Question & Answer Likely culprits of dieback Q. This is one of our two dwarf Alberta spruce trees. In the fall we noticed the very top of one turning brown; it kept getting worse from top down, and we noticed white webs. We took a picture of it, took it to a local nursery and showed them the picture. They said it was spider mites. We bought a systemic insect control and used per directions […]
To celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial this year, the Garden Club of Indiana and the Indiana Bicentennial Commission are hoping gardeners will join the Blue & Gold garden tribute to Indiana’s state flag. It’s an easy way for all Indiana residents to commemorate the bicentennial. If you don’t have a traditional garden bed, there are many fine choices for container gardens. There’s a vast array of garden flowers that can fit in the blue-and-gold theme. Some “blue” […]
Spider lily likes moist conditions – but not too much Q. This flower was in my yard when I bought my house, and it was the most beautiful plant I have ever seen. It bloomed for the first two years that I was here, but for the last two it hasn’t. It has become so weak that the stems don’t stand up straight anymore and grow pretty much laying down. Do you know how I […]
The poinsettia, the most popular holiday plant, is best known as the plant with bright red flowers on a green background. But the showiest part of the poinsettia is the group of colorful specialized leaves called floral bracts that surround the small, yellowish-green structures that are the true flowers. Red is still the most popular color, but bracts may also be pink, salmon-colored, yellow, white or multicolor. The long-lasting nature of today’s poinsettias can only […]
Hydrangeas are popular, but understandably confusing! There are about 25 species, though only five are primarily grown in the U.S. There are literally thousands of cultivars. Some species are classified as either mophead (all large, sterile florets) or lacecap (fertile, center florets surrounded by larger, sterile florets), depending on cultivar. The showiest part of the flower cluster is actually the bracts rather than petals. The bracts persist long after the petals drop and are often […]
Removing spent blossoms from your shrubs and garden flowers can be tedious work, but often pays big dividends. The removal of spent flowers is often referred to as “deadheading.” Pinching or pruning off dead flowers is not just a matter of aesthetics – it can also encourage additional blooming. Many plants – petunia, geranium, marigold, speedwell, and coreopsis, among them – will re-bloom after deadheading. For these plants, the formation of fruit and seed signals […]
Easter lilies are the perfect symbol to mark the beginning of the spring season. The large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers bring a bit of spring fragrance into the home but can also be enjoyed outdoors later in the season. Like other lilies, the Easter lily grows from a bulb in the soil. This bulb stores food reserves that are used by the plant to produce foliage and flower growth. If encouraged to build up food reserves, […]
07-05-12 Question and Answer Q. Two years ago, we lost a lilac bush that was over 90 years old. At the time, there were shoots of small lilacs coming up from the ground around the old bush. We took out the dead bush but left the shoots. Will these shoots ever bloom? They haven’t in all the years they have been there. If they aren’t going to bloom, I’d like to remove them. A. The […]
Q. Saw your article the other day about bulbs blooming in winter. I’ve never seen January budding snowdrops. When do they normally bloom? My daffodil’s are up about 3 inches! Also, I would like info on flowers to plant in clay-like soil. I would like perennials that bloom quite a bit of the summer and in partial shade or full sun. I have planted many flowers and half don’t live or don’t come up the next […]
Q. I have grown impatiens on the north side of my home in containers for a number of years. Until the last 4 or 5 years they have been great, lush and beautiful. Now for the last few years they have black dots appearing on the leaves and blossoms with the dots eventually turning yellow. The plants are stunted and just seem to be hanging on, never really becoming bountiful and lush as in years past. I have changed […]
