Find answers to common gardening questions provided by nationally recognized gardening expert, Melinda Myers. With more than 30 years of horticulture experience, she is wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share her frequently asked questions with you here. Come back each month for answers to a new set of questions that will help you in the garden.
Kalanchoes are succulents requiring the same care as a jade plant. While in bloom keep the plant in a cool well-lit location. Water thoroughly when the soil starts to dry. Remove blossoms as they fade to encourage a second flush of flowers. After flowering give your kalanchoe the same care as your other succulent plants.
Clover was once included in grass seed mixes as a nurse crop. As a legume it is able to fix nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil for plants to use. At some point we decided clover was a weed and needed to be eliminated from our lawns. Clover often appears in lawns that need a nutrient boost. Try fertilizing Memorial Day, Labor Day and Halloween for a thick lawn that is better able to compete with clover and other weeds. And leave the grass clippings on the lawn to decompose providing additional nitrogen and organic matter. So if you do not mind the clover let it remain. The all important honeybees and your garden will benefit from your decision.
Start by selecting black spot resistant roses. Most shrub roses are resistant to this disease and plant breeders are always trying to develop new varieties that are hardy and disease resistant. Sanitation will help reduce the risk of the disease attacking your existing roses. Fall cleanup helps reduce the source of the disease for future infestation. Remove all leaves on the lower 6 inches of roses by mid June. This reduces the risk of the disease splashing onto and infesting the plant. If spots do appear remove them immediately to reduce the risk of spread. Once the disease moves into a planting you may want to use a preventative spray program. Apply a fungicide as soon as the leaves appear and several weeks before the spots appear. Repeat as needed throughout the season. Look for a fungicide labeled for controlling black spot and consider using one of the more eco-friendly products. And as always read and follow label directions carefully.
This is a difficult location to successfully grow flowers. Try mulching the soil with shredded leaves, evergreen needles or other organic matter to help keep the plant roots cool and moist. Test a few different partial shade plants each year until you find those that thrive in this location. Here are a few plants you should try. Sun loving coleus as well as Dragon wing, Big Red, and bronze leafed wax begonias may work. Just keep the soil moist. Petunias, purple Heart (Setcreasea purpurea), pentas, and four o’clocks are other annuals to consider. For perennials try Serbian bellflower, hardy geraniums, daylilies, and speedwell (Veronica).
Nasturtiums and marigolds are traditional choices for insect control. Some gardeners believe they trap insects before they enter the garden, while others believe they attract insect pests to the garden. Research supports the claim that marigolds help control some pests, such as nematodes—a type of parasitic worm. But don't count on them for animal control. I have seen many a rabbit and groundhog start with the marigolds and eat their way through the garden. Otherwise, I have not seen research that supports many of these claims. University research has shown that certain flowers attract and feed beneficial insects that can help you in your battle against pests. Consider adding some of these plants in or near your garden to attract beneficial insects. Sweet alyssum, columbine, thyme, lavender, veronica, potentilla groundcovers, sedum, goldenrod, asters, dill and fennel are just a few plants to consider. Increase garden success by growing vegetables that are pest resistant, rotating plantings each year, weeding your garden (these unwanted plants often attract insects) and removing pests as soon as you see them. And while you’re at it, add a few flowers among your vegetables–it can’t hurt. I always mix in a few blooming beauties for fun and additional color.
Prune back the plants about halfway once they finish flowering. This stimulates new green compact growth and often a few additional flowers. Older plants will get leggy and less attractive over time. Divide these to improve the plants overall appearance.
Broccoli, just like cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, is a cool weather plant. It grows, produces, and tastes best in cooler weather (65 to 75 degrees). Plant transplants outdoors in early spring so the harvest occurs before hot weather arrives. Wait until the prolonged cold period have passed or provide extra protection with a cold frame, wall-o-water or floating row cover like ReeMay or Harvest Guard. Broccoli subjected to 10 or more days of below 50 degrees will set flower resulting in poor establishment and a very small harvest. Or try a fall crop. Place transplants in the garden in the summer. These will be ready to pick in fall when the temperatures start to cool. Don't worry about fall frost. A light frost on established plants will improve the flavor.
You can prune out 1/2 to 2/3 of the expanding new tip growth (called candles) this spring. Repeat each spring to minimize new growth. More severe pruning should be limited. You can prune branches back to side shoots or healthy buds in spring. More severe prune can result in bare branches that will eventually die. You may have to choose between the mugo pines and other plantings. As all the plants grow, space and light may become limiting factors. Overcrowded plants are less attractive and more subject to pest problems.
Nothing beats the flavor of fresh from the garden produce and that includes asparagus. This vegetable does take time and a bit more work but once established will provide years of tasty spears. Select one of the newer more productive and disease resistant hybrids. Purchase one- or two-year old disease free crowns. These are the roots with growing point intact Each crown will eventually produce about ½ pound of asparagus spears. Grow asparagus in full sun or light shade in almost anything but waterlogged soil. Set the crowns 12 inches apart in 6 inch deep furrows that are 18 to 36 inches apart. Cover the crowns with 2 inches of soil. Continue filling the trenches with soil as the crowns sprout and grow through the soil. Water thoroughly as needed. Once established, these are fairly drought tolerant plants.
Cold winters, improper pruning and excess nitrogen fertilizer can prevent forsythia from flowering. The flower buds of many forsythias are not reliably winter hardy. The plants will survive extreme cold but the flower buds won’t. Add some of the flower bud hardy, forsythias for reliable spring bloom. Northern Gold grows 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide. Meadowlark is nine feet tall and hardy in zone 3b. Lynwood Gold is another big shrub growing 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Sunrise is a bit smaller, urban tolerant and grows 6 feet tall and wide. Bronx forsythia makes a nice spring blooming groundcover or low growing shrubs at 12 inches height and 3 feet wide. Only prune these and other spring flowering shrubs right after they bloom (or should have bloomed). Pruning at other times eliminates the spring floral display. And avoid high nitrogen fertilizer that encourages leaf and stem growth at the expense of the flowers.
Continue to improve the soil. Adding organic matter and mulching with shredded leaves and other organic materials will help improve the growing conditions in your clay soil. Try some of our native plants that are good at tolerating and breaking through the clay soil. Purple coneflower, beebalm, switchgrass cultivars, black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), gayfeather (liatris), New England Aster, Heliopsis and goldenrod are a few sun loving perennials that will get your garden off to a good start.
Sunflowers are allelopathic. They contain a substance that prevents competing plants from growing near by. This is an effective survival mechanism used by black walnuts, buckthorn, and some other plants. Plus the constant hulls, seeds and droppings from the birds can interfere with grass growth. Try mulching directly under the feeder. This will help reduce weeds, conserve the soil, and reduce the need to hand trim the grass around the feeder. Or plant groundcovers and flowers just outside the mulched area. Many of the groundcovers will creep into the mulched area while the taller flowers will mask the view. Now you have a "garden" instead of a dead lawn area.
Timing and severity of pruning depends on the type of spirea. Wait until after flowering to prune bridal wreath and other spring flowering spirea. Remove a few of the older thicker stems (about 1/4 of all stems) to the ground to encourage new growth at the base. Reduce the overall height and maintain the plants natural form by cutting long stems back to shorter adjoining branches. You can prune summer blooming spireas anytime during the dormant season. I like to wait until late winter or early spring when the plants will soon start to grow and recover from pruning. Plus I get to enjoy the winter interest. Cut all the stems back halfway. Then prune half the older stems as close to the ground as possible. This method reduces floppiness that results from pruning all the stems to ground level.
Lasagna gardening is one of many ways of improving soil or converting lawn areas to garden beds. This method uses layers of newspapers and organic matter to create a garden without the need of double digging and a rototiller. I have met quite a few northern gardeners who have successfully used this method.
This is a common dilemma faced by many successful gardeners. Air layering is the least risky method of handling this problem. It allows the top portion of the plant to form roots while still attached to the existing root system. Cut halfway into the stem at the point you want to start a new plant. Wedge open the cut with a wooden match or toothpick. Treat the cut area with a rooting hormone, cover with moist sphagnum peat and wrap with plastic. In one to two months roots will appear. You can then cut beneath the rooted area, remove the plastic, and plant the rooted cutting in a well-drained potting mix. I have also been successful making a stem cutting. Cut off the top, leafy, portion of the stem. Dip the cut end in a rooting hormone and place it in a well-drained potting mix. There is greater risk but less work involved in this method. With either method you can cut the remaining stem back to several inches above the soil line. The plant usually sprouts and you can start all over.
Dwarf evergreens including small varieties of arborvitae and junipers provide shelter and many provide food for the birds. Chokeberry (Aronia), dogwoods (Cornus), elderberry (Sambucus), Juneberry (Amelanchier), viburnums, and roses provide multiple seasons of beauty as well as food and shelter for the birds. Bayberry (Myrica), coralberries (Symphoricarpos), and lilac (Syringa) add seasonal beauty to the landscape while providing food for the birds.
Mulch the area after the ground freezes with evergreen boughs or weed-free straw. This keeps the soil consistently cold and usually prevents early sprouting. As you discovered most early sprouted bulbs will survive. The leaf tips may be damaged, but as long as the flower buds are below ground your spring flower display will be fine. Flowers from some early-blooming daffodils and tulips may be lost. Just leave the plants in place and wait to enjoy their blooms the following spring. You can apply a winter mulch over early sprouted bulbs once the temperatures begins to drop.
Now is a great time to plan for these types of landscape additions. First identify a location that receives the amount of light needed by the plants you want to grow. Avoid building raised beds under the drip line of trees. Additional soil over tree roots can injure or even kill many types of trees. Design the bed outline keeping maintenance in mind. Avoid narrow spaces and sharp angles that make mowing difficult. Use long lasting materials that fit the landscape design and are plant and environmentally friendly if you plan to build a wall around this bed. Stone, plastic lumber, and landscape timbers are a few of the commonly used materials. Cut the existing grass short and cover with several layers of newspaper. This will kill the grass and weeds. Cover the area with at least 12 inches of blended topsoil. Allow an extra twenty percent soil for the settling that will occur. Lightly water or wait two weeks for the soil to settle. Now you are ready to plant.
Onions can be started in mid to late February. Mid March is a good time to plant cool crops such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Plant peppers and eggplants the beginning of April. Wait until the middle of April to start your tomatoes. Gardeners in colder zone 4 should wait an additional one or two weeks to start their seeds.
Give your Christmas tree a second life in the garden. Anchor it in a snow bank or on a fence or trellis. Hang homemade or purchased birdseed feeders, orange pieces, and other food for the birds. The tree provides needed shelter and the food will help bring additional visitors into your landscape. Or use it as a windbreak to protect boxwood, rhododendrons, and other broadleaf evergreens from drying winter winds and winter sun. You can also cut the branches off the tree and use them as winter mulch over perennials and bulbs. Place several branches over border-line hardy perennials, late plantings, or bulbs that are subject to early sprouting. Winter mulch keeps the soil cold, preventing early sprouting and frost heaving during our winter thaws. At the end of the season, contact your local municipality. Many will chip the remnants of your tree along with other gardeners' landscape trimmings for use as mulch in the landscape.
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Loosely tie the multiple upright stems of pyramidal arborvitae and juniper to prevent this type of damage. The snow tends to roll off the bound plants rather than bending and breaking the individual stems. Use wide cloth straps that won’t damage the stems but will be masked by the foliage. Or wrap the plants in clear or black plastic netting. The netting blends with the foliage and it may even reduce problems with deer damage on the arborvitae..
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Consider adding plants with interesting form, bark, and texture. Harry Lauder’s Walkingstick’s twisted stems provide a unique form while the red and yellow twig dogwoods, oakleaf hydrangea (orange exfoliating bark) and kerria (chartreuse stems) have colorful bark. Roses, winterberry and chokeberry provide colorful fruits and help attract the birds to your landscape. Crabapples are great four season plants. Upright, spreading and low growing forms are available. Select varieties with small fruit that persist through the winter and are eaten by the birds in spring as they soften. And the smooth gray bark of musclewood (Carpinus), serviceberry (Amelanchier) and magnolia help brighten the winter landscape. And don’t forget about dwarf evergreens. They provide food and shelter for wildlife and year round greenery for us to enjoy.
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Selecting the right tree is the first step in keeping your tree looking good throughout the season. Purchase a fresh tree with pliable needles that are firmly attached. Store your tree in a cool shaded location out of the wind until you are ready to move it indoors. Re-cut the stem at a slant. Remove at least an inch (more if your tree is tall and the ceiling is low) from the bottom of the trunk. Place the tree in a stand and fill it with water. Check the water level several times during the first 24 hours your tree is indoors. Add water as needed. It is amazing how much water the tree will absorb. Water is the key to keeping your tree fresh. Make sure the tree stand is always full. Once the tree dries it stops taking up water, dries and the sound of dropping needles fill the room. The only cure is to re-cut the stem right after the stand runs dry. Not too practical once the tree is covered with ornaments. Tree preservatives can be added to the water. These contain chemicals to feed the tree and fight disease.
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Brown leaf edges on trees, shrubs, and other plants are usually symptoms of scorch. This occurs when the plant loses water from its leaves faster than it can absorb it from the soil. Hot dry summers like we had this year, windy conditions, and root damage or restrictions are often the cause. We can’t control the weather but proper mulching and thorough watering during extended drought can help reduce the risk of scorch. Protect trees during remodeling and construction and avoid over watering that can lead to root rot that can eventually lead to scorch. Proper care will help prevent future problems with scorch and keep trees healthy for years to come.
Honeydew is the clear sticky substance on the leaves of your jasmine tree. It is a good clue that aphids, mites, white fly, mealy bugs, or scale are feeding on your plant. These insects suck plant juices and secrete the excess as honeydew. Check other houseplants to make sure they are not infested. Give insect ridden plants a shower with warm water. Then apply insecticidal soap, Neem, or other natural insecticide labeled for this use, to the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves and stems. This will kill aphids, mites, and the immature stages of the other pests. Repeat applications will be needed. Gently scrape off any hard shell-like structures, these are the adult scale insects, found on the leaves and stems. Add a yellow sticky trap if you notice white fly-like insects around the plants. It won't eliminate white flies but will help reduce their populations. With persistence you should be able to control the insects, eliminate the honeydew, and improve the health of your plants.
Dormant seeding is done in late fall. Grass seed is planted late in the year so it will be in place and ready to grow next spring. Success is dependent on proper timing and the weather. Grass seeded too early or warm fall temperatures can result in fall sprouting. These tender grass seedlings can be killed by cold winter temperatures. If you feel lucky, give it a try. Just wait until the soil temperatures drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise wait to plant grass seed in early to mid May or late August through mid September for more reliable results.
I prefer to prune evergreen shrubs such as yews, junipers and arborvitae in early spring before growth begins. This way you can remove any winter damage and shape the plant at the same time. Plus the plants will soon start growing and can quickly recover. You can also prune these shrubs in early to mid July when the plants enter a semi-dormant period. Fall pruning opens up the plant and exposes tender growth that has been shaded and shielded throughout the growing season. These once protected needles will now be exposed to the harsh conditions of winter. Complete touchup pruning as needed. But save the big jobs for next spring.
A healthy slightly potbound clivia will reward you with beautiful flowers. Be sure your plants receive bright light indoors or partial shade outdoors, ample moisture, and high humidity during the summer. Keep the plants in a cooler location (mid 50's) during the winter. Reduce watering and do not fertilize during this period. As the days lengthen, increase the moisture and fertilize as needed with any dilute solution of flowering plant food. The plants should produce flowers in spring or summer.
Fall is an excellent time to plant. The soil is warm and air is cool encouraging root development. Consider waiting until spring to plant magnolia, dogwood, red maple, freeman maple, birch, hawthorns, cherries, plums and most oaks. These trees are a bit slower to establish and perform best with a spring planting. But a good price and availability may make it worth the risk. Be sure to provide all new plantings with adequate water. And mulch the soil around your new plantings to create a better growing environment for your plants.
Try using Bobbex R as a protective dip this fall. Simply remove the papery cover on the bulb, soak the bulbs in the Bobbex-R for 3 to 5 minutes. The concentrated product works best. Then allow the bulbs to air dry. Once dry the bulbs are ready to plant. The vapors given off by the Bobbex mask the bulbs smell protecting your bulbs throughout fall and winter. Treat the plants in spring as they emerge to protect them from hungry rabbits and deer.
Golden canker is a common problem on pagoda and other dogwoods suffering heat and drought stress. Prune out and destroy the infected portions of the plant. Make your cut 6 to 9 inches below he canker (yellow-brown lesions) and disinfect tools between cuts. Then be sure to water these plants thoroughly whenever the top 4 to 6 inches of soil are crumbly and moist. Mulching the soil with 1 to 2 inches of shredded bark or woodchips will help keep the roots cool and moist, suppress weeds and improve the soil as they decompose. Just be sure to keep the lmulch away from the trunks of trees and off the crown of shrubs.
Fall is a great time to prepare the soil for spring planting. Add shredded leaves, compost, or other organic material to the soil. Turn these materials into the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. You do not need to finely till the soil or rake the garden smooth. The freezing and thawing that occurs over winter will help break down large clods and settle the soil. In spring give your garden a light cultivation and you will be ready to plant. Avoid fall cultivation of gardens on slopes or other locations where soil erosion may be a problem. Work these areas just prior to planting.
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