Category Archives: flowers

Blooming Astilble a Second Time

By Ellen Wells | Published: July 6, 2009

Q. How can I get my astilbe to bloom a second time?
Belmont, Massachusetts
A. You asked how you can get your Astilbe to rebloom. You can’t! It is not in their nature. What you can do is plant two different kinds in order to get a longer period of bloom. The arendsii group bloom the earliest, [...]

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Getting Garden Mums to Flower

By Ellen Wells | Published: May 28, 2009

Q. I planted some mums last year and they were beautiful. They came back this year and are growing wonderfully, and look fantastic. My question: I’ve been told that they will blossom in early summer and then again in the fall and that if I snip off the buds in the early flowering, then the [...]

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Growing Vegetables & Flowers on a Shady Porch

By Ellen Wells | Published: May 17, 2009

Q. I get virtually no sun on my side of the street nor on my deck. What would be good flowers and herbs to grow?
-South Boston, Massachusetts
A. Herbs + Zero sun can equal an unhappy herb gardener. Perhaps try some cilantro, sage and mint. They all require a fair amount of sun, but will [...]

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Controling Monstrous Dahlias

By Ellen Wells | Published: April 27, 2009

Attack of the monstrous dahlias! Here’s a suggestion for keeping dahlia height and habit under control.
Q. I am quite new to gardening, but learning as I go along. I planted Dahlias last year. They were beautiful. I dug them up in the fall and replanted last weekend. Although they were beautiful, I was hesitant to [...]

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