Q. I have a hillside that is now scarce with grass and weeds and would like to try little bluestem. Where can I find it? Can the seed be planted directly on the ground, or what kind of preparation is necessary? – Myrna Sowers, Crawfordsville, Ind. A. Prepare the site by killing all the existing weeds. Because you’re planting a hill, you don’t want to loosen the soil too much, so till lightly or hand rake a […]
Q. How do I get rid of these small, round, red-orange bugs that look like ladybugs? They are swarming on our screens, doors and porches trying to get in the house, and many of them succeed. Nothing seems to discourage them. If you happen to smash them, there is a terrible odor. I don’t know if they damage anything, but they sure are annoying. Thanks for all your useful answers. – Ellen Roe, Crawfordsville, Ind. A. I […]
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? […]
(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 […]