kong coleus seeds

QuestionI live in Chicago, IL. I do alot of container gardening on my deck but due to a bad financial situation I am going to cut back on my garden this year. On E-bay there are several offers of kong coleus

New Guinea Impatients; Fertilizer

QuestionWhat fertilizer is best for new guinea impatients and more blooms? AnswerDebbie, as with all flowers, you want to use a fertilizer high in phosphorus and low in nitrogen. The ideal NPK ratio is 5-20-10 with

mini daffodils

QuestionI bought a mini daffodils plant,the flowers are bright. Now I want to trans plant them. What kind of soil should I use? Right now the soil they are in looks like sand? I live in northern Calif(Bay Area). I h

Animal that eat impatients only

QuestionI have been gardening for over 30 years. Never have I seen anything like this. I have flowers of every kind imaginable in my garden. I have hibiscus and boxwood right next to some of these impatients. I have

Quince Bush(shrub?)

QuestionI am living in the North east, we bought a house with a quince bush for lack of a better term. It is planted in the ground. Presently it is ~6ft in diameter and ~3ft high. It is over shadowed by a diseased m

azlaia bushes

Questionwhen do you plant azalia bushes AnswerDebi, You can plant an azalea anytime you find it outside in the garden center - spring is probably best in that the plant will have the entire summer to get establishe

Ladybugs

Question Hi I was researching online about various GREEN products when I came across this site where they showcased an article regarding the release of 250,000 ladybugs in honor of Earth Day. I thought t

To pinch or not to pinch

QuestionAn expert on the forum mentioned that some annuals should not be pinched. I grow everything from seed, and with many of the flowers now Im at the stage where they could be pinched--Dusty Miller, Lavate

growing under lights

Questionthis is now my 4th year growing annuals for the summer under lights, and every year i get a slime mold that severely dents my Impatiens population and affects many of my annuals when they first sprout. i a

Cow Manure

QuestionHi C.L. I live in Falmouth and I am looking for a place to purchase composted cow manure by the yard. Any ideas? Thanks AnswerIn years past a man named Paul Sullivan sold it in bulk...he used to advertise i

Primula

QuestionHi, I live in Rhode Island. My mom bought me a Primula plant for Easter. Can I plant this outside now? My dad always told me to plant my flowers after the 1st full moon in May but I am reading that Primulas

Merrygolds

QuestionI started marigolds in January to give away a garden club meeting this month,Everything was fine until last month and they just started to wither and die. They were planted in clean 3 1/2 inch pots wit

Bougainvillea

QuestionIm a plant novice. Can I take a piece of a bogenvia(spl), put the end of the stem in water and have it sprout roots so that I can plant it? Or can I just put it in soil? Or do I have to have part of the plan

Cabbage plants

QuestionHi I would like to know the name of the small shrubs or plants that resemble a head of cabbage. Thanks AnswerMary, These are ornamental cabbages and kales. They are annual plants, grown in the spring from

pruning/feeding hydrangea

QuestionI have always trimmed back my many hydrangea (Nikko blue) in fall in our East Hampton gardens. This year, didnt get around to it until March and wonder if I will have fewer or smaller blooms. I have been t

Privacy Screen

QuestionHi CL, I really enjoy listening to you on WXTK and reading your posts here. I live in Falmouth and would like to create a 70 green wall between me and a neighbor. The area has partial shade, and

sunny sunny courtyard

QuestionI have a courtyard that has west exposure, when I plant flowers in containers in my courtyard, I have trouble getting the flowers to keep blooming. The problem is the plants get such intense sunlight

pruning hydrangea

QuestionThis will be my third summer in Lincoln NE. We have three hyrangea bushes that were planted by the previous owner. I have never had a bloom. I now know that I have been pruning them in the late f

Pinching impatients

QuestionI have heard that pinching helps the inpatients grown fuller. What part do I pinch? and when? AnswerUrsula, pinching a flowering plant is simply pruning the new top growth which promotes bushier, fuller pla

Petunias from cuttings

QuestionHi We are in Wisconsin. Have a greenhouse attached to our home and have experience with it. I brought home several garden center small potted petunias from Louisiana back in February when Wisconsin had 3 fee