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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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

What blooming climbing perennial grows well damp shady area  I live in Central Maine and would like to find a blooming climbing perennial that grows well in a damp shady area..It does get some early morn and late ...

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 ...

Forced to move peonies in the spring.  Doug,

I have recently sold my home very unexpectantly and am planning on taking my peonies with me as many of them were shared from my mother. These ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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....

Growing Peonies

  Q&A on growing peonies with garden author Doug Green

Pruning Perennial Flowers

  Pruning perennial flowers Q&A with garden writer Doug Green

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

  Transplanting perennial flowers Q&A with garden writer Doug Green

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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?...

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 ...

Cemetery Perennials  My mother is getting on in years and still wants to take care of my fathers grave & I am not available to help her as much as she would like. I suggested ...

Astilbe Doesn't Bloom Properly  I have grown Astilbe in the past, with good success. I recently moved and have cultivated a small shade garden. It is actually on the south side of my ...

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 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,...

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 ...

Crown Vetch   I have this growing in my soybean fields and I cannot kill it it keeps coming back. Will Roundup or something kill it before the soybeans pop thru the ...

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....

How to plant around bulbs for year round bloom  I am completely new to gardening- planted tulips & daffodils and they are now in bloom. I want to plant other perennials so I have a year round garden....

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

  Q & A on calla lily problems on garden author Doug Green's website

Agapanthus  I planted some dwarf agapanthus last year and this year I note that there are long roots that have grown out of the ground and under the leaves. Is this ...

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,...

drought tolerant & deer resistant plants  I am interested in planting the coneflower and lavender but am not sure if both are drought tolerant and deer resistant. Also would like to know the best ...

watering in winter  We don't get much moisture here in North Central TX in the winter -none in over 30 days now. Should I try to water?

Doug says:

If you're talking ...