Another fun week! We had a real thaw here and some of the garden started showing up again. In my living room, the big pot of tulips has started throwing buds so I have hopes of flowers before too long. I’ll post a picture when it happens.

Help One of the things you never know about is whether reader’s prefer to see 1) more questions and answers 2) longer articles 3) more links or 4) ??. I’ve put a survey up at and ask you to visit and click on your preference I hope you’ll do me the favor and fill it out – I’ll change the newsletter to match the voting patterns.

The big exciting news is that I’m about to launch a RSS feed (and I’ll provide full instructions if you’ve never used one before) to give you more articles and answers and pictures and gardening links than I can possibly give you in a newsletter. This is really exciting and I should be able to announce all the urls in the next newsletter.

If you’re in the Kingston, ON area, I’m giving a talk on Friday March 4 at 2pm at the Portsmouth Harbour. The Kingston flower show is on and I’ll be joining Jennifer Bennett and other speakers. I’m talking about “Making Your Perennial Garden Bloom All Summer.” After a really hectic spring of giving talks last year (Philadelphia Flower Show and Canada Blooms etc etc) this is my only public talk currently scheduled for this spring.

This thaw has me all excited about the new plants in my garden and even though I know winter will come back, I have my office window open as I’m writing and fresh air (a little chilly fresh air):-) is ruffling the papers on my desk. The days are getting longer and spring is coming.

New Articles for You

Here’s a sampling of what’s new in the past few weeks:

I was working on the water garden website and there’s articles up there on tropical water lilies (gorgeous things) overwintering them, planting them etc. This page is the main listing and you can go from there. www.water-gardens-information.com/pondlilies.html

You’ll also find some new data on hardy water lilies at www.water-gardens-information.com/waterlilies.html

And a new section on pest control should appear at www.beginner-gardening.com/pestcontrol.html

Lungwort are one of the best perennials for shade on the perennials site www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/lungwort.html

Have fun.

Your Useful Link

If you’re interested in learning about Botany, (well, some of you might be) here’s a great starting point. It is a link’s list to Botany in Cyberspace and you’ll find links to Botanical search engines, courses and interesting sites.

Botany link

Want to ask a question? Click here to ask a gardening question.

Your Questions Answered

Hi! What type of compost is best on a spring lawn? Also do you mix the compost with the peat moss or put it on by layering it in the spring?

A: Compost is pretty much compost I’m afraid – it doesn’t come in “types”. You can buy composted cattle manure and composted sheep manure (They’re actually both cattle – the only difference is in the packaging. We don’t have mass sheep farms in North America where we can collect that much sheep manure) But finished compost is well… finished compost and it should all look pretty much alike.
Your second question about mixing peat and compost – nah, I’m a lazy gardener, I just lay it onto the ground without mixing beforehand. I tried mixing it but that is a LOT of work when it will get to the same place easier without doing that work. Just shovel and spread it around as best you can. The nice thing about gardening is that it lacks the precision of nuclear physics.

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I have planted tea roses along side the property fence that are bordered with brick pavers and I have been contemplating what will be the perfect plant/flower to plant under my roses that: 1. will outgrow the weeds, 2. will not grow too tall that the rose thorns would harm them and 3. would complement pink and red roses. I thought about groundcover but was concern it will invade my lawn.
Val

A: Tea roses really don’t provide too much shade so the range of plants you can put under them is quite large. Figure anything that will handle a little bit of shade – from dwarf hemerocallis to bellflowers. Once we restrict our choices to plants that only reach twenty-four inches, the real question in my mind is what colors are the roses because your plant choice or at least your flower color choice will depend on the shade of your roses. Red and pink roses mean you can install blue/violet perennials (a nice cool shade below the hot reds and pinks) to good advantage. You’d want to stay away from red-pink perennials as they will likely clash (or get the perennials to bloom in early spring before the roses start) Spring pulmonaria, short summer salvia, or even veronica would go well if you wanted the blue-violet route.

What plant will outgrow weeds. Hmmmm. Only those that become weeds m’dear. :-). No plants will truly outgrow weeds (that’s why we call them weeds) but plants such as daylilies will give it a good try and will disguise weeds growing up through them (try telling the difference between some daylily leaves and thick grass leaves at a distance – it is only when the grasses get taller than the daylilies do we notice them) As soon as I find a plant that will outgrow a weed – I’ll either call it another weed (goutweed) or will buy a lifetime supply of it.

Don’t worry about thorns hurting other plants. Won’t happen. Thorns are there to deter gardeners not other plants. LOL!

This makes me think I should write a series of articles on ground cover type plants for the perennials website. I’ve put it on the to-do list; I’ll let you all know when they get posted.

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I have several amarilis (?) one still has it's long green leaves(I keep it watered and fertilized)This got through flowering months ago. Should't this have turned brown and started it's rest period by now? I repotted two others 6 weeks ago but no sign of growth. Do you think they are dead ? I took another one out of the cooler at the same time and that one is OK-Leaves are about 10 inches high

A: Started to rest? Only the plant knows when it has received enough light to store up enough energy to go into dormancy. Generally, I don’t worry about them until the middle of the summer when I force them into dormancy by withholding water. Up to that point, I relax and let the plant tell me what it wants.

The quickest way to tell if a bulb is dead is to squeeze it. If you can, it is soft – it is dead. If hard – it is alive/dormant/still deciding.

As for plants being different. That’s why they have horse races. :-) Yeah, it can be frustrating – especially so when you’re a commercial grower and you get this kind of variation in growth habit. Doesn’t happen often but it can. My best advice is to relax. Squeeze the bulb – let them do their thing. :-)

* * * * * * * * * Is city water a bad idea for watering Hostas? (chlorine, pesticides, etc.) I have considered a filter of some kind, but being a senior citizen, I try to keep costs down. Also, as I live in Illinois (central), when is the soonest I can plant new Hosta plants. I usually divide the established ones as soon as I see the growth above ground in spring. Thanks.
Sue

A: I hope not because that’s all I have this year. I’ve used city water (chlorinated) on my gardens in the past few years and don’t worry about it. Don’t use soft water (set up a tap in front of the softener) as you’ll be applying salt (not a good idea) and it is more expensive to use softened water (a bad idea and an expensive one). Chlorinated water is really only a problem with sensitive plants (I think African violets might be) grown as houseplants. The rest of the commonly grown garden plants will simply thank you for the clear water.

You can plant nursery grown Hosta after the last frost (frost does terrible things to hosta leaves) You can divide and replant your own hosta as soon as you can dig in the spring-thawed ground.

* * * * * * * * * * * : When my perennnial hybiscus dies back in the winter, do I cut the stems back to the ground or keep the stems on for next years growth?
Sherry

A: I like to leave my garden in the fall as I want to find it in the spring. Cut ‘er back.

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Having just read your article on lavender, one of my favourite plants, I came up with a couple of questions. I had planned, this summer, to start a sort of "lavender garden" section in a raised bed, with various varieties and colours. I'm wondering if you think that because of them being in a raised bed they might be even more difficult to overwinter, seeing as their roots are probably going to get colder as a result of them being raised above the true soil level. Any suggestions on handling this (my other lavenders are under burlap hats right now, I hope they make it, they did last year). Also, I wondered if you ever tried to grow lavender indoors over the winter? I grow rosemary indoors over the winter and it does reasonably well, although I tend to get this white fluffy stuff on some leaves, which is undoubtedly some sort of fungus. It doesn't kill it though, although I do keep it in check. Lavender and rosemary strike me as similar, so maybe I could overwinter more tender varieties indoors (maybe under my grow-lights?).
Cheers, Claire

A: Yes, lavender in a raised bed will be much more difficult to overwinter than in the ground in any kind of cold climate. Read very difficult for L. angustifolia varieties and next to impossible for anything more tender like the X intermedia varieties.

Overwintering indoors. Remember this is a woody shrub and requires a dormancy period. Keeping it growing will only make it unhappy. And unless you really light it, it will be the ugliest, stretched out plant in the following spring than you can imagine. It is similar to rosemary in that sense. They both want a dormancy and they both want high light levels.

The news about Lavender is that I’m getting so many questions about this plant that I started putting together a special report on how to grow, propagate, overwinter, best varieties, etc etc. The outline is done and now I need to get a write the words.

White fuzzy things are likely mealybug. Control with repeated applications of insecticidal soap. A clean mealybug is a dead mealybug.

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Dear Doug, I purchased bulbs for my garden months ago. Had to have surgery and ended up not being able to plant them. They've been in a bag in my closet since February. Theirs Mixed Tulipanes, Mixed Crocus,Hyacinths and Daffodils two bags each. Can they be saved or is it too late ? I am gardening challenged at best and really could use some advice. Thanks,
Judi

A: February 04?? Hmm, probably dead. But if they are still firm and hard (not shrunken up hard) then I’d plant them. Nothing ventured, nothing gained I always say.

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: I hope I'm allowed 2 Questions! 1.There is a white powdery substance on my corn plant that is killing it. It wipes off easily but returns. It also spreads to any other plant that is next to it. How can I get rid of it? 2.Will my hibiscus plants come back in the spring?

Carol

Will hibiscus plant come back? I dunno – where did it go? If only dormant in garden, then yes likely. They are quite hardy but late in spring to come back. You’ll think they’re dead and then suddenly after almost everything else is growing – up they’ll pop.

And that’s all for this week. Do visit the survey page and tell me what you want me to emphasize in the newsletter. Every little bit of information helps me do this better.

From My Garden To Yours

The onslaught of new perennials just keeps coming and if you have a perennial garden, this is going to be the year to upgrade your garden with new and wonderful plants. One of the backbone plants in the perennial garden is the mid to late summer tall Phlox paniculata or tall garden Phlox. One of the newest varieties to get to your local garden centre is ‘Goldmine’. Aptly named because it will bring a rush of visitors to your garden with its bright magenta purple flowers held firmly above its green and gold variegated leaves. This is one bright plant! On a clear day, those magenta flowers will scream right across town. Two older variegated forms, ‘Harlequin’ with its magenta blooms and cream yellow variegated leaves should be easily available while ‘Becky Towe’ with rose pink flowers over yellow and green leaves is equally desirable. The older variegated ‘Norah Leigh’ with its green and cream splashed leaves is an excellent foliage plant but those pale pink blooms wash out against the dramatic foliage. Save your spending for the brighter flowered varieties.

If you are looking for a shorter phlox, you might want to search out ‘Little Laura’. The stunning rich violet purple blooms with white eyes are wonderful accents to any brighter colour in your perennial garden. At twenty-four inches tall, this plant will also serve as the focal centerpiece in any large perennial container. Keeping with our female names and short plants, let me suggest ‘Juliet’ for your new plant list. Again, she’s twenty-four inches tall with compact growth but with the softest pink flowers you can imagine. With some mildew resistance built into the breeding, this is an excellent mid-summer bloomer for both garden and large container. Need I tell you that both ‘Juliet’ and ‘Little Laura’ will be strutting their stuff in my container garden this summer? And speaking of mildew resistant phlox, let me suggest you look for these three mildew-resistant stunning ladies of the midnight garden. ‘Miss Pepper’ is a soft-pink with rose eye growing to three feet tall while ‘Miss Elie’ is taller at forty inches and sports soft pink blossoms with a deep rose eye. Rounding out the misses is ‘Miss Kelly’ and her soft lilac blooms are edged in dainty white. While likely too tall for my container gardening this summer, these three lassies should be welcome in any perennial border.

Because Hosta is arguably the biggest selling perennial in garden centres, it should not come as a surprise that there are some good introductions this year. ‘Pineapple Upside Down Cake’ has to get the award for most innovative name, somebody was obviously feeling a mite hungry when it was naming time. Its rippled leaves emerging green in spring but then turning gold centred as the season progresses makes it a novelty plant. ‘Beauty Substance’ is a sport of one of the best Hosta of all time, the amazingly huge ‘Sum and Substance’. Our new ‘Beauty Substance’ is too large to be a container plant but those gold edged huge leaves will brighten up any garden. Plan on planting this one at the back of a shade border where it can spread and form a large clump over a few years. A midsized introduction, again too large for containers but excellent in the front of the border is ‘Alvatine Taylor’. She forms a large mound of blue leaves but with the added bonus of each leaf has chartreuse to gold edges. This is an impressive plant and I can only wish I had a place to plant it this coming spring. One Hosta that will fit into my container programme because it is only 12 to 18 inches tall is ‘Little Sunspot’. Its bright gold leaves with green edges will nicely show up when planted on the outside edges of a shady container.

Let me confess right now that I fall in love with whatever perennial plant I happen to be growing or watching. This is by way of saying that geraniums have always been one of my everlasting garden loves. There are species and varieties of this plant that will live in almost any garden condition we might have. From the thinnest of soils to the dampest of garden locations, there is a showy perennial geranium to fill the space. The real winner in this family is ‘Rozanne’ and this flirt blooms almost all summer with her bright violet-purple blossoms. A slow spreader, growing to eighteen inches tall, this is the geranium of choice if you could only have one for your sun to part shade perennial border. But if you could have more than one, I would suggest ‘Sue Krug’ with her long blooming soft pink flowers (with darker plum eye). At only six to eight inches tall, she would be perfect for rock gardens or trailing over the edges of containers. And if you are feeling a bit rich, you might look for the Japanese Geranium yoshinoi, ‘Confetti’osta. Its cream flecked variegated leaves and tiny pale pink flowers will be excellent in rock gardens or containers. And yes, you’ve guessed it, it will definitely appear in my part shade containers this spring with its low growing spreading habit.

You know for a plant lover, this is going to be a good year.