by the photos in the plant catalogs
and online ads this time of year. Some of those plants are the kind that
don't show off in nursery pots but will really take off in the garden.
Click
here to read about one of his mail-order surprises.
Watch
here each e-gardens for the most critical tasks of the upcoming months.
Click
here to see them for December. (For a more complete list, see our
annual Texas Gardening Calendar. Click
here to order.)
Tulips
need the cold - and need to be planted after Thanksgiving. This month
Leslie Finical Halleck tells us her secrets of success with tulips in
Texas. Click
here to read her article.
My
staff and I do all that we can to bring you the two best gardening publications
in Texas. Get my 2010 Texas Gardening Calendar at a 35% savings by buying
it with a subscription to our magazine. Total price, just $35.95, and
the information in the calendar alone can pay for that several times over.
They make great gifts as well. Click
for more info.
Holiday
festivities highlight the calendar this month, as botanical gardens and
parks across Texas open their gates to celebrate the season with special
exhibits, lighted trails, and shopping events. Click
here to read what's happening this month across Texas.
The
staff at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin has been experimenting
with native plants in new garden settings. The Café Meadow shown
here has a new look. Click
to read Andrea DeLong-Amaya's article about the changes.
Want
to landscape with the best of ‘em? We can help get you there. Dr.
Steve George of Texas A&M and I will teach you how to draw your own
landscape plan in our all-day class. Learn more, and sign
up here before we sell out!
On
his road trip down Houston way, our native son was stopped in his tracks
by glorious fall sights like bushy bluestem and scarlet sumac. En route,
he visited A&M and gave a talk in Tomball. Click
here to read Steven Chamblee's latest adventure story.
We
enjoy preparing e-gardens for you each month, and all we ask in return is
that you tell other gardeners about us. We won't let you down -- as always,
we'll never send spam, nor will we ever give or sell their e-mail addresses
to anyone. Please click here to forward us to them.
Mike Shoup, who writes our Rose Cuttings column, is traveling this month and away from his computer, but Neil takes an opportunity to give a shout-out to his friend, founder of the Antique Rose Emporium. Click here to read Neil's note.
Looking for a handcrafted pen made by Neil
Sperry from a rare, historic or exotic wood? Neil’s been busy all
summer and fall, and his pen sale appearances are coming up for the four
weekends following Thanksgiving. All proceeds are given to charity. Click
for details.
Meet
Max, Trey, Dwight Yoakam and Weeza, handsome, loving pets who need caring
new owners. They are waiting at Metroplex-area SPCAs for adoption. Click
here to read their stories and to learn what experts say about giving
pets as holiday gifts.
Squash vine borers and aggregating lady beetles
are just two of the insect appearances that set off alarms this time of
year. Click
here to read Extension entomologist Kimberly Schofield's article about
these and other seasonal insects.
Changing e-mail addresses? If so, take a moment to click here and change your e-mail address. Remember, we'll never spam you, and we don't sell your e-mail address --- ever!
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Neil Sperry - Publisher
Carolyn Skei - Editor
Gretchen Drew - Administrator
To forward this e-mail to a friend, click here.
To unsubscribe, click here.
That's it for another e-gardens. We'll be back at this same time and (perhaps) same computer next month.
Watch for us a day or two earlier than usual, since the last Thursday will be New Year's Eve. Our guess is that you'll have better things to do that Thursday night than sit around and wait for e-gardens to arrive.
Until then, thanks for reading, and happy gardening!
Neil Sperry