Q. I’ve been out in the backyard giving myself a backache chopping down ornamental grasses. We love them 363 days a year; every day except for the two that we spend chopping them down and getting rid of the debris! Any thoughts? – Amy Raley, West Lafayette, Ind. A. We buzz down our ornamental grasses with electric hedge shears and a chain saw. The task goes by quickly! We leave the dried grasses in place […]
Q. I am wondering what happened to my tomato plants this past year. Early in the season, they started getting yellow leaves at the base of the plant. Then, the leaves dried up; the complete plant almost turned that way. I have them caged, and they grew way above the cages. The tomatoes seemed to be good, but the plants were terrible. Hope you have an answer. – Mrs. Otis Rupright A. Fusarium and Verticillium […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rosie Lerner, Purdue Consumer Horticulture Specialist Released September 24, 1998 One of the toughest things about growing your own grapes is beating the birds to the harvest! Could it be that the birds know something we don’t? Netting can be placed over a grape arbor to keep the birds away from the fruits. But don’t be too hasty in cutting the fruits to one-up the birds. Make sure your grapes are ripe before you harvest. […]