transplanting irises

QuestionMy next door neighbor gave me several iris plants 8 - 10 tall. I kept them in soil and watered them. After preparing a place to plant them, I planted the irises but the leaves are turning yellow

pruning of Lilac

QuestionHi Tom, I bought a 5Ft Lilac bush last year and it did great the 1st year. A few weeks ago I trimmed it and now has only a few flower on it. I just learned that the flower will come on the old branches and n

pruning my hibiscus perennial

QuestionI have had a hibiscus perennial for 3 seasons now (I believe it is a herbaceous peonies)?? It is not a tree. It was 2 stalks when I bought it, and each year it grows back with triple the stalks.

replanting mums left in pots over the winter

Question Taken today 4-25-09 of I purchased and repotted mums in the fall. I left them in the pots over the cold winter. Can I now put them in the ground? The tops are dry and dead. Should I check

frost hardy perennial for florida

QuestionLandscape QUESTION: Im trying to find a good plant for the back side of my pool cage. This faces northeast and is sunny and dry area (I water once a week for established plantings, we are in a d

Follow up to Hydranga question

QuestionIf you buy a Hydranga will it turn colors if the soil allows? AnswerHi Wendy, Thanx for your question. The hydrangea color will depend upon the acidity of the soil. The more acidic, the bluer th

Bouganvilleas

QuestionWill Bouganvilleas do well in north/central Florida (near the Gainesville area)... I would love to plant these along our fence for beauty and as a deterrent (thorns). Thanks. AnswerHi Linda, Tha

Cast iron plants

QuestionI live in an hoa and we have a large stand of cast iron plants unerneath some old live oak trees. Our landscaper (who has shown in the past his lack of knowledge) wants to rip them out and replace them

Pests on Lilies

QuestionQUESTION: Last summer I noticed black spots on the stems of my lilies. It looked like black bugs, but when I touched it, it was like a black, sticky, oozy type thing - almost had an oily feeling to it. The l

Bird of pardise/ Dessert Rose/ Hawaiian Flowers

QuestionMy sister-in-law whom lives in Florida, just sent me a some Bird of paradise tree clippings, as well as white/Red/Yellow Hawaiian Flowers (the ones used of lies) and desert rose clippings. I live In Central

planting after applying insecticide

QuestionHi Tom. I applied Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub care with insecticide around a tree where I noticed ants had colonies and did so by the instructions. I would like to plant impatiens in the tree bed but I cant

Potted mum

QuestionHi! I live in zone 5 and purchased a mum of unknown variety this spring for Easter. It is happily in full bloom on my sunny kitchen table. I assume from the season that it has been forced into bloom. My ques

Rhododendron

QuestionI moved into our home 3 years ago with some beautiful landscaping from years ago. The home was built in 1963 and from the size of this Rhododendron I would say it is about that old too. Its huge,

Shady border area

QuestionI have an area between lawn and adjoining woods that recieves about 1-2 hours of morning sunlight a day. The soil is gravely, I have raked lots of little stones out of it and water occasionally for the hosta

my stella de oro daylilly is not blooming

Questionmy stella de oro daylilly is not blooming. I live outside of St. Louis, MO but actually live in Illinois. This is the 3rd year Ive had them they have always bloomed before but last year was very

how long purchased plants can go before planting

Questionwe bought many plants for our flowerbed, and it has been raining nonstop here and we cannot get them out till the ground dries up some. we purchased lillies, mini roses, ground cover, plus many other t

Growing tropical plants in temperate climate

QuestionLast summer we visited Europe. In Austria - Graz, to be exact - I noticed many gardens had banana trees growing. Having lived in Jamaica for the best part of a decade, I recognized them right awa

Pachysandra dying after many good years, why?

Question Pachysandra Tom, I live in the wooded country side of lower CT. I have loads of pachysandra growing healthy in the woods and around my house & property. I have one large section that is recently dying off (

plant depth

Questionhow deep do you plant bulbs such as lily, glads, sedum and sundrops? AnswerHi Carol, A rule of thumb for any bulb is go 3X as deep as the bulb. If the bulb is 3 inches in depth, plant the bulb 9 inche

lilac cuttings

QuestionI read on this site (written by Victoria back in 2001) that lilac cuttings should be placed in a large plastic bag and then put in a shady spot. Question: A clear plastic bag or a dark one? I have a very d