Q.I Am Reporting An Error. - In your summary about snow drops, you advise that the height is .25 feet or .07 cm. I believe you ...
A.Thank you! I'm passing this on to the writers and editors.Read MoreQ.Part Shade Enclosed Gardening - We back up to a wooded ravine with tall cottonwood trees. There are deer, rabbits, birds, squirrels. We made an ...
A.It probably isn't getting enough sun. Fruiting veggies need 8 to 10 hours of full sun a day. The evening sun would be negligible. So it's really only getting morning sun and the screening may be acting like a shade ...Read MoreQ.Pruning A Transplanted Ginkgo Tree - I recently transplanted a 6 ft tall ginkgo tree that had been planted in the shade 25 years ago. I ...
A.The tap root's purpose is to stabilize the tree, so if you got the feeder roots, it may be okay. You would have needed to cut the tap root anyway. This article tells in-depth how to transplant a tree and ...Read MoreQ.Is There A Way To Get A Buckeye Tree To Stop Producing Buckeyes? - We love the canopy but don’t like all the buckeyes.
A.Yeah, but it's not easy. You can try a plant growth regulator like ethephon in early spring before flowers set—this can reduce fruit production. Another option is heavy pruning right before flowering to remove buds, but that’s a yearly chore. ...Read More
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Q.Pee Gee Hydrangea - I have an overgrown hydrangea that I'd like to "tame". I've started working on it, but don't know if I'm ...
A.Yea, now would be a good time to start pruning since this one blooms on new wood. You can prune for a shorter shrub, or keep it like you have it with just some tip pruning. That's up to you. ...Read MoreQ.Easy Elegance Shrub Rose With Downy Mildew - Hello, I planted 4 different Easy Elegance Shrub Roses last summer. In the fall, one of them started showing signs ...
A.It sounds like you did the right things last summer. This spring, some preventative spraying will help plus thinning the branches to improve air circulation. We don't recommend brands but the article below mentions the active ingredient that seems to ...Read MoreQ.Ground Cover To Choke Out Weeds AND Prevent Slope Erosion. - Have a steep slope planted with juniper horizontalis about 20 years ago. Slope washing out under and between junipers. starting ...
A.Your junipers are losing their grip on the slope, and weeds are moving in. You need a tough, spreading ground cover to lock in soil and block weeds. Creeping phlox is a solid pick—fast-growing, weed-choking, and throws out a killer ...Read MoreQ.What Can I Use To Support The Heaviness Of My Batista ? - Looking for some kind of bracing to put around these plants
A.We don't recommend brands, but below is information that should help. Also, be sure your plants are sited in full sun and average soil. Shade or fertile soil could make the stems floppy. Garden supply stores and catalogs offer steel ...Read MoreQ.Roses Growing From Beneath Soil - Garden designer dug up (or did he?) 5 rose bushes - my history with roses not good. They have all ...
A.It sounds like the roses were probably grafted and what grew back was the rootstock of the rose, not the desirable upper part. Replacing them would be your best bet. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/own-root-roses-grafted-roses.htm https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/removing-rose-suckers.htmRead MoreQ.When To Plant Bare Root Strawberries? - I just bought a package of bare root strawberry plants. I live in southern Ontario with a frost free date ...
A.Bare-root plants need to be planted right away or the roots could dry out. It would be better to wait till after June 1 to plant them outside, so I suggest planting them in containers for now and keeping them ...Read MoreQ.Seeding Into Straw - Hi, I'm hoping you'll have some ideas/advice about this...I live on thirty acres where the soil is poor (it is ...
A.Thyme is a good one. You can mix some compost into the soil before you drop it in to increase fertility. Here are more ideas: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/groundcover/gcgen/groundcover-for-foot-traffic.htmRead MoreQ.Fig Tree Borer Netting - Hi, I'm keen to see the fig borer netting in place with a picture, as I can't really understand what ...
A.I can't find a photo either but you can purchase the fine, stiff netting (looks like a window screen) in a garden center or home improvement store. It needs to be fine enough that the beetle can't get through it. ...Read MoreQ.Can I Grow A Bradford Pear Tree By Pulling Off A Bloom And Planting It? If So, How Deep? - Any other tips to get the tree started?
A.You can propagate trees from cuttings or twigs. You may want to reconsider propagating a Bradford pear, however, they are invasive in many states and are displacing native flora. Missouri is hosting a buyback program and if you cut down ...Read MoreQ.What Are Deer Resistant Trees That Are Not Too Huge For Property And Are Good For Zone 6B And 7A - I would like a list of trees/shrubs that would be deer resistant and not too huge for property that would ...
A.For a deer-resistant, low-maintenance landscape in Mead, WA, consider serviceberry, a hardy small tree with spring blooms and summer berries. Oregon grape is a tough, evergreen shrub with spiky leaves and bright yellow flowers that deer tend to avoid. Mahonia ...Read MoreQ.Late Maybe, Early June Blooms - I was thinking of planning an arrangement of live plants, instead of just flowers for my girls birthday on June ...
A.Go for roses and peonies—they love the warm Florida climate and should start blooming by early June with full sun and well-drained soil. Lavender’s another solid choice, thriving in Zone 9b and kicking off its blooms late spring. Black-eyed Susans ...Read MoreQ.Can Pine Cones Be Used As Fillers In Bottom Of Bed Or Pot? - Would they be toxic to vegetables?
A.Yes, you can use them for fillers in your flower pots. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/pot-filler-materials.htm I can't find any research that says to use them in a vegetable raised bed, however. If you have a compost pile, they can be added to ...Read MoreQ.Tomato Stem Rot - Further to my previous inquiry re the disease in my tomatoes. It was suggested that it was blossom end rot. ...
A.Indeed. This can happen anywhere on the tomato, including where the stems meets the fruit. Just most commonly, then end. Your soil test will tell you what you need to know. If your soil never has a chance to dry ...Read MoreQ.Bottlebush Looks Dead On Top But Base Still Green - My bottlebrush is green at the base of the bush but completely brown up top (after a hard freeze in ...
A.Your bottlebrush plant may not be completely dead, even if the upper parts look damaged. Hard frosts can cause significant dieback in bottlebrush plants. Prune the dead parts and protect from hard frosts in the future. They typically loose all ...Read MoreQ.How Do I Prevent My Spider Plant From Getting Too Big - I'm giving giving away one of my spider plants because it has become much too big for the area it ...
A.I do think keeping the rootball in check is a great idea. These plants are highly invasive. Though, nothing will control its size, you can slow it down. Keep the soil VERY dry. They like it mostly dry, and will ...Read More
