| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
|
| Blue Spruce | 12/17/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I too have a couple Blue Spruce that are dying from the top down. The trees are 25 to 30 ft. tall & ...
A: Joe, Normally when a tree dies from the top down, it is due to a root problem, but spruces can also ...
|
| trimming shrubs | 12/14/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I would like to experiment on trimming some shrubs for bonsai. Are there any kinds of shrubs in ...
A: Gwen, Just about any shrub can be cut into bonsai shapes. One of my nephews is very skilled in ...
|
| Trimming bushes | 12/13/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I live in Northwest Ohio, and have pair of large bushes in front of our porch. They have been there ...
A: Tom, It all depends on the type of shrub they are. Some evergreens, like yews, will tolerate severe ...
|
| Globe Arborvitae | 12/8/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: My globe's have some kind of disease at the bottom, foliage has died off, twigs are bare. The tips ...
A: Ruth, It sounds more like a root problem to me. Severe flooding, especially if it involves salt ...
|
| evergreens | 12/6/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: i live in tennessee,southwestern part of the state,i have some fernspray false cypress,there turning ...
A: Randy, It is common on evergreens to show some browning, especially on the insides of the plant, ...
|
| Arbs | 12/4/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have about 95 arbs lining my property for the past 5 years or so. There has been limited growth. ...
A: Andy, There are many conditions that could exist on your property that would limit growth - poor ...
|
| transplanting arbovitae | 12/1/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: We just purchased 5 large Pyrimadal arb's in the range of 10'-12'. In our NW Indiana heavy clay ...
A: Ray, I would reommend putting them in the ground this year and not waiting until the spring. Dig ...
|
| Dwarf Alberto Spruce | 12/1/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: When is the best time of the year to transplant an Dwarf Alberto Spruce and what is the best way?
A: Robert, I always recommend to try to plant in the early to mid fall for all plants. You can still ...
|
| burning bush raising | 11/26/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I planted a burning bush this last summer, but now I have to raise the garden around it. If I add ...
A: Suzi, Raising the plants would be the best thing to do since adding three more inches of topsoil ...
|
| shrubs | 11/25/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: Could you please tell me if clorox is harmful to cedar bushes? I have a problem with mold forming on ...
A: Connie, Cloox, or any bleach will burn the leaves of the leaves and can effect the roots of the ...
|
| regrowth with seeds | 11/25/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have seeds from both a Rose of Sharon Bush and also a few from some Roses that we cut back for the ...
A: Lori, I would recommend starting the seeds in pots this winter. Use a high organic topsoil or ...
|
| Holly bush | 11/23/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: My holly busy is not full, there seems to be a lot of distance between the limbs which give it a ...
A: Kathie, I would recommend letting the shrub grow for a few years with no pruning being done to it. ...
|
| Gardenia leaves yellowing | 11/20/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have three gardenia bushes. The leaves on the gardenia bushes are yellowing and falling off, the ...
A: Edd, I think that there a few conditions that are at work here, bud drop and possible overwatering. ...
|
| Trimming shrubs | 11/19/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I live in Wisconsin. Is Oct./Nov. a good time to trim my shrubs?
A: Dick, It depends on the types of plants that you have on the property. Flowering plants in general ...
|
| TECHNY | 11/16/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I HAVE 20 ARBORVITAE TECHNY'S THAT WAS JUST PLANTED(NOVEMER). THE LANDSCAPING COMPANY THAT PLANTED ...
A: Julie, Your nursery guy is correct- putting a high nitrogen fertilizer like Miracle-gro at this ...
|
| holly has black leaves | 11/15/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have several holly bushes. Some leaves and twigs on one of them are turning black, and are ...
A: Chuck, There are 2 diseases that in this case can cause the leaves to turn black- Holly Leaf Blight ...
|
| buxus microphylla japonica | 11/15/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: i have this type of plant,right now they're about 8" tall and still in their planters, when is a ...
A: Anita, It is fine to plant them now, try to space them about 24 inches apart and they should be ...
|
| transplanting now vs spring | 11/11/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: a beautyberry bush, a 10 ft. viburnum (not sure exact type) a white pine and several small ...
A: Cindy, I would wait until the early spring (late Feb-March)to transplant these plants. This will ...
|
| Japanese Maple | 11/11/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: My husband and I recently bought a house with lots of mature trees on the lot that have not been ...
A: Nisa, Without inspecting the tree and branches, I would have to geuss that the Japanese Maple has a ...
|
| Aborvites | 11/9/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: my wife and I just transplanted some aborvites we were given by my bro-inlaw and planted them along ...
A: Tim, There are two things that I feel have lead to the decline of the Arbs. The first is transplant ...
|
| Meyer Lemon tree and mold | 11/8/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: We recently had a huge rain spell here in WA state, and was preceded by a little bit of a frost ...
A: Theresa, I think that the black spots that you see are due to the frost damage the tree incurred. ...
|
| GARDENIA PLANT | 11/8/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE INDOOR PLANT. LAST YEAR I HAD ONLY 1 FLOWER ON THE PLANT. WHAT CAN I DO TO ...
A: Robert, I would recommend repotting the plant to a larger pot as well as cutting back on the amount ...
|
| rose of sharon | 11/8/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: My rose of sharon was about 9 ft.tall and my neighbor cut it down to about 8 in. Will it come back ...
A: Sandra, The rose of sharon will be fine, it will just take a little longer for it to regrow to the ...
|
| What to do with Hydrangias in the winter? | 11/7/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I live in Illinois, I have two Hydrangias in large pots outside. I have only had them since about ...
A: Sarah, Since they have already gone dormant, I would recommend wrapping them in burlap to protect ...
|
| trimming hollies | 11/6/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: Our Holly bushes in the front of the house had become so overgrown it was starting to look like no ...
A: V, I have seen hollies regrow from drastic prunings, but it will take a few years. The white insect ...
|
| Freeze - Magnolia bush | 11/5/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: .. can Magnolia bushes freeze ? We have a new one planted in early Sept. this year. It froze a few ...
A: Cheryle, Magnolias are a southern plant and are very suseptible to winter freezes, especially if ...
|
| holly shrubs | 11/5/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have 2 holly bushes beside my gas fireplace flue they are pretty and green but seem to be growing. ...
A: Della, If the Hollies are growing fine, I would not recommend fertilizing them. They are obviously ...
|
| Hydrangea plant bolloms | 11/4/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: We have two hydrangea plants on the lot of a house we purchased last year. We therefore have no ...
A: Ed, I think that you did prune the larger one too much. If you wanted to take it down that far, it ...
|
| Burning Bush | 11/3/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have what I thought was a burning bush in my front yard. However it is about 10 feet tall, turns ...
A: Jen, It is very possible that you have a burning bush, they can get as tall as 15 feet. To make ...
|
| Aborvitaes | 11/1/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I had approxiametly twenty beautiful aborvitaes that were recently damaged by an early winter storm ...
A: Frank, I would recommend that you first tie up the inner branches using arbortie or hose and wire. ...
|
| Arborvite | 10/28/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: We have had these for several years and this past summer they turned brown and died. We have two ...
A: Darlene, The browning of inner growth is normal for any evergreen going into winter dormancy. The ...
|
| hydrangea planting | 10/26/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: Someone gave me a hydrangea plant. When can I plant this in the ground? I live just outside New ...
A: Nancy, You can plant it at any time until the ground freezes. I would recommend planting it in a ...
|
| Burning Bush | 10/26/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: What is the best way of protecting this type of shrub from Winter's heavy snow?
A: Irvine, There is no practical way to protect it from the snow. You could erect a burlap enclosure, ...
|
| pruning holly shrubs | 10/24/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I hope it is ok to ask for a little further clarification and then I'll leave it be. I do know that ...
A: Laura, I have seen Hollies pruned up this way many times. Many times plants will start to dieback ...
|
| Hydrangea | 10/23/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I am moving in Dec and want to take part of a hydrangea plant with me. This means I have to pot it ...
A: Peggy, You should take cuttings now and root them using a rooting hormone. Trying to divide a ...
|
| Prunning Hygrangea | 10/21/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have a hydrangea plant its about 4 feet. I live in Southern California in Mission Viejo. I ...
A: Dee, The proper time to prune hydrangeas are right after they finish flowering. I would think that ...
|
| Burning Bush shrub | 10/21/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I planted a 1 gal size burning bush in full sun last spring, giving it plenty of water to get ...
A: Cindy, There is little to do at this time except to fertilize the plant using a low nitrogen ...
|
| when to prune rose of Sharons plus more | 10/21/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: And also my Endless Summer Hydrangea is getting to tall, can I prune that back now since it froze a ...
A: Rick, Lets start with the Hydrangea. If you prune it back now, you will be pruning off the flower ...
|
| Arborvitae trees are turning yellow/brown | 10/20/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I have 5 arborvitae trees in large pots (aprrox. 2 1/2 feet wide). They have been doing fine for ...
A: Diane, The pots that the Arbs are planted in are causing two problems- root restriction and ...
|
| pruning holly shrubs | 10/20/2006 | Edward Gulliksen |
Q: I think I made a big fat mistake and it's making me sick to my stomach! I have three beautiful, ...
A: Laura, You haven't ruined them, but you have changed their growth pattern. In pruning off the lowe ...
|
