Posts Tagged ‘Summer’
Groundcover – For Dry Shade
Q: I would like to put a ground cover in dry shade under an oak but my husband thinks all ground covers are invasive. Are there any evergreen groundcovers that would work? If they had a blooming period that would...
Mosquito – Soapy Water Trap
Q: I recently got an e-mail about using dish detergent in a shallow plate to attract and drown mosquitoes. Is it horticultural pseudo-science or does it work? A: I would not use the word science anywhere near this recommendation. It...
Yucca – Pruning
Q: I have several clusters of yucca plants around my yard. Most of them are four or five feet tall. Some of the taller ones have begun to flop over and lay down along the ground.What will happen if I...
Oakleaf Hydrangea – Problems
Q: I have lost three good-sized oak leaf hydrangeas that were in dappled sun but a fairly wet spot. The leaves wilted from top down over a two to four week period. They were well-mulched and fairly well-watered (on a...
Oakleaf Hydrangea – Pink Flowers
Q: I have noticed pink oakleaf hydrangeas around town. Is this a new variety? A: You are simply seeing the fading hydrangea flowers, which gradually change from white to pink to brown. When we have lots of rain, the high...
Spring Bulbs – When to Plant
Q: I once heard you say that even though spring bulbs were on store shelves you weren’t too excited about gardeners buying and planting them. Is it to late or to early for spring bulb planting? A: Although summer-flowering bulbs...
Sequoia – Growing
Q: A few years ago, after visiting Sequoia National Park, I talked my parents into planting some giant sequoia seeds. They germinated but they don’t seem to be growing very fast. Most of them are only three inches tall and...
Rhubarb – Growing
Q: Recently moved here from Canada, I really miss growing and harvesting rhubarb for pies and jams. Can it be grown here? A: Transplants to Atlanta from northern climes long for two things: lilacs and rhubarb pie. Both are difficult...
Fragrant Plants
Q: You mentioned daphne in a recent article but can you list other fragrant plants that do well in our climate? A: I don’t think I appreciated the value of landscape fragrance until the last few years in my garden....
Poppy – Planting
Q: When can I plant poppy seeds? A: Poppy seed are most commonly planted in late October. Several kinds of poppy are grown in the South: Shirley poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule), Oriental poppy (P. orientale) and the...
Weed and Feed – Poor Performance
Q: I have a question about what to do to kill weeds. I have bermudagrass in the front lawn and fescuegrass in back. They are infested with crabgrass and chickweed, etc. I purchased several weed and feed products to use...
Leyland Cypress – Growth Rate
Q: We want to plant Leyland cypress trees along both sides of our back yard, for screen. My question is how much do these trees grow a year? I was told the first year they sleep, the second year they...
Holiday Cactus – Care
Q: I inherited a Christmas cactus when my mother passed away. I do not know how much light it needs or the amount of water. Also, what about fertilizer? A: I was delighted recently to find flower buds on the...
Ginger Root – Growing
Q: After reading a suggestion in your column last winter, I planted a piece of ginger root from the grocery store. It grew outside in a pot all summer. Recently I dug up a few roots and found that they...
Garlic – Growing
Q: I was wondering if you could give me some advice on growing garlic. What kind of soil do I need? A: Felder Rushing, author of the newly released “Tough Plants for Tough Places” is an eighth generation Southern garlic...
Redbud – Seed Pods
Q: I have a three year-old ‘Oklahoma’ redbud. This summer there appears to be something growing off a limb that looks like a small green bean. It is an inch in length and is black. What is it? A: It’s...
Zoysiagrass – Removing bermudagrass
Q: Removing one turfgrass from another is a tough assignment. Digging is one option but it is hard work. If you use a chemical, how will a herbicide tell one from the other? Here is one way: Q: I seeded...
Spotted Spurge – Control
Q: I haven’t had any success in ridding my yard of this weed. I routinely spread a broadleaf pre-emergent in mid-September and a crabgrass pre-emergent in March, however, that hasn’t been very effective in curtailing the weed’s yearly appearance. Please...
