Question.
    I have just had to remove a formerly lovely butterfly bush that I pruned too late last fall and left it vulnerable to a very harsh New England Winter, killing it. I would like to put a Red Rhododendron that I planted in the shade and has one bloom this spring in its place, this spot gets full sun most of the day, but has a drip irrigation system, as it is in my pond area.

Will this plant like the full sun and the every other day watering it will get, and what kind of fertilizer shall I use, I do get some through the irrigation but not a lot.

It is the 1st of June, is it too late to transplant now?

Thank you for any answers to these questions. Joan

Answer.
    It is too late, to transplant your rhododendron now, Oct-Nov is the best time. Being a forest floor tree the rhododendron has a fine root system near too the surface to absorb water, if you transplant now these roots would be damaged and the tree would be unable to absorb enough water to survive.

Rhododendrons are acid soil loving plants and need an acid fertiliser, when you do transplant incorporate lots of garden peat into the soil to create good acid conditions. Your watering system if hooked up to the mains will be unsuitable; tap water is alkaline and not suitable for acid loving plants. Collected rainwater is best for your rhodo. Rhododendron do like a certain amount of shade until they are well established.

Question.
    Hello there.
Can you tell me whether now is a good time to prune a lilac bush - and if so how low should I cut it?
Many thanks, Judith

Answer.
    Now is the time to prune your lilac bush. Cut off the dead flower heads too stop the plant wasting energy on seed formation and cut about three inches off the rest of the bush. Next years flower heads are already forming on new growth from below so don't cut off more than this. Cut out any dead or dying branches in the centre of the bush, this will keep the bush healthy and let in light and air.

Question.
    I have just begun to start a flowerbed and it kills every plant I add. I think it is the soil. What can I use to pre treat the soil? Someone said the cement surrounding it is depleting it. I also have TONS of weeds I cannot get rid of. I would like to use the dirt I have and not replace it if I don't have to. Also, does using heavy mulch help stop weeds and grass?? I have tried weed and grass killer on my beds but the grass comes in more full and green than before I use it. Please help!!
Live in Alexandria VA and need advice! Jennifer.

Answer.
    Your soil is in need of a heavy dressing of garden lime to raise the alkaline level; your soil is too acid at the moment. Most garden plants require alkaline soil. There is a spray called Paraquat that will kill all of your grass, but in many areas now, only nurserymen and landscape gardeners are allowed to use it due to its toxic qualities. Mulching will kill weeds coming from seed but grass grows from the root and will soon grow through mulch.

Question.
    Something is eating my heliotrope; it has holes in the leaves that make it look like Swiss cheese. I looked but I couldn't see anything. I have it planted outdoors in a planter box in shade that gets afternoon sun, with azalea, coleus, and asparagus fern. Nothing else has been attacked, yet.

Answer.
    Your plants are probably being eaten by a small white snail, which lives in the soil and only comes out at night.

Question.
    I have six hydrangeas that were planted two summers ago when we built our house. They did not bloom last summer and it doesn't seem that they will this summer. Is there anything I can do to help them along so that they will bloom? Thanks for your help.
Lisa

Answer.
    Hydrangea
Trim them down to about one third of their height in late summer and spread lots of garden peat around the bushes. Trimming them will encourage new growth where the flowers will appear. The peat will keep the soil damp and encourage the fine roots that take up the large amounts of water that the hydrangea needs to flower well,

Question.
    About six years ago I planted a Japanese ornamental lilac tree. The top part of the tree was about the size of a large beach ball. Well, it has grown spectacularly and is now a stunning rather large tree.

It is approximately 2 meters away from the house and for this reason the condominium corporation where I live wants to cut it down for fear that the lilacs roots might affect the foundation of the house. Are their fears founded and is my lilac tree doomed? Anything that you can tell me regarding the root systems of the lilac tree and whether or not they pose a threat would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Marion

Answer.
    Trees too near to houses can damage the foundations, especially in the older house. If it is a new building, at two meters distance this could be open to debate. However your social relationship with the rest of the condo dwellers could be severely damaged if you persist in keeping this tree. I say, best to let it go and plant a miniature lilac instead, there are plenty of varieties available.

Question.
    A friend shared her cineraria plants with me and I now have a plant, which is almost 3 ft tall with lots of huge leaves but no flowers. What happened? E.T. in Northern California

Answer.
    Grey aphids sucking out the moisture from the buds earlier in the spring probably damaged the flower buds. Next year keep an eye open in early spring and spray if necessary.

Question.
    My hostas appear to be growing vigorously in partially shaded, clay soil. The leaves are variegated as I would expect, but I don't seem to get any flowers forming. Am I missing some specific nutrient?
Thanks Ian

Answer.
    Hostas need a slightly acidic soil full of organic matter, spread plenty of garden peat around the plants and lightly dig in. Farmyard manure or horse manure will also help. To flower best hostas like morning sun and afternoon shade. Watch out for snails.

Question.
    Hello, My house was one in the path of the two weeks of torrential downpours that ended about a week ago. Now they are saying another week of storms. Weather like this is unusual here. I have three roses I planted last year, and three new ones this year. The roses are so tiny, and they have pretty much quit blooming, or growing since the rains started, they are now covered with the black spot. Will they live?

I know a lot of my flowers were washed away. Some bulbs rotted in the ground, and on bank I haven't been able to weed. We were trying to get a ground cover flower there, it is too steep to mow, and was several inches under water for over a week. Usually, the water absorbs within an hour of a rainfall, but 12+ inches in less than a week is abnormal anywhere. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, AB

Answer.
    Spray your roses with a copper fungicide and continue to do so every two weeks for the rest of the summer. Your general land, the water will have leached out the food value in the soil and made it more acid, so apply a general purpose fertiliser and also a generous amount of garden lime to increase the alkaline level and sweeten the soil.

Question.
    Please help. Insects have invaded my Kale, what can you recommend to destroy these insects?
Thank you. Linda

Answer.
    If your plants are heavily infested you could wash down your kale with a very weak mixture of washing up liquid. This will wash many of them away. Then spray with a systemic insecticide. A systemic insecticide is absorbed by the plant and kills the insects as they feed off the plant.

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Question.
    We received several, magnificent New-Guinea Impatiens in hanging baskets. Can they be separated from the baskets and planted in the ground?
Thank you, Margaret

Answer.
    Yes, you can transplant your New Guinea Impatiens into the ground. Water well until the plants are established. You can also pot up the plants before winter and keep in a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory ready for next year.

Question.
    I have recently purchased a Salvia May Night plant. All of the purple flowers have fallen off the stems leaving the stems bare. Do I cut the stems to get a new flower growth or will the stems rebloom on their own?
Thank you for any info you can provide. Jane

Answer.
    This sounds as if red spider mite has attacked your salvia. This often occurs in very dry conditions. Cut off the dead flower stalks, more flowers should appear in time.

Question.
    My daughter just bought an old home. The wisteria has overtaken the yard. It is everywhere. You can see the runners on the ground. It has wrapped itself around all the adjoining trees. How can she get rid of the wisteria?

Answer.
    You can spray with Glyphosate, sold under many brand names, Roundup being the brand leader. This is a systemic herbicide and is absorbed by the plant and kills the roots. Protect any desired plants when spraying, Glyphosate does not discriminate.

Question.
    Thank you so much for your previous answer on pruning lilac, can I do the same thing with ceanothus?

Answer.
    You can prune after flowering but prune very lightly. Do not cut thick stems rather the tip of the smaller branches. Ceanothus flowers on the new growth. Ceanothus thrives on neglect so don't be too fussy.

Question.
    Hi,
I have cucumbers growing in containers on my patio (Bonnie plants - the variety is not listed on the tag.) They are watered by a drip system, fertilized with sustained release fertilizer pellets (Osmocoat) and the foliage is growing nicely. I have had 1 full sized cucumber produced (it was delicious), but all the other fruit is only approximately 2-3 cm in length. Some of these fruits are black and dead. I don't know what would cause this and why the cucumbers aren't growing in size at all. Can you help?
Thanks, Liz

Answer.
    Your cucumbers could be suffering from attack by red spider mite, common at this time of year if conditions are dry. These are very difficult too control, but keeping the leaves damp with slightly tepid water helps to deter them.

Question.
    My hollyhocks are finally growing this year and look like they will bloom. However, the leaves keep turning brown and curling up. They start with sort of orange dots on them and then get worse. My gardening book says "rust may be a problem," but it doesn't say what to do about rust. Could it be rust, or an insect? I've been using Seven, Miracle grow, and I also put some bloom booster on them. What do you think is wrong with them?

Answer.
    If rust is common in your area, you should begin fungicide treatments in early spring when the first leaves are expanding. Chlorothalonil, mancozeb, trisdimefon, are generally recommended, available under various brand names.

Start spraying now to attempt too control the fungus. On dry days, pick off and destroy any leaves that show signs of rust infection during the growing season. Destroy all plant debris before winter, as the organism can over-winter on the dead leaves, etc. The common mallow can be a host for the rust virus.

Question.
    Hi, I live in South Carolina, just a block in from the ocean. It is June here, hot already. This is my first summer. Most of the plants in the yard were planted either last spring or in the fall. I have an Oleander, which gets plenty of sun but has not flowered. It has grown quite a bit in the last 6 weeks, but no sign of flowers.

Others around here are in bloom. Everything else is doing pretty good. I have tried improving the soil, but I think this close to the beach, we will always have some sand. Any advice on how to get this oleander to flower? Thanks
Edith

Answer.
    It is most probable that greenfly or grey aphids damaged the flower buds of your Oleander early in the spring. Watch out for them next year, and spray if necessary.

Question.
    I have transplanted some Shasta daisies, which are drooping quite badly; do I water twice daily, add fertilizer, and cut off the buds? I live in Louisiana, the daisies do very well in the front of my house with VERY little attention, but am I babying them too much ---help!!
Two Black thumbs!!!!

Answer.
    Water your daisies in the night, and then the plant can use the water to build plant tissue. Watering in the day, the water goes straight through the plant and evaporates.

Question.
    Hello our garden is surrounded by mature ash trees and as a result we get baby ones popping up all over the place. Usually by the time we find them they are so established we find it hard to dig them up to remove them. Is there a weed killer of some description or an alternative method we can use to get rid of them?
Many thanks, J H. Derbyshire

Answer.
    Spray your seedlings with Roundup. This spray contains Glyphosate, which is absorbed by the plant and kills the roots. Glyphosate is also marketed under other brand names. Protect any desired plants before spraying, Glyphosate does not discriminate.

Question.
    I just purchased a Delphinium. While planting it, one of the long stems with so many buds broke off. I was so upset. Is there any way to get it to root? I put it in a water/vase. Do you think it will survive or is it a goner? Should I plant it in the ground?
Thank you!

Answer.
    Delphinium flower shoots will not usually root, keep it in the vase and enjoy the flowers.

JUNE


Also see JUNE GARDENING QUESTION AND ANSWER PAGE ONE.
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