Q. I have had an angel's trumpet in my garden for several years. I
get blooms every year, but for some reason, it never grows more than one stalk or gets
taller than 2 to 3 feet. What do I need to do to get it to grow?
Q. It has been a hot, dry summer and even though I've been
watering my snowball bushes, they look almost dead. What's wrong?
Q. I received a red poinsettia for Christmas last year, and it
has been growing very well indoors. However, all its growth remains bright green. The last
red leaves fell off a month ago. Is this normal? Would more sunlight make the leaves red?
Q. We just landscaped this spring. The azaleas, boxwoods, and wax-leaf
ligustrums are dead. We watered them every other day because the temperatures were over
100 degrees. When I dug up the plants, the ground was extremely moist. What do you think
is the cause?
Q. When they landscaped our new house, they put some plants in the
wrong places. So a few weeks ago, I moved some boxwoods, Indian hawthorns, and other
shrubs to new spots. All are doing well, except the hawthorns. Is this the wrong time of
year to move plants?
Q. Are there any azaleas that bloom twice a year?
Q. I planted several poinsettias in my flowerbeds with the
expectation of having red flowering bracts for the Christmas holidays. I had heard you had
to prune poinsettias back by a third in summer or fall, so I did. But none flowered for
the holidays. I see them blooming in this area, so I know it's possible to have poinsettia
blooms outdoors. Why didn't they do right?
Q. I want to landscape a large portion of my backyard.
When would be the best time to plant shrubs and trees-in the fall or in the spring?
Q. We have two hydrangeas in our garden. This summer they were beautiful,
but did not bloom. What can I do?
Q. I have four 7-year-old rosebushes that produce green foliage, but
never any flowers. I have fertilized them regularly for two seasons with no luck. I need
some help!
Q. After a lot of rain recently, the leaves on my roses have gotten
spots, turned yellow, and died. What do I do to stop this problem?
Q. I have a rose bush that grows 7 feet tall every summer and has large,
bright pink blooms. I think its name is 'Elizabeth.' When is the best time to cut it back?
Q. When should I prune back my 12-foot gardenias, and how should I
fertilize them?
Q. I just bought some 'Bright 'N Tight' cherry laurels to plant in front
of a tall wooden fence. What kind of growing conditions do they like?
Q. My husband surprised me with a purple passion plant and an angel's
trumpet. About two weeks later, they started to die and got whiteflies all over them. I
tried insecticidal soap, but it didn't work. What should I have done?
Q. I recently purchased an older home with lovely but very overgrown
grounds. When is the best time to prune camellias, azaleas, oakleaf hydrangeas, witch
hazels, and roses?
Q. What are my chances of rooting a cutting from a clematis that is
growing on my neighbor's fence? (I have his permission.)
Q. When I was growing up, our yard was filled with yellow forsythias.
I've loved them my whole life. Yellow is my favorite color. Will they grow for me in my
new home in Central Florida?
Q. Last summer, our French hydrangeas had plenty of blooms despite a
drought. This year, they had hardly any blooms, even though we had lots of rain. What's
the reason?
Q. I have two pyracanthas. One is seldom pruned and has lots of flowers
and berries. The other, which is trained against a wall, has few flowers or berries.
Should I replace the second one?
Q. I have an angel's trumpet but don't know if it's a Datura or a
Brugmansia. How can I tell? Will it overwinter in my northeast Alabama yard?
Q. We are growing blueberries, a fig, and an antique rose in containers
on our deck. What conditions will they need this winter? I'm especially concerned about
light and temperature.
Q. My gardenias are approximately 6 to 7 feet tall. When is the best time to prune
them?
Q. When should I plant roses, and how do I take care of them?
Q. We've fertilized our azaleas and mulched them with oak leaves, but they still
look puny. Any recommendations?
Q. I was given a small watermelon-red azalea as a houseplant. Can you tell me how
to care for it?
Q. I love hydrangeas and wonder if they would make a good hedge to go around my
yard.
Q. I recently planted azaleas and put manure, potting soil, and sphagnum peat moss
in the hole around the root ball. Will manure hurt the azaleas? If so, should I dig them up and
replant?
Q. When is the best time to prune camellias? How should it be done?
Q. I think a fungus is attacking my boxwoods. Sometimes the entire plant
dies. Other times, whole sections of the foliage turn brown and die. The soil stays rather
wet. What is the problem, and what can I do to solve it?
Q. Are you supposed to cut back hydrangeas when they finish blooming?
Q. I planted two gardenias a couple of weeks ago. Now the lower leaves are
yellowing and dropping. What is causing this, and what can I do?
Q. I've attempted to root hydrangea cuttings with little success. I've
even tried stripping the lower leaves and dipping the cut ends in rooting hormone. Can you
suggest some other way?
Q. I need information about plants that like lots of heat and also grow
in wet soil.
Q. Can you tell me an easy way to root an azalea cutting?
Q. I want to camouflage a 12-foot-tall retaining wall in an area that receives very
little sun. Are there any large shrubs that would work?
Q. I have large flowering quince bushes that do not bloom. They're growing in sun and
get plenty of water. Any ideas to make them bloom?
Q. Throughout the summer, my azaleas were healthy and green. I stopped fertilizing them in
July, because I read you shouldn't feed them after their flowerbuds set. Now the azaleas
are yellowing, and leaves are beginning to drop. Is this normal?
Q. My nandina gets a few berries on it for the winter but not the bountiful bunches that I
see on other plants. What can I do about this?
Q. My hydrangeas are too close to a walkway. Can I move them back without hurting them?
Q. I have a camellia in a well-protected area, and it seems to be growing well. But the
flowerbuds never open and eventually fall off. Do you have any suggestions?
Q. Please tell me the correct procedure for pruning a common camellia.
Q. I recently purchased an 'Impeditum' rhododendron from a discount store, but the only
information I can find on it comes from the Pacific Northwest and Europe. Will it survive
here?
Q. Will azaleas do well in pots? I would like to plant one in a big container on my front
walk.
Q. When is the best time for me to trim my oleanders?
Q. Both the flowers and leaves are dropping from one of my pink abelias. We've gotten a lot of rain lately. Could too much moisture be the problem?
