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Native Plants/Questions Answered by Expert George Heaton
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Sarrancenia | 10/22/2009 |
| Q: I read one of your other answers about Sarracenia and figured that you could probably answer this ... A: The 3 plants you mention are hybrids and don't appear in nature much above Eufala, Alabama, if that ... | |
| Chinese Tallow Tree | 9/5/2009 |
| Q: I am not sure if you know much about the Chinese Tallow tree, but I want to know if I should remove ... A: Florida state parks had started an eradication program of the Chinese Tallow, popcorn tree, several ... | |
| period of dormancy | 5/17/2009 |
| Q: I have question about period of dormancy. I have read that in September I have to cut all of the ... A: You don't have to cut all the leaves and pitchers or put them in the refrigerator. Some people live ... | |
| sarracenia purpurea | 3/31/2009 |
| Q: I have question about blooming sarracenia purpurea's flower; I've transplanted S.p. from small to ... A: Sphagnum is reproduced sexually and asexually. Sexual reproduction creates spores and when the ... | |
| sarracenia purpurea | 3/30/2009 |
| Q: I have question about blooming sarracenia purpurea's flower; I've transplanted S.p. from small to ... A: Most sarracenia purpurea will need to be about five years old or older before they will bloom. ... | |
| saucermagnolia | 3/2/2009 |
| Q: can you give me some planting instructions for a saucer magnolia in Orlando FL please? A: Good morning Lynn, To the best of my knowledge this tree does well in full sun or partial shade. It ... | |
| Anthesis | 2/19/2009 |
| Q: I'm not sure if this is the right subject for you but I was wondering how long nocturnal flowers ... A: Anthesis refers to the time a flower is fully open. Some consider it the time a flower begins to ... | |
| Rooting a plant. | 12/13/2008 |
| Q: I had cut this plant back and put some roots in a bucket of water. I just found my 2 year old manx ... A: Good morning Kimeal, I was at the animal control shelter here in Bay County, Florida on Friday and ... | |
| indoor corn plant | 12/6/2008 |
| Q: I too am an all experts "expert" in the auto repair field. I have an indoor corn plant that is many ... A: Good morning Todd, This isn't my field of expertise but I have seen numerous corn plants. The people ... | |
| tree growth magnoila | 11/21/2008 |
| Q: Mr.Heaton, I have bought a magnoila tree it was about 8' tall when I bought it and the tree people ... A: Good morning Bob, There are about 80 species of magnolias. The growth rate varies but most of them ... | |
| winter care of swamp plant | 11/21/2008 |
| Q: I have a plant similar to a Venus flytrap. Last year I brought it in for the winter but it barely ... A: Good morning Ronnie, The carnivorous plants in the Florida wetlands here go through a period of ... | |
| avocados | 11/13/2008 |
| Q: Do you know if unripe avocados are toxic? I read if they are unripe. How unripe? This is scary. A: Good morning Sue, This is not my field of expertise but a quick search on the Internet showed ... | |
| planting shrubs, etc. in Tallahassee, Florida | 8/5/2008 |
| Q: When is the best/optimal time to plant shrubs/bushes/etc. at my home in Tallahassee? A: It has always been my impression that the best time to plant shrubs and bushes is during the spring. ... | |
| native plant search for jacksonville, fl area..... | 8/1/2008 |
| Q: i have a shop in a bad part of town in south jax. we get broken into time and time again from ... A: Good morning Jesse, My thoughts on the subject of natural deterrents are that they work well against ... | |
| native plant search for jacksonville, fl area..... | 7/30/2008 |
| Q: i have a shop in a bad part of town in south jax. we get broken into time and time again from ... A: Good morning Jesse, Most citrus trees have thorns as well as rose bushes, briars, blackberry bushes ... | |
| Windmill Palms Life Expectency? | 7/27/2008 |
| Q: Does a windmill palm have a life expectancy? We live in a suburb of Orlando, FL that has 5 at our ... A: The windmill palm is not native to Florida but does grow well in most of Florida. It doesn't grow so ... | |
| Royal Palm | 7/7/2008 |
| Q: I planted an 8ft double royal palm in WPB, Fl 5 years ago. Today, the tree is ~ 25 ft. and appears ... A: I'm no palm expert but your palm may be infected with ganoderma butt rot. There is no effective ... | |
| Unknown Tree Cutting | 6/21/2008 |
| Q: Wondering if you might know what type of tree this is. My friend lives in Orlando and bought me a ... A: Good morning Sheri, It sounds a little like hydrangea. Purple petals with a little pink near the ... | |
| Outdoor Potted Plants | 4/24/2008 |
| Q: I live in Panama City Beach, in NW Florida. I like to grow plants in large pots on my patio that ... A: Good morning Kathleen, I live in Panama City, FL (small world isn't it), and have roses, citrus ... | |
| Windmill Palm "Space" | 4/21/2008 |
| Q: Out in our pool area we are FINALLY getting rid of the pesky overgrown Junipers. I am replacing ... A: These palms may grow to 40 feet tall with a ten foot crown. Depending on conditions they will grow ... | |
| CENTURY PLANT | 3/28/2008 |
| Q: Can you cut off the bloom just as it appears and save the plant from dying? I like the plant where ... A: Good morning Vicki, My understanding is that when the flower stalk starts it grows so fast that it ... | |
| stink bays | 2/28/2008 |
| Q: Since you know the bogs of NW Fla., perhaps you can tell me the name of a rhododendron-type shrub or ... A: Good morning Jerry, I don't claim to know all the native plants in the bogs of northwest Florida but ... | |
| Yucca card and transplant | 2/23/2008 |
| Q: I have four or five Yuccas all close together, and I want to break them up and transplant them. I ... A: Good morning Nicole, I live in Florida and see Spanish bayonet and Spanish dagger plants almost ... | |
| orange blossoms | 2/1/2008 |
| Q: Being that you are familiar with plants in Florida maybe you can help me. I am having a wedding ... A: Good morning Shasta, The orange tree is not native to the Americas but does grow well in Florida ... | |
| crown of thornes | 1/27/2008 |
| Q: hard freeze turned 6 outside crown of thornes plants brown although they were covered with sheets, ... A: Good morning Margaret, I'm not too familiar with the crown of thorns but I'm pretty sure you should ... | |
| Tropicals | 1/25/2008 |
| Q: I have a lot of tropicals that need Sunlight , But unfortunately , I don't get alot of sun in my ... A: You could get some two foot fluorescent light fixtures with tubes, which are almost as good as grow ... | |
| Willow tree | 12/11/2007 |
| Q: My husband is very traditional about giving me the correct gift for every year of our marriage on ... A: Good morning Judy, This isn't my field of expertise but I'm almost certain that if you treat it like ... | |
| feeding | 11/22/2007 |
| Q: I have a Sarracenia hybrid i water it with rain water.Is there anything (flys & bugs) i can feed ... A: Good morning Mike, You shouldn't have to feed your hybrid, unless it is isolated where bugs can't ... | |
| elephant ear | 11/15/2007 |
| Q: i have started a bean stalk!!! just wondering how large my elephant ear will grow?? it's about 9' ... A: Good morning Scott, I live in Florida and have seen elephant ears over 12 feet tall with leaves ... | |
| ponytailpalm bulb damage | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: the bulb on my ponytail palm has a little chunk taken out of it how do i repair it? thank you leeann A: Good afternoon Leeann, If you have some pruning paint you could paint the damaged area to prevent ... | |
| cutting back a yucca plant | 10/10/2007 |
| Q: i have a very large indoor yucca that needs to be cut back , can you advise on the best way to go ... A: I'm no expert at this but have trimmed the sharp points off Spanish bayonet and Spanish dagger ... | |
| tree | 10/2/2007 |
| Q: I use pine straw in my flower beds and now there is a small tree growing in there could it be a pine ... A: Good morning Cynthia, It could be a pine or cedar or maybe something else but is probably a pine. It ... | |
| Sunflower | 9/26/2007 |
| Q: Is the sunflower considered the flower of Russia? A: Good morning Jewels, The camomille dadviolet used to be the Russian national flower I think but ... | |
| Can I plant Yucca Plants from seed? | 9/24/2007 |
| Q: Is there any thing special I need to do to plant Yucca's from seed? And what are my chances of them ... A: Good afternoon Shaunna, I live in Florida and yucca plants are prolific here. Spanish bayonet, the ... | |
| critter eating sundew | 9/7/2007 |
| Q: My sundew was doing great, it had a lot of new growth on it and then something chewed up half of it. ... A: Good morning Cheryl, The chances of recovery are good if the roots are still covered. I've had many ... | |
| Watering a yucka plant | 8/4/2007 |
| Q: How often do you water this plant that is in a container? A: Good morning Tonya, This isn't my field of expertise and there are many different varieties of yucca ... | |
| Slope planting | 7/22/2007 |
| Q: Heaton, The SSE facing side of our lot in RI has a slope to it so regular mowing would not be ... A: Good morning Jeannie, This isn't my field of expertise but if the slope is too steep to mow I would ... | |
| Lucky Bamboo | 7/6/2007 |
| Q: What are the steps in training Lucky Bamboo? A: Good morning Carolyn, This isn't my field of expertise but lucky bamboo can be trained in a fashion ... | |
| Diana Tree Althea | 7/3/2007 |
| Q: ...I planted a Diana Tree Althea aka Hibiscus syriacus 'Diana' in my yard about three weeks ago. ... A: Good morning Jaime, This is not my field of expertise but I have had success with hibiscus. They ... | |
| magnolia tree | 7/2/2007 |
| Q: is it possible to take a piece of the magnolia tree and transplant it to another area A: Good morning Trey, Yes it is. Your success could vary depending on the method you use but it is ... | |
| research 1 | 6/23/2007 |
| Q: Sir, what garden plants can be used as a food supplement A: Good morning Gem, The answer listing all the garden plants with uses as food supplements would fill ... | |
| Torrey Pine pruning & maintenance | 6/19/2007 |
| Q: - I live in N. San Diego County. I want to prune and maintain a Torrey Pine tree. Do I need a ... A: Good afternoon Terresa, I'm glad you followed up and hope you will continue to update me. It is ... | |
| Torrey Pine pruning & maintenance | 6/18/2007 |
| Q: - I live in N. San Diego County. I want to prune and maintain a Torrey Pine tree. Do I need a ... A: Good morning Terresa, I am almost sure you can obtain help for your torrey pine without a torrey ... | |
| Torrey Pine pruning & maintenance | 6/18/2007 |
| Q: - I live in N. San Diego County. I want to prune and maintain a Torrey Pine tree. Do I need a ... A: Good afternoon Teressa, I would think one of your local tree surgeons or arborist would be able to ... | |
| Torrey Pine pruning & maintenance | 6/16/2007 |
| Q: - I live in N. San Diego County. I want to prune and maintain a Torrey Pine tree. Do I need a ... A: Good morning Teressa, A pine tree tends to seal its wounds with sap but if for some reason it hasn't ... | |
| Cedar Trees | 6/14/2007 |
| Q: I have 4 Cedar seedlings from an island in Lake Huron that I was given and am trying to raise. I ... A: Good afternoon Barb, I don't know which cedar specie you have but most have similar needs. Usually ... | |
| basil seedlings/sulphur odor | 6/9/2007 |
| Q: Why is there an odor of sulphur when I water my basil plants. ANSWER: Good morning Lisa, There are ... A: Good morning Lisa, It seems like it would have to be something in the soil if it isn't in the water. ... | |
| yucca plant - emergency | 6/7/2007 |
| Q: My yucca plant which I've had since I was a student (18 years ago) has had a nasty accident. When I ... A: Good afternoon Eileen, There should be no problem saving the plant but the flower stalk may be ... | |
| basil seedlings/sulphur odor | 5/31/2007 |
| Q: Why is there an odor of sulphur when I water my basil plants. A: Good morning Lisa, There are over 40 varieties of basil and I don't know of one that has a sulfurous ... | |
| transplanting yucka plants | 5/27/2007 |
| Q: i have several yucka plants that i would like to move to a different location. is transplanting ... A: Good morning Esther, The yucca plant is one of the easiest plants to transplant if you are careful ... | |
| transplanting our century plant | 5/20/2007 |
| Q: this plant is about 45 years old and we need to transplant it but we do not want to kill it or ... A: Good morning Cathy, Let me start by saying this is not my field of expertise and that the only ... | |
| phosphorous plant | 5/17/2007 |
| Q: is there any plant/root that is like phosphorous that glows? A: Good afternoon Rajesh, The bioluminescent or phosphorescent qualities are mainly in the fungus and ... | |
| Peace of Lily Plant | 5/10/2007 |
| Q: I have had the peace of lily for over a year and never had problems before now. It is early spring ... A: Good morning Chris, Most insect sprays have a disclaimer which indicates where they shouldn't be ... | |
| fruit trees | 4/10/2007 |
| Q: Can you tell me how to graft fruit trees, is there a book on this? Where can I get this info? Thank ... A: I can tell you how but the options available are many and easily found online if you search for ... | |
| Cal Native Oak | 3/4/2007 |
| Q: There is a California Native Oak sitting just next to my property line on a vacant hillside. The lot ... A: This isn't in my field of expertise but I'm fairly sure that none of the 3 species of California ... | |
George Heaton
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Carnivorous plants and other endangered or threatened plants of northwest Florida are what I can answer questions about. Germination of seeds, growing instructions and other care facts are available from me.
Experience
I have my own bog which is suitable to grow carnivorous plants and it is populated by sarracenia, sundews and other plant life.
Education/Credentials
I am a high school graduate and I am self taught in the carnivorous plant field.
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