forrest flame

QuestionMy wife has recently bought two young forrest flame plants could you please tell me why they have turned green ? thanks. AnswerBy Forest flame plants I take it to mean they are Pieris forest flame, the comm

Royal empress trees

QuestionHi Ed, We just started some landscaping this spring. We recently purchased several Royal Empress Trees. They say that they will grow 12 ft. a year! My question is we put them in the ground about 2 weeks ago

Twig & Branch dieback on Leyland Cypress trees

QuestionIn Spring of 2004 I had 25 Leyland Cypress trees planted in my backyard which faces a main road. There are other established trees in the yard as well. They did well during the Summer - I watered by ha

Mountain Laurel transplant

QuestionI have a mountain laurel that is approximately 20 years old. It is located in the south east corner of my house. I have pruned it into a beautiful shape that is approximately five feet tall and four feet wid

Lilac blossoms

QuestionHi Gary, I have a relatively young lilac. It blossomed pretty nicely last year; in order to promote its growth I pruned it right after the blossoming was over (by cutting the flowers off). Now I am wonderin

Saving our photinia (red tips) privacy hedge

QuestionWe have about 20 mature photinias that provide a privacy hedge around our backyard. Along with everyone else in VA, we battle a constant fight to save our photinias from disease (black spots, leaf burn

plant propagtion

QuestionThere is a large shrub on the edge of my yard (northern Ohio) that has numerous white flowers on it. The side in the sun has twice as many as the part in the shade. By large I mean about 15 foot tall a

Buddleia - Choosing between davidii or alternifolia

QuestionLarry, Hi ! We would like to plant a natural fence that will give us a very high and dense privacy screen. We are in very rural zone 7 at 3,300 feet altitude. Cobb, Ca is in Lake County which is located bet

moutain heather

Questionmy plants are new this year and are still small but the problem is that they are not the deep green color that i wanted and are starting to have yellow leaves on them, we have had a lot of rain the pas

hebe

QuestionEdward I have a hebe in a container, although it has definitely grown since i bought it, it still hasnt flowered yet. I have also noticed small black spots on the leaves. Is it beyond redemption! AnswerJdi

Azalea Looks Sad

QuestionHi, Thank you for your answer to my question. Though - shade loving? Really?! The tag says full sun to partial shade (they are hot shot azaleas) I bought 7 of them and the three in the back are in full sun

Angel Trumpet Bushes

QuestionI hae 2 Angel Trumpet bushes, they are over taking the space, Can I cut them back? How often can I cut them back? and Is there any special pruning instructions? AnswerCat, Angels Trumpet (Datura inox

oak leaf scorch

QuestionWe have a 75-year old pin oak tree in our back yard. When we bought the house, one arborist - who also sold trees - told us it was a doomed tree because of oak leaf scorch; another arborist said he wasnt sur

Hello from New Brunswick,...

QuestionHello from New Brunswick, Canada: This may not fall within your specific perameters but I shall ask anyway: is this an appropriate to tranmsplant a very tiny red maple tree (very tiny) or should it wai

Doublefile Viburnum

Question2 doublefile viburnum bushes that I planted 2 years ago are growing well this year. But neither one flowered this year. The leaves look healthy. They both receive about 4 hours of sun a day, maybe a bit more

Planting Butterfly Bush

QuestionHi, I am from Atlanta, GA. I would like to plant a butterfly bush, but I am not sure if it would be safe to plant close to the house wall. Would you please advise on this? If it is OK to plant close to the

Best Hedge for my conditions

QuestionI would like a hedge that is, fast growing, dense, grows to 4-5 feet, doesnt require excessive number of trimmings per year and can be kept very neatly shaped like a privet hedge, something that flowers woul

clipping for rooting shrubs/trees

QuestionHi Edward, I would like to know if it is possible to use Rootone on hydrangeas, flowering almond tree, lilacs, and azaleas...If so, could you tell me what to do...Also do I leave them outside in the summer o

Pruning back overgrown shrubs

QuestionBack in June you answered my question about saving our redtips in our Richmond, VA home - thank you. Since then we have decided to move and our new house right nearby (also Richmond, VA) has no photina

pruning shears

Questionwhat is the drop-dead, best sidepass pruner in the world. sick of inferior stuff. AnswerAndrea, There are two manufacturers that come to mind-Corona and Felco. Personally, I feel that Felcos are a beter han