Question....
Hello, your site is full of great information.
I have been reading many books from the library about propagation. I'm very new to all of it. One question that goes unanswered is: Since hybrids do not (generally) grow true from seed how can I propagate an annual hybrid -- such as a pansy, or double impatient? Do I take a stem cutting? A root cutting? If I should do something like this, WHEN should I do it?

I live in Zone 4 -- Minnesota. I would like to take my favorite hybrid annuals and propagate them so that I don't have to buy them year after year! I would like to do it at the right time so that they will flower for me each late spring (May-June).

If you can help me I would greatly appreciate the answer to these questions.
Mrs. John S

Answer....
As you say seeds from hybrids do not grow true to the parent. An F1 hybrid in the plant world, is a man made cross between two selected parent plants, in order too give superior performance over the original basic variety. The seed from these plants reverts too one or other parent. Strangely plants from winter pansy seed do come pretty good in the first season.

You mention double impatiens? This variety is a perennial, not an annual, and can be grown easily from cuttings. Do not try too early in the season you could have rotting problems until the air is dryer.

Many pansies will live for more than one year and again you can grow from cuttings. Otherwise annuals are annuals i.e. going through a full life cycle in one year.

To complicate matters, some of the other summer bedding plants sold as annuals are actually perennials or biennials.

Question....
I have a very long backyard fence and was going to plant blackberries (live in Toronto) can I buy seeds or do I buy cuttings or plants thanks.
Billy

Answer....
You can buy plants of the cultivated varieties from your garden outlet. You can also buy thorn-less varieties. There is also a loganberry with very big berries, which is worth investigating.

Beware; these cultivated varieties need more care and attention than the wild type. This means annual feeding and training too your fence, in order to stop wayward growth.

Question....
Please could you give me some advice on a little woody plant I was given called Prunus Tomentosa. It had little white flowers last April followed by little red berries. It is now just bare due to winter (I think) I have no instructions on how to look after this out door plant. Please advise.
You'rs in gratitude. Shirley

Answer....
Prunus Tomentosa or Nanking Cherry will look after itself but it does suffer from leaf spot diseases in wet seasons. You need a well-drained soil for best performance.

Rabbits will eat the bark and any low leaves, which they love. It is quite often a short-lived species. The tree will grow as wide as its height so you will need space. You really need two specimens, too cross-fertilise, for fruit. They are very frost hardy.

Question....
I have a question I don't seem to be able to find an answer for. I recently purchased a detached condo and have a side yard I would love to landscape. Trouble is, close to the house the previous owners put in a small "bulkhead" fence and filled the entire area with SAND from the beach. Then they placed nautical items as a decoration.

I removed ALL that and am left with1-1/2 feet of sand. I would like to plant several plants and/or shrubs there. Question: do I have to remove the sand first or can I amend the sand to be able to plant?? I really would like an answer to this troubling question. I would like to start amending now if that is a solution.
Thanks Julia from central NJ.

Answer....
The only plants that will grow in your sand are the plants that you find growing in sand at the beach or in a desert. All other plants need organic material i.e. soil or dirt. Get rid of the sand and replace with good quality topsoil, available from landscape merchants or your local garden outlet.

Question....
I have a china doll in my garden that's about 4 mtrs high, and I'm just wondering how big a root system they get, and is it wise to have them near footpaths.
Thanks Paul

Answer....
As a general rule, tree roots grow out about half the height of the tree in any direction. The roots being large in diameter at the tree base, going smaller as they radiate outwards. A healthy China Doll tree is a lovely sight and well worth keeping. So a little footpath damage, if the said tree is too near to the path, is probably worth tolerating.

Note; there are various varieties of China Doll, some are miniature and some are very large indeed.

Question....
Hi, can you give me some advice. We planted 3 eucalyptus trees, last March and they seem to take really well and grew at a good rate, which was why we wanted them, along with the fact that they are evergreen.

About 2 weeks ago, we noticed that the leaves had turned brown and were very dry. There has been quite a hard frost, but the soil was still quite moist and we were wondering what to do next.
We appreciate any advice to be given,
thanks T &R

Answer....
Frosty winds can damage eucalyptus trees more than a general frost. This is called wind chill damage. The nature of the eucalyptus tree is that it is capable of growing back from severe cold or severe drought even forest fires.

The tree can appear to be totally dead but in spring warmth new growth can appear all over the tree and grow into new branches. One other point, are your trees firmly staked and firm in the ground? Trees rocking about in the wind will fail to take up enough water to keep the leaves healthy.

Question....
Please can you advise?
I have three hydrangeas, of which two are pink, and one white.
They are all situated in the same boarder and spaced apart. The two pink ones are fine and display perfect colour and growth, but the white one has not. The white plant has flowered once, and with a single head, and the stems, and leaves can appear to be twisted.

Please can you give me some indication as to what the problem might be, and a remedy to solve this problem?
Regards Peter

Answer....
I assume that the hydrangeas are of a similar variety. Spread a generous amount of garden lime around the roots of the problem plant at the beginning of April. This will sweeten the soil and kill any soil borne disease, which may be affecting the bush.

Also feed with about a cupful of Epsom salts at the end of April, this will correct any mineral deficiency in the soil. After flowering time, cut down the plant to about 1/3 meter in height, this will encourage new bushy growth for next year.

Question....
I wonder if you can help me. Each year my various watering cans get clogged with green slimy deposits, which gum up the rose and make it difficult to use. Is there anything I can use to clean out this deposit?
Thanks for your help. A.L.C

Answer....
Use a bathroom cleaner that specifically claims to remove common moulds.

Question....
Just purchased a house in the country, in the TX Panhandle and I have a problem with goat heads. What can I do to get rid of them? Margaret

Answer....
Glyphosate, marketed mostly under the brand name 'Roundup' will kill your goatheads. Read the label on the pack, you must cover any chosen plants when spraying with Glyphosate; it will kill many other plants.

Goats heads like very poor conditions, this would suggest that your yard needs a heavy dosage of garden lime (gypsum) and a generous amount of farmyard manure or horse manure or similar. Goat heads seed can last for up to 10 years in the soil so the problem will not go away immediately.

There is also a weevil, specific to goat heads, this eats the seed and can be introduced artificially.

Question....
I live in central Florida and have not pruned my rose bush. It is still blooming and looks nice. Do I need to prune it in order to make it stronger and bloom longer? It is the newest variety rose, the one that's most disease resistant. I still have problems with black spot and have not been able to rid the bush of it completely. Should I just spray every 7 to 10 days?

Answer....
Rose bushes should be pruned down to about 2 feet height; this encourages new growth from the lower branches.

If new growth starts from higher up it can cause some of the branches at the base of the bush to die back. This weakens the plant and in a tall bush it allows strong winds to rock the plant around and so loosen the roots, eventually killing the bush. Always when pruning, look for suckers of the wild rose growing up from the rootstock beneath the graft. These are easily missed and if left can soon take over and destroy you're chosen variety.

With black spot and such diseases, if you have to continue spraying, it sometimes pays to switch to a different brand of spray; it is possible that the fungus has developed a resistance to the brand you are using at present.

Question....
I love this website. I'm landscaping my front yard, and want to plant rows of Italian cypress. I live in cathedral city/palm springs California (Coachella valley) - very sandy soil. I've noticed that in the area some yards have strong healthy and some weakly Italian cypress growing.

Should I worry about ordering Italian cypress from Lowes or Home Depot - can I be assured I will get healthy stock? Or should I have a species request? Or should I be most concerned about watering and fertilization?
Thanks for reading! Tom

Answer....
You need too work in plenty of humus into your soil e.g. farmyard manure, horse manure, or garden peat, to improve the water holding properties of your sandy soil.

Italian cypress needs plenty of water when planted and for all of the first year after planting. You will also need to add garden lime to the soil every couple of years. Italian cypress like an alkaline soil. Sandy soil is acid. Use a high nitrogen fertiliser. Glad you like the website.

Question....
Hello,
I forgot to plant my spring blooming bulbs last fall and now they are beginning to show green shoots. What do I do now, and how do I get the most from them planting them in the early/mid spring. Yikes help a dummy out and thanks in advance. Best Regards, Richard
Portland Oregon

Answer....
Your bulbs will be of little, if any, use this year. Best to close plant them in a spare corner of your yard, water well and feed with fertiliser and hope that they will build good bulbs for planting out next fall.

Or, best of all, dump them and buy new bulbs in the fall and don't forget to plant them next time.




Also visit FEBRUARY GARDENING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Then visit FEBRUARY GARDENING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PAGE TWO

QUESTION


ANSWER



If you came straight to this page please visit our Home Page to learn a little more about this gardening web site.

HOME PAGE

TOP OF PAGE

GO TO PAGE ONE MARCH Q & A

GO TO PAGE TWO MARCH GARDENING Q & A

© 2001 - 2010 VALECROFT NURSERIES. FEBRUARY GARDENING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
Gardening in February Questions and Answers 4. Advice, help, hints, tips.

Valecroft Nurseries Gardening Questions Answered. Spring Guide.
Online Garden Website. Gardening Tips. Help with garden problems.
Online gardening yard care advice, tips and hints, help, info.
Gardening yard care help for beginners and the slightly more experienced.
The above information is for home gardening and leisure use only.
Valecroft Nurseries. 2001 - 2010
Page updated 3/3/2010

New visitors please read Legal Notice

This is a non commercial web site and entirely child safe.
Please Bookmark this Site


Valecroft Nurseries. Gardening Questions Answered. Online guide.
© 2010 Valecroft Nurseries. Gardening Questions Answered. Winter Gardening.