| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Blue flowers | 12/24/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: Serafin, Why are there so few blue flowers in nature? (Really blue, that is, not just bluey ...
A: Wait until the seed pods turn brown. Once they begin turning brown, observe closely (daily) to ...
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| Blue flowers | 12/23/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: Serafin, Why are there so few blue flowers in nature? (Really blue, that is, not just bluey ...
A: There really are quite a few blue flowers out there: liverleaf, forget-me-not, alkanet, viper's ...
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| Agapanthas | 8/7/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I live in zone 4. How do I "save" my dwarf Agapanthas. They are still in their original 12 inch ...
A: Fertilize now to make stronger, larger bulbs. After a frost, bring the pot inside into the coolest ...
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| lillies | 7/30/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have lillies in my garden that have finished flowering and in between the leaves small black pods ...
A: The little bulbils are not seeds. You can plant them any time. Simply sprinkle them on the ground ...
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| rose bushes | 7/22/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have a Rose of Sharon bush. It's huge and I'm getting construction done on my house. How can I ...
A: If you want to tackle the job yourself, you need to dig as large a rootball as you can manage (the ...
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| GREEN HYDRANGEAS HELP!! | 7/17/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have a nice hydrangea growing in my yard. I planted it last year I think there were 3 in the pot ...
A: Fertilizer with too much nitrogen in it encourages vegetative growth at the expense of blooms. ...
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| Forget me nots (blooming) | 7/3/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I am trying to see if there is a way to get forget me nots for my wedding in late august. There is a ...
A: If you got them to bloom, it would be a fluke and not something that you could count on. It is not ...
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| field of flowers | 4/23/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I HAVE A 1/5 ACRE FIELD WITH TALL GRASS/SAGE BRUSH. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT A WILD FLOWER AREA. ...
A: You do not say where you are located (sagebrush = somewhere out west?). Do a Google search for ...
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| hydrangeas in a pot | 4/22/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: Will my hydrangea bloom again? I bought it in a pot and sat it outside on the balcony of my ...
A: Your hydrangea is most likely H. macrophylla. There is no reason why it would not bloom again. You ...
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| unidentifyed flower | 4/19/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have recently moved into a new house (2 yrs ago) and there is a ?flower that sends up foliage but ...
A: It sounds like it might be Acorus graminea, a Carex (sedge) or Luzula. If it is one of those, you ...
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| purple bushes/trees | 4/7/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: We drove from Rochester, NY to North Carolina through Ohio and W. Virginia. Along the road we saw ...
A: It would be helpful if I knew what time of the year you saw these. Check out ...
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| native plant ground cover | 4/6/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I'm interested in learning about native plants for gardening. I live in Pittsburgh PA... I have a ...
A: You can find seeds at http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistF-G.htm. A Google search will reveal ...
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| hydrangea | 3/22/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I was given a potted hydrangea a week ago with beautiful pink flowers on. I am unsure where to put ...
A: Keep the plant in a bright, cool location with no direct sun. Whenever the pot begins to feel light ...
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| red fern | 1/25/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I am familiar with the book "where the red fern grows" but can't find any such plant. What is the ...
A: I believe this to be a fictional/mythological plant. To verify my opinion, I searched the Internet ...
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| blue flowers | 11/26/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: Why are there so few blue flowers? Blue is my favorite color, so I noticed that it seems to be ...
A: A source of true blue bearded irises is http://www.schreinersgardens.com/. There also are many ...
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| hydrangea pruning, not flowering | 10/23/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: In the summer of 2005, my daughter's puppy chewed almost every last bit of my hydrangea leaving me ...
A: If this was a Hydrangea arborescens ('Annabelle' is a common cultivar) or H. macrophylla, of which ...
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| agapanthas | 10/3/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: Do I need to dig up my agapanthas this fall, or will it survive the winter in the ground in the ...
A: They may survive in the ground in your area if well mulched. You could dig a couple to be safe. ...
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| native violets | 10/2/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I live in zone 6 in southwestern pennsylvania. I have the most lovely blue violets that came up ...
A: You could probably successfully move them right now. Just cultivate the soil to 8" deep and plant ...
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| Plant establishment | 9/24/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I am reading that gardeners often speak of outdoor plants having become "established," what does ...
A: It simply means that the plant has been growing in its new location long enough to have grown new ...
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| agapanthas | 9/10/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: Can you cut the leaves of agapanthas back to the ground after the stalk has died? Also, the leaves ...
A: The leaves feed the plant for the rest of the season and help store food for the dormant season. I ...
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| Queen Anne's Lace | 8/22/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I'm not sure if these species fall in Zone 6 or not, so I'm sorry if I'm asking you a question you ...
A: The poison hemlocks are much larger and more robust plants with, if I remember correctly, more ...
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| agapanthus | 8/19/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have many agapanthus plants in my beds that have their leaves turning a tan color. While they ...
A: Agapanthus is not a hardy plant where I live so I have only grown them in containers. The yellowing ...
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| Hydrangea Care | 8/15/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have a fairly new blue hydrangea plant. It is blooming nicely and growing well. It's planted in a ...
A: Hydrangeas are very thirsty plants. Since yours is recently planted, in full sun and on a slope, it ...
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| Flower Identification | 8/8/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I found some flowers growing in front of our house. I think they are some kind of morning glory, ...
A: The Morning Glories (Ipomoea sp.)are alien garden escapees; Field Bindweed is an introduced ...
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| agapantha | 8/5/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: when and how should agapanthae be divided -
A: I have to tell you the truth: I do not know what I "should" have done. What I have done, whether it ...
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| edible flowers | 7/29/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: can you tell me what are some edible flowers? thank you
A: Try any of the following with caution (some people may be sensitive): Alliums (wild onions and ...
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| Flower i.d. | 7/12/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I was in Ulster County, NY today and observed a plant about 4-5 ft. high with many deep purple/red ...
A: A few possibilities come to mind but what is stymiing me is the fragrance. Can you obtain and ...
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| wild red currants?? | 7/5/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: When hiking in the Berkshires last week I ran across a patch of red currants. This was on top of a ...
A: Ribes triste, a native currant, is generally found further North but may occur at higher elevations. ...
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| flowering plant identification | 7/2/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: In a Massachusetts garden there is a perennial plant. It is 1-2 ft. high, alternate-leaved, hairy ...
A: A picture is worth a thousand words! Could you obtain a picture and e-mail it to me at ...
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| agapantha | 7/2/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have seed pods cut from agapanthas. They are green now. what do I do to grow agapanthas from ...
A: Wait until the pods start to turn brown and check to see if the seeds are black. It would have been ...
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| Bleeding Hearts | 7/1/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: How do you know the seeds are ripe? Also would I plant the seeds now or wait till spring to plant?
A: The seeds are ripe when the pods turn brown and the seeds inside of them are dark. Mother Nature ...
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| Agapantha | 6/21/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: 8 months ago I planted agapanthas about 1 foot apart from one another. They have grown full and ...
A: I must presume that you live where Agapanthus will winter over outdoors. I must grow them in ...
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| Identification of flowers | 5/26/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I am a hobby photographer (software engineer by profession). Recently I created an album of flower ...
A: This really is way out of my area of expertise and outside of the subject area "Wildflowers". You ...
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| Hydrangea Planting | 5/24/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I received a Hydrangea Macrophylla Endless Summer for Mothers' Day and couldn't resist pruning two ...
A: You do not give your location, but if you are in zone 5 or warmer, you can plant the hydrangea. It ...
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| Ficus Benjamina | 5/21/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I don't know if you are the right one to ask, but I hope it woun't hurt :) What does a flower of ...
A: I cannot find any info on that particular species, either, but the general information at this link ...
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| Bleeding Hearts | 5/12/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I gathered some seed pods from some bleeding heart plants in the woods. Now what should I do with ...
A: Mother Nature does it the easy way: the seeds fall on the ground, are covered by plant debris, ...
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| Aspen trees | 5/11/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I know an aspen tree is not a wildflower, but I couldn't find another expert on the AllExpert site ...
A: I have not seen aspen offered for sale by any nurseries, nor would I offer it at mine. I had one in ...
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| Invasive plants | 5/3/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I heard that some plants coming from other continents can be brought to a continent and spread there ...
A: I did a Google search for "invasive plants list" and the first link to come up was ...
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| wildflowers seeds and chickweed | 3/14/2006 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I have a bank next to our yard and it is very large. I seeded wildflower seed last fall. I have ...
A: Common names of plants vary regionally. What I know as chickweed has white flowers, is a ...
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| Flower identification | 11/17/2005 | Viktoria Serafin |
Q: I live in Marin County, in Northern California, which I believe is situated in zone 2 or 3. Are you ...
A: Northern California is more likely to be zone 6. Zones 2 and 3 mean Canada and Alaska! I have ...
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