Live Q&As

Hello everyone, thanks for joining our spring chat. Stink bugs not only invade our homes in the fall, but do real damage to certain edibles, particularly peaches. I don't think it's necessary to cover the tomatoes, they grow so vigorously that bugs should not be a problem, especially if you monitor them often and physically remove and kill the bugs as they appear. Tomato plants may grow under row covers, but the flowers need pollinators to shake up the pollen.

There are so many wonderful zinnias these days, they bloom their heads off. I'm also about to sow seeds of smaller sunflowers for my garden. I love Italian White, which  grows to about five feet.

You can transplant it if you are careful to dig up much of the root ball, or you can simply chip off a fair sized division and plant that. Unfortunately, while pennisetum can take a little shade, it will look feeble and floppy in a dark bed. If you want a grassy effect in deeper shade, I would go with hakone grass or various sedges.

Moss gardens struggle in our hot, humid climate. Even the native mosses in the mountains here retreat in drought and heat. You can certainly have a fairly pretty moss garden if you are diligent about removing leaf litter and weeds, and watering regularly. I would advise starting in a small area and see how it does for you. There are moss nurseries out there, you'd want to make sure you're getting a species suited to our region's climate and soils. Has anyone else tried growing moss in Washington?

Corn gluten is an effective preemergent herbicide. Vinegar will work on growing weeds, but not household vinegar, it's not concentrated enough. Check out East Coast Organics, see what they have. Another option is to use a propane weed torch or to hand pull.

I would consider ornamental gingers, ajugas, epimediums and leadwort.

I have grown dwarf nandina in shade, as well as hellebores, camellias, the aforementioned hakone grass and epimediums. Lacecape hydrangeas or Annabelle hydrangeas will work in partial shade.

Thank you. I didn't recommend torenias because I fear they don't perform well in our heat. I have heard very different accounts of how they perform here. Any observations out there would be most welcome. Heucheras are good shade perennials but many don't last long here, mostly because they are in soil that is too wet. Villosa types do well. I saw a variety the other day called Montrose Ruby that seems to be happy if given the right conditions.

I've only kept honeybees, which are definitely started in the spring at the start of the egg laying season. I don't know if a fall management of orchard mason bees would work.

This is thoughtful, but predicated on a) the recipients being in one place for a long time or b) the plant being amenable to transplanting when they move. I love the red buckeye, stay away from the horse chestnut. Make sure the fringetree is the native shrub, not the Asian tree. Franklinia is special but difficult to establish. There is a native stewartia shrub that might be good to consider.

Yes, mahonia would work, but you need to cut them back hard after fruiting to prevent them from getting too leggy. Trite, but I really value nandinas for difficult spots like that. Dwarf forms of crape myrtle might be a good choice.

It could be slugs or bean beetles. Start with great soil so they can outgrow these munching pests, and do inspect the leaves top and bottom for insects and eggs. Do this when the leaves are dry.

I think even in Illinois, there is enough heat and humidity to do these plants in. They are native to dry, sunny, Western states and soon decline in hot clammy climates.  They look awfully pretty in the nursery, where they should stay. I would go with perhaps a thuja or red or white cedar in their stead.

I don't know if these are true bulbous irises, which bloom in late winter, or the bearded types now in flower. It might be a case of them needing a year or two to build up enough reserves to bloom. If bearded rhizomes, the key is a well drained bed, especially in winter. Don't use a high nitrogen feed on them.

This is classic wilt disease on large flowering hybrids. Cut the wilted stem below the wilt, but sterilize the pruners between cuts (in alcohol or chlorine solution). Some gardeners drench the roots in fungicide. The real solution is to plant smaller flowered clematis that are more resistant. Joy Creek Nursery always had a splendid array. http://www.joycreek.com/

They tend to be hardy annuals that need a period of chilling for the seed. Thus, you sow them in the fall or late winter. Once you have a good stand, they will reseed each year provided you don't cover the ground in a thick layer of mulch. 

Many gardens coexist with dogs. The key is to minimize the amount of open soil (good for weed control too) and not to let the dogs roam in the garden all the time. My dog is only in the garden when I am.

Not too many, and the point is that whether you go with perennials, annuals or grasses and shrubs, the most satisfying course is rely more on leaf ornament. Tricyrtis, persicaria and hardy begonias offers perennials blooms in shade, along with leadwort. 

I would take specimens to your local plant clinics run by county Master Gardener programs.

Could be lots of things, including really poor drainage or high soil pH. It might also be a lack of nitrogen or magnesium. I would get some nice compost, mix in some Epson salts, and spread it as a thin mulch.

The archangel would not have a bearing on this. It's probably a leafspot or anthracnose disease caused by the cool, wet spring. The tree will regrow leaves if it needs to, and if you keep it lightly fed and watered as needed, it should be ok. I wouldn't spray.

Lots of already mentioned shady ground covers. I just love epimediums, small leafed hostas, foam flowers and leadwort. Be careful not to damage the root system when you convert from grass to bed.

I live with them, but I'm not over run. Does anyone have any ideas?

Complete and utter rubbish.

Round up would work, I suppose. You'd want to try and dig it out and soon as it sprouts in late winter, and then prep the bed for your summer annuals.

What can I say. I think Somerset Maugham said there are three rules for writing the perfect novel, but no one knows that they are. Mine are still in pots, outside, but seem to be responding to something. I was going to put them in this weekend. I would hang tight and see if they come back. I can't give you lottery numbers but I can safely predict your baby is going to grow up to be a fabulous gardener.

Not really, there are some whose oils they don't like, but you have to break the leaves to release the oils. Scented geraniums are a good example. Thyme too.

You have at least two different pests at work here. The cabbage and broccoli are the victim of the cabbage worm butterfly, I suspect, while the rhododendron has its own leaf eating beetle. The edibles can be eaten, just examine the leaves carefully for green caterpillars in various stages of growth and remove them first, unless you like a little extra protein.

I would not sow lettuce now, but wait until August for a fall crop. Arugula is in the same boat. For greens now, I would consider kale (eaten at baby stage), chard and maybe beet greens. Collards are a good choice. Tomatoes and tomatillos both do best with some elbow room. I would space rows at least three feet apart. Tomatillos grow well in our area and are self pollinating.

Alliums tend to react to transplant shock by showing brown tips. You can trim them off if they bother you.

The candid answer is I don't know. I think it provided a lot of help but was getting too few eyeballs for the amount of work involved. I don't know whether to restart it. We have been doing videos of me in the garden. Two so far this year and another in the works. I'm open to suggestions and feedback.

You can trim them back after blooming. Then mark your calendar to do some serious winter pruning next January or February, on a mild day. Take out the old thick canes and trim back the keepers.  I wouldn't stake them.

Try a philodendron.

If you are careful not to damage leaves, and coddle the divisions with compost and water, you should be all right.

Yes, UDC has a cooperative extension office. 202-274-7166.

Oh Ok. I think it's a gimmick. If you can't place a tomato in the ground, that's fine, give it a good amount of soil in a container and let it grow the way nature intended. A hanging basket is the most stressful environment for any plant.

Great. Thank you.

Gosh, we're out of time. Basil has been set back a bit by the cool temperatures and rain. The best thing to do is to leave it alone and let the soil drain and warm, this will promote fresh growth. Thanks for joining us today.