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 two large pecan trees that have a problem. One tree is 75 feet tall with a 30-foot spread. The other is about half this size. Both trees were started with nuts. Both produce large quantities of nuts that do not mature. When the nuts get to the kernel stage, the insides dry up, and the nuts fall off. The trees get plenty of water and fertilizer from the yard, so I can’t […]
Q. I’m looking for a tree about 20 foot tall for the corner in the backyard that will be decorative all four seasons: flowers in the spring, pretty green foliage in the summer, colorful foliage in the fall and berries in the winter. I live in Fort Wayne, and the soil is a lot of clay. Can I still plant this tree in December? Will it need watered? Also, one more question please. I’m not […]
Q. I’m trying to identify a plant growing along my fence line. It is about 3 foot tall and stays green year round. Grows very slow, and I have a couple others that are smaller. Looks like a pine but does not smell like one. Just curious. A. I was not able to discern enough detail from your info to confirm the plant’s identity. Here are some tips to help you determine what this evergreen […]
Q. I have two wisteria bushes that I planted alongside each other about 10 years ago, and either has yet to bloom. One is white and the other is supposed to be red. Do I need to have a female and male plant, as you do bittersweet, in order to produce blooms, and, if so, how do I know which is which? A. First, wisteria do not have separate male and female plants, but even […]
Q. I moved to the country 15 years ago, and started planting oak trees then. I have a problem with my white oaks, but not the reds. The leaves are severely curled up and wilted; new growth comes on and looks good for a short while, then it curls also. The tips are especially affected. The trees are growing, but slowly and look awful. Any idea what to do? A. This sounds like a case […]
Q. I moved to the country 15 years ago, and started planting oak trees then. I have a problem with my white oaks, but not the reds. The leaves are severely curled up and wilted; new growth comes on and looks good for a short while, then it curls also. The tips are especially affected. The trees are growing, but slowly and look awful. Any idea what to do? A. This sounds like a case […]
Q. The last approximately six years have been disastrous for my two cherry trees. The first year, I thinned out the fruit and harvested a light crop. The second year, I had an abundance of fruit but, after a few weeks, all the leaves fell off. The fruit stayed, and I harvested a good crop. The next year, the trees lived a short time and then died. This same thing happened three years before — […]
Q. One of my neighbors recently peeled away a band of bark from his hickory, and I’m wondering if this is a preventative measure against insects or something? Should I be doing this to my hickories? A. Let me preface my reply with the recommendation that most of you should NOT try this at home! Though the most reliable way to understand why your neighbor peeled the band of bark is to ask him, there […]
Q. I enjoy reading your column every month in our Daviess-Martin County REMC Electric/Consumer Magazine. I have learned so much about flower gardening and share several articles with friends. My Amish friends in the Montgomery community have mentioned a “Busy Lizzy” plant that sounds similar to a pink begonia, since it was planted in shade and then taken in for the cold weather. They are no longer able to find any seeds or plants. It […]
Q. Can you please tell me the name of the flower that is in bloom in this photo? The flowers came back in bloom for around three years and died out. It grows around 4-5 feet tall. The stems are a reddish color. It starts blooming in June and blooms until frost. My brother gave me this flower. And there was no name on the pot. It is a beautiful flower. I hope you can […]