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Q. I have the original "brown thumb" I was given several plants at my husbands passing a year ago. I have a fern, stands straight up and new leaves coming in are spiralled and connected. I have this plant in the bathroom for the moisture from the shower. It is growing new shoots but has leaves that are dying. Please help me keep this poor thing alive in spite of me.
Q.
My buddleia is dying. It is about 4 years old and just started dying. Half of it is dead and the other half blooming.
A.
Cut down the dead part to about six inches, it should shoot out anew.
Q.
Can hostas be split, and if so what is the best way to do so?
A.
HOSTAS can be divided, the best time is autumn. Dividing the plant causes root damage and the plant may fail to take up enough moisture in the summer heat. In autumn when the ground stays damp the plant has time to recover. Insert two garden forks back to back in the centre of the plant and lever the plant apart.
Valecroft.
Q.
Could you please give my some suggestions on what type of shade tree to plant in a small backyard that gets the afternoon sun? From the edge of my patio to the fence line is about 20 feet. Also please help me with this dilemma. I have a privacy fence but my neighbor has built a patio and a swimming pool that sits very high the privacy fence doesn't do us much good anymore. In order to get some privacy what type of tall evergreen can I plant on the side of my fence for privacy, that would work in a small backyard and yet not look overpowering. I would appreciate your help. Thank you.
A.
You are best asking your local garden centre which shade trees are best suited in your area.
Berberis Stenophylla is a good evergreen hedge plant with yellow flowers in summer. Laurel is also a good evergreen. Western red cedar is also good. If you plant a hedge on your side of the fence, make sure your neighbours don't push the fence down and claim your hedge as the boundary.
Q.
I want to plant flowers and bushes at my new home, I even found some information on Native Texas plants, but my problem is that I can't seem to find anything that tells me what I can plant when. They tell me when I can expect blooming.... but not when it is a good month to plant. I am in Area 8 (Dallas/Ft. Worth). Can you point me in the right direction?
Brenda
A.
October or November is the ideal time to plant; this gives time for the roots to establish themselves before the spring growth brings high water requirements. Having said that, plants growing in containers (tins) can be planted at any time of the year, except the very hot months.
Q.
I have a rose bush that has done fine until this year. Then this August, the plant
started to become defoliated and had strange feathery neon green
growths. I called the county agriculture agent and he said to spray it
for black spot. I bought a multi purpose rose disease spray. We have
sprayed but still the plant has not been helped.
A.
This sounds like rose mildew, spray with a fungicide containing copper, this should help control the damage but your plants will not do much this year.
Q.
I'm planning on converting my traditional veg garden to a raised bed configuration. My question has to do with my established asparagus patch. Can I simply add 8--10" of soil over the crowns and hope they'll grow through to the new "top" of the raised bed, or must I dig up the crowns and re-plant at the new higher level? Thanks!
Darlene
A.
You must raise the plants to the higher level.
Q.
Hi,
I planted some Escalonia last year and half of the plants took well but the other half never. What is the best way to take cuttings to replant? I live in the Western Isles of Scotland.
Regards
A.
Cut some 1 foot lengths of this years growth; in a sheltered area dig a trench about 4 inches deep; fill with a mixture of peat and sand and insert the cuttings thickest end down against the wall of the trench. Firm the ground and water well. Through the winter check that the soil around the cuttings stays firm.
Q.
I'm growing a small garden and my pepper plants have holes in the leaves. I'm wondering are they getting too much direct sunlight, I live in Long Beach or is it a bug that I should get bug spray for. Thanks, Jennifer.
A.
Definitely some bug or caterpillar, too much sunshine would scorch the leaves.
Q.
At approximately this time last year we took down two twenty year old flowering cherry trees to enable the drive to be widened. Unfortunately over the past few weeks' small sprigs of red shoots have been appearing all over the lawn. Initially we dug out the pieces of root from where the shoots were throwing however it became obvious we were fighting a losing battle. We reached the stage where we were considering having the whole lawn taken up to get at all of the root system until we realized that shoots have started to break through the adjacent pavement. What the repercussions of this are if the council notices I dread to think! Is there some way to treat the shoots and kill them permanently?
Any help would be appreciated
A.
Flowering cherries are grafted on to a wild cherry rootstock, this rootstock is very vigorous. You can find a weed killer labelled as a systemic brushwood killer, often containing glyphosate, this is absorbed by the plant and kills by internal action. Read the instructions on the pack very carefully.
Q.
I was recently on your website. I have heard that it is good the put down some kind of fertilizer in the
fall
to strengthen and feed the roots of annuals and use a different type in the
spring for the blooms. Is this true
Particularly my azaleas are getting a little leggy.
Thanks for your help.
Kathy
A.
You say annuals but I presume you mean perennials. Apply low nitrogen, high phosphate, high potash, and fertiliser in autumn for bud and root production. High nitrogen fertiliser in spring for leaf production.
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Late Summer Gardening Questions and Answers page. Valecroft Nurseries.
Some recent questions and answers ------------
Margaret
A.
The most likely reason for your plants ill health is red spider mite. These mites are not easy to control and are a major pest in glasshouses. Derris Dust is a long time recommended control and is organic. There are chemical sprays available and there are predatory mites available by mail order, both a bit costly for one plant. Spraying water on to the fern helps red spider mite doesn't like too much water.
Valecroft
Q.
I am building a home that will not be completed until early spring (March). I have lived in my current RI home for 20 years and thus have a multitude of perennials, bulbs, and bushes that I would like to transfer to my new home. My concern is that I have a lot of backhoe work that will not occur until the spring and thus I do not have a permanent location to transplant to.
I cannot wait until the spring, because my current home will be being sold at that time. How do I make my plants dormant or protect them so that I can take them with me. The plants that I want to relocate are:
Gladiolas;
Lilies (Day, Tiger, and Easter);
Lavender;
Mint;
Chives;
Sage;
Asparagus;
Strawberries;
Shasta daisy;
Black-eyed Susan's;
Chicks & hens;
Various ground covers;
Chamomile;
Bushes:
Lilac;
Forsythia;
Blue berry;
Holly;
A.
Gladioli and lilies can be dug up and stored in a frost-free area for winter. The rest can be dug up and planted in pots or buckets or catering tins according to size. Then transplanted when convenient. Remember to make drainage holes in buckets or cans. Some of these shrubs may be too big to physically move and the bigger the plant, the bigger the transplanting shock. Please note, a well-stocked garden is a good selling point, and it may be more profitable to leave the plants and start anew.
Q.
I have a PASSION FLOWER plant, which started in a 3" pot - it has grown beautifully all summer with healthy foliage - however there are no blossoms. It has been fertilized and receives good sunshine. Any suggestions?
A.
Time is the answer, passion flower take a while to settle in.
Q.
A friend wants to give me her HYDRANGEA bushes, which are now growing beautifully on the north side of her house. I would be putting it in eastern sunny exposure. My question will it survive the change and the sun and how do you and when to transplant it. Thank you very much, Nanette.
A.
October would be the best time to transplant your hydrangeas, moving to an east facing aspect would do them no harm. Cut them down considerably before transplanting. If you can obtain it, some farmyard manure in the bottom of the hole will be of great benefit. Also hydrangeas like a fertiliser with added iron.
Q.
We have old CLEMATIS on an old fence. It still blooms but has gotten very
woody over the many years and looks very untidy. Can it handle a good
pruning? If so, what time of year is best? Many Thanks from CT.
A.
If your clematis is the spring flowering Montana variety it can be pruned now. Try not to weaken the main frame of the plant, but you can take off a good amount without harming the plant. Summer flowering varieties which shoot and bloom off old wood, should be pruned in early spring. The summer varieties are tenderer to pruning.
Q.
I am trying to find out how to get WISTERIA to bloom. I have had it two yrs now and have gotten nothing. Can I trim the wisteria it is all over the place?
A.
Wisteria has a mind of its own when it comes to flowering, although 5 years is a better estimate. Best left untrimmed until it settles in.
Q.
I plan to use composted cow manure this fall as a soil conditioner. I
can't find any information on the following:
1) what portion of composted manure to other ingredients for potting
perennials?
2) What portion for relocating perennials and bushes?
3) Amount for top dressing perennials, roses, etc.
I don't see any specifics on the bags of composted cow manure, nor can I
find any good information on the web for composted cow manure home flower
garden usage.
Please help.
Sincerely, Cas
A.
For mixing with soil use about one third cow manure compost. For top dressing use, you could cover the ground an inch deep, but don't bury your chosen plants they could rot. The bag will have a set of three numbers on the label, the first number is nitrogen, and you need a high nitrogen number for grass a low nitrogen number for flowers.
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Q. Thank goodness I found your site! My friend tells me that I ought to invest in fruit cages for the winter. I have seen some, but am a little unsure of what exactly they do. Are they just to stop birds eating my fruit? Thanks so much, Elin
A. In winter fruit cages can be used to support anti snow netting, to stop the weight of snow breaking down your bushes; anti wind netting, to stop windburn; or plastic sheet to keep off too much rain, which can rot your plants. In summer, too much rain could rot strawberries for example.
Q. My female dog leaves brown spots on my new lawn. Is there a remedy for this? Thanks, Chris
A. Make a private sand hole for your dog to use instead of the lawn. There are products on the market to repel dogs but they wash off in the rain.
Q. I am having a real problem with black sooty mould. I just cut a large "fire cracker vine" down off of the side of my house because it was covered with soot, scale and ants. Before I replant the area is there something I should do to treat the soil and trellis. I think the vine may come back and would like to avoid the problem in the future. It is also spreading to near by penstemon and kangaroo paws. Help! Chris
A. Fungus moulds are a common problem at this time of year. Try spraying with a fungicide containing copper, Bordeaux mixture is also suitable and it would do no harm to spray the trellis with the same. First wash off the trellis with detergent.
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Q. I have in my garden what I have been told is monkey trees which over hang a large amount of my garden and grass area. The problem is the seedlings grow everywhere and I don't really like the trees and want to cut them down but if I just cut them off at ground level will they continue to sprout from the roots and if so what can I do about it? Sharon
A. There is a product on the market, sold under various trade names, called tree stump killer. After the tree is cut down the procedure is too bore several vertical holes into the stump and pour the stump killer into the holes then seal the holes with clay or other such material to keep the rain out. The stump will then die over time.
Q. Is it true I can take cuttings from my surfinia and if so how and when Many thanks Eddie
A. Surfinia is fairly easy to root; in spring you could dip a selected shoot in hormone rooting powder and plant into a mixture of peat and sand. Beware Surfinia is a licensed trade name and the plant is licensed protected and you could face legal action if you get too ambitious.
Q. I live in Northern California, 40 miles south of San Francisco. Last November our landscaper planted, along with a lot of other plants, about twenty Australian fuchsia plants. They prospered during the rainy season and early spring, getting large and healthy looking. Sometime in June, one by one, about ten of the plants, all in about the same area began to wilt, then turn brown and die. Some of the lavender plants in the same area are developing brown and dying sprigs also.
The plants are in an open, sunny area. They have been kept damp - they did not dry out. In fact, I dug down about six inches next to the root ball and it was quite damp. Several Australian fuchsias in another area of our yard are still healthy and vigorous looking. Any idea what's going on?
Thanks for your help.A. This could be that the soil is too acid in this area, try giving an application of garden lime in the troubled area. If the trouble spreads try looking for root damage from the caterpillars of Japanese beetles.
Q. Can you give me a list of ornamentals that tolerate high levels of boron in the water supply? Thank you,
A. This is a UK website and in this country boron overload is not a problem, so I am unable to advise you. Best to do is find a large plant centre locally with gardening advisers, who will be familiar with the problem.
Q. I would like an attractive, low growing plant that I don't have to change every season, but will cover the dirt. Southeast exposure. Thank you.
A.
Vibernum davidii, Juniperus horizontalis blue rug, Gaultheria, Hypericum rose of Sharon, cotoneaster dammeri, Vinca, Geranium, Dicentra. Arctostaphylos uva ursi, Berberis hookeri, Cytisus scoparius prostrata, are all possible candidates.
Q. Can old lavender plants be divided to make more new plants? Do they prefer full or partial sun? Many thanks for your reply! Lucy.
A. Aged lavender plants can be divided by splitting the main stem but it is not worth the hassle. Best to take fresh cuttings, find some new growth about three inches in length and pull them of the plant. Root in sharp sand with a small amount of peat mixed in.
Valecroft.
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