Q.
    Good afternoon: Having recently moved into a new house I have a problem with my lawn, it is covered in clover, DAISIES and DANDELIONS, how do I get rid of them without ruining my lawn, is it possible.
Kind regards Russell

A.
    There are selective herbicide sprays available at garden and agricultural outlets for this purpose. All the major chemical companies offer their own brand so you should have no trouble obtaining such. Read the label well before proceeding.

Q.
    Hi Rose here. I was wondering if you could tell me when to dig potatoes up. I live in southern Alabama. Right now the potatoes bushes are growing & doing real well. But I have never grown them before & do not know when to dig them up.

Also, is it possible to dig a hole in the ground & put them there & cover them with hay to keep them thru the winter?

A.
    GROWING POTATOES. If you have sown early potatoes, you dig them up immediately after flowering to eat straight away. However they will not be mature, will not be a big crop and will not keep. If you have sown main crop potatoes, you dig them up in October when all the tops have died down. You do not have the maximum crop until the foliage has fed the tubers by dying back and the potato has fully matured.

You can store the potatoes in a hole in the ground covered by hay, but you must also cover the hay with about a 1-foot thick layer of soil. Dig a trench around the mound of potatoes to get your covering dirt; this trench should be slightly deeper than the potatoes, in order to drain off any water to stop the potatoes rotting. You can also store the potatoes in wooden boxes in a dark, cool, but frost-free area in the house.

There are three distinct types of potato. Early, middle early and late; each group again split into various varieties. Very complex, basically the earlies are harvested and eaten in late May-June, the middle earlies are harvested and eaten in July-August, and lates harvested in September-October, for winter storage. All are planted March-April.

If you bought your potato seed from a garden or agricultural outlet, the pack would have been marked with a Department of Agriculture label stating variety and time of harvesting. All seed potatoes being subject to government disease control regulations.

Q.
    Greetings, I would like to know when and how is the best time to trim a YEW TREE. If you have any information on this, I would appreciate you sharing it with me, mine is looking pretty shabby, but I do not want to trim it at the wrong time of year or in a wrong way as to cause it problems.
Thank-You Don

A.
    You can trim your yew tree any time from October to February. Trimming now would invite various infections in the open wounds left after trimming. Always trim lightly and try to maintain an even shape to the tree.

Q.
    I have two pine trees that have killed all the grass under them. Instead of reseeding, I would like to plant some perennials--hostas and such under them. Do I have to do something to reduce the acid in the soil to make sure my plants will grow?

A.
    An application of a generous amount of garden lime (powdered lime) will sweeten the soil and make it less acid. Also, if you can obtain it, farmyard manure or horse manure will prove invaluable in enriching the soil, which will have been heavily depleted by the pine trees.

Q.
    We have recently re-landscaped an area in our yard. In doing so, my husband dug out gladioli bulbs because they were not to be a part of this landscape anymore. The problem is, every day there are GLADIOLI SHOOTS poking through the ground. I have spent hours trying to dig out all the tiny bulbs, but there must be a million of them. If I just pull out the shoot, will that eventually kill off the bulbs or am I encouraging its growth. Any help you can give me would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks, Ruth V.

A.
    Pulling off the shoots will seriously retard the bulbs ability to survive. If they were on clear ground with no other plants around, spraying with Glyphosate would soon clear them. If they are among other plants you cannot spray them.

Q.
    Can you explain the difference between TOPSOIL and LOAM?
Heather.

A.
    There is very little difference; topsoil is the layer of soil, rich in organic material, over the sterile sand or clay sub strata. Nowadays the term loam is used too describe good quality topsoil. Traditionally, loam was prepared by stacking fresh ploughed grassland turf into large stacks. This then rotted down over winter and by spring turned into pliable soil for seed sowing, etc.

Q.
    Is there any way I can remove and keep TULIPS before I let the foliage die back? Bill

A.
    Take a suitable wooden or plastic box, with drainage holes. Fill with soil and replant the tulips into the box, keep watered until the leaves die back then treat the bulbs as usual.

Q.
    My CANNA LILLIES have brown reddish spots on them, what are they from and how do I get rid of them.

A.
    This could be thrips, a pest that attaches itself to the plant and sucks out the sap to feed. There are suitable sprays on the market, but they take more than a little shifting.

Q.
    Hi. I love to garden but am severely allergic to bee stings. Do you know which plants or flowers are deterrents to bees? Thanks in advance for your help. Linda

A.
    Sorry but I can't help you here. Bees and flowers go together in order to produce seed. I usually recommend a winter flower garden, giving you flowers when the bees are not active. See my Garden Pests page for a list.

Q.
    I have two large patches in my front lawn that is full of dandelions and needs grass. Is it better to kill the weeds first, or to grow some grass first?

A.
    There are selective weed killer sprays at garden outlets, which will kill the weeds without killing the grass. These are widely available, but please carefully read the label before use. It is best to spray the weeds first because if left, they would soon outgrow the young grass seedlings.

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Q.
    Hi, I live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia Canada. I would like to plant a CAMELLIA next to my house in a sheltered spot. It is protected from the wind and frost in winter and is shaded for most of the day. The only problem is that it gets the afternoon sun and gets quite hot around 4:00 during the summer months. Will this be OK or does it require more shade?
Thank you. L.

A.
    This sounds like ideal conditions for your camellia. Camellias should never be planted facing the morning sun. In winter the flower buds will tolerate freezing at night, but if they thaw out too quickly in the morning they are damaged and may not flower. Mix some peat into the planting hole and always feed with an acid fertiliser, camellias need acid soil.

Q.
    I have a lovely southern exposure yard bordered by a bubbling brook and wetlands. For years I have watched a plant people tell me is American Bamboo march closer to my yard. Neighbours who also suffer from this invader have dug it out, sprayed it with various hazardous chemicals, covered it in plastic and still it returns. Please any suggestions for ridding or at least controlling this without using these hazardous chemicals as I am trying to stay organic.

Are there any groundcovers or other plants I can plant that would keep it at bay? Oh, it is a bamboo looking plant with large green leaves, bamboo stems, grows to 5-6 feet very quickly, roots are shallow but very long and easily pulled out. Grows in clumps.
Thank you, Janice

A.
    This sounds more like JAPANESE KNOTWEED rather than bamboo, it looks a lot like bamboo but with thicker canes and broader leaves. The only way to keep out this weed, or bamboo if it is bamboo, is to sink a 3 ft deep solid metal barrier into the ground in the path of the plant. Galvanised iron roof sheets are often used.

Q.
    Dear Sir/ Madam
I have a couple of PEAR TREES that couple of weeks after flowering shed their fruit. This has been happening for the past five years. Sometime the fruits are the size of a pea when they drop. I would be grateful if you could help me with this problem.
Many thanks.

A.
    This sounds as if it could be lack of water after fruit set, this often happens on very sandy soils. Try irrigating the trees. You could also try planting a third pear tree that is just a pollinating variety (available at garden outlets), the fruit could be setting on your existing trees without being pollinated and would drop off naturally. Valecroft.

Q.
    I just put down Shot-Gun, Rabbit and Dog repellent in my garden, around my rose bush that has been food for the rabbits. Unfortunately my herb garden grows next to the rose bush and I circled the parsley too. All this before I read the instructions Do not uses in vegetable garden only around the perimeter. The repellent contains, Naphthalene 15.00% Dried Blood 15.00% Nicotine 0.35% Other 69.65%

Is the herb garden ruined for this year or will a good rain wash it away and I would still be able to harvest it?
Thank You. Virginia

A.
    The rain will wash the rabbit repellent chemicals into the soil and then the herbs may absorb these chemicals. So I would advise you to take notice of the label instructions and do not eat the vegetables from this area for this year.

Q.
    Hello. I would like to fill my whole yard with trees the problem is I have septic tanks what trees are OK to plant that would not interfere I live in Florida
Thanks so much.

A.
    I am afraid I am not familiar with Florida tree growing conditions so I cannot really advise you on this one. At best I can advise you not to plant willow, weeping willow, poplar or elm. All these will root into your pipe work looking for water. Try your local University agricultural outreach department.

Q.
    Hello: I live in Southern Ontario (Zone 4). I have an established CRAB-APPLE tree that, for the last two years, has not bloomed. I have no idea how old this tree is, as it was here when we bought the house 3 years ago. Do you have any ideas as to why this has happened, and if there is anything I can do to correct this problem?
Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Bonnie

A.
    In winter you should spray dormant fruit trees with tar oil, which controls over wintering aphid, sucker eggs and winter moth caterpillars. These creatures can damage or even destroy the flower buds. Tar oil is a widely available product, stocked at garden and agricultural outlets. There are also branded products to do the same job, ask at your local garden outlet.

Q.
    Hello! I received two young KUSA DOGWOOD trees as a Mothers' Day gift. I intend to plant them tomorrow. Please give me information on what to feed them, or any other hint that you may offer so that I can successfully grow them. Any special hints for the regular variety of Dogwood, Azaleas, and Rhododendrons?
Thank you, Julia

A.
    Kusa dogwood is basically a forest floor tree and need these conditions replicated. They need acid soil conditions, so spread plenty of peat or a similar mulch of garden compost, wood chipping from freshly cut down trees, etc. to keep the fibrous surface roots damp. Feed with an acid fertiliser, also try to water with collected rainwater rather than tap water, which is alkaline. They prefer a slightly shaded north to north east position.

Q.
    I am terribly allergic to poison ivy.... it is growing in my beds of English and Boston Ivy - Is there anything on the market that will kill the Poison Ivy without killing the friendly plants? Thanks

A.
    I am afraid that your only course of action is to trace the plants to their roots and dig them out.

Q.
    This spring I did some bark grafting on some apple trees. A couple of them are now showing signs of having successfully "taken". I am wondering how long should I leave the electrical tape over the scion and the branch to which the scion is being grafted.
Thanks, Morrie

A.
    Leave for while yet, then when the graft starts to expand, cut a vertical slice in the tape on the opposite side to the bud to relieve the pressure and let the tape fall off naturally.

Q.
    How can I best keep rabbits away from my hostas?

A.
    There are various products on the market to repel RABBITS, some organic, but they soon wash away in the rain. The trouble is, if the rabbit feels it needs to eat hostas there is little you can do. Chicken wire around the plant is the best deterrent.

Q.
    I have several varieties of HOSTAS in my yard and some of them are developing holes in their leaves. I don't see any kind of residue. Do you think these are mites? Also, what do you suggest I use on them. A friend of mine suggested dusting baking soda over them? Any thoughts?
Thanks, Sue

A.
    Your trouble is most likely small greyish white snails, which live in the surface soil and come out at night to graze. Try a few slug/snail pellets around your Hosta last thing at night.

Q.
    Please could you tell me how to encourage my CLIMBING HYDRANGEA to flower? I have had the plant for three years and in the last two years it has only produced 1 flower. It is on a north-facing wall and in good soil and is growing beautiful foliage and climbing well.
Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

A.
    Climbing hydrangeas have a mind of their own when it comes too flowering and often take a while too settle in. Feed with a high potash, high phosphate, low nitrogen fertiliser. This will promote flower growth rather than leaf growth. Tomato fertiliser will do the job. Also well-rotted farmyard manure will help.

Q.
    My AGAPANTHUS are not blooming well. They get full AM sun. The ones next door are in full swing. Any idea why?
Thanks! Kimberly, Houston, TX

A.
    There are many varieties of agapanthus, some are notoriously flower shy and can take many years before deciding to flower well. They like a well drained slightly raised position. It has been found that some varieties have to grow a vast amount of roots in a ball before flowering. Sorry that I can't help you further.

Q.
    I grow my MOONFLOWER vines from seed and transplant them to clean tubs on my terrace. The foliage gets these thin papery spots. What can I do about it?

A.
    This is almost certainly a small moth caterpillar which eats the under surface of the leaf, just leaving the upper membrane. They are the same color as the leaf so difficult to spot. Spray with a systemic caterpillar killer. Systemic sprays are absorbed by the plant and kill the caterpillar when it eats the plant.

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