Perennial Flower Garden Blog
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In answer to the question, "What have you done for me lately?" :-) Here it is.
All the new articles fit to print.
Jun 28, 2010, Pruning Bachelor Buttons to Rebloom
Can you cut back Bachelor Buttons after blossoms have gone by and expect new growth/blossoms shortly? They are so pretty, I hate to have them gone so soon!
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Jun 22, 2010, dead heading Jacob's Ladder
Should Jacob's Ladder be dead headed? Will it make the plant bloom more? Or will it make it bloom again? Thnak you for your time Doug says he seldom
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Jun 21, 2010, hosta pale leaves
my hosta are about ten yrs old, but for the past 2 seasons the leaves have turned paper thin white and then brown. They come up quickly and get very large-bushel
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Jun 21, 2010, LOSS OF COLOR AND BRIGHTNESS
The white edges of my hosta were once crisp and bright but now are dull and narrower. The leaves look pale. Doug says it sounds as if they're getting
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Jun 21, 2010, Purple Coneflower White?
Hello! I just bought 2 purple coneflowers which I have not planted yet. Some of the blooms that are opening are white. Will they turn purple, or should
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Jun 17, 2010, 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?
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Jun 15, 2010, Cutting back flowers
If the flowers are not important to me, can I cut back the stems before they bloom instead of waiting until after blooming to deadhead? Doug says absolutely.
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Jun 15, 2010, Cone flowers don't bloom
I transplanted some healthy cone flowers three years ago and since then they grow, but don't bloom. The buds that do appear are small and if any flowers
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Jun 10, 2010, Coral Bell Flowers
If you cut back the spindly flowers on a Coral Bell, will they bloom again? I have a number of coral bells and they all appear to be doing well (different
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Jun 9, 2010, Hail Damaged Hosta Leaves
An end of May thunderstorm brought heavy rain and HAIL which shredded the leaves of my hosta. Will the plants recover this season or must I wait until
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Jun 8, 2010, 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
Jun 7, 2010, 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 the
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Jun 7, 2010, thinning out
The hosta have spread out and are covering a larger part of the bed than we would like. How do we cut it back, thin it out. Thankyou Doug says that
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Jun 7, 2010, Leaves curled up
Why are some of the leaves on my coneflowers curling up and feel dried out. Others are healthy in the same bed. Doug says that curling leaves are stress
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Jun 2, 2010, 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
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Jun 2, 2010, Toadlily
Toadlily or Tricrytis is a weird little plant with its starfish-shaped flowers. In my zone 4 garden, they are perhaps the last flower to open each fall but because of this, they never last long enough to fully set seed. I have to purchase new plants every few years when a particularly bad winter kills them as they are really hardy into USDA zone
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Jun 2, 2010, Money Plant - for Pleasure Not Profit
Money plant or Lunaria makes an bold statement in the front of the perennial garden. It is most often grown for its coin shaped...
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Jun 2, 2010, Thalictrum
Thalictrum is a plant of shady damp settings or streamsides. You can grow meadow rue (named after Rue because it shares...
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Jun 1, 2010, 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 water
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Jun 1, 2010, My hostas are way too big!
Can I just cut off some of the leaves and stems from around the outsides of some really huge hostas or must I try to divide them? Dividing them when they
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May 31, 2010, 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 has
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May 28, 2010, How to stop rabbits from eating my hostas.
The rabbits eat only my solid green hostas. They eat the leaves first. Then the stems down to the ground. I don't have deer, I only have rabbits, squirrels
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May 26, 2010, striped hostas lost their stripes
I have hostas planted in an area that received good sunlight, and they have lost their stripes, they are now dark green. Doug says 1) hosta want shade
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May 26, 2010, jacobs ladder melting
I noticed my Jacobs ladder melted, not sure if it was heat or the neighbors dog lifting hi leg on it. So I cut it down to about 2 inches above the soil
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May 25, 2010, English Lavender, indoors
I live in an apartment that receives very little or no sunshine in Northern California. Can I possibly raise and maintain English Lavender indoors and
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May 25, 2010, Rudbeckia hirta, Black Eyed Susan
Hi My Black Eyed Susan is all Brown right now, I am wondering if I should snip them or should I leave it until it becomes healthy again. I am a new gardener
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May 24, 2010, seeds on hellebore
my christmas rose has a lot of seedpods on them what should i do? Doug says you can do nothing and allow the seeds to fall around the mother plant. They
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May 20, 2010, Mountain Bluet
Mountain bluet is just one name used for Bachelor Buttons and the Centaure family of plants. Here's how to grow them.
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May 17, 2010, 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 in
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May 17, 2010, DRIFTS..
You said to plant in drifts...with the baby's breath should you plant several drifts throughout the whole garden? Like 3 in one spot and 3 to 5 in another
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May 17, 2010, Christmas and Lenten Rose plants are not blooming
Last year, I was given transplanting of the Christmas and Lenten roses. I was looking forward to blooms this year. I have beautiful folliage but no flowers.
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May 15, 2010, wilting plants
Cannot get my starter coneflowers to stop wilting and dying out. Just got 3 plants and the leaves seem to wilt and sag. Won't start on their own. Any
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May 13, 2010, Creeping Jenny explosion
My Creeping Jenny is taking over the yard. Can i plant different flowers over it or in between the Jenny? I like it when it blooms, but the space in
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May 12, 2010, 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
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May 7, 2010, Lamium
Lamium or Dead Nettle is a well behaved ground cover and is not considered a serious garden thug. It is easily edged in the spring and is not likely to become a weed
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May 7, 2010, hosta are different sizes
one of my hostas has huge leaves and the other one planted only a few feet away..is sparce and not mounded and full..is there something I can do? Doug
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May 7, 2010, brown tips on hostas
What can I do about the brown tips on my hostas that are beginning to appear on them Doug says it's cultural - sounds as if you have a heavier soil and
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May 6, 2010, Ideas for church garden box beneath sign
We have had extensive trouble with our flower bed beneath our church sign. It is approximately 4' by 8' and in full sun. We have tried recommended full
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May 5, 2010, 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 foot.
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May 5, 2010, "Rosanne" Geranium doesn't bloom
Hello, My hardy Geraniums Rosanne won't bloom. They are in moist, hopefully rich soil in a dappled shade environment. Zone 8 (Bellevue, Washington. West
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May 4, 2010, lily of the valley pips without any sprout?
I was given Lily of the valley pips but they do not have decent sprouts if at all. The roots look ok... I would like to know if i can plant them in the
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May 4, 2010, Crazy Love Dahlia
This is my favorite. Why? Why not? It is truly beautiful, does not require too much care, seems to be disease and bug resistant, little watering. No
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May 4, 2010, Cone flowers did not appear this spring!
I bought 6 or 7 coneflowers last year and doug out nice places with good soil, drainage , etc. Everything I thought they needed. I mulched them this
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May 3, 2010, 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
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Apr 29, 2010, full sun perennials
The backbone of the traditional perennial border is made up of full sunperennials. They spring from the ground to give us the textures andshapes (not to mention the colours and fragrances) that make ourgardens and dreams reality.
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Apr 29, 2010, Shade Garden
There are some tricks for growing a great shade garden that are important if you are determined to succeed. The first tip is to understand that while some plants survive in dry shade, few if any plants really thrive in these conditions.
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Apr 29, 2010, perennial ground covers
Perennial ground covers are plants that are reliably perennial – they live from year to year and grow quite quickly to cover the ground. Here's a list.
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Apr 29, 2010, Growing Coneflower
Here's how to grow Echinacea purpurea or Purple Coneflower, one of the best perennial flowers for late summer and early fall.
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Apr 29, 2010, Perennial Garden Flowers
Perennial Garden Flowers are indeed wonderfulplants and once you graduate to these beauties, you never go back.There are perennials for almost any purpose and place
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Apr 29, 2010, Black Eyed Susan
Black eyed Susan information and questions & answers from award winning garden author Doug Green
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