Due to the wonders of technology, I received eight or nine questions in a less than timely fashion. If you wrote me this fall, I now have your questions and will answer them over the next couple of columns. I know one of you needed help winterizing mums and now it’s too late! Throw some mulch on them, and I’ll answer the question in more detail soon! Sorry about the delay. Q. Are there any…Read more about January “In The Grow”[Read More]
The Perennial Plant Association has selected Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii “Goldsturm” as its 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year. Members of the association, made up primarily of professional plant growers, each year select a perennial, which is used to educate the gardening public and to promote the planting of perennial flowers. Goldsturm is a popular and reliable perennial that is widely planted throughout the world. Its bright yellow, “black-eyed-Susan” type blooms provide spectacular show from…Read more about Goldsturm Rudbeckia Named 1999 Perennial of the Year[Read More]
Are your bulbs bursting? The recent warm spell may just stick around long enough to trick your bulbs–and perhaps a few other plants–into thinking it’s spring. This is the time of year when we normally expect temperatures to be cold enough to signal the hardening-off period to plants. And until quite recently, we were cold enough to start that process. Now, as the temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s for a while, some…Read more about Mild Weather Brings Up The Bulbs[Read More]
It seems Indiana gardeners were spending their time preparing for the holidays rather than reflecting on recent garden woes. That means I get a month off! Here are some often-asked questions that I have run before. Q. I didn’t get my spring bulbs planted this fall. Is it too late? A. Your best bet is to plant them as soon as possible. If the soil is not frozen, plant them immediately. When the ground freezes, mulch the…Read more about December “In The Grow”[Read More]
Eleven new garden plants have been awarded the prestigious honor of being an All America Selection (AAS) for 1999. These new cultivars have been judged as superior in their class based on their performance in test gardens all over the country. For the flower garden, the first award winner is Begonia ‘Pin-Up Flame,’ selected for its distinctive colored petals. Although it is a single-flowered type, the yellow petals are quite large and striking with orange-red…Read more about All America Winners for 1999[Read More]
Many of us gardeners have mixed feelings about this time of year: sad to see another garden year draw to a close, but at the same time relieved to get a break from the chores of weeding, watering, pruning and more weeding. But before you hibernate, there are still a few more chores to take care of outdoors. Winter mulch isn’t necessary for all garden plants, but it can mean survival for some less hardy…Read more about Preparing the Garden for Winter[Read More]
Q. How do you start and grow rhubarb? &emdash; Gerald Wicoff, Danville, Ill. A. Rhubarb can be planted in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Choose crowns of a known cultivar with at least two large buds. Valentine, Canada Red, McDonald and Ruby are recommended red cultivars. Victoria is a recommended green-stalked cultivar. Valentine tends to produce fewer unwanted seed stalks. Valentine and McDonald require less sugar in food preparation than many…Read more about November “In The Grow”[Read More]
While gourds are often a part of today’s Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations, they date back to 2200 B.C., making them among the oldest cultivated plants in history. Since the times of the Egyptian tombs, their shells have been used as dippers or containers for grain storage; other types are edible when young and tender. The term “gourd” is most correctly applied to the hard-shelled members of the vine crops known as cucurbits and includes plants…Read more about Harvesting and Preserving Gourds[Read More]
Q. My Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ flops open in the center each fall and looks disastrous. What can I do?It’s too heavy to tie to a stake. Gary Kukulies, Lafayette, IN A. The upright sedums (now renamed Hylotelephium), need to be divided every few years to keep them from crashing to the ground in the fall. This task is best undertaken in the spring when the shoots are up a few inches. Lift the entire clump…Read more about October “In The Grow”[Read More]
Dry summers are not that unusual in the Midwest, but this year’s weather pattern was a bit unusual in that much of the state experienced above normal precipitation in spring and early summer. But most areas found the flow of water shut off in mid to late summer. Many plants will be displaying their fall colors and dropping leaves in the next few weeks, but this is a critical time for plants to rehydrate themselves…Read more about Water Now to Prepare Plants for Winter[Read More]