Q. I have two gooseberry bushes that never bloom so, therefore, never produce fruit. They are 8-10 years old and in full sun. Do you have to have male and female bushes to produce fruit? If not, what could be wrong? – Judy Bates, Bloomington, Ind. A. Gooseberries are generally self-fruitful. You are facing another problem since your plants don’t bloom at all. Try pruning out all branches that are more than 3 years old […]
Q. Last year, my gladiolus got a blight. They would get about 2 feet high and then turn yellow and start to die. Some of them did bloom, but blossoms were small with blotches. Is this a ground problem or a plant disease? What is the treatment? – Clyde Dawson, Urbana, Ind. A. Several diseases can attack gladiolus leaves. It’s most important to remove and destroy diseased plants. Plant glads in locations with good drainage and air […]
Q. This is the second year for my humming bird vines. They are supposed to have trumpet-shaped flowers but did not have any last year or this year. What could be wrong? The vines are hardy and really vine out. We do have a lot of walnut trees on our property, but none are close to the vines. Could this be a problem? Also, I need to know what flowers and vegetables will grow around […]
Q. I need to know when to trim clematis. I have tried for 10 years to grow them. I now have three growing. One is so tall, and I want to know how to keep it full and blooming. &emdash; Veneda Hoesel, Winamac, Ind. A. If you categorize clematis by their pruning needs, there are three different groups. Group one blooms in the spring on last year’s new wood. Little pruning is needed except for […]
Q. We’re novices to gardening but would like to grow statice and eucalyptus. We have lots of room for the plants. Our soil type is clayish. We live in Rising Sun, Ind. (Ohio County). When and how do we prepare the soil, location (sunny or shade), herbicides, pesticides, food (type and frequency of application), soil additives, etc.? Sheldon Boatright, Rising Sun, Ind. A. There is no way to give an accurate recommendation without having the […]
Q. Several years ago, we were in Michigan to attend a national REMC convention and, somewhere along the way, I bought a ‘Caveman’s Club’ gourd. It grows up to a foot in length and has a bumpy round part with a long neck. It is somewhat, but not exactly, like the dipper gourd. I ordered seeds of an ornamental mixed variety, but there wasn’t any seed like I wanted. As I remember, the seed’s shape […]