| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
|
| Poor Annual Growth | 7/8/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: My petunias and marigolds are not growing and tend to turn a dark color on the leaves. the ...
A: I would definitely recommend having your soil tested. Many nurseries offer this service. The key is ...
|
| Growing Nasturtiums | 7/6/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: I am a beginner gardner and I have some nasturtium plants that I planted from seeds and they have ...
A: Depending on variety and weather conditions, Nasturtiums bloom anywhere from 35 to 80 days after ...
|
| hydrangea won't bloom | 7/4/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I planted 2 hydrangeas about 4 years ago. (1 white, 1 blue) They never bloom. The foliage is very ...
A: Diane, it is important to prune the hydrangea in early spring, before the plant produces buds. This ...
|
| Petunia problem | 7/1/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: My petunias have a sticky feel to the foliage. The blooms do not seem to grow as large or full as ...
A: The National Garden Bureau has a thing or two to say about this sticky problem you post: 'Petunias ...
|
| Black Bumps on Wave Petunias | 7/1/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in the Saint Louis area. Recently my hanging baskets filled w/ wave petunias have developed ...
A: This could be the onset of black spot, a fungus disease that crops up when the weather is humid. ...
|
| Petunia Disease | 6/30/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: The petunias in our window boxes have contracted a fungus/disease. The leaves are covered with small ...
A: I am assuming you used a sterile potting soil in the window boxes and not soil from the garden. If ...
|
| Petunia pests | 6/30/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: My petunias get small black spots on the leaves and the stems and leaves get very sticky. I have ...
A: The problem with bug killers -- and this includes organic bug killers -- is that they work on ALL ...
|
| Petunias Dying | 6/29/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I am an experienced gardener, but my double white petunias have died for the second year in a row! ...
A: Petunias hate wet feet, meaning they are best planted in beds with excellent drainage. When the ...
|
| Petunia pests | 6/28/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: My petunias get small black spots on the leaves and the stems and leaves get very sticky. I have ...
A: Time again for the Annual Black Spots On The Petunias question. As you may have guessed, this is ...
|
| Growing marigolds | 6/26/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I have planted marigolds both in the ground in my garden and in pots. The buds are dying off before ...
A: Rose, It could be one of several things - I'll give you a list and you can decide which applies to ...
|
| define "deadhead" please (petunia question) | 6/26/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: The way I understand "deadheading" is to pinch off the shrivelled petunia bloom BELOW the part where ...
A: J, Yes, you are correct and your friend is wrong. You deadhead petunias by snipping the stem below ...
|
| spotting on petunias | 6/23/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I have little white spots on the blooms of my petunias. What causes this, and what should I do about ...
A: Janie, Without more details I'll suggest some possible causes and you can decide if any of these ...
|
| Petunia Problems | 6/22/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: Why are my purple wave petunias dying? They were full and beautiful two weeks ago. Now they are ...
A: Lynne, Brown roots or stems at ground level are a sign of root rot/crown rot. Might you be keeping ...
|
| petunias | 6/22/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: I planted white and dark purple petunias in a big pot about 1 1/2 monthas ago.I think they are ...
A: Color in flowers is a complex chemical mystery that yields new surprises every year. A scientist at ...
|
| Double Gerber Daisy | 6/22/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I recently purchased a beautiful deep maroon gerber daisy, and I noticed when I got it home that it ...
A: Cristy, This is normal for this plant. I don't know if it's a result of breeding particular colors ...
|
| Dying flowers/shrubs | 6/21/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: There are two,(and only two) places in my garden where nothing I seem to plant grows. They are in ...
A: I hate to say this, mainly because no one wants to be bothered, but the perfect solution to this is ...
|
| impatients | 6/19/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: What happened when one day your impatients are healthy and blooming (4 in a planter) and the next ...
A: Unfortunately this sounds like standard Fungus assault. If you are in the part of the country where ...
|
| Mandevilla | 6/18/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I have a mandevilla dipladenia, crimson sun. When I bought it, the nursery had some that were ...
A: Scott, You don't say how long it's been in the new pot, or where you live, so I'll just list a few ...
|
| Jasmine | 6/18/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I LOVE jasmines and live in Long Island, NY now. Where is the best place to grow one now. I'd prefer ...
A: Gabriela, There are many types of jasmines. Most are not hardy on Long Island, so grow those in pots ...
|
| starting annuals | 6/18/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I was wondering how to get the flowers I grow from seed to stay relatively short and have thick ...
A: Ryan, leggy plants are the result of one of three problems. Either the plants are not getting the ...
|
| starting annuals from seed | 6/18/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: I was wondering how to get the flowers I grow from seed to stay relatively short and have thick ...
A: There are special, costly chemicals that growers use to get the effect you are asking about. But ...
|
| growing anuals from seed | 6/18/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I was wondering how to get the flowers I grow from seed to stay relatively short and have thick ...
A: Ryan, Plants grow leggy because they are not getting enough light. They reach toward the light. Did ...
|
| geranium color change | 6/17/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I have a geranium of the mounding annual variety that I purchased from a home improvement store ...
A: Meredith, I suspect that the color change has more to do with the change in light than anything in ...
|
| Quince Bush | 6/17/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I bought a quince bush four years ago. It was in bloom and very beautiful. It has not bloomed ...
A: Carole, I would have a soil test done to check the nutrient ratio in that particular bed. Perennials ...
|
| problems with petunia blossoms | 6/17/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: The blossoms that make it to opening are wilted looking with white or black on the edges of the ...
A: Debbie, It could be a fungal problem but usually the cause of such fungal problems is that the ...
|
| Transplanting Lantana | 6/16/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have five or six well established lantana plants I want to dig up and transplant to another site ...
A: Tom, the best times for transplanting established plants is early spring or early fall. Personally, ...
|
| Stalk breaking from roots | 6/15/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I just potted a flower that my neighbour gave me. I know very little about gardening but thought I ...
A: Carol, Without knowing what this plant is it's impossible for me to say. However, with most plants, ...
|
| Miniature Dahlias | 6/14/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I have planted some miniture dahlias that came in the little divider trays at a nursery. The same ...
A: Maxine, Dahlias - small and large - do best when they are watered from below - if the buds get moist ...
|
| Annuals - Question | 6/14/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: It is called Torenia hybrid (Summer Wave Blue). One prong was slightly wilted when she gave it to ...
A: Maxine, The good news is that if you clip this wilted branch off, it will have no effect on the rest ...
|
| Sunflowers with multiple flowers | 6/14/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: I have several yellow Del Sol Hybrid sunflowers. A few weeks ago the large sunflower at the top of ...
A: Sunflowers are just about the easiest thing in the world to grow. These are basically fancy weeds ...
|
| annual-container plant | 6/14/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I have a New Guinea Impatient Plant that was beautiful for about one week. I live in upstate NY and ...
A: Alice, Yes - the night temps you are having will cause New Guinea Impatiens to sulk and turn yellow. ...
|
| impatiens | 6/13/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I live in West Central Texas. One month ago (May) I planted impatiens in two identical planters. At ...
A: John, People used to think that you needed a fertilizer with a high middle number in order to get ...
|
| impatiens | 6/12/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I live in West Central Texas. One month ago (May) I planted impatiens in two identical planters. At ...
A: John, The problem with wetting the leaves of any plant is that this creates the perfect conditions ...
|
| mulching a flower garden | 6/12/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: My wife planted some bulbs in our flower garden last weekend (she said about 1/2" to 1" of dirt over ...
A: What a great idea you have to spend your summer. Mulch does look beautiful around flowers in the ...
|
| mulching a flower garden | 6/12/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: My wife planted some bulbs in our flower garden last weekend (she said about 1/2" to 1" of dirt over ...
A: Ryan, The best thing to do would be to wait until the bulbs sprout, then apply the mulch so that it ...
|
| impatiens | 6/11/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I live in West Central Texas. One month ago (May) I planted impatiens in two identical planters. At ...
A: John, Your instinct to move them so that they get more sun was a good one. Although Impatiens do ...
|
| annuals in hanging baskets | 6/10/2009 | Long Island Gardener |
Q: should there be holes in the the bottom of the pot in an annual hanging plant?
A: You NEED drainage for these things. Without drainage, no air. No air, no aerobic bacteria. No ...
|
| Dahlia Woes | 6/8/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: .. I live just north of Atlanta, GA and I have a question about my dahlias. I purchased a couple ...
A: Because the moistness of the soil depends not only on the temperatures but on the type of soil you ...
|
| Dahlia Woes | 6/7/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: .. I live just north of Atlanta, GA and I have a question about my dahlias. I purchased a couple ...
A: ChiTownDivaus, Brown buds and leaves can be caused by any of the following, or a combination of the ...
|
| supertunia priscilla | 6/5/2009 | C.L. Fornari |
Q: I live in Michigan. My supertunia priscilla in a hanging basket is not making many blooms. The ...
A: Janet, First of all, I would stop fertilizing when you water. I know that the directions tell you to ...
|
