Well, last week was quite busy around here but this week I’ve managed to get some pages up for you and to answer a few questions while doing it. :-) I always like it when I can answer your question and build a web page doing it- it makes the answer that much more detailed. The pages are listed below in their regular spot.

And I’ve increased the number of questions being answered in each newsletter now.

The garden season is slowly grinding to a start around here – seeds are starting to come in, some are already sown, the citrus have been pruned and are blooming on what’s left.

Those winter dreams are becoming my reality. Life is sweet.

New Articles for You

Growing Boston Ivy some tips and techniques.

How to overwinter climbing roses and that about says it all.

I let my drawing pen loose again (bad drawing alert!) in garden design to make a perennial garden bloom all summer

Here’s how to grow sweet pea flowers

Do you like acidic tomatoes or not? Here’s an interesting fact about tomato acidity and allergies that I’ll be most of you don’t know.

Heres my take on tomato cages

Wondering what to do with grass clippings? Wonder no more.

Interested in forcing tulip bulbs?

Or do you want to grow bulbs in containers?

Want to ask a question? Click here to ask a gardening question.www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/askagardeningquestion.html

Your Questions Answered

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A reader writes about potatoes turning green in the light.

This is, as you pointed out, caused by exposure to light. It, the chlorophyl, causes solanine to be produced. This is a poison that your body does not excrete. (Like some heavy metals often found in canned fish.) Do not eat the green parts of a potato. Cut off the green areas. Peel them to see better. You don't have to peel potatoes that don't have green, but removing the green removes most of the solanine. A bitter flavor is another clue to it's presence.

A: This is one of the things I did not mention as I thought you’d all know to not to eat the green parts. But after several folks wrote to “remind” me of this – I thought I’d pass this well-written note along. :-) Thanks for keeping me on my toes gang.

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I am already trying to find a few shortcuts for spring-cleaning some of my beds: My Autumn Joy: Do I really have to scrape out all those sodden heavy oak leaves that the old North Wind blew there? Or is the sedum brave enough to grow THROUGH it? I notice if I don't get right out there on time, the little rosettes starting up are wimpy and white, and it's difficult not to damage them in my endeavor to remove the leaves, even though it's by hand and not by rake. Would it be better to let the sedum toughen themselves up on their own time? Would they benefit by the slowly-composting oak leaves? Barb in Northeast Indiana

A: Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ will indeed come up through a few oak leaves without a problem. The white nobbies you’re seeing are simply the shoots deprived of sunlight. They’ll turn green quickly enough once they hit the light.

The difficulty comes with 1) other plants and 2) the depth of the leaves.

Other plants are not so tough as the sedums and will tend to rot under the weight of sodden leaves. Pulmonaria is a great example. Put too many leaves over this plant and a once thriving plant will rot away so you’ll quickly only have a few weak shoots. Similarly, if you only have a few leaves, most plants will push up through them, but if that layer of sodden leaves starts to become inches deep, then it can pack down and create a pretty tough barrier for smaller, less vigorous plants to penetrate.

For this reason, oak leaves and maple leaves make excellent mulch and weed barriers as they wet down and are a little slow to decompose. While they make excellent mulch for this reason, the flip side is they will stop plants from poking through in the spring.

What you’re looking at is a judgment call. Are your leaves deep? Do the sedums poke through bravely with the depth you have? The sedum plant itself is pretty tough and this species will grow through almost anything – that is not the case with all sedums or all other plants.

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I have a lavender X allardii that is two years old and over 5 feet tall. It stands in front of a Pink Peace Climbing rose that blooms, and next to a carolina aster vine that blooms. (Both bloom a lot, and the Peace rose casts no significant shadow). It faces the northwest, and our evening sun is fierce.

I don't fertilize the lavender, but it may get some from the rose.

The problem: No Flowers.

Will it ever bloom (It is so lovely I will keep it anyway).

A: This is a zone 8 lavender and so far outside of my gardening zone, I’ve never even bothered to try it here. It does easily hit the 3-5’ mark but flowering will be delayed by fertilizers. Don’t forget that those roots are well over into the rose zone and if you’re feeing the rose, you’re feeding the lavender.

I have a web page over on the beginner-gardening.com website that describes all the reasons a plant will not bloom. Feeding too much is one of those reasons. (sorry!)

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How do I get rid of wild onions in my yard without killing the grass?

A: I have several variations on this question this week. Mostly asking how to get rid of specific weeds in the lawn. Dare I suggest you buy my ebook on the subject? (insert big laugh here).

The short answer is that in order to knock back most weeds, the real trick is to have a healthy lawn. Follow the directions for overseeding, mowing and feeding on the www.beginner-gardening.com website and you’ll soon find that weeds are slowly being eliminated by the healthy turf. You’ll always see a few but the majority of them will be a thing of the past as a healthy turf will outcompete most other plants.

But then again, you could always buy my ebook on a healthy lawn. Did I mention that? (grin)

And the big news is that I’m in the middle of revising it a little – improving the graphics – and next week will see a whole new edition hit the Net. You’ll get more pictures, easier reading and for my readers – a whole new book at a whole new price. Watch for details next week.

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Can you plant tulips in Feb. and have them bloom in the spring.

A: Yes, you can plant them and they’ll bloom **as long as they are pre-chilled**. If they are not pre-chilled (10-14 weeks at temperatures less than 48F) they will not bloom. Note that some varieties get by with 10 weeks while others demand the full 14. By Friday night, there should be a list on the www.flower-garden-bulb.com website of the commonly forced varieties and how long they need for chilling before they’ll bloom. If in doubt or your variety isn’t on the list – figure 14-16 weeks of less than 48F.

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My questions is about lotus. You said you put yours in water in a freezer all winter. Do you mean that the freezer wasn't plugged in and that the water didn't freeze? I was told that I could leave the lotus buried in the ground over winter. Is that correct? Wouldn't it freeze? I live near Chicago. Also, I've read that I can put it in a bucket filled with water and bring it in the house all winter. Wouldn't the water get stagnant and smell? I can't understand how this procedure would work. I would like to buy my first lotus this year, but don't know how I'll be able to successfully overwinter it. I do not have a basement or heated garage. Thanks for your help.

A: The freezer isn’t plugged in and I have a water heater suspended in the tank. Because I had a ton of plants to overwinter and I hate digging all those holes. But yes, if you only have one the easier way is to simply bury the lotus in the ground. Yes, it freezes but if you’ve buried the plant (mulch over it if you’re concerned) and given them lots of water, they’ll be fine.

Bucket in house all winter is really, really stinky. Not my first choice.

At this point, if you’re growing a lotus in a container, I’d bury it in the garden. Planting them in the ground, you can overwinter them right where they’re buried. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how hardy they are.

In my new garden, any lotus will be planted directly into the ground and will stay there (USDA zone 4/5) all winter without protection.