Q. I am hoping that you can help me understand why our poppy flowers never fully bloom. We moved to this house at Lake Bruce 6 years ago, and the poppies were already here. Each year there are numerous buds that never open fully. They just seem to mold and wither. What can the problem be? Thanks so much for your advice as I am envious when I see others in this area have beautiful […]
We continue to receive numerous inquiries about bagworms on landscape plants, especially evergreens. Since we’ve addressed this issue several times over the last few years, I won’t take the time to repeat the information here, but you can find the answers to most of your questions from the Purdue Extension entomology specialists online at http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/7-29-02-1.html and http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-27.pdf. Q. I have learned about this dreadful stuff called artillery or shotgun fungus the hard way — namely by having it […]
Q. Three years ago I planted several white pine trees about 6-feet tall. They were doing very well. Then, a short time after a disagreement with one of my neighbors, my pine trees started to die. I planted six trees and every OTHER ONE died. Now I have another maple tree that is dead. I strongly suspect that someone has sprayed some of these trees with Roundup or some other kind of poison. Is there […]
Q. We plant sweet potatoes in a raised bed the length of our garden. We have had an animal go underground and eat one-third of it. This year, some grew 10 inches long and 8 inches around. I’ve read that an animal–“a vole”–could be the problem. What can we do about it? A. There are several species of voles (field mice). Voles are active day and night, year-round. Their territory is usually one-fourth acre or […]
Q. I have a question about persimmon trees. I bought three pairs over the past several years from a well-known mail-order company. They were supposed to be one male and one female. All of the trees have little bell-shaped blooms, but don’t develop fruit. Have I received all females? How can you tell the difference? The oldest trees are over 10 years old. How old do they have to be to bear fruit? A. While it can […]
Q. I have two hydrangeas. One is a small bush (Annabelle) about 6 years old. It is on the south side of the house but is in deep shade in summer due to large trees growing south and east of it. The other is a climbing hydrangea on the east side and is in the sun in the morning. The climber grows luxuriantly. The bush isn’t really that happy. Neither has ever bloomed. I have […]
Q. I purchased many unusual gourds from a local vegetable stand. How is the best way to dry them? How do I save the seeds for next year? A. First, let me address the issue that, due to potential cross-pollination with other compatible plants, saving seed from gourds is rather unpredictable. The offspring may include some plants that will produce similar to the parent gourd, but, then again, you can get some really diverse results! […]