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, [...]
Also posted in astilbe, flowers | Tagged astilbe |
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 [...]
Q. I have several wisteria plants that are probably offshoots of a main vine. The main vine blossoms like crazy every year but the offshoot plants don’t blossom, even though they grow and send out lots of stringers and look very healthy. I want to train and control these off shoot plants and want [...]
Q. I planted gallon pots of Gaillardia last year. I don’t see any of them coming up this spring. Perhaps I’m mistaking them for weeds? What should they look like by this time?
-Geneva, Illinois
A. Gaillardia needs excellent drainage to survive wet soil during the winter. If you planted in heavy clay, I am not [...]
Two answers for this one!
Q. I purchased a Sweet Kate Spiderwort and I am not sure how much sun or shade this plant needs?
-Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
A. Sweet Kate Spiderwort is one of the most visually vivid partial-sun plants around. It does best in morning to early afternoon sun (1pm-2pm). The bright yellow foliage will [...]
Q. I have 3 large clumps of Pampas grass. They took a big hit this winter. They seem to be coming back along the outside perimeter, but the center is brown and dead. Should I cut the center back to nothing?
-Bellingham, Washington
A. Many grasses die out in the center but continue to produce new growth [...]
Technique all depends on what type of phlox you’ve gots.
Q. I planted some phlox last year . They have, however, taken control of one section of my garden. How do I transplant part of the phlox into the other area of the garden?
-Quincy, Massachusetts
A. In regards to your phlox question, different kinds of Phlox [...]
Q. I have a roof deck in Boston with a sizable arbor on it. I would like to find a flowering vine of some sort to cover it. The previous owner grew Virginia Creeper on the arbor, which grew well but looked too much like a weed for my tastes. I tried Clematis last year [...]
Q. I have a lavender bush which I planted last year that is still tall from last year but looks like it may be dead (or maybe that is just how they look now). Should I cut it back now, or should I have cut it back at the end of the season last fall?
-Boston, [...]
Butterfly bushes, one of my favorite sub-shrubs! But they look like heck in early spring. What to do? Here are two answers to that question:
Q. My six-plus year-old Buddleia (butterfly bush) has never really been pruned. It’s about six-ft. tall now and very thick and unwieldy. It has new growth emerging. Should I prune? [...]
