Q. I have a worm eating my flowers. The flowers are in a tall planter so I am wondering if I need to add something to the base of the planter to keep them from coming up the plants OR are they hatching out on the plants? Some of the damage is caused by small slugs as well.Can you tell me what kind of worm this is? Also, what do you recommend to deter them? – […]
Q. We have a large sycamore tree in our yard. Every summer it sheds its bark over a few weeks’ time. I think as it grows it is growing new bark and losing the old bark. Am I correct? – J.C., Walton, Ind. A. You’re on the right track. Peeling bark is normal, and is a key ornamental characteristic for a sycamore, also known as American planetree. The bark starts out a bit gray-brown and as the […]
Whether you’re looking to expand your planting of iris or just need to rejuvenate an older planting, late summer through early fall is a good time to lift and divide iris. Dividing every three to five years will help rejuvenate the planting, and encourage more blossoms for the subsequent years. Most iris plants spread by means of underground stems called rhizomes. Rhizomes become too crowded over time, resulting in reduced flowering. By lifting and dividing […]
Q. I have a few blueberry bushes planted in the backyard, and they’ve done well until last year. They started getting brown spots almost like a bite (see attached photo). No evidence of a pest and sprayed them with Sevin just in case. But that did not stop the browning, and most of the late season berries could not be eaten. Unfortunately, they appear to be starting that again this year already. Please advise and thank […]
Q. I bought this plant from a nursery about a year ago. On and off, I’ve been trying to identify it with various online plant identification sites, but I haven’t had much luck. Could you take a look and tell me what you think? – R.E., Tippecanoe County A. I believe your plant is one of the succulents belonging to the genus Kalanchoe. Because this genus is so diverse and numerous, it is difficult to […]
Flowering plants that don’t bloom as promised can be a big disappointment in your garden. Reasons for lack of blooming are as diverse as the palette of plants from which to choose, but a little detective work can usually pinpoint the trouble. The most common factors associated with blooming, or lack thereof, include light, plant age, nutrition, extreme temperatures and improper pruning. Many woody plants must reach a certain age before they are mature enough […]
Q. Several trees on my property were damaged during recent storms. Some just lost a few limbs, but others are split along the trunk. How can I tell whether the trees can be saved or if they should be cut down? What kind of pruning paint should I use on the broken branches? – I.P., Bartholomew County, Ind. A. It can be difficult to decide whether trees with severe damage should be removed. The first […]
Q. We have fruit trees, including Yellow Delicious, Red Delicious, McIntosh and Northern Spy. We use an all-purpose spray. The Northern Spy has very large apples, and they all rot. This past season, we didn’t get one good apple from it although it was loaded. What spray could we use for this, and what is this disease called? – W.F., Portland, Ind. A. Apples can fall victim to a number of different soft rot diseases. […]
It’s not unusual for Indiana weather to have trouble deciding what season it is. Recent warm spells have had many gardeners wondering what to do about bulbs, and perhaps a few plants that are poking their foliage through the soil. Just what should gardeners do about daffodils, dianthus and daylilies poking out of the ground? The good news is that no action is required. We’re used to seeing this happen in late winter during a […]
Q. I purchased some tulip bulbs last fall that I didn’t have a chance to plant. I potted them up and stored them in the basement. Now I have leaves, but no sign of flowers. What can I do to get them to bloom? A. Most spring-flowering bulbs including tulips require a period of 8-16 weeks of chilling to initiate flower buds inside the bulb. If they don’t receive that chilling period, the bulbs may […]
