| |
Q. My lupines are not happy this year. I have had some blooms, but the plants are not healthy- few leaves and many new leaves curl up , bending at the stems. I think there is a mildew problem that I have tried to treat twice-of course it poured rain shortly after. Is there anything else I can do? It is a small bed and I am ready to just cut them all down.
A. Lupines are susceptible to both aphids and powdery mildew - most often the leaves curl due to aphids, but in severe mildew cases they can curl. If it is indeed mildew (powdery white leaves) then you can spray the affected plants with a fungicide now, and again in 2 weeks. Next season, you can spray a preventative application of fungicide around mid/end of June to prevent the mildew.
Q. I have a beautiful columbine that I got from Greenland three years ago. At least on Sunday afternoon it was beautiful. Last night I went out to do some dead heading and as I worked my way around the garden I got to the columbine. What columbine?? !!
The leafs were gone, branches stripped bare, with the flowers still looking gorgeous at the top. What happened?
A. Your columbine was more than likely attacked by the columbine leafminer, which will decimate a plant in one day. It’s a small caterpillar, and by now it’s long gone, looking for other columbine. The columbine will come back, but in the fall ensure you clean up ALL leaf debris. Next spring, around early June, spray the plants with a residual insecticide such as a garlic spray, or doktor doom house and garden. Then, when they go to feed on the plant, they will be taken care of.
Q. I can't seem to get my peonies to
bloom. What am I doing wrong?
A. There may be a couple of reasons as to why your peonies are
not blooming. When planting peonies, it is important that the rhizome
(the hard 'bulb' the foliage emerges from) is planted no deeper
than 2" beneath the soil surface. If the planting depth is
fine, check the light your plant is receiving; peonies require a
full sun location in order to produce blooms. Thirdly, Botrytis,
a fungal disease affecting peonies, can prevent blooming. Symptoms
of this include browning foliage, and browning/hardening of flower
buds. Should you see these symptoms, plants should be cut back and
the soil area drenched with a fungicide.
Q. I hear conflicting advice on pruning Clematis - when should I
prune?
A. There are several types of Clematis, so several target dates
and methods of pruning involved. Here are the specifics for each
type:
- Hybrid Clematis (Jackmanii, Nelly Moser) - In many pruning
books, Hybrids are divided into pruning categories of B1 and B2.
In our cold climate, vines often die back completely to the ground
in winter, so these categories are often more a source of confusion
than help when it comes to pruning. For all hybrids, wait until
growth emerges in spring; if we had a mild winter, growth may
come back on old wood, and you can prune any dead wood ABOVE where
the new growth begins. If we had a harsh winter, new growth will
emerge from the ground; you can then prune back all of the dead
wood from last season.
- Species Clematis (viticella) - New growth will emerge from the
ground; cut back all of the old wood in spring.
- Golden Clematis (tangutica) - New growth will emerge from old
wood; prune only to restrict size, remove damaged branches.
Various other varieties exist (Shrub Clematis, Texas Clematis);
for specific pruning information on these, call our perennial
staff at (780) 467-7557 or email gardening@greenlandgarden.com
Q. When is the best time to transplant perennials?
A. As perennials bloom at different periods throughout the summer,
each plant will require a different transplant time. Simply put,
transplant the perennial when it is least active. For example, Peonies
bloom early summer, so are best transplanted in fall, when they
are not actively setting buds or blooming. Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
is a fall bloomer, so is best transplanted in spring, when it is
not actively setting flower buds or blooming. When transplanting,
dig up the entire clump and divide it into 3 pieces. Discard the
center portion (this is the original parent plant and is the most
exhausted part of the plant). Replant the other two pieces. Always
water transplants in with 10-52-10 transplant fertilizer or
Later's Root Booster 5-15-5.
Q. My irises have bloomed beautifully for years until this summer....why?
A. Iris are a vigorous perennial that quickly form a large clumps.
These clumps can become quite crowded after 3-4 years, and this
can prevent blooms. Every 3 years, dig up the iris clump and divide
it. Replant outer portions of clump, ensuring the rhizomes are kept
at soil level, no deeper. Discard the center portion (this is the
original parent plant and is the most exhausted part of the plant).
Water plants in with a transplant fertilizer such as 10-52-10 or
Later's Root Booster 5-15-5.
Q. We live on an acreage and are looking for a list of plants that
deer and rabbits will not eat.
A. Click here to see a list of deer resistant perennials. Please note, in years
when food supplies are short, Deer will eat just about anything!
The most reliably deer-proof plants are those with acrid sap like
Euphorbia, strongly scented foliage like lavender and sage, and
fuzzy leafed plants such as Lamb's Ear and Lungwort.
Q. We have small children and want to avoid planting any poisonous
perennials.
A. Click here to
see a list of poinsonous perennials.
For more information, please refer to the following link http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/poison?p_x=px
Q. What's the best way to battle slugs in my perennial garden?
A. Slugs can be a huge source of frustration - they hide in
dark moist places during the day, then devour our plants at night.
To start to battle slugs, you must first remove their habitat; in
spring, replace any moist mulch laden with eggs, keep your garden
weed free and trim low lying shrub branches. Removal of slugs is
very important - hand picking the slugs in the early morning or
at dusk is most effective. However if hand picking isn't your first
choice, here are some other suggestions:
- Slug Traps - use purchased traps or plastic containers filled
with stale beer - slugs crawl in and drown.
- Safer's Slug and Snail Bait - This quick acting bait has an
active ingredient safe for pets and birds but kills slugs when
ingested.
- Corry’s slug bait is also very effective, but can be toxic
to birds and pets.
Natural deterrents include crushed egg shells or sawdust spread
around and beneath plants.
Q. How can I prevent aphids on my Virginia Creeper?
A. The easiest way to prevent aphids on Virginia Creeper is to
spray the plant with Dormant Oil in early spring, when the temperature
is above zero but before the buds open up. This will kill any overwintering
eggs that are on the stems. Click
here for more information.
Q. My delphiniums seem to be getting eaten by something and
never bloom. What is it and what can I do?
A. The problem on your Delphinium is called Delphinium Worm. Since
systemic insecticides have been taken off the market, the only thing
that can be done for the Delphinium Worm is cultural control. The
worm overwinters in hollow stems and emerges first thing in the
spring to attack the new growth on your Delphinium and Monkshood.
It feeds on the new growth then migrates to the lower leaves and
spins a cocoon. Once it has passed this stage of it's life cycle,
it emerges as an adult and these mate. The females lay eggs back
on the Delphinium which hatch into young worms. The worms feed for
a bit (by this time it is late summer) then migrate to the base
of the plant to overwinter in the hollow stems. When the cocoons
are first noticed, these can be removed and destroyed. They are
light cream in colour. Cut the stems of your Delphinium right to
the ground in fall - don't leave any showing at all. This deprives
the worm of an overwintering site. When damage is noted first thing
in spring, it helps to pick out the worms from the new growth and
destroy them. Click
here for more information. |
|
