Q. The last approximately six years have been disastrous for my two cherry trees. The first year, I thinned out the fruit and harvested a light crop. The second year, I had an abundance of fruit but, after a few weeks, all the leaves fell off. The fruit stayed, and I harvested a good crop. The next year, the trees lived a short time and then died. This same thing happened three years before — […]
Q. One of my neighbors recently peeled away a band of bark from his hickory, and I’m wondering if this is a preventative measure against insects or something? Should I be doing this to my hickories? A. Let me preface my reply with the recommendation that most of you should NOT try this at home! Though the most reliable way to understand why your neighbor peeled the band of bark is to ask him, there […]
Q. I enjoy reading your column every month in our Daviess-Martin County REMC Electric/Consumer Magazine. I have learned so much about flower gardening and share several articles with friends. My Amish friends in the Montgomery community have mentioned a “Busy Lizzy” plant that sounds similar to a pink begonia, since it was planted in shade and then taken in for the cold weather. They are no longer able to find any seeds or plants. It […]
Q. Can you please tell me the name of the flower that is in bloom in this photo? The flowers came back in bloom for around three years and died out. It grows around 4-5 feet tall. The stems are a reddish color. It starts blooming in June and blooms until frost. My brother gave me this flower. And there was no name on the pot. It is a beautiful flower. I hope you can […]
Q. I love to walk our farm woods looking to find some of our native wildflowers. I was excited two years ago when I came across a violet that had yellow flowers. Went back last year to look in the area, but never found them again. I found in several nature books that violets will bloom white, yellow and the blue we usually see in early spring (woolly blue violet). I’m curious to know if […]
Q. Can you please help my friend to find out what the name of this plant on the picture is? She told me it smelled bad when flowered. I told her this is a kind of insect-eater plant but not sure what the name of it is. A. This is not necessarily a carnivorous (insect-eating) plant, but the photo is of a flower belonging to a large family of plants known as the Aroids. This […]
Q. I have been collecting red and orange Canna seeds this year from plants produced by bulbs at least 3 years old. Can these seeds be propagated? If so, what steps should I take? A. Canna is more typically propagated by dividing the rhizomes (thick, underground stems) so that each new section has at least one healthy bud that will become the new shoot. They can be propagated by seed, but keep in mind that […]
Q. I am hoping that you can help me understand why our poppy flowers never fully bloom. We moved to this house at Lake Bruce 6 years ago, and the poppies were already here. Each year there are numerous buds that never open fully. They just seem to mold and wither. What can the problem be? Thanks so much for your advice as I am envious when I see others in this area have beautiful […]
Q. Hello, I have 4 hydrangea plants in my yard that are over 5 years old and have never bloomed. Two are in total shade, one is in part shade and the last is in full sun. The plants themselves continually get bigger every year and thrive. I have tried not removing the ‘sticks’ or ‘spines’ left at the end of the season, as the plant goes dormant, to see if it would maybe cause […]
Q) My aunt of 99 years passed away and left me 12 African violets. I’ve tried taking care of them like she did, but I can’t get them to bloom. Could you please give me some tips. A) African violets are generally quite easy to care for, adapting quite well to typical home conditions. The most critical factors are proper light, growing media, nutrition, and moisture. They will bloom best with long days (14-16 hours) […]