Bouganvillia

QuestionI am in Florida. We have a Bouganville in front of our living room window. The bush is on the eastern side of the house. Last year it was tall, thick, and lots of flowers. My Mom cut it ALL the way down!! It

queen palms producing too many seed pods

QuestionIs there anyway to decrease the number of seed pods that a queen palm produces? Ours seem to be in over drive... AnswerHi Theresa, No, sometimes they can be very prolific in producing pods (and

Ice Cream Banana Tree

QuestionWe just bought a small IC Banana tree at a farmers market this weekend. It is 3 tall. Looks good. Farmer said we could plant it in a 35 gal pot so we can take it in over winter. (Pruning all leaves and wrapp

Bougenvilla

QuestionI live in NC-my daughter gave me a bougenvilla in a hanging pot for Mothers Day- it was in full bloom and gorgeous-I cut off the dead blooms and now it has quit blooming all together-what can I do? AnswerHi

MUSA BASJOO

QuestionMY MUSA HAS DEVELOPED A SIDE SHOOT OVER THE LAST 10 DAYS OR SO. IT IS ABOUT 8 TALL WITH 3 LEAVES. AT WHAT POINT CAN I TAKE THIS OFF AND POT IT?. THE ADULT PLANT IS ABOUT 2.5 YRS OLD, 7 FT TALL AND LIVES IN M

elephant ears

Questionwhere on the stem do you cut back the leaves. we got some from a friend, and they look bad right now AnswerHi Dan, you will notice that down the Petiole (which is the stem the leaf is on..)near the main jun

Fertilizer for Cycads

QuestionI need a fertilizer for my three Cycads (Sago Palms) and got a recommendation to use Osmocote for tropicals, but cannot find the specific version. Which type would you recommend? Thank you for your help. An

Fertilizer

QuestionHi Nick what type of fertliizer should i use for my plants I have got Peters its all purpose plant food 20-20-20 powder, Miracle gro 8-7-6 liquid Houseplant food or I have Expert slow release 19-6-12 I have

Queen Palms Transplanting

QuestionHi Nick, I am looking at bidding on a 4-5m Queen Palm on Trademe that has been blown over and is on a lean due to weather. Ive never transplanted such a plant before and am wondering if this is somethi

chinese hat tree

QuestionQUESTION: i have a ginger plant that has been in its same location for two years.the location is shaded with just a small amount of direct sun. the plant itself is beautiful,the leaves are green my only prob

viburnum hedge

QuestionI have a 2 year old, 8 foot high, viburnum hedge (150 plants) that developed yellow/brown leaves, some with brown spots. I sprayed with Organocide yesterday and it was dry for about 2 hours before the

Foxtail Palm: dead or alive?

QuestionHi Nick, I saw a posting earlier relating to the Foxtail Palm. A few yrs ago my wife and i purchased 5 very attractive Foxtail Palms (10-15 ft tall) and strategically in the front yard/ corner lot with plent

Queen Palm Pod

QuestionIs it harmful to my queen palm if I cut off the flower pod before or during its blooming? AnswerHi Katy, no, you can prune it off at any stage of the development without doing any harm at all to the Palm, j

Massangeana Cane

Question Massangeana Cane Hey Nick can you please help me I just got a Massangeana Cane on June 18, 09 doing good have not repotted it yet its in a 12inch pot.I am planning on waiting till next spring to do it will

pool planting

QuestionWe are going to put a pool in our backyard with existing landscaping. I have 3 mature and beautiful Crape Myrtles and a gorgeous Bouganvilla. All the planting is around the perimeter of the yard.

Can I go tropical and how much?

QuestionQUESTION: Hi Nick, I just returned from Maui and am interested in knowing if any of their beautiful plants (especially flowering) will survive or be perennial here in Rio Rancho, NM (crazy I know). We are US

disease on Pigmy Palm

QuestionI have had my Pigmy Palm for 15 yrs now and it is doing well. However, I have noticed that the bottom bark is spongy and can be torn away easily. I started to clean away the debris and notice white sti

Banana Trees

QuestionI have banana trees about six years and they have never produced fruit, they usually get hit with the frost in winter and they just grow back, what should I do to make them produce fruit? AnswerHi Fran, the

Dessert Rose

QuestionI just bought my first Dessert Rose and have repotted it in cactus soil. The leaves are turning yellow and dropping. It appears to have spider mites as well. Can you please tell me why the leaves are d

Sea Grape roots

QuestionWe planted two small Sea Grape plants several years ago very near (1 from) our block sea wall. We love them but they are geting very large now 12-15 ft high and we are a little concerned about the root syste