Question.
    I'm new to gardening and am confused by some information I've gotten on biennials, specifically foxgloves and hollyhocks. I am growing in coastal Massachusetts. Some references state that these plants will sometimes flower year after year, highly unbiennial-like behaviour. If this is true, under what circumstances are the plants likely to come back and flower the following year? I've cut the stalks of one of my foxgloves already but the other, prettier, one awaits your advice. Thank you so much,
Maria

Answer.
    Some varieties of foxgloves are perennials some are not, if you like a particular color leave it and see what happens. If it is perennial you will be able to move it Oct. or Nov. if you need the present location for other plants. Hollyhocks are the same; some varieties are perennials some are not.

Q.
    I just got a great deal on gladioli bulbs. I bought quite a few, but the problem is that the area I want to plant them will not be available until next spring. Someone told me that I could put the bulbs in my freezer and then bring them out when I got ready to plant them. Is this true and if so, do I leave them in their original packages or do I store them some other way? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks, Peggy

A.
    You cannot store gladioli corms in the freezer; gladioli corms are not frost hardy. Gladioli should be planted in April or early May at the latest. The best I can suggest is to plant them closely in some corner of your garden, fertilise well and do not cut any flowers, the energy in the leaves will hopefully grow new corms for next year.

You must dig up the new corms at the onset of winter, dry well and store in a frostproof area.

Q.
    Hello,
We live in eastern Pennsylvania. Our Japanese split maple is planted next to our house where it receives some sun, but mostly shade We planted it approx. 3 years ago. I have 3 main questions. What type of fertilizer would be good for it...and how often can I fertilize to encourage healthy growth?

What does it mean when some of the leaf tips turn dry and brown and shrivel then progresses to most of leaves (but only on their fringes) by fall...has been starting toward end of summer (around mid to end of July)...doing this the last two seasons. What is a good source for reading on care of this type tree? I appreciate your attention to these questions and any help you can offer me. We just love this bush/tree. Thank you.

A.
    This would seem to indicate that you are on soil that lacks organic content, leaving the moisture level very low. Try to mulch around the tree with garden compost, farmyard manure, horse manure, or such like. Feed now with a high nitrogen fertiliser, an application of garden lime would also help to make the soil more alkaline and more suited to the tree.

Q.
    Hi: How do I account for large, healthy zucchini plants not producing any mature fruit? One plant is five feet wide, with a dozen fruit on it, and they never get any bigger than a few inches, and rot at the ends. Five hills, and no zucchini so far. I thought they were prolific!
David, Churchville, VA (Shenandoah Valley)

A.
    The insects are not pollinating the flowers. Try pollinating by hand, transferring the pollen from the male to the female flowers with a soft feather. The female flowers are the ones with the small fruit at the base.

Q.
    We have a problem with a wild vine commonly called "stink weed" due to the strong odour when the vine stem is broken. It has 2 oval shaped leaves and in the spring in the SE has small white flowers... It grows quickly and is taking over our other plants and shrubs. We have pulled up a massive amount of it so far. Is there any way to get rid of it other than "Round Up" which would harm the other plants?

A.
    You could make up a mixture of Roundup in a container and paint the mixture on to the base of the vines with a small decorators brush; roundup is absorbed by the plant and kills the roots. Read the instructions on the box. The main thing is to stop them seeding down for next year.

Q.
    Hello! I hope that you can help. My first question is about my Japanese Red Maple. We moved into this house about two years ago and we have a beautiful Jap. Red Maple out front. It has a split in the trunk that had something black covering the split. (Probably the last owner's fix to whatever is wrong with this poor tree.) Since we have moved in the split continues to spread up the tree. Other than that and a few dead branches each year, the tree seems healthy. Is there something that I should be doing to help this beautiful tree, or should I enjoy it while it lives?

My next question is about my boxwood hedges. Early this summer one of the plants in the middle of the row died. It seems to be spreading to the other boxwoods along the row and there are cobwebs all over the bushes and on the grass around the hedge. It also seems to be spreading to the other plants in the area. What could this be and how do I make it stop. My plan is to replace the boxwood hedges next spring anyway, but I don't want whatever's killing them to kill the plants I want to keep.
Thanks! Lynn

A.
    Your maple, the split could be the result of wind damage when the tree was a young sapling on the nursery. The black substance is a special tar that is used to seal splits and cover grafts against disease, if the tree looks healthy, no need to worry.

The boxwood hedge, this sounds like a very small moth caterpillar that spins a web like a silkworm caterpillar and can devastate young trees and bushes. Try spraying with a caterpillar spray.

Q.
    I have just planted 10 rose bushes of different types in a garden adjacent to my driveway. There is a wooden fence one side only. My problem is that rabbits have eaten almost all of my roses. I would like to know what I could do to keep them away from my rose garden.
Thank you. K. North Brookfield, MA

A.
    Put a chicken wire fence around your roses, dig in the bottom of the wire into a trench in order to stop them getting under the fence. The roses should re-grow if not too badly eaten, but watch out for briars from the rootstock taking over. Valecroft Nurseries.

Q.
    I recently purchased a dwarf hardy hibiscus. The plant in general is very healthy and green, but some of the bottom leaves turn yellow. This also happened to a tropical hibiscus I used to own. This also happens to my impatiens as well. I wonder if I am using the right fertilizer, or if the soil needs something added to it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.

A.
    This sounds as if your soil is too acid, apply a dressing of garden lime around the affected plants. Also add some Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) this releases the trace elements in the soil needed by the plants for chlorophyll production.

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Q.
    I have several large Juniper bushes that were planted more than 25 years ago. Adjacent to, and touching them are Norway spruce trees. It appears that as the trees get larger and have more contact with the Junipers the more browning occurs, this year being the most severe.

I have previously cut out the brown branches, but there is so much browning now I wont be left with much Juniper. They are not lacking water. Should I cut them back severely? Have you ever heard of an incompatibility between Norway spruce and Juniper Bushes?
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Morgan

A.
    I too have seen junipers going brown near to spruce trees; spruce trees take an enormous amount of food out of the soil, and tend to overwhelm competing plants. In the wild junipers occur in situations where they have little competition for food, so I would recommend feeding the junipers with a high nitrogen general-purpose fertiliser. A mineral feed would also help. Even if the junipers do recover I am afraid it will be a long job.

Q.
    Hi, I have bought carnations that are growing well in large pots in the garden. Will they die after flowering or will they survive the winter, and anything special I should do to them to help them survive the winter.
Thanks, Sandi

A.
    There are both perennial and annual varieties of carnation. If you bought them in full flower this season they are likely to be annuals. If they are perennials the roots can be damaged by frost through the side of the pot. Otherwise they will survive the winter without trouble.

Q.
    Hi, my name is Randall and I need some answers about plants and their environment ok so here I go.br Q1) many plant fertilizer packets have the symbols N, P, K printed on them and they are usually followed by a percentage figure, so my question or my first question is what does N, P, K, stand for? My second questions are what are the N, P, and K percentages for these natural fertilizes?
(A) Fowl manure
(B) Sheep manure
(C) Blood and bone
And my last questions are, what is the difference between a (A) Epiphyte plant and a Parasite plant (B) What are the similarities between an Epiphyte plant and a Parasite plant?
Well that's all and I would really appreciate if you sent me the answers

A.
    N P K means; N, Nitrogen; P, Phosphates; K, Potash;
Your natural manure's, all high in nitrogen, an exact analysis would depend on conditions and foods consumed. Blood and bone, high in nitrogen, again exact analysis would depend on storage time and sterilising processes.
Epiphyte plant; lives on a host plant i.e. tree; but does not feed from the host. Example, some tropical orchids.
Parasite plant; lives on a host plant and feeds off the recourses of the host plant. Example, Mistletoe. There are many overlapping species.

Q.
    Hello Valecroft.
Hope you can help. I have recently planted a line of Leylandii trees but unfortunately for me I have visitors to my garden in the guise of a fox. He is digging down around the roots of my new trees.... the only thing I can think of to stop him is to put rocks / stones around the base of the trees. Would this harm the growth of the trees in any way? Or maybe cause other problems?
Many thanks, Paul

A.
    The fox is most likely digging out worms and moth caterpillars in the soft ground. Rocks are unlikely to do any harm to your bushes, but first try some mothballs.

Q.
    We have recently moved onto a house which has a small magnolia tree planted in the middle of a plant bed, it looks too large for the size of bed and you can't see any of the plants behind it. I would like to move to a more appropriate place-could you please advise me if a; its safe to move it? b; what is the best time in the seasons to move.
Thank you for your anticipated help with this matter. Jo

A.
    Move in October or November; try too keeping as many roots as possible when you dig up the plant. Water on a continuous basis, February onwards, magnolia need lots of water to grow the flower bud. A mulch of farmyard manure around the trunk will also help the tree establish itself.

Q.
    Why do our carrots look great when we are ready to dig them, but many of the carrots have three or four small finger carrots rather then one nice long carrot?
Thanks

A.
    Carrots need a deep dug, alkaline, soil with plenty of organic matter mixed into the soil. Heavy clay or stony soil will produce carrots with forked roots, as will heavily compacted soil. Do not feed with artificial fertiliser until the seedlings are well established, Fertiliser must be low nitrogen, high potash, high phosphates, say 10. 20. 20. Add lime to the soil while preparing the plot.

Q.
    I live in central Indiana. Is there any way a ficus could survive outside? Also I'd like to find an in expensive tree or shrub to border and ad privacy to my patio what do you suggest? Any info would be helpful.
Thanks, Edith

A.
    I doubt if a ficus would survive outside in central Indiana. The weeping silver birch, Betula Pendula Youngii, would make an ideal plant for your patio. This can be grown in a very large tub on your patio or planted directly into the dirt.

Q.
    I have a privet hedge that has gone out of control. It is currently over seven feet tall .I would like to cut it back to about four feet. All that will be left with are one-inch stalks. The question is will it grow back or will it die? Help

A.
    You may suffer some loss, but most plants should survive. Leave cutting until late September. Feed with a low nitrogen general-purpose fertiliser and some garden lime. This will feed the plants to help overcome the shock without promoting tender leaf growth. Feed again in spring with a high nitrogen fertiliser to encourage leaf growth and new shoots.

Q.
    Hi, Thanks for taking my question:
For the past three years my vegetable garden has been yielding less and less vegetables. More foliage but less fruit and the fruit that's there most times shrivel up and drop off. This happens mostly with zucchini and pumpkins. Can you suggest a remedy?
Thank You Warren

A.
    This sounds as if your soil is too acid and lacking in organic content, apply a generous amount of garden lime to make the soil more alkaline, also dig in some humus into the soil. Garden compost, farmyard manure, or horse manure would be ideal.

Q.
    We have about 40 feet of boxes on the railings of our deck containing impatiens. Around the middle of July many of the leaves on the plants begin to yellow and spot. Is this caused by too much water, not enough, or insects? I've been given many answers but no real solution.
Thanks for your help.

A.
    The compost in the boxes has become too acid; apply a light dusting of garden lime around the stems of the plants, but not on the leaves. Also a small amount of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) will encourage the production of chlorophyll, the green in the leaves.

Q.
    I have a Japanese maple, which I have had for 2 years. This year it started to bloom its lovely red leaves but now the leaves have turned green and are a little brown at the ends. Could you please help me and tell me where I'm going wrong? It gets watered every night when it's not raining.
HELP! Lorraine, Basingstoke UK

A.
    This could be wind damage, greenfly damage, or mineral deficiency, feed with a fertiliser with added minerals and trace elements. Also apply a dressing of garden lime to make the soil more alkaline.

Q.
    Hi, we recently bought a house in Western Massachusetts and had planned to plant some blue Hydrangeas because we liked them so much on Cape Cod. A recent gardening article in a local newspaper said that blue hydrangeas are a bad idea here because blossoms only appear on old wood, and winter kills the stems. However, we have seen many beautiful blue hydrangea plants in our town and on our street. Whom should we believe? Should we go ahead and plant some?
Thanks for your advice, Larry and Nancy

A.
    I always advise gardeners moving to a new area to look around, to see what will grow happily in the area. If blue hydrangeas are growing there already, then by all means grow some. Put some farmyard manure or similar in the bottom of the planting hole and mix peat into the soil around the plants. Blue hydrangeas need iron too stay blue. Iron preparations for the job are available at garden outlets. Years ago too encourage the blue, the old professional gardeners used to bury a few rusty old iron tools under newly planted hydrangeas.

Q.
    I have a weedy flowerbed filled with what appear to be large mum plants. In the 2 years that I have lived here they have not bloomed. I am guessing that it is because they are over crowded. Is there any way to salvage them and have them blooming by this fall? Also, could I trim them back to be more bushy and less tall and stalky and still have them blooming.

One more fall-ish question. Is it too late to put some pumpkin plants in my garden in order to have nice big ones by late September.
Thank you for your time. Enjoyed your gardening site.

A.
    These could be some form of weed, but from your description they could be Michaelmas Daisies. Try a generous amount of garden lime and a high potash fertiliser.
It is too late for pumpkin planting. The only hope is too buy plants in large pots with the pumpkins part grown, sometimes available at garden outlets.

Valecroft Nurseries.

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