Q. I have a rhododendron bush that looks like it is getting rust on the leaves. I think perhaps something is eating on it. What should I use to control this? Thank you. — Joan Wininger A. It’s important to determine if the rust is a problem or a natural occurrence. Many rhododendrons have a natural, rusty-brown, scaly appearance, particularly on the underside of the leaf. Rhododendrons may also be showing leaf scorch at this…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I live in the country and have a gopher problem. They are digging holes around the bird feeders. I have even seen them in the bird feeders. They are digging so much that the pipes the bird feeders are on are about ready to fall down. — Barbara La Cross, LaOtto , Ind. A. Begin by going to Purdue Animal Damage Control Web site at http://www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/wild.htm to make sure you’ve identified the culprit properly. There are…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. We have been looking for Black Crowder Pea seeds and Knuckle Purple beans. Do you know where we can get them? — Delores Ferree, Sellersburg, Ind. A. Both are available from the Vegetable Seed Warehouse http://www.vegetableseedwarehouse.com or from Reimer Seeds www.reimerseeds.com, among other sources. Q. Can you suggest something I can spray on my garden to keep the weeds down? I am surrounded by cornfields and weeds. Thanks. — Gene Rinderle, Wheatland, Ind. A. The best…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. We just moved into our new home in a wooded area. In 2003, I planted over 80 wild violet plants along our drive (you see them everywhere in the spring). I just love them. Well, so did the deer. I guess they thought I set up a buffet line for them. They ate them down to the heart. Then, I planted hostas, which they thought were tasty, too, I later learned. So what can…Read more about Deer-Resistant Plants, Wildlife-Friendly Landscaping, Bulb Planting, and Brussels Sprout Tips[Read More]
Q. I have a pink lemonade honeysuckle vine. It has bloomed all summer, but the leaves are turning a powdery white and falling off. Is there a remedy to save my plant? — Sylvia R. Kline, Ferdinand, Ind. A. Powdery mildew is the name for the grayish-white powdery coating caused by a fungus growing on plant leaves, shoots and flowers. This disease is caused by a group of similar fungi that attacks a wide variety…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. Last year, I put in a new lawn. It’s doing well, except, recently, it began leaving a rust-colored powder on my shoes. Is that something that will affect the health of my turf? — Jason Burks, West Lafayette, Ind. A. The powder is actually millions of microscopic spores produced by a fungus called rust. There are several different rust fungi that cause rust. The most common one on Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass, fescues and…Read more about Managing Lawn Rust and Adding Bold Perennial Colors[Read More]
Q. In the June column, Beverly Shaw’s response to “Thicket thinning” really piqued my interest. “Gardening Q&A” has probably at some time in the past dealt with the problem; nevertheless, I was disappointed that she did not elaborate on how one “selectively” or otherwise “removes” such things as honeysuckle and multiflora rose. Perhaps a future column can revisit ways of doing (or trying to do) this. (Also briars; poison ivy; I probably give up on.)…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. The home we moved into a few years ago backs up to a creek running through our subdivision. On both sides of the creek is a thicket of ferns, bushes, briars, poison ivy, spindly trees and wild woody vines. The vines grow into the tops of a number of the trees, including cedars. We’ve cleared out a portion of the thicket closest to our home, put up a picket fence and now have a…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. We have a new home, which we built three years ago on Lake Shafer, and we have lady bug problems. The first summer, they seemed to be all over the houses out, and we are always finding them inside, sometimes on one side of the house more than the other. Do you know how to get rid of them? Thanks.– Jeanne Garofalo, Chicago, Ill. A. The Asian lady beetle is considered a beneficial insect…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I used to have many kinds of peonies with excellent large blooms. But they no longer have many blooms, and the foliage seems to have some kind of disease. I am almost ready to kill them off. What can I do, or should I destroy them? — Diane H. Jungels, Rensselaer, Ind. A. Cladosporium leaf blotch of peony, also known as red spot or measles, is a common disease in Indiana. Look for distinct,…Read more about February 2004[Read More]