The following question and answer columns are currently written by B. Rosie Lerner, Purdue Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist and are distributed to news media around the state by the Purdue University Agricultural Communications. Columns from June 1995 - January 2006 were authored by Bev Shaw, Advanced Master Gardener.
Q. I have discovered an infestation of what I believe to be aphids of some sort on the stems of my Victoria Salvia and Chamomile plants. They are dark and tear-shaped of various sizes, and the ants are attracted to the “honey-dew” that the insects are making. I have sprayed them with liquid Sevin, but it does not seem to have knocked them out completely. What do you recommend to fight these? – JG A. […]
Q. I have quite a few of these plants coming up in the wooded area behind my house. They seem to grow around trees, and there are large clusters of them. The clusters seem larger than I remember last year. What are these and are they poisonous and/or invasive? Should I try to control them? A. This is the mayapple, aka mandrake, known botanically asPodophyllum peltatum. Mayapple is a lovely native woodland plant – no […]
Q. Lightning struck my maple tree early this morning. The tree has no visible damage on any of the outside bark, but as you can see from the picture, the ground above the root system was blown away in ruts in every direction. Do you have any opinion about the likely survival of this tree? Thanks for any input. A. That is quite the “striking” photo! I wish I could be more specific, but there […]
Q. The ornamental kale in my flowerbed developed small yellow flowers this past December. I’ve never seen it do that before. Any idea why this happened? A. So-called flowering kale and flowering cabbage are ornamental types of the edible crops, grown for their colorful foliage. Cabbage and kale have a biennial growth habit, producing foliage only the first growing season, then flowering and setting seed the second growing season. Both the ornamental and edible types […]
Q. I wish to know what can be done to help my lily-of-the-valley. It does not flourish as most do, and I don’t have a clue what would help. A. Lily-of-the-valley is more frequently perceived as a bit of a garden thug, due to its aggressive spreading nature in shady, moist, rich, well-drained gardens. However, it is not particularly tolerant of intense heat or compacted, dry soil. The extreme heat and drought experienced throughout the […]
Q. My elephant grass just keeps getting smaller year after year. It just dies and kind of turns to dust in the middle. How do I keep from losing them entirely? I would love for them to be lively and beautiful and big. Can you help me please? (Submitted from Charlestown, Ind.) A. It is quite common for perennial grasses (and other perennials) to die out in the center, particularly those that form dense clumps. […]
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 had to harvest quite a few tomatoes that weren’t quite ripe yet to avoid the frost. What can I do with these now? A. Tomatoes will continue to ripen off the vine if they have reached the critical stage of development called mature green. If the tomatoes have not hit that stage yet, they will remain green once removed from the plant. Mature green tomatoes are about normal size and have a whitish-green […]
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 […]