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Five year old Baptisia wilting  Hello, I wonder if you can help. I have a five year old Baptisia that has never had any issues prior to this. The plant emerged a little scraggy this ...

Planting reblooming iris that are in pots  My favorite nursery recently had several types of reblooming iris in pots. I bought them and they bloomed in the next two to three days. I enjoyed the ...

Planting shasta daisies in rain-soaked soil  Can shasta daisies be planted in rain-soaked soil. Flowers were purchased a week-and-a haf ago; I fear they will become root-bound if not put in the ground ...

Adding peat moss or top soil on top of bed  My flower bed is so full with perennials that it is hard to add soil and or peat moss. Is there anyway to add peat moss without harming all my beautiful ...

shasta daisies for July wedding  i am growing seedlings inside right now in oregon where the frost is still apparent. they are just starting and i water them with a sprayer each day....

California poppies  When are California poppies "planted"? I assume that the seeds are spread over an area. How long does it take for them to flower? Any suggestions for ...

Iris Bed  For the last several years, I have had Trumpet Vine in my Iris bed (which runs the length of my house down my driveway). I have tried to get rid of the ...

Hollyhock container planting  Can Hollyhocks be grown in containers, and if so, what kind of "pot" would you recommend?


Doug says he sees no reason why a hollyhock "can't" be grown ...

cutting back perennials  do you mean to cut back all perennials to the ground? I am afraid i am going to lose them.

Doug says he gets this kind of question regularly.

The ...

i live in zone 9,will hollyhocks grow here?  I live in zone 9, will hollyhocks grow here? I don't see them in garden centers.

Doug says the high heat is going to beat them up really badly. So seed ...

Can Shasta Daisy deadheads be saved for seed?  Each year I save the deadheads from my marigolds, let them dry, then get the seed for next years' flower beds. I was wondering if I can do this with my ...

Too much nitrogen in soil  How do I compensate for too much nitrogen in my soil? Everything I have grows so tall and flops over. I've had my soil tested, and this is what I've ...

does full shade mean full shade?  Hello, and thank you very much for your website.
I am into Permaculture and try to get in Montreal people's lawn changed for something more useful. this ...

crepe myrtle hardiness  Can a crepe myrtle tree grow and do well in Michigan? One the web site it says zone 6-9 but it includes the state of Michigan

Doug says this is a shrub ...

Deadheading mums  Do you need to pull off the dead blooms on mums?

Doug says only if you want the plant to 1) look good and 2) reduce disease in the garden

Other ...

Overwinter daylilies in pots  I have about 50+ daylily plants that did not make it into the ground but are potted in large pots. What are are the odds of them overwintering in those ...

Cutting back perennials in fall  Should I cut back my veronicas in the fall?

Doug says that cutting back and cleaning up all perennial plants is a good idea. You want to leave the ...

Overwintering daylilies indoors  how can I keep dug out day lillies over the winter to plant next spring .

Doug says you have to keep them cool (around 40F) and not warm. You have ...

white powder on garden phlox  my garden phlox have a lot of white stuff on them this year. what cause this? how do i get rid of it?

Doug says you have powdery mildew. This is ...

My bee balm changed color!  I'm very confused. Last summer, my bee balm was red. Honest - I have pictures! This year when it bloomed, it was white. Is there a reason for this?...

Lavatera 'Barnsley Baby'  I planted my lavatera about a month ago, & when I bought the plant, it had lots of blooms on it. The blooms have since then come & gone, & the plant continues ...

Perennials for Clay Soil in West Texas  Doug - I printed your list of perennials for clay soil. Are all or some of those perennials suited for the climate in West Texas?

I have planted irises,...

Christmas Rose Seed Success?  i looked on your site for information about the Christmas rose
and read that all of the plants you have are grown from seed
i have tried to no avail ...

Planting reblooming iris that are in pots  My favorite nursery recently had several types of reblooming iris in pots. I bought them and they bloomed in the next two to three days. I enjoyed the ...

raised bed installation where there are plants already  I would like to have raised beds in my backyard due to poor drainage and clay soil. There are plants in these areas from the past and we amended the soil ...

iris seeds   i cam across this iris seed pods from a park one day was wandering if they can be planted this fall ? and how long before they are fully mature sending ...

How late can I plant perennials for productive plants/flowers the following year?  How late can I plant perennials (flowers and shrubs) for a productive life in the following year?

I am starting some seeds - a range of flowers - and ...

ajuga being outgrown by grass  Is there a spray I can use to kill wild grass out of my ajuga?

Doug says yes, it's called "elbow grease" and it involves getting down on the ajuga in ...

When and if to prune Baby's Breath?  Can Baby's Breath (18-24 inch variety) be pruned in early June to delay bloom time, or can it be pruned after flowering to stimulate additional blooming?...

perennials and tulip care.  how do you not water tulips when they are interplanted with perennials which do need water?

Doug says you do not water the perennials.... or you do ...

ants are eating leaves  how kill ants and revive plant?

Doug says the ants are NOT eating the leaves. They may be cleaning up the fungus and dead stuff after something else ...

Tall garden phlox are not blooming  In a 30+ year bed, my tall garden phlox stopped blooming 2 years ago. Again they are up, looking great, but I am afraid that as in the past 2 years, they ...

Cemetary blooming ground cover  Our cemetary is very shady & dry. My mother always said "any plant put up there would die". I guess that's what a cemetary is all about, nothing or no ...

Ornamental grass not growing  I planted the grass attached picture (not sure of the type of grass) last spring, it looked great and did great all last year. However it has not shown ...

Raising the height of my existing garden bed  I hope I have the right section (the plants in question are all perrenial type plants).

I am going to raise the height of my garden bed by about a ...

english ivy killing lilies  will english ivy choke out my lily plants?

Doug says it shouldn't. Lilies will die to the ground every year and should pop up between the ivy stems ...

Lily of the Valley  My lily of the valley comes up every year but I get very few flowers. I planted it abut 6 years ago in a morning sun, afternoon shade location.

Doug ...

Are these plants dead?  hi, I live in southeast, alabama, zone 5 and planted two purple lavender plants last May. They did great. This past winter we got snow-3inches, and it ...

Hens and Chicks vs Tulips  I have a single row of tulip bulbs planted along the south side of our barn. Immediately in front of that row I have "clumps" of smaller tulip-type bulbs ...

unwanted grass and clover  How do I knock out unwanted grasses and clover in perennial gardens without ruining the plants?


Doug says start digging. Then mulch afterwards to ...

removing plastic mulch before planting  I want to put some ground cover in an area that has some bushes. When this area was landscaped they put down mulch with a moisture/weed material under ...

Steep hillside is backyard clay/rocky/sandy full sun all day  My husband is disabled and I need to find a fast growing periennel that will cover our backyard. He likes evergreen type things. I have looked at carpet ...

Dead Centers on Shasta Daisies  Hi I planted 4 shasta daisies last year and on all of the the centers are dead and they have quite alot that has spread out of each of them. Are all of ...

timing of spring pruning  I have daylillies,black-eyed susans,peonies and zebra grass. Should they all be cut down in the Spring ? I live in N.E. Pa. and we still have snow on the ...

Leaves and Mulch  I am about to put down some new bark mulch. I left leaves from the trees on the beds throughout the winter. Can I simply place the new bark mulch over ...

old clematis gone!  My grandmother gave me a clematis vine 30 years ago. For years, it came up and bloomed reliably. Then I started pruning it in winter. Last year, I cut ...

Seeds that require Stratification  I am new to wintersowing, do you have a list of seeds that require a cold period to germinate?

Doug says he doesn't maintain a list of perennials that ...

Cutting back nepeta "walker's low"  I assume I can cut this plant back hard in early spring or even now...is this true? this will be my first season seeing it come up in my garden and I'm ...

fine tree roots   I have dug a trench 300mm deep around my raiced vegie garden and placed colorbond steel sheeting as barrier to prevent roots from adult gum trees taking ...

When do you remove dead mums  when do you take dead mums out of the ground?

Doug says if you like the look of dead mums in your garden, I guess you can leave them there for as long ...

butterfly bush not growing well  I have a blutterfly bush that is not doing well at all. We live in York, SC. Can I cut the bush back, in the fall, in the hopes more nutrients go to the ...

How do you remove Jacob's Ladder  I planted this spreading plant in the garden several years ago and am now trying to remove it but it is so pervasive. Any suggestions you have would be ...

reblooming hardy mums quickly  how do I force my mum plants to rebloom quickly? I've already cut them back and used miracle-gro I NEED them to look fantastic again by this Sunday

Doug ...

Blue & Gold Spiderwort Browning  I have blue and gold spiderworts in the front of my home (facing west). It gets some shade in the morning, but otherwise it is in a sunny location. These ...

Droopy Spiderwort  Every year my Spiderwort plant falls down in all directions leaving an space in the middle of the plant. It looks sloppy and leans into my other plants....

deadheading foxglove plant  I guess I just don't understand how do you deadhead the foxglove plant? Do I cut the stem after the bottom flower or just take the faded flower off?

Doug ...

Stella Doro Pruning  I was once told I could do some cutting back to keep my daylillies blooming late. They have just bloomed, (June 10th) and I want them to keep blooming ...

renewing a garden  I just bought a house in summer 2008. I am a beginner gardener trying to learn about the seemingly healthy established perennial gardens.

There seems ...

aphids on lupins  where can i buy something to kill or help treat the aphids attacking my lupins

Doug says you can go to your garden shed. Pull out a hose. Turn on the ...

aphids on lupins  where can i buy something to kill or help treat the aphids attacking my lupins

Doug says the easiest way to kill aphids is to knock them off the plant ...

Is Pincushion Rabbit Resistant  Is the pincushion flower plant resistant to rabbits?

Doug says not as far as he knows - there are very few perennials that a rabbit won't eat.

planting iris bulbs in springtime  today I bought 3 bearded iris already beginning to grow in their pots, do I plant them now April 28, 2009 in Green Bay, WI area or should I be concerned ...

what perennial can tolerate full sun, and nightly water via sprinkler?  I need help choosing a perennial that can tolerate strong sun and hot summer. my problem is my neighbor waters her garden every night via sprinkler, which ...

Adding dirt OVER perennials  I have an area next to the house that includes snakeroot, hostas, coral bells, and a couple of others. The area has settled over the years and I need ...

candytuft a bulb?  I have found candytuft bulbs adverised online.
Are they grown from bulbs?


Doug says that candytuft is normally Iberis sempervirens as a herbaceous ...

Transplanting Agapanthus  I recently transplanted some Agapanthus after dividing them. They look really sick - do I need to cut the foliage back or should I leave them alone?

Doug ...

non staking plants  I want to add several plants to my perennial garden this year - thinking about butterfly weed and baptisia. However, my criteria is that I hate to stake ...

damaged Butterfly bush  what do i do for my butterfly bush which is split down the middle of the main stem, from our heavy snow fall? This plant is 7 years old and 6ft.tall I ...

Cold Frame Coverings  Can I use 4M polypropylene copolymer twin sheets for my cold frames? I only see polycarbanate sheets being recomenned. polypropylene copolymer twin sheets ...

Mulched leaves as compost  would putting inches of mulched leaves on the beds each Fall come close to being similar to compost?

Doug says - one of the best gardeners I know taught ...

Discounted Perennials to purchase in the Fall  Many garden centers discount their perennials in the Fall. I live in New Jersey and often wonder if it is wise to purchase these "bargains" and if they ...

storing perennials inside for winter  Can I dig up my perennials and store them in my basement until moving into my new house in the spring? This should work with bulbs like Iris and lilies,...

phlox seed replanting  Would you please tell me if I can use the seeds that have grown from my flox plant, it is of the tall variety, not the ground cover type, and plant them ...

Transplanting Perennial Flowers

Winter prep for Chrysanthemums  I am brand new at this. How do I save the perennials for next year...example Hardy Mum Chrysanthemum...I am thinking I cut to the top of the soil and cover ...

creeping phlox in New York  When do I plant this? I just received a bunch of them from a mail order but it doesn't tell me when to plant and i don't want to kill them.

Doug says ...

Drought Tolerant Perennials  i am searching for names for Drought Tolerant sppecies from Plants, trees, shrubs for landscaping in green building..

Please requesting you to suggest ...

Winterizing Perennials  In the fall what do you do with plants so they will come back in the spring?

Doug says that you cut back the leaves - leaving about 6-8 inches of stalk ...

Peonies not blooming  i planted peonies 17 years ago on the edge of my yard .to this day they are still about a foot high and have never bloomed ? i just dug them up .what and ...

Pruning Perennials for Compact Growth  How do we prune perennials for compact growth?

This year, the residuals from recent hurricanes have resulted in our taller plants being scraggly and ...

Monarda flower problems  My Monarda plants won't flower. They come up every year, nice leaves, they even flower but no petals at all. None. There are little black things around ...

How to get Arundo Donax  I want to know where I could buy Arundo Donax. Is there a place online you would recommend? And if there is, should I get seeds or rhizomes?

Doug says ...

Ohio perennials  What are some perennial flowers for upper Ohio?

Doug says the lists of perennials listed on this site can all be grown in upper Ohio. Good luck.

bittersweet flowers  I planted 2 Celastrus Scandens last year - 1 male and 1 female. Although they are growing well in full sun with shoots up to 6 ft long I am disappointed ...

Daylily won't bloom?  I have a beautiful, very extensive cottage garden at 9500 feet in Colorado with many very large, foliage only Day lilies, that have lush foliage but no ...

HOLLYHOCKS in FAll  I NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY HOLLYHOCKS IN THE FALL BEFORE ALL THE SNOW COMES

Doug says - cut them down in the fall after the foliage looks dead ...

choosing perennials for a design  I have a very long, narrow flower border (30ftlong by 3ft deep). It is backed by a 6' fence. It gets good sun most of the day, except for one end which ...

Proper watering techniques and plastic mulch  I have a new perennial flower garden which was put in this year. Plastic is down with mulch over it. What is the best way to water so that the plants ...

plants for right of way  I live on a county road in New Jersey and have a large strip of land between the street and the side walk. Currently, I have beautiful weeds with the ...

brown spots on my autumn joy sedum  I just planted 3 autumn joy sedums this year. I live in Zone 3-4 in Wisconsin. They have brown spots on the leaves & the leaves are falling off. What ...

Plant perennials around holly bush  Hello,
Is it sufficient to have 12 -17 inches between the stem of a holly bush and a perennial plant i want to put in it's vicinity?

Thanks,
Taruna
...

balloon flower stems breaking off   This is the second summer for my balloon flowers. They started out earlier this summer looking very healthy, but now they are snapping off at ground level....

Perennials after flooding  Most of my perennials appear to be dead after recent flooding. Will they grow again next year or should I replace all of them?

Doug says - that I'd ...

how does an Oak tree affect the soil in my garden?  Hi. We have had an oak tree in the middle of our garden that was planted 27 years ago. Last weekend we finally transplanted it far away from the garden ...

Invasive vining plant  I live in Indiana.I planted two Loesener Bitteersweeet, Celastrus rostbornianus. I was told that Oriental bittersweeet, Celastrus orbiculatus is invasive ...

Do Nematodes Hurt My Garden  Do Nematodes carry Virus & Bacteria and will they infect my perenial garden? Laura B.in Ma USA

Doug says that there likey hundreds of species of nematodes....

Too much lime?  I have a section of my yard i'd like to make a flower garden. before i moved here, there was a lot of lime dumped in this section. although i was able ...

perennial plants for creek beds  What perennial plants can I use beside a creek in zone 6 (Tennessee), partial shade. I would like info on ground covers an other plants.

Doug says ...

Using roots as means for nutrients and soil stability  I have thought to plant peas throughout my garden to develop a root system, then cut the peas off, leaving the nutrients from the roots to decompose ...

Calla Lily Problems

Fall Blooming Aconitum  "Fall Blooming Aconitum or Monkshood" is the title of a question from a gardener.

I live in a zone 2 gardening area and this picture was taken Aug 23,...