Gardening Q and A
Pepper – Fused Fruit
Q: I planted three banana pepper plants (grown from seeds) this spring. While harvesting the remaining peppers from the one surviving plant a couple of days ago, I found this little oddity. I found it so unusual, I thought I...
Holly – Swallowing Azalea
Q: I have some holly shrubs in front of my townhouse that are swallowing a blooming bush. My question is: should I cut back the holly bushes to stumps? Will they bud in the spring? A: I attended a lecture...
Juniper – Too Large for Pot
Q: My juniper is slowly turning brown and I’m not sure what to do for it. A: It looks like a juniper that became too dry after planting. The container is pretty small for that size plant (double the current...
Rose Rosette – On Floribunda Rose
Q: Our roses were installed four years ago. The floribunda roses have what we been told is rosette virus. We have been told to uproot these roses and discard. Would we have to do anything special to the soil before...
Brown Rot – On Peach
Q: My six year old peach trees had a devastating bout of brown rot last summer . Can you assist me with getting a better understanding of the general care these trees require? A:Brown rot can indeed be devastating. Its...
Muscadine – Pruning on an Arbor
Q: I was sick for two years and this arbor of muscadine and muscadine grapes is way out of control. When should I prune and what should I prune? A: You have some major jobs ahead: If you want a...
Golden Euonymus – Turning Green
Q: Do you have any idea why my Golden Euonymus is green, not yellow? It seems otherwise healthy. A:You are just seeing a reversion of the golden leaves back to their green parentage. First noticed many years ago, all golden...
Pieris – Lacebug Damage
Q: I have been losing some Mountain Fire pieris. They start off fine but then the color of the leaves change from a dark green to green with lighter “splotches”. A: Excellent pix of lacebug damage! Azaleas get these most...
Tree – How to Plant on Slope
Q: From the street to my house is a pretty steep slope. I want to plant a Yoshino cherry as a feature there. Rather than planting it on the hill, I wanted to do an island that has a small...
Marlberry (Ardisia) – Growing
Q: I am trying to find a local source for Chirimen Marlberry to use as a ground cover. I found two at a nursery several months ago but cannot find any more Any ideas? A: I haven’t grown marlberry but...
A Gardener’s Thanksgiving – Prayer
Q: Any chance you could repost the “Gardener’s Thanksgiving” from your radio show? I loved it! A: Your wish is my command! A Gardener’s Thanksgiving (pdf file) A Gardener’s Thanksgiving Let us give thanks for a bounty of people: For...
Mulch Leaves – Don’t Rake
Q: I am tired of raking! Is there any reason I can’t shred lawn leaves with my mower and not rake them into piles for removal? A: There are two good reasons to let your mower do the work. One...
Polyphemus Moth – Cocoon
Q: I found this “nest” attached to a branch of a crape myrtle. I thought at first that it was some type of hummingbird nest, but my research doesn’t substantiate that. A: University of Georgia insect expert Lisa Ames says:...
Black Nightshade – Poisonous?
Q: My toddler ate a berry from this plant. Is it poisonous? A: This is black nightshade, Solanum nigrum. Several members of the Solanum family are considered poisonous to some degree….but tomatoes and potatoes are in this family, so not all...
Tomato – Fall Harvest
Q: Our fall tomato crop has been great! They made it through the hot summer and we cut them back, thinking they were done. They started growing and blooming again! A: Your experience is the same as mine. I’ve discovered...
Holly – Scale Insects
Q: I have two holly bushes in the front of the house that are 7 feet tall. This year they have a black coating on the leaves. The affected areas are about 20 to 30 percent of the bushes. I...
Turnip – White Spot Disease
Q: I have grown Purple Top turnips for many years without problems. This year though, issues have arisen. I first noticed a few small spots developing on the foliage. It has now spread throughout the entire crop. I can’t figure...
Indian Pipe – Fragrant
Q: I found these in pine mixed woods. Their fragrance was striking. There were two small patches, each about 1 ft. sq.. As we walked up on them, a very noticeable floral, appealing aroma was present. When I picked one...
