Ask a Master Gardener
Winter Shrub Damage
We have been getting a lot of calls from people concerned about their shrubs and trees not looking right for this time of year… essentially thinking they might be dead. Here’s our advice if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Driving around town you might notice shrubs etc. looking a little more brown that what you’re used to. At first you might think your plant has contracted some deadly disease unbeknownst to you and just given it up. While it’s possible that this is the case, there’s...
Vegetable Garden Basics
I want to start growing a few vegetables this spring, but I really don’t know how to start. Where do I begin? MP
Congratulations on making the decision to start growing your own vegetables. Once you sink your teeth into that first vine ripened, delicious home-grown tomato, you’ll be hooked like the rest of us.
There are a lot of different ways to grow vegetables, but all the methods have several elements in common. Let’s talk about some of those.
First, you’ll want to find a place...
Urban Gardener / Lunch and Learn
Each year people ask us when we plan to teach our gardening classes so here’s what we have planned so far.
First up is our Seed to Supper/Urban Gardener class. Typically, we teach these classes one night a week over a several week period. But we split off the 3 classes that cover growing vegetables in the home garden so we could offer them in a one day class. We have one of these scheduled for Saturday February 11th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
This class is gear toward first time vegetable...
Rose Rosette Disease
My roses were looking kind of funky last year and I am concerned about rose rosette disease. How would I know if they have rose rosette disease? CT
Rose rosette disease is a plant virus that is spread by eriophyid mites. We don’t have a cure and the roses have no natural defense for this virus which usually means the end of your rose bush. But let’s talk about the disease, how to detect it, and what to do about it.
The eriophyid mite is microscopic in size which makes them undetectable...
Overwintering Plants Indoors
I brought my tropical plants indoors for the winter and some of them don’t seem to be doing great. Any suggestions? MK
First of all, you can expect your outdoor plants to have a little adjustment period when you bring them indoors. They may drop some leaves and look poorly for a few days but usually this is just from the abrupt change in their environment. The leaf drop stops pretty quickly. However, there are some things you can do to give them survive indoors.
First thing to consider...
Seed Catalogs
I’ve gotten several seed catalogs and am preparing to make my seed order for this year’s vegetable garden. Any suggestions? DR
Seed catalog season is always a good time of year. It seems like mine came late this year, but they finally splashed down not long ago. It’s always fun to browse, looking at all the varieties and make our garden plans. However, there are a few things to consider other than just ordering what looks pretty in the catalogs. Here’s some things to consider.
One vegetable...
Crapemyrtle Bark Scale
This is a
It seems like I remember you talking about how to treat for Crapemyrtle Bark Scale but can you refresh my memory? AT
Crapemyrtle bark scale is an ongoing problem for area crapemyrtles and now is a great time to take action to rid your crapemyrtles of this pest.
Crapemyrtle bark scale is exactly what it says it is - a scale insect that feeds on crapemyrtles. Scale insects can be difficult to treat since their hard scale protects them from many pesticides. Because of this,...
New Year's Resolutions
Well, here we are in the first week of the new year and that means it’s time to work on our gardener resolutions. You know we all have them or should have them because none of us are perfect gardeners. And even if we were, there’s always the weather and heat there to keep us humble. So, it’s time to write down some of the things we want to either start doing, stop doing, or hope to do better in the garden this year.
For me, one is going to be to decrease the size of my vegetable garden and...
Overwintering Insects
I’ve seen quite a bit of info on social media suggesting we don’t clean up our gardens in the fall but wait till spring instead as a way to help insects. How does this help the insects? KY
There has been quite a bit of talk in the last few years about leaving your plant debris in place until spring to help overwintering insects. This advice kind of flies in the face of many a gardener whose final outdoor chore is usually to clean up all the dead stalks a debris in the garden. But there are...
Growing Cannas
I know it’s cold outside, but I am already thinking about what I want to plant in my flower garden next year. I love cannas when I see them. Are they hard to grow? LF
Cannas are striking plants with good looking flowers and foliage. Cannas are available in yellow, orange, pink, and red with cultivars that are striped or marbled. Most cannas grow to be between 3 and 5 feet tall. However, dwarf cultivars are available that only reach a height of between 1.5 to 2 feet as well as a few varieties...