Posts Tagged ‘Spring’
Pearlbush – Pruning
Q: I have a pearlbush that is many, many years old. It is almost 25 feet tall but it has lost several limbs over the years and is pretty scraggly now. Can I prune it drastically now without hurting it?...
Hydrangeas – Coloring With Epsom Salt
Q: I’ve been thinking about the notion of applying Epsom salts to hydrangeas to enhance the blue color. Since I have an old box of Epsom salts, I would like to try this, but the word “salt” sends up a...
Daphne – Planting and Care
Q: I have a question about daphne. I have both a pink and a white variety. I know they like shade but what else should I provide them? A: I planted a Daphne odora ‘Areomarginata’ beside my entranceway two years...
Gardenia – Damaged by Freeze
Q: I have a gardenia on which most of the leaves turned black after the freeze a few weeks ago. Should I cut it down to the ground or hope that new leaves come back this spring? A: Hope springs...
Wireworm – In Sweet potato
Q: We harvested many sweet potatoes from our garden recently. A few were deformed and very large. What causes the deformity? Most of the potatoes were shaped nicely. Even though they were odd looking they still were good eating. A:...
Bradford Pear – Proper Care
Q: I have 5 bradford pear trees that are 2 1/2 years old. They seem to be growing OK but I want them to grow faster. I bought some tree fertilizing sticks and plan to put down 3 4 for...
Water Problems in the Landscape
Q: I have a serious drainage problem in my back yard. With heavy rains, you can observe the water flowing out of the backyard like a river stream. Now a permanent waterway has been formed through my yard and a...
Purple Beautyberry – Identification
Q: Can you please tell me the name of this plant? It’s growing off Lindberg Drive, near Peachtree Creek. It has these beautiful purple berries even now. I think it’s a good one for color in the fall. A: You...
Azalea Lacebug – Control in Spring
Q: I have big leaf azaleas along the side of our home. Last summer the leaves lost their bright green color. It looked as though the leaves had been bleached. The back of the leaves looked like they had bugs...
Lantana – When to Prune in Winter
Q: I planted some lantana last spring. It was advertised as a perennial but it looks pretty dead now. Should I cut it back or would that be a waste of time? A: Winter lantana care simultaneously exemplifies the mystical...
Pistache Tree – Description , Where to Buy
Q: Where can I buy a Chinese pistache tree? A: You’ve made a good choice. For glossy green summer foliage and eye-popping fall color, few trees rival the pistache. It only grows twenty to thirty feet tall so it is...
Soil – Proper Preparation
Q: I recently purchased a house and all of the soil around it seems to be hard, red clay. I want to have flowers this spring but I know I’ll have to make the soil better somehow. What do you...
Bermuda (Bermudagrass) – Remove from Garden Plot
Q: I want to start a vegetable garden in a pasture with bermudagrass. I want to go ahead and plow it up now and add some leaves and compost to sit over the next few months, but feel I need...
Clover – Using as Groundcover
Q: I am curious about using plants other than grasses for an open area in my backyard. I have heard you describe on your radio show the idea of using dwarf mondo grass but the relatively high cost makes me...
Hydrangea – Making Blooms Purple
Q: I know you have covered how to make pink hydrangea flowers turn blue and vice versa. But how do people get purple blooms? A: You make a hydrangea have purple blooms by manipulating the pH, just as you do...
Carpetgrass – In Centipede Lawn
Q: Last summer I planted a grass mixture in our newly graded lawn. It had carpetgrass to fill in quickly and centipedegrass to establish more slowly. Now I have mostly carpetgrass, quite a few blobs of centipedegrass, and a moderate...
Fescue – Pythium Blight
Q: We’ve done everything “by the book” to have a great lawn. We aerated and overseeded last October and again in April. We planted the most expensive grass seed and the lawn has been gorgeous. Now we are seeing light...
Azalea – Cold Damage
Q: I have a large planting of Formosa azaleas which normally produce beautiful flowers but this year is different. Many of the buds did not produce flowers. In addition, most of the buds that did produce flowers this year are...
