Question: Hi, What can I do about moss and mildew on the patio without killing surrounding plants and shrubs? Thanks, LV
Anne Clapp: There is a product labeled as a "moss killer" in many garden shops or nurseries. It is easier to find in independently owned shops than some of the "big box" stores. It is labeled for killing moss in lawns and landscapes so it would be safe to use on the patio. Most of the phosphate products labeled for washing houses and decks are labeled as safe for plant material. Check the labels for any precautions.
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Question: Hi, Our landscaper recently planted 4 large wax myrtles as a screen. They immediately lost 80-90% of their leaves and look terrible. All he can say is too “flood them”, but I watered them daily and now “flood them” and am afraid that they are goners and the landscaper is trying to avoid replacing. It has been 1 month. Any idea if they will come back? Thanks, Ned
Anne Clapp: I think you are right about your landscaper. He should have put the plants in the ground and watered them in as he planted. He also should give better care instructions than “flood them.” How much water and how often makes a difference. You can rot out the underground rootball of a wax myrtle if it is standing in water.
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Question: I recently moved and had our 8ft tall, 6 year old Little Gem Magnolia transplanted to our new home. The leaves are now all brown but haven't fallen off. When I break the branches it seems some are dry and some are still green around the edge near the bark. Is there anything I can do to help save my favorite tree? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! With best regards, Sylvia S.
Anne Clapp: Water it once a week when we don't have an inch of rain that week. Don't fertilize it. Mulch the area around the roots with at least 2 inches of wood chips or pine bark. It either will recover or it won't.
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Question: I am a new planter. I am just getting started with my garden and I am putting in turnips and mustard greens. What do I use to keep bugs and lice from taking over?
Anne Clapp: Sevin works well as a vegetable garden insecticide.
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Question: I live in Illinois and I have a Wisteria bush that is over 3 years old and it still has not bloomed! What can I do to get it to bloom? It has many leaves but no flowers. Thanks, Meggen
Anne Clapp: It often takes seven years for a wisteria to bloom. It blooms on old wood so it is wise not to prune the plant until it blooms the first time. It needs full sun and a minimum amount of nitrogen fertilizer. It is a plant that is not usually considered hardy in Illinois as it is harmed by temperatures below 0.
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Question: I just moved to Fayetteville, NC and was given a tropical hibiscus as a gift. I wanted to know is it OK to plant it in my garden? Or will it die during the winter?
Anne Clapp: Tropical hibiscus are not hardy in the Fayetteville area. It is a zone 9 plant that will not take temperatures below freezing. Most people who grow them in this area put them in a heated garage or sun porch for the winter.
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Question: How and where do I plant gardenias in Kansas? - Kim
Anne Clapp: Gardenia jasminoides is a plant that is hardy in the warmer parts of zone 7. For those whose temperatures go below 0 to 5 degrees it is a plant for the greenhouse or other protected area. It likes full sun, an acid soil and a somewhat humid environment. It is not a plant for outdoor living in Kansas.
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Question: Anne, Last fall a caller phoned in to your show concerned about hardwood trees in his yard that had turned brown late in the summer. The drought last summer was rather severe and your advise was to let the trees heal over the winter. I have 1 red and 1 white oak tree in my yard that in spite of all the rain we have had, have not turned green. The white oak has a small branch about 10 feet off of the ground that has a couple green leaves on it but that is all. Both trees are over 20 feet in height. The whit oak is 12 inches in circumference at the base and the red oak is almost 24 inches around. Our home is approximately 1 year old. I fear some of the roots on both of these trees may have been damaged during excavation. Is there any way to wake these trees from their slumber, or should I stock up on firewood for next winter. Thank You Anne for your time. I really enjoy listening to your show. John from Clayton.
Anne Clapp: I would give the plants a little more time to recover. The roots were probably hurt by excavation and there may be soil placed over the roots of the plants that is keeping the air and water from getting to the roots. You should be able to see roots of oak trees on top of the ground right around the trunk of the tree. Those are the buttress roots and they do not need to be covered with soil.
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Question: Hi, i bought this miniature climbing rose this spring and i got black spot real bad. i was trying to find any info about this particular rose but could not find anything. i started spraying with fungicides but the leaves kept falling off. it got almost bare and buds would die and fall off before they open. i live in pensacola fl. the humidity here is realy bad (~90%) the leaves were allways wett. i got tired of disposing dead leaves so i pruned it. got all the leaves and blooms and buds off. will that kill the rose?
Anne Clapp: Your rose may survive your treatment but I doubt it. The easiest way to control black spot on roses in the south is to start a good spray program as soon as the plant goes in the ground. If there are already signs of black spot on the leaves use the fungicide Mancozeb. Spray the plant every three days for a total of three sprayings. That usually kills the black spot fungus that is present on the plant. Then you need to start a preventive spray program with a fungicide such as Daconil or Immunox. My favorite rose product right now is by Bayer Chemical – All in One for Roses and Flowers.
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Question: Anne, I was wondering if you could tell me what type of plant this is (see photo)? It's really growing fast and seems to be taking over the garden. The rose bushes pale in comparison to it. I hope it's not a weed. Thank you! Michael B. - Luling, LA
Anne Clapp: The common name for this plant is Cleome. The long green seed pods are the cause of your problem. Birds seem to carry them all over the neighborhood so if one person has cleome in their garden everyone eventually will. Pull the plant out as a weed in your garden so it doesn't scatter the seed for next year. Learn to recognize the small seedlings so you can get rid of them as quickly as you see them. I have been battling the plant for about 5 years. It was a favorite cut flower in many gardens so many people continue to grow it.
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Question: My dad is moving and wants to transplant his holly tree to his new house.Its approximately 15 feet high. How do we save the roots? What suggestions do you have to do this procedure. Thank you for any information you may provide me. Joyce
Anne Clapp: Moving a 15 foot tall holly is going to need a tree spade and a very large truck. The root ball needed to save the tree will weigh several hundred pounds. I suggest you contact a professional nurseryman with the necessary equipment.
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Question: Hi Anne, We have several rows of Leland Cypress trees that are just outside a cyclone fence around the subdivision pool. We have notices that the row of trees near the tennis courts are doing 100% better (color, size, shape) than the ones closest to the pool. We were speculating if the chlorine coming off the pool water, blowing across the trees, would cause the stunted growth. Both sets of trees (near the tennis and near the pool) receive identical treatments and water and are planted in the same soil. Can you comment on this subject for us? Thank you in advance. Burt W.
Anne Clapp: I don't think it is a problem of chlorine blowing off the water but of the excess water that may be getting to the root system. That can happen if a lot of water gets splased out or if the water from backwashing filters gets routed near the roots of the plants.
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Question: Hi Anne. I recently planted blue rug juniper. Unfortunatly, I didn't take my time and clear away all the grass from the area. I plan on putting mulch over it, but I'm not sure if that will kill the grass or if it will grow through it. I want to put weed block down first, but my question is whether this will prevent the blue rug juniper from spreading. Does it spread from the main root or does it keep re-rooting itself as it grows? If it re-roots as it grows, will it be able to grow through the weed block? Also, how quickly does it spread? Any suggestions on speading the process up? - Jill
Anne Clapp: Blue rug starts creeping the second year in the ground. It does produce new roots along the branches if it has good soil contact. There are grass and weed killers that can be sprayed over juniper. Read the label carefully. I know “Grass-Be-Gone” was labeled to use over shrubs last season. I think you will be satisfied with killing out the grass and then using a good layer of mulch. Expect to have a good coverage of juniper after the third year.
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Question: Dear Anne: We have a beautiful honeysuckle that puts out flaming red flowers. We noticed that there is an infestation of clumps of miniscule grayish/black bugs of some kinds on the flower and on the leaves. We've never had anything like this! I love in Horsham, PA; we've had some pretty soggy weather this last week. Since I didn't know what else to do, I sprayed the vine with soapy water. Any suggestions? We;d hate to see this plant die ... so gorgeous wrapping itself along the railing of our deck. Thanks. Sheva F.
Anne Clapp: I think you have an infestation of aphids on the honeysuckle this year. Sometimes you have luck spraying the plants with a strong stream of water from the hose to wash the insects off. Soapy water also works well. They will not kill the plant. Sometimes ants will put aphids on honeysuckle to collect the nectar. You could try some of the ant traps if you see that happening.
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Question: Hello, I have two year old Boxwood that looks nice and healthy. Nice and green and no brown on them. But the stems hang limp. Is it just because there not mature enough. Can you help me. Thank you.
Anne Clapp: Limp new growth on boxwoods appears when the plant is putting on a fast growth spurt in warm weather. That sometimes happens when there was too much nitrogen fertilizer early in the season. Boxwood really don't need much fertilizer. The plants should stiffen up as the wood hardens. If the branches are too curved you may have to do a little pruning to get a good shape to the plants.
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Question: Hi Anne, I thouroughly enjoy gardening, but this year I am about ready to hang it up! Every morning when I go outside to water, the flowers that I have in pots has been dug up, the flowers have been pulled out of the potting soil, leaves have holes in them. I don't know what animal is doing this, but is there anything I can put on my flowers to keep the little devils away? I have tried putting moth balls in the soil, but that isn't working either. HELP!!! L. D. from Louisville, KY
Anne Clapp: It sounds like you may have squirrels playing in the flower pots. Sometimes hot pepper flakes or a few pods of hot peppers will solve the problem. Water the leaves of the plants, shake hot peppers flakes over them and when the squirrels get into the plants their paws get irritated and they stop eating the plants.
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Question: Hi. I am wondering if I can plant daffodil bulbs in New Hampshire in June. We just recieved them and want some color but don't know if they will bloom. Also, do they come back every year? Thank you.
Anne Clapp: Daffodils are usually planted in the early fall. They develop roots during the winter and come up when the soil begins to warm in the spring. Once planted they return to bloom in the spring for many years. It is probably easier to plant the bulbs now than it is to try to keep them cool until fall.
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Question: What are bare root stock cuttings? - Lisa T.
Anne Clapp: Bare root means plant material is shipped without soil around the roots, ie. not in pots with soil, but plants with roots that have been packed in some water retaining material that will allow plants to have enough moisture at the roots to survive shipping. Stock cuttings are plants rooted from the stems of plants in a nursery. Most nurseries will tell you how long the cuttings have been rooted, such as one-year or 4 months, or how large the cutting will be, such as 6 inches, 1 foot.
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Question: Dear Anne- In March I planted a young white dogwood tree. We live in the Central Piedmont of NC & it's already hitting 90 degrees during the day. Today I noticed that the lower leaves are turning black & that there were some "webs" with "fluffy" white bugs(?) between several of the branches. What do I have here? The tree is mulched with recycled tree clippings that supposedly "cooked" several months before we got them. I really want to keep this tree & I would like to do it without strong toxic chemicals. Ideas? Thank you. Chris C.
Anne Clapp: There are some scale insects and a spittle bug that could look like what you are describing. An application of one of the dormant oil sprays will probably take care of the problem. Look for a product that is labeled as horticultural oil, sun spray oil etc. Follow the directions carefully. It is best not to spray when temperatures are above 80. Sometimes you can get rid of pests with just a strong spray of water from the hose or use an insecticidal soap.
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Question: Anne: We have a carolina jasmine vine along our front iron gate in the front. It was planted about 10 years ago. Last year it started with a problem that we are not sure of. We are thinking it is a fungus. The leaves turn yellow to brown on many branches and that particular vine planting gets thinned out to empty. Please help as we don't want to loose this vine. We cannot find any bugs. Thank you, Maggie
Anne Clapp: It sounds like there may be a problem with moisture in the soil getting to the stems of the plant. The soil could be too dry or there could be a problem with one or more stems that could be tangled or damaged enough that those stems are not getting enough water.
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Question: Hello Anne, I have a pothos plant and as I was moving it from my bookshelf to it's original stand a fairly lengthy piece of it fell off. How do I save it? What do I do next?
Thanking u in advance, Yaszmiyne
Anne Clapp: The original plant should recover from the loss of the stem without a problem. You can root the stem that broke off by removing the lower two or three leaves then sticking the stem in a pot of moist sand.
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Question: Dear Anne, We recently planted two English Laurels in our yard in Crestline CA. They thrive her in the mountains for most people but not for us. The leaves are turning brown. We planted them after the snow and cold so it can't be that,. Are they just in shock? We water them frequently and the soil drains well. Is there something I should be feeding them? Do I have to cut them back? I do see some new growth at the top, but even those are a little brown. What the heck is the problem. I have a pretty greem thumb so this is disturbing.
Anne Clapp: I do not like to fertilize a new plant until it is established has started to put on new growth. Laurels do take time to establish a root system. Usually watering them once a week through the first year is enough. They do not like heavily limed soils as they are one of the acid loving plants. Your plant may be in transplant shock. Keep it mulched and watered. A good local garden center may have some better advice for you.
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Question: We moved into our house last spring and the wisteria bush was blooming. This year we cut it back and there were flowers underneath. Now we have none-about 3 weeks later. How do we care for this? Thank you, Joan
Anne Clapp: Wisteria blooms on wood it grows during the summer. If you cut it back in the spring or winter before it blooms you have cut off the old wood that it blooms on. The trick is to cut back the vine after it blooms in the spring so you have some “old wood” for bloom. It doesn't need fertilizer and it won't seed in around the yard if you cut off the bloom stalks when they finish flowering.
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