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I get a ton of questions and there's only one of me (and a bunch of you) :-)
So - here's the deal.
NON-Perennial Questions Are Answered Here.
Pick the right topic area once at that website to ask your question about non-perennials.
Perennial Questions Answered Here
Let me suggest you run a search right here - there are over 1000 articles on these web pages to help you garden. And over 75% of questions get have already been answered in articles.
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Like all things - there are some guidelines.
1) The question must be about perennial gardening. Please go here to ask non-perennial gardening questions
2) I can't answer them all (do a search!) because I do have to write for a living. ;-) I understand your question is important and I'm working on other ways to help but for now I do my best. I just can't get to them all.
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Ask a Perennial Gardening Question
If you have a question about perennial gardening, ask it here.
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What Other Visitors Have Asked
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
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 ...
lillies stella deor
can I cut my lillies back now they have lots of dead leaves and will they come back and bloom the rest of the summer
Doug says that they shouldn't have ...
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 ...
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 ...
Calla Lily Flower Flopping Over I received a calla lily not too long ago. Shortly after, the long stem which supports the flower part became bent over, and is like that ever since. I ...
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 ...
Moving Perennials - Moving Houses - Winter Move I plan to move in 6 months (December in Montana, very cold, frozen ground). Have you heard of moving perrenials to plastic pots in the spring and burying ...
pruning foxglove and coreopsis I am hesistant about pruning my foxglove and coreopsis because of such succesful growth this year. Perennial planting has become a bit of an obsession ...
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 ...
Variegated Arundo donax I live in Zone 6 ( Ohio) I have gotten different information concerning this plant. Does it grow similar to other grasses ( clumping) or is this a running ...
cuttings and rooting perennial hibiscus My outdoor cat, broke off some branches of a hibiscus that was given as a present. I started the cuttings in my bathroom with a 15 watt plant light, that ...
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 ...
when to transplant coreopsis
should I transplant coreopsis and rudbeckia from pots to ground in the fall or spring?
In NC you can transplant either in spring or fall and should ...
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 ...
problem with lime coneflower
My lime and peach colored coneflowers have NO petals!. . . just heads. The purple coneflowers are fine. Why?
Doug says that it "sounds like" aster ...
perennial hibiscus summer pruning? My perennial hibiscus is beautiful with lots of 10 inch blooms. However, it is in the front of our house and grows 7-8 feet tall with a "weed-like" look ...
Big Sky coneflowers My Big Sky Sunset coneflower bloomed in the expected color the first year. In subsequent years it seems to have reverted to the old standard purple coneflower....
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 ...
help for a sick garden hibscus My hardy Hibscus has very pale yellow leaves even slightly curled leaves and no flower buds. I am in zone5 on July 23rd. Can you make any suggestion ...
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....
black spots on leaves of black eye susans
why do the leaves of my black eye susans get black spots all over them.
Doug says that the Rudbeckia family is prone to 2 kinds of problems that appear ...
"red eyes" of the peony?
I have a beautiful plant that bloomed once and never again. How do I check to see if I buried the "red eyes" too deep?
Doug says to gently excavate ...
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 ...
drooping calla! Hi, I recently bought a calla lily bulb complete with soil and pot with not much info on how to plant and care for etc. To my surprise it soon sprouted ...
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 ...
Hostas care. I have a beautiful hostas with green center leaves and white edging. It is approximately 3 years old and is quite large. My problem is that it grows a ...
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 ...
No-work cover for very steep slope I live in Pittsburgh, PA. I have a very steep slope on the side of my property. All summer long, it is covered with the worst possible, thorny, tall ...
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 ...
Pachysandra growth pattern on banks
Hey maybe a stupid question but am curious as to whether Pachysandra if planted on a hill will grow more up the hill or down .
Doug says pachysandra ...
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 ...
Choosing perennials for shade and blooming all summer I live in zone 6 and would like suggestions for partial shade perennials that will climb a chain link fence and flower most of the summer. I would also ...
sap preventing buds from opening on peony, sealing them
what can i do? too much sap is sealing the big beautiful buds on my potted peony, so they can't bloom.
Doug says relax. Peonies sometimes produce a ...
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 ...
hellebore pruning I have several large Hellebore plants (in mid-Atlantic Maryland) that were ready to bloom but were cut back severely by a garden helper who did not know ...
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 ...
Can I grow lavendar in Florida
I live in zone 8 Florida and would like to know if I can grow lavendar. I have sandy soil also.
Doug says you can clearly grow the tender Lavenders ...
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 ...
Christmas rose
How does the Christmas rose protect itself at winter and summer
Doug says that it grows in the summer so it doesn't need protecting. Keeping it out ...
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 ...
low maintenance evergreens for slope Was wondering what evergreens of varying sizes would be best for a steep, but small, slope. Something that is heat resistant, drought tolerant, and can ...
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 ...
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 ...
Black eyed susan overwintering
We live in NJ,what do we need to do for our black eyed Susan do for next year? Cut them back?Leave them alone?
Doug says that all he does with perennial ...
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 Potted Perennials in Autumn This is more of a suggestion than a question. Every autumn when I start dividing my perennials which have overtaken the area which I have designated for ...
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 ...
watering transplanted perennials
How much do I need to water transplanted perennials, if done at the end of September?
Doug says that all transplants have to be heavily watered when ...
Hibiscus grown from old flower seeds
Is it possible to grow new hibiscus plants from the seeds on the dead bloom?
Thank you
Doug says I hope so - been doing it for years. If it isn'...
Transplanting Oriental Poppies I did a search but did not find the answer to my question. I planted some Oriental Poppy seeds last fall directly into the bed and was happy to see them ...
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 ...
best planting time
When is the best time of year to plant emerald pink phlox?
Doug says you can do it either first thing in the spring (best) or fall (second best) or ...
transplanting lilies My lasian lilies are beautiful but I need to transplant some of them. They have grown to bush like groups and I need to know when and how to move them....
Cutting back Black Eyed Susan Daisies
do I cut the plant down to the bottom after it flowers before winter?
Doug says that once the frost has knocked the plant back, the rest of your garden ...
Black Eye Susan Drooping I planted the black eye susan perennial last summer. It bloomed last summer for a bit and then died. This year the flowers came in the begin. of July ...
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 ...
LEMON SLICE HIBISCUS
PURCHASED LEMON SLICE HIBISCUS SEEDS (abelmaschus manihot) ON LINE. WHEN & HOW IS THE BEST WAY TO START THE SEEDS? I LIVE IN ILLINOIS (ZONE 5)
Doug ...
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 ...
Perennial Hibscus Care Hi I have planted perennial hibscus rose mallow varieties in my backyard here in Indiana, Zone 5. I planted them in 2005 and each year there after they ...
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 ...
Blue flowers for a wedding in November...
Hi Doug,
Im getting married in November and am really struggling with finding Blue flowers for the table arrhagements.
Any ideas or suggestions would ...
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....
Deformed Black Eyed Susan Flowers
Have you ever seen anything like these???
The stem is flat and not round.
Never seen before,
Is there a way I can preserver these some how.
Thanks
...
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 ...
Perennial Hibiscus I live in Georgia and planted by Hibiscus last year. After a while, the leaves on the stems looked like they were short of water .... I watered and watered,...
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 ...
Hosta growth problems. What would cause hosta to grow in a scattered pattern rather than in a clump? The centers of the plants don't seem to be emerging this year and the plants ...
Have I KILLED my hardy hibiscus? I beleive I have a "perennial hardy hibiscus". My son bought it from XXXX where he works and gave it to me for Mothers Day. I live in Lyndhurst, NJ (just ...
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 ...
GROWING DELPHINIUMS IN SOUTH FLORIDA
HI, I LIVE IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA IN FLORIDA AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT IS TOO HOT TO GROW DELPHINIUMS HERE. THANK YOU. JUDY
Doug says: You got it ...
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 Lillies The leaves of my Calla Lillies are turning yellow. I have not used fertilizer in the recent past but have been watering about once every 3 days. Please ...
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 ...
