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: HELP!! The bagworms are killing my trees. How can I stop them? What importance are bagworms to the environment? Do they do any good? If stripping the tree of all its nutrients is their only purpose, I’m for trying to get rid of them! Besides killing my trees, they form a strong web that allows them to cling to the side of my house, my lawn furniture, the outside grill, etc. Hope you can […]
Q: I would like to plant some “surprise lilies,” the pink ones that seem to pop out of the ground late in the summer. I’ve looked through all the nursery catalogs and garden stores, but cannot find any. Do you know where I could purchase some? – Anne Bodine, Covington, Ind. A: They can be hard to find because they aren’t carried by many companies and because they have so many common names! The foliage […]
Q: Could you please tell me why my hollyhock’s leaves turn pale green around the bottom of the stalks, then yellow, then brown and drop off? The same thing happens on my geranium leaves, and the flowers die and wilt in the middle of the clusters. My rhododendron leaves turn yellow and curl together with spots on the leaves, and they drop off also. — Kay Nickless, Clay City, Ind. A: Yellowing leaves can indicate […]
Q. I have this smoketree that is about 10 years old. It will get to the seedy stage, but then it won’t completely bloom out. There might be two or three that will completely bloom out. Do I need more than one tree? Is there such a thing as a male and a female? Please help me get that tree to bloom. — Shirley Sitek, Knox, Ind. A. Smokebush has a rather ineffective flower, but […]
Q. I’m having trouble with my tall phlox plants. They are covered with white powder each summer and are smaller than they used to be. The flowers are fewer and smaller, too. Should I spray them with something? &emdash; Jane Small, Fort Wayne, Ind. A. Several factors contribute to vigorous blooming of old-fashioned phlox (Phlox paniculata). The white powder is powdery mildew, and phlox and lilacs are especially susceptible to this fungus. Appropriate fungicides will […]
Q. It looks like moss. It is killing out the grass and taking over my lawn. It started in the shade but keeps spreading. Can you tell me what it is, and what to do about it? – Janice Alward, Kingman, Ind. A. “It” is probably moss, but you could take a sample to your county Extension office to be sure. Moss takes over when conditions aren’t suitable for turf. Infestations are associated with low […]
Q. I enjoy your gardening Q&A and would like to get your opinion about growing okra. Our okra grew OK, but after it bloomed, most of the blooms rotted and fell off. The wife and I like okra, and we’ll appreciate any help you can give us. – Charlie Campbell, Griffin, Ind. A. Okra is a real southern belle, requiring hot temperatures to perform well. Last summer was cool and gray in the early months […]
Q: For the last two years, in the fall, we have had an invasion of ladybugs. They covered the south and west sides of our house. It’s now winter, and we still have ladybugs flying around inside our home. I don’t want to use insecticides, as ladybugs are beneficial, but when there are so many they become a nuisance. Any suggestions or ideas to help us would be greatly appreciated. – Susan Healton, Kokomo, Ind. […]
Q: I have roughly three acres of land that apparently were cow pasture before our house was built in 1985. I have been trying to reforest this property since 1988. Most of the trees and the grass have been very healthy, including a white oak that must be 150-plus years old. The varieties of trees are diverse on the property. We are only losing wild cherry, maple, ash and willow. My concern is for some […]
Q: In digging sweet potatoes last week, I, too, found the sweet potatoes hulled out or eaten. There had been a mole run along the sweet potato ridge, and every so far, I would see a round hole made in the mole hill. I dug out shrews, and the potatoes had been freshly eaten on. So, I think the shrews use the mole hill to travel in, and they eat the sweet potatoes and Irish […]