… Q. I have an established planting of peony bushes that are attacked by blight every year. What is the best way to prevent this disease from recurring? A. Peonies can suffer from several fungal … turn black and never open. These fungal problems favor damp, crowded conditions where there is inadequate sun and air circulation. Always plant peonies in full sun in soil with good …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. I would like to cut back on pesticide use in my vegetable garden. Is there anything I can start to do as I plant this spring? A. Most insect pests attacking … require controls specific to that insect. But rotating the crops in your entire vegetable bed is a good cultural practice that can help to control future problems. Insects and diseases often …
Type: Plant Info
… this hurt the bulbs or future blooms? A. Premature sprouting due to unseasonably warm weather is not unusual. This will not affect the bulbs themselves. However, subsequent below-freezing … of early leaves, and, if buds have formed, prevent flowers from developing properly. No action is necessary to protect the bulbs themselves, but if more than 1 to 2 inches of leaf and/or flower buds are visible, we recommend covering the immediate area …
Type: Plant Info
… Queen Charlotte comes with her own what’s-in-a-name story. In the United States, she is most frequently sold as Queen Charlotte, while in parts of Europe this same cultivar is sold under the names Konigin Charlotte or Reine Charlotte. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… winter into summer. When grown as a house plant, it’s more likely to reach about 6’ and bloom is rare, so it’s grown primarily as a foliage plant. It has large palmately compound leaves up to a foot across. Each leaf is divided into 9-14 finger-like lobes, connected at the base to a long red petiole. The plants …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… ‘Borneo Giant’ is a cultivar of elephant’s ear almost as big as an elephant! The giant arrowhead-shaped, bright … average gardener to try to grow this to its full size. Although they may be called taros, it is the genus Colocasia , with drooping leaves, that produced the edible tubers for the Hawaiian …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Millenium' was bred for high-yielding, flavorful stalks. Asparagus is a hardy perennial with thick, succulent shoots that are harvested in April to early May, leaving younger shoots for future growth. Asparagus is high in vitamin K and many minerals. It needs to be planted in well-drained soil, with careful selection of the site, considering that it will continue to grow for 15 to 20 years. It also makes an attractive …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… You can see why the common name for this Aconitum is giant monkshood. In its native environment in mountainous areas of Russia and China it can send up spires of bloom reaching 7 to 8 feet tall. This is an impressive back of the border plant, and a tough one. It can take periods of drought in …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Named for its brilliant fall color, 'Flame' Amur maple is a small, vase-shaped, multi-trunked tree that grows to 20 feet tall by 20 feet wide. Adaptable … a small, upright spreading tree with a dense, rounded crown or a large multi-stemmed shrub. It is easy to grow in moist, rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade and performs well in …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… flowers. The samaras, or winged fruits, mature in fall and turn a rich red. Fall color is outstanding, ranging from yellow to red to purple. This lovely small tree, native to the Far East, can be grown only in very protected areas if you live in Zone 5. It is an exceptional small ornamental maple. This maple needs full sun to partial shade and moderate …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
