Hydregeas

QuestionI live in Chicago, Ill and have some hydregeas growing in my garden. They are not flowering very much this summer and two of the have not flowered in 2 years. Any suggestions? AnswerHi Pat, Unti

Taking soil samples for analysis

QuestionOur condo assoc.has many recent dead lawns.We get many divergent opinions(cinch bugs,nematodes) as to causes.I am planning to take about 20 soil samples to be analyized by U of Florida. what is correct way t

foul odor and white mold

QuestionI recently transplanted my tomato plant to a bigger pot and then went away on vacation. I think my roommate may have over-watered my plant. I came home to find a foul, bleach type odor coming fro

Cane Yucca Root Rot?

QuestionI have 4 cane yuccas that came together in the same pot from Home Depot. One large, 2 medium, 1 small sized plants in the same pot. The new growth theyve all got yellowish, flimsy, curled leaves which

snowball bushes

Question when and how do you transplant a snowball bush? AnswerHi Sandra, Wait until youve had a frost, or the the plant has lost its leaves for winter. On an old established plant, Id dig the largest rootball I co

pesticides in soil

QuestionHi Jim, If there is weed killer or pesticides in the soil is it safe to plant ornamental shrubs? Or does the soil need to be removed? Thanks AnswerHi Emily, Im only concerned if its herbicides. You c

My damn jade, the oldest of the bunch, is drooping like crazy

QuestionQUESTION: I have a wonderful Ming Aralia, which was, until about a week or so ago, quite healthy. I admit that I can become over-attentive to my house plants at times, and given its past vigor, I thought no

Hydrangeas

QuestionDoes the soil acidity affect the color of the flower? AnswerHi Angela, Yes, with many varieties it does. Very acidic soils cause flowers to be blue or purple. As the pH rises, many turn pink. It

Dirt

QuestionI have a 30 x 40 pavilion that I use about twice a year for picnics. I dont want to go to the expense of having the dirt floor blacktopped or concreted. What can I put on this dirt floor to

rocks in soil

QuestionI just moved to No. Virginia and am starting to plant shrubs and trees. The soil is clay and some areas have lots of small rocks/pebbles. I started using a screen on the removed soil to sift the

Potting Soil for Madagascar Palm

QuestionCan you please tell me if I should use regular potting soil when transplanting a Madagascar Palm, or should I use soil appropriate for cacti? Thank you! AnswerHi Susan, If the plant has been doing well, th

Problem Sopt on Northern Side of the Garden

QuestionThere is a problem spot on the Northern side in our Kansas City (midwest US) garden. Every single plant dies in that spot within 2 years. We have lost beautiful pink azalea a couple years ago; a tall columna

crabgrass lawn/nutgrass lawn

QuestionI am working on my lawn for nutgrass problem and my daughters for crabgrass. On daughters sprayed today with ortho for crabgrass. It was very dense and raking it out will produce probably all dirt. It

non-flowering hydrangeas and pruning

QuestionI transplanted one old hydrangea and two newer ones right next to each other on the east-side of the house. The older one and one of the newer ones grew nicely but did not bud or flower; the other newe

sand amendment

QuestionJames I live in western Canada,Zone 2.Soil is clay and pretty hard. My lawn does OK even though I dont have underground sprinkers. My neighbour just finished a new paver driveway and he has a lot of leftover

Excessive weedgrowth

QuestionI wish to convert a weed & brush infested area into a hard weed free surface. I wish to hack down all the growth which gets very intense. And in turn lay down tons of crusher run which I hope wil

Help with yard soil

QuestionJames: We moved into a new home in Central North Carolina recently. The subdivision is three years old and was a formerly farmland. Our yard consists of a gray clay that was seeded with fescue by

rapitest ph meter

QuestionThe device is a probe one sticks in the ground and one can then read the ph in a window. problem is everybody tells me they dont trust them (but everybody is not an expert either). do they work r

My soil is giving me a headache !

QuestionHello- I live in Chandler, Arizona. Yes, soil is bad (desert) and weather is hot most of the year. I have been spending a fortune on trees and shrubs ! Any general tips you can give me to help me maintain my

soil mixture components for a largr planting bed

QuestionI am going to make a perenial and shrub bed in front of my living room window. It is surrounded by the house on one side- a driveway on another- and a sidewalk on the other two sides. Right now it is filled