Rosie Lerner
Keep Plants Watered for Drought Recovery
(Released: 19 October 1995) By B. Rosie Lerner Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Much of Indiana found rainfall scarce throughout the summer, and even into the fall, so gardeners need to make sure their landscape plants have an adequate supply of moisture before winter arrives. Most plants could benefit by a deep watering every couple of weeks or so, right up until the ground freezes. But some plants will need even closer attention. Newly planted trees […]
October 1995
Q: I have a couple of very large tulip beds (700 to 1,000 bulbs), and I usually keep them weeded by hand after the tulips have died down in the spring. Would it be all right to spray the grass and weeds that come up in the beds with Roundup in July or August? It would be a lot easier than hand-weeding the beds all summer. But would this harm the tulip bulbs in the ground? […]
Force Bulbs for Indoor Color
(Released: 22 September 1995) By B. Rosie Lerner Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Now’s the time to stock up on the spring-flowering bulbs that will provide a burst of color just when we need a lift from the winter doldrums. But you don’t have to wait until spring to enjoy these blooms if you prepare a few for forcing indoors. In fact, you can have a bouquet in time to decorate for the holidays. Hardy bulbs […]
Outstanding New Flowers for 1996
(Released: 07 September 1995) By B. Rosie Lerner Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Three new garden flowers have been awarded the prestigious honor of being an All America Selection (AAS) for 1996. These new cultivars have been judged superior in their class, based on their performance in test gardens all over the country. Petunia ‘Heavenly Lavender’ is an old-fashioned double petunia. The large, 2.5- to 3-inch blooms are a pure lavender and consistently produce a full […]
September 1995
Q. We have six flowering dogwood trees in our yard that are approximately 3 years old. (They have not flowered, yet.) Our yard is adjacent to a cornfield. Our problem is Japanese beetles. They especially like our dogwoods. According to publication E-75 from the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service on Japanese beetles, flowering dogwoods are “relatively free of feeding by adult Japanese beetles.” Our dogwoods are not “relatively free.” Why are the Japanese beetles feeding on […]
August 1995
Q. For three consecutive years I’ve grown tomato plants and lost at least half of my harvest because the tomatoes rot on the vine. I’ve purchased several gardening books, and none seem to explain the problem. The rotting area starts from the bottom and spreads through until the whole fruit is rotten. I’ve even changed varieties, but with no luck. Is this a disease, or could I be doing something wrong? – Greg Faucett, Tell City, […]