| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
|
| dahlias | 11/18/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in southwestern New Hampshire, zone 5, I believe. My daughter bought me a package of 15 ...
A: As long as your cellar is cool and frost free, you can certainly over-winter the dahlia tubers ...
|
| Grape Hyacinth | 11/16/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: 11/16/09 I have just dug up a lot of Grape Hyacinth (all sizes) and want to save them for next years ...
A: Thanx for your question. Put the bulbs in a place where they can dry off and then shake off the ...
|
| Magnolia Trees | 11/10/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: Hey Tom, We have a group of Magnolia Trees behind our pool. Two of the three started to lose leaves ...
A: Thanx for your question. I agree with the arborist. I think the chemicals from the pool stressed ...
|
| Mexican Heather | 11/7/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: Oh, I had a beautiful Mexican Heather in a pot on my deck in Chicago, IL. I had planned on bringing ...
A: Thanx for your question. Mexican heather has zero tolerance for frost. Bring the plant indoors and ...
|
| winterizing Alstroemerias and climbing roses | 11/6/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: This is my first year of gardening , and I must admit, I am quite pleased with my out come. I live ...
A: Thanx for your question. You can wait for your first frost to kill back the alstroemeria and then ...
|
| hibiscus | 11/5/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: are hibiscus perinnals ? a lady friend wants me to plant it outside and i am not sure if it can take ...
A: Thanx for your question. Hibiscus are in fact, perennial. There is a hardy version called Hibiscus ...
|
| butterfly bush deadheading | 11/4/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: My bush is beautiful with its first blooms. As they turn brown and I cut them off there are two ...
A: Thanx for the additional information. Anytime you deadhead a butterfly bush, you may prune the stem ...
|
| brugmansia "Joli" bloom drop | 10/28/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I have a brugmansia [Angel Trumpet] that is producing blooms. I brought this one into the kitchen, ...
A: Thanx for your question. Brugmansia experience bud drop whenever they are stressed. Moving the ...
|
| Zebra Plants/Shrubs | 10/28/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I have several Zebra plants in my backyard that I would like to relocate. When is the best time of ...
A: Thanx for the additional information. Misicanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' is hardy from zones 5-9. If ...
|
| identifying a purple bush | 10/27/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I've seen a group of purple bushes flowering every year at a place of business in my town. When ...
A: It is difficult to identify a plant from a description, I'm afraid - could you post a picture of two ...
|
| Cordyline RedStars | 10/27/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: but I wonder if the snow will crush their shape. Please help.
A: Thanx for your question. Cordyline Red Star is only hardy to Zone 7. A few frosts probably won't ...
|
| mums over winter | 10/26/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: We recently received as a gift a pot of mums that came from a florist. We were told they could be ...
A: Thanx for your question. Generally, potted mums from the florist will not be hardy in SE Iowa. You ...
|
| Mums Propagation | 10/26/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: What do nurseries do to get their mums so perfect?
A: Thanx for your question. Pinching back mums is very helpful in helping the mums achieve their best ...
|
| Calli lily | 10/26/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: Tom, I had a calli lily in a small pot for several years and over wintered them in the basement. It ...
A: Thanx for your question. It will be okay to put the calla lily in the garage during it's dormancy ...
|
| burro's tail | 10/26/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I was given a lovely "burro's tail". Its tails are about 2 ft. long. It loses a lot of leaves ...
A: 'Burro's tail' (Sedum morganianum) is, in fact, a succulent and is grown as a house plant when ...
|
| perenials | 10/24/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in the central valley of California. I would like to know if there are perenials that bloom ...
A: Here's the list I promised you - I'll give both the botanical name and the common name(s) for each ...
|
| Moving Hibiscus plants indoors when weather becomes cold | 10/24/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I have several Hibiscus plants on my deck. I want to move them into my basement for the winter. I ...
A: Thanx for your question. You can treat your hibiscus with a horticultural soap which should remove ...
|
| magnolia bush | 10/23/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I planted the bush on the east side of the house 2 years ago. It starts new growth and then begins ...
A: Brown crunchy leaves sounds like maybe not enough water. Magnolias like a lot of moisture and ...
|
| magnolia bush | 10/23/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I planted the bush on the east side of the house 2 years ago. It starts new growth and then begins ...
A: Thanx for the additional information. If this is a deciduous magnolia, one that loses its leaves ...
|
| yucc PLANT | 10/22/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: TOM, Sorry I forgot to include this question with my last question. We have a yucca plant that ...
A: Thanx for the additional information. It sounds like it's just powdery mildew or some kind of ...
|
| moving perennials | 10/22/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I have accumulated several perennials in my garden over the past three years. We are in the process ...
A: Thanx for your question. As long as your soil does not freeze solid within the next 45 days, I ...
|
| potted hardy hibiscus | 10/21/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I do have a hardy hibiscus of -30 below and I did plant it in a pot and it turned out beautiful, ...
A: Thanx for your question. If you do not anticipate that the ground will freeze solid for the next ...
|
| harvest time for asiatic lily pod | 10/20/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I am going to try to grow some Asiatic lilies from seed. I have found the process, but I'm not sure ...
A: Thanx for your question. You can bag the seed pods. Take a paper bag and tie it loosley around the ...
|
| portulaca,sundial scarlet | 10/20/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: i have my sundial scarlet in a pot.how do i care for them in the winter,and will they still get ...
A: Thanx for your question. Portulaca is an annual commonly grown in the U.S. as a bedding plant. It ...
|
| calla lilly | 10/20/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I got my first calla lilly this spring, and it looked gorgeous all summer! Now, the roots are ...
A: Thanx for your question. If the roots to you calla lily are exposed, cover them with a couple ...
|
| planting irises | 10/20/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in Illinois and was just given a large amount of irises. My question is can I wait until ...
A: I'm guessing that these are not water iris, but the ones with large rhizomes - they look like very ...
|
| mums | 10/17/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I bought some mums last fall. After they had started to turn brown, my husband decided to plant ...
A: Great to hear that your Mums have done so well - good for you (and your husband for moving them to ...
|
| black-eyed susans | 10/17/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: When getting my flowers bed ready for winter I noticed a bore had gotten into the stem of my ...
A: Thanx for your question. It sounds like you have a stalk borer which occasionally infests Blackeyed ...
|
| mums and hibiscus | 10/17/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: we have mums and hibiscus plants on our terrace in NJ. We leave for Florida the end of October and ...
A: Great idea!! If the Mums ordinarily die down in the winter, make sure you cut off the dead stems ...
|
| Gardinia Bush Car Indoor Winter Months | 10/17/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I've two new gardenia's bushes. They bloomed beautifully this past summer. Removed from garden into ...
A: Thanx for your questions. Keep your gardenias in a window facing the East or South for best ...
|
| straw flowers | 10/14/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: Tom We've had straw flowers in a pot outside all summer-we live in Indiana- now my wife ...
A: Thanx for your question. If you're talking about Helichrysum which is the most common strawflower ...
|
| Peruvian Lilies (Alstromeria) | 10/13/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I read your answer on how to winter over alstromeria in northern climates.... Mine are in ...
A: Thanx for your question. As long as the area does not freeze your alstroemerias should winter over. ...
|
| mums | 10/13/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: Should I cut off the dead blooms on my mums? Will they keep blooming this fall?
A: It is always a good idea to cut the faded blooms off flowers to encourage the plant to produce more. ...
|
| hibiscus | 10/13/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: The plants look very healthy but loose their flower buds before they open can you please advise me ...
A: Bud drop often occurs when there has been a dry spell when the buds were forming - just a few days ...
|
| hibiscus looses flower buds | 10/13/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: The plants look very healthy but loose their flower buds before they open can you please advise me ...
A: This site has good information about bud drop. ...
|
| hydrangea | 10/12/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I planted a hydrangea four years ago. It was blooming when I planted it and it has not bloomed ...
A: Thanx for your question. There are a number of reasons why your hydrangea is not blooming. First, ...
|
| Cordyline Austalis | 10/12/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: Recently I noticed that 5 of the 6 cordylines on our deck have a sort of discoloration, i.e.,the ...
A: Thanx for your help. Cordylines generally prefer full sun but will also grow in partial shade. The ...
|
| Overwintering Canna's | 10/11/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: Is it possible to simply bring the potted, trimmed back Canna into my 50 degree crawl space and let ...
A: Thanx for your questions. If you are in a USDA Hardiness Zone cooler than Zone 7, your cannas ...
|
| dinner plate hibiscus | 10/11/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: My friends sons funeral is this Thurs. His favorite flower was the dinner plate hibiscus. Do you ...
A: Thanx for your question. It is too late in the season (I believe) to find dinner plate hibiscus. ...
|
| what to do with artemisia and blue butterfly delphinium in the winter | 10/11/2009 | Tom Alonzo |
Q: I live in Ohio and this is my first year growing artemisia I like the variegated leaves but it will ...
A: Thanx for your question. As soon as the foliage withers, go ahead and cut the plants back to the ...
|
