| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| trimming taxux yews | 11/14/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have some 24 year old taxus yew shrubs that are taking over and would like to trim them back ...
A: No need to panic about the pruning! Taxus should be pruned in Summer or early Fall. They will take ...
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| White fuzzy stuff on bark and branches of oleander | 11/13/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I brought my two potted oleander plants inside for the winter. I live in Bella Vista, Arkansas. ...
A: I've been doing a bit of research on Oleander over the weekend and have discovered that one of the ...
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| land scaping plants | 10/29/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: when to fertilize and what kind and when live in illinois . the following ; ...
A: Wow - this is quite a question! OK, first things first. As these are newly planted specimens I ...
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| privet hedge | 10/28/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have a privet hedge about 4 feet from the side of the house. I keep it trimmed to about 6 feet ...
A: Privet can be a bit of a brute because they are greedy feeders! but I have seen privet planted 4' ...
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| Newly planted shrubs turning brown | 10/26/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live near Philadelphia, PA. A week ago I had several new shrubs put in by a landscaper. Among ...
A: This is a bit of a vexed question! Firstly, conifers are a specialist subject, and I'm not an ...
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| crepe myrtle | 10/23/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I planted three bushes this year. How do I protect them this winter. Cover with commercial mulch ...
A: In cold areas it's never a bad idea to protect plants through the cold weather, especially during ...
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| Crepe Mrytles | 10/20/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in Austin, Texas and I have C.M. Trees planted in a shady area...The trees are 4 years ...
A: Now would be good as the plants should be going into the dormant period. Although there is going to ...
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| hydrangas | 10/18/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: this year my plants got about six foot tall but four of them had no flowers and one had just four ...
A: Did you cut them back hard last fall? That's the usual reason why these problem-free plants don't ...
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| Arborvitae | 10/16/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I planted 14 arbor vitaes in April at a house in Denver, Colorado. I mixed the existing dirt 50/50 ...
A: First the soil - Arborvitae are really not too fussy about the soil type - so don't worry about ...
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| Azaleas | 10/15/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: When is the best time to prune azaleas? Is that also a good time to root the cuttings? Any ...
A: The best time to prune azaleas is directly after they have finished flowering, by cutting back to a ...
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| Dogwood trees | 10/15/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: There are a lot of small dogwood trees coming up under my main tree. Are these good Can I replant ...
A: You don't say how big the new dogwoods are, but they can certainly be transplanted. If they are ...
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| planted arborvitaes; now browning a lot | 10/14/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: Greetings, I planted several, 5 foot, emerald green arborvitaes in the summer,and they have been ...
A: Arborvitae need a moist, but well drained soil in full sun! It may be that you were not able to ...
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| Prunning | 10/12/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: HOW and when do I prune a Hydrangra Tree?
A: This is one of those 'two schools of thought' questions. Thought 1 says prune now and Thought 2 ...
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| Emerald Cedar Spraying | 10/11/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: Vancouver, BC, I have a nice row of cedars, 5 years old, 10 feet tall, growing like mad, well ...
A: Spraying your Cedars with malathion will get rid of a pest called the Cedar Aphid, though as your ...
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| arborvites | 10/11/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I recently planted 4 small arbovites...about 3-4 ft tall...they are on the west side of my ...
A: Arborvitae are generally fully frost hardy, but as these are newly planted I might be tempted to ...
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| podocarpus | 10/10/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: We planted a row of podocarpus for a back privacy fence. They look good, however, some of them ...
A: Podocarpus are really trouble free plants, and you have been treating yours in exactly the right ...
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| Inkberry holly. | 10/8/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: Tips of leaves are turning black. They have the same texture and finish as the rest of the leaf - ...
A: Holly trees are generally pretty tough plants, but it may be that they have been under quite a lot ...
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| wintergreen boxwood | 10/8/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: what is the best fertilizer and can you over water them. living in louisiana it is very wet this ...
A: I've had sooo many questions about boxwood dying recently from all over the States. It's getting ...
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| azaleas | 10/8/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I just acquired 3 red azalea bushes someone uprooted because they didn't like them. The have soil ...
A: These plants need planting now! The ground will still be warm from summer so the plants should be ...
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| planting an aloe vera plant from one of it's leaves | 10/7/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: How do i plant another Aloe Vera plant from the one that I already have?
A: Aloe Vera are suckering plants - that means that they send out shoots just under the compost (or ...
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| Pruning Globe | 10/7/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I planted globe shrubs 3 years ago and have not pruned them yet. Is there a guide to follow to make ...
A: Pruning a plant to a specific shape can be difficult - but you may have a head start here. Your ...
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| pruning shrub and hedge | 10/6/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have a Globe Blue Spruce - Picea pungens 'Globosa' that has outgrown its location and either needs ...
A: Conifers as a whole don't take kindly to being pruned and wont regenerate if you cut into the 'old' ...
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| orleander roots | 10/5/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have an orleander very close to my pool. Some people tell me I should move them because the roots ...
A: How long has the plant been there and how big is it now? There is one variety of Oleander that ...
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| Tea olive bush | 10/3/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have a tea olive in a container for at least 4 years. It has never bloomed. Any suggestions?
A: Tea Olive (Osmanthus) is a very problem free plant so I am guessing that the leaves on your plant ...
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| techny arborvitae - full of bud. not densed | 10/2/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have 4 techny arborvitae planted 2 years ago.all are 5' tall.. all of them are not dense; it is ...
A: Arborvtae are very disease resistant and have few pests, but they have a very shallow root system ...
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| camellia problems | 9/30/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have put my camellias in tubs to try to control the soil, but ALL of them have developed problems ...
A: Mmm - Odd one this! If you are putting acid loving plants in containers you should really use an ...
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| hydrangea | 9/29/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in Dutchess county, NY. I have 3 hydrangea I have had them about 5 yrs, they have grown about ...
A: From reading your question I don't think there is very much wrong with your Hydrangeas. I think it ...
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| Taxus Yew | 9/25/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: We removed a 10ft yew and replaced with a 4-5 ft Yew. The large Yew was removed as a result of ...
A: The Taxus you removed would have thoroughly depleted the ground of nutrients for quite a distance ...
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| Butterfly bushes & Lilacs | 9/25/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: Good day Gill, I have two questions. 1. I just planted three butterfly bushes about a week ago and ...
A: 1. - the butterfly bushes (Buddleia). You mention dead buds, not dead flowers, so I'm guessing that ...
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| bronzing Green velvet boxwood | 9/24/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: One year ago we had 24 Green Velvet Boxwoods installed for a south facing formal front yard look. ...
A: As you are in Chicago my instinct says that this is probably damage caused by cold. If your front ...
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| loropetulum | 9/22/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I just purchased a loropetulum. I am concerned about how large it might get. Can it be pruned to ...
A: Loropetulum grow to about 6' x 6'. They can be gently trimmed back after flowering, but heavy ...
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| transplanting evergreen bushes | 9/22/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I have several 4' x 4' evergreen bushes that i would like to dig up and transplant to another area ...
A: 4'x 4' - that's pretty big! There really is no easy way to dig up big shrubs - it's down to hard ...
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| damaged arbs | 9/21/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: 5 of my 15' tall arbs are damaged due to lack of water. Well problems...long story. They are ...
A: How close to your Arborvitae are the trees planted? Conifer roots do spread out a lot to balance ...
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| hydrangeas | 9/21/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: My hydrangeas this year did not flower and the leaves were yellowish and curled. The edges were ...
A: This is a bit of a puzzle! If your other Hydrangeas did well (although the blooms staying green is ...
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| overwintering Gardinias | 9/21/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in zone 6 and would like to save the nice Gardenia I got as a present. Advise, what do I do ...
A: Leaves are probably dropping because the temperature is falling now, particularly at night, so take ...
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| Althea Bush | 9/20/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I've alwaysed love the Althea Bushes ever since my grandmother planted hers. This weekend I bought ...
A: You don't say what variety of Althea Bush you have bought, so take a look at the label which should ...
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| overwintering Gardinias | 9/19/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: I live in zone 6 and would like to save the nice Gardenia I got as a present. Advise, what do I do ...
A: Gardenia's are tender plants and wont survive a winter outside in an area which gets frost. ...
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| hydrangeas | 9/19/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: My hydrangeas this year did not flower and the leaves were yellowish and curled. The edges were ...
A: I am finding this question a bit puzzling - what did you fertilize the Hydrangea with and how? For ...
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| yellow smoke bush | 9/18/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: This is the second season for my yellow smoke bush in full sun till late afternoon. It tripled in ...
A: Yes I'm afraid that Sumac and Sumach are the same thing, just a difference in spelling. If you have ...
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| yellow smoke bush | 9/17/2009 | Gill Borchardt |
Q: This is the second season for my yellow smoke bush in full sun till late afternoon. It tripled in ...
A: Smoke Bush (Cotinus) is affected by verticillum wilt. The only way to be sure your plant is ...
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