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Hello,
Lots of great advice from Ellen Brown, our Gardening and Green Living expert. Hope you enjoy it. If there is a particular plant you would like to see us develop a growing guide for, feel free to suggest it here:
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Today's Tips and Articles
| Plants That Are Safe for Cats
Q: What type of outdoor plants are safe for cats? Hardiness Zone: 10a D.W. from Central California A: D.W., There are many outdoor plants safe for cats. It would probably be easier to look at list of plants known to be toxic to cats. The Cat Fanciers' Association has a fairly extensive list of poisonous plants on their website, www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html The Animal Poison Control Center pages of the ASPCA's website offers two lists-one for plants that are safe and one for plants that are toxic to companion pets. www.apcc.aspca.org Click on the link entitled, Make Your Pet's Home Poison Safe,' for links to lists of toxic and non-toxic plants. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Planting Crocus
Q: I just received a gift of potted Crocus. Of course, I hope to be able to plant these outside, and I am curious as to the best way to do this. The ground is frozen right now obviously. Do I plant them in spring right from the pot or is there some special care I should take? Hardiness Zone: 5a Thanks for all help. :)
A: Leslie, You can plant your crocus bulbs in the spring or wait until fall and plant them as though they were new bulbs. The longer you keep the plants green this spring, the stronger the bulbs will be going into next year. After they bloom, cut the flower stems back. When the leaves turn yellow and start to die back, reduce watering. Once the leaves die back altogether, discontinue watering and let the soil dry out. Remove the bulbs from the pot and trim off the dead foliage. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry place until fall. Mesh or paper bags work best to prevent bulbs from getting moldy. In the fall, plant the bulbs 3-4 inches deep in full sun. They may be a bit undersized or flower poorly the first year, but they should come back fine the second year. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Moving a Yellow Trumpet Vine
Q: I have a yellow trumpet vine that I would like to move. It is about 10 to 14 years old. Is it possible to move it or should I leave it? It grows really well but I would like to move it away from the house. Hardiness Zone: 8a Ruth from Springfield, OR A: Ruth, Trumpet vines are pretty resilient. Many people are looking for ways to stop them from growing and spreading, so don't worry too much about transplanting it. If for some reason it doest transplant well, you're likely to see plenty of new suckers growing up in the spot it used to inhabit. I would suggest doing it in the early spring before too much growth occurs. Cut it down to a manageable size for transplanting. Don't cut it all the way down, however, as it's better to leave a few feet of the leafy top-growth. When you dig out the root ball, make it large and try to keep as much of the dirt attached to the roots as possible. Baby your vine this season as it works to re-establish itself. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Colorful Plants for Containers
Q: I live in North Georgia (zone 7b) and I would like to place 2 large pots (container garden) on either side of our front door with a variety (about 3) of easy to care for, but colorful plants. The front of our house stays in the shade for the better part of the day. Any suggestions on what plants I should use? Hardiness Zone: 7b Thanks!
A: Marnita, For easy-to-care for annuals that do well in shade, you have plenty of choices. Impatiens makes a good choice because a large variety of colors and heights are available. Browallias, coleus, wax begonias and dwarf salvias are colorful annuals all tolerant of shade, too. Because your pots are large and they are going to be placed in a prominent location, plants with contrasting leaf sizes and colors will help keep things interesting all summer long. As long as you choose plant combinations that all have similar light, soil and moisture requirements, they should be easy to take care of. For the most dramatic effect, the tallest plants are usually placed in the center. Bushy plants are then placed around the front or on either side of the tall plant to soften the lines of the pot. The rest is filled in with trailing plants that can cascade down from the edges of the pot. For a perennial combination that makes a dramatic statement in large pots or urns, try this trio. These three plants all prefer an acidic soil and a shady location. Pieris shrub-get the Pieris hybrid Forest Flame' (This would be your tall plant. New leaves are a dramatic red color that changes to cream and then to green when mature. It has heavy clusters of white, beadlike flowers). Hardy to zone 5. Lamium maculatum-variety Beacon Silver.' This plant would represent your bushy plant. Its leaves are silver with a green border and it has pink flowers. Hardy to zones 4-9. Clematis alpina. This would represent your trailing plant (you can keep drape it around the pot like garland). The flowers are usually blue or violet, but there are also white varieties. Hardy to zones 3-9. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Planting Daffodils
Q: I just received a gift of potted Daffodils. Of course, I hope to be able to plant these outside, and I am curious as to the best way to do this. The ground is frozen right now obviously. Do I plant them in spring right from the pot or is there some special care I should take? Hardiness Zone: 5a Thanks for all help. :)
A: Leslie, You have two good options. The first is to plant your daffodils in the garden in the spring. If all goes well, they will return to their natural cycle, however, it sometimes takes 2 to 3 years for bulbs to come back after being forced indoors. You can also store them over summer and plant them in the fall the same way you would new bulbs. To do this, keep your plants as healthy and active as you can while indoors. After they bloom, remove the spent flowers to prevent them from forming seeds. Place them in a cool, sunny location and let the foliage die back naturally. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. You can fertilize them once a month with a plant fertilizer until they look like they're dieing back. The longer they stay green, the stronger the bulb will be and the more likely it will bloom next year. After the foliage dies back, quit watering and let the soil dry out. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry place until you plant them in the fall. Plant the bulbs 2 times as deep as they are tall (usually 4 to 6 inches deep) in full sun. Daffodils do not like soggy soil so make sure to plant them where they get adequate drainage. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Preheat Your Soil for a Faster Harvest (Solarizing Soil)
By Ellen Brown Many vegetables, like tomatoes, beans, squash and peppers need soil temperatures to reach nearly 70ºF before their growth can really take off. By solarizing your soil a month before you set out your warm-weather vegetables, you can fast forward your garden calendar and speed up your harvest by as much as two weeks! Read This Article: Click Here |
| Growing Collards
Q: I planted my collards in the Spring of 2005 and cut them back in the Fall of 2005. These plants are still going strong. How many years can collard plants grow? Shall I cut them back to the stem again to keep them growing? Would it do any good? Hardiness Zone: 8a Thanking you in advance.
A: Holly, Since is doesn't sound like you are looking to harvest the collards over the winter, I would keep cutting them back in the fall the same way you did last year. Collards are usually grown as annuals, but they can also be grown as biennials or perennials in warmer climates. They can survive temperatures to the upper 20s-even cooler if they are located in the right microclimate. I've heard of them growing for several years before tiring out. Collards taste best during the cooler parts of the season, especially right after a light frost. This is because the plant responds to cooler temperatures by moving water from the leaves to the roots, which concentrates the sugars in the leaves and ultimately gives them a sweet flavor. You can get this same sweet flavor in the heat of the summer if you pop the whole plant (stems and all) into the freezer for about 10 minutes. You end up sacrificing the plant, but you get leaves with that post-frost sweet flavor. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Homemade Seed Tapes
By Ellen Brown Once winter turns the corner toward spring, it seems like garden tasks can stack up quickly. One technique that is a real time (and money) saver during planting is using seeds tapes. Although most seed companies carry ready-made tapes, you're left stuck with using whatever seeds choices they offer. Follow these six easy steps and make your own.
Read This Article: Click Here |
| Protecting Birds from Striking Windows
By Ellen Brown The Audubon Society estimates that in the United States and Canada, as many as 1 billion birds die each year due to collisions with glass. Collisions that don't end in fatalities often leave birds temporarily stunned and vulnerable to predators, or worse, seriously injured and subject to a slow, painful death. To help keep your backyard birds safe, follow these tips for minimizing the risk of bird strikes to your doors and windows. Read This Article: Click Here |
| Weeping Cherry Tree Not Flowering
Q: I have weeping cherry tree that is about 6' tall that we transplanted a year ago from one part of the yard to the front yard. It is still alive but has not put out any new buds or flowers since the transplant why? Will the tree return to it's prior condition? Hardiness Zone: 7a Susan From New York A: Hi Susan, Here is what I know about cherry trees. Regardless of the variety, most of them prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Did either of these conditions change from the backyard to the front yard? Cherry trees are also easily damaged by planting them too deeply, or by allowing mulch to remain against the lower trunk. In general, the older the tree (assuming it's a bare-root tree and not a tree from a container) the more susceptible it is to transplant shock because it usually requires severing a greater number of large roots. Cherry trees respond well to fertilizer. If you're sure your tree is still alive, I would suggest giving it a boost of tree fertilizer in March. Use one especially formulated for cherry trees and apply it around the drip line in the amount directed on the package. Another thing to pay attention to is whether or not other flowering trees in your area are doing anything. If they are, then your tree either suffered some kind of stress when you moved it or the soil or light conditions are no longer supporting it. Just like people, older trees can need extra time to adapt to change. If it's still alive, there's a good chance it will come back. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Lilies Not Flowering
Q: I have bought some Peace Lilies. I had read somewhere they can survive on low light and needed watering once a week but have noticed the leaves are turning yellow and not flowering anymore. Any information would really be appreciated. I am hoping I can save them. Could you also tell me if they are poisonous to children and pets? Thank you,
A: Ruth, The ideal conditions for Peace Lilies this time of year include a reasonably warm room where they are out of direct sunlight, and where they will not be exposed to cold drafts. They actually prefer brighter light in the winter and semi-shade in the summer. The pots should be surrounded by peat moss or sitting in a pebble tray to maintain humidity. This is especially important in colder climates like yours, where indoor winter air tends to be very dry. Peace Lilies need to have their leaves misted very frequently in the winter. The compost should be kept fairly moist at all times, but you should definitely back off on the watering. In regards to their toxicity, I have seen several resources that list them as toxic to both children and pets, so I would recommend keeping them well out of the reach of both. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Contest!
Submit Your Tips and Photos! Tip Contest! To enter, visit: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_contest.ldml Photo Contest! To enter, visit: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_photocontest.ldml Contests are now weekly. We'll pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. |
New Requests
| Wood Pallets for Raised Beds
I would like to use discarded wood pallets to make a raised bed garden. Has anyone done this with success? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| California Bulbs Advice
I have bulbs to plant. Tulips, crocus, amaryllis, daffodils, etc. They are from my garden at my old house. I live in Southern California. I have them stored in the garage. My question is, Can I plant them in the ground now (March)? Will they come up this spring? What do you suggest? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Growing Plants in Chert
Does anyone know anything that will grow on a hillside of chert or how to get something to grow in chert? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Caterpillars Killed My Plant!
I had a sweet broom in a ten gallon pot. There were little caterpillars on it. No big deal, right? I just picked them off. Later in the month I noticed more, lots more. They took over the whole plant and killed it. What were they and where did they come from? This pot was on my concrete patio with no other plants, trees, or grass around. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Dry and Brown Leaves on a Loquat Tree
I have a young (3') Loquat Tree planted in my backyard. Its leaves are turning dry and brown despite sufficient watering, and may have some "munch markings" on the edges. I have 2 other Loquats in my front yard receiving similar sun, shade, and water and they are doing fine. Might something be munching on my tree, and if so, what can I treat it with to stop it? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Gardening in Rocky Soil
I have very rocky soil making any digging with a shovel very difficult. Any suggestions? I've been here a year and already have two large piles of roundish river rock of various sizes. I don't know if I should try to use them to build a short stone wall for a raised bed garden because I have no experience doing anything like that. My other idea is to use a concrete or morter mix in a box or other container, add in the stones and make my own "blocks" for raising a bed. Any suggestions? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| How Do You and Plant Maintain Rhubarb?
How do you plant and maintain Rhubarb? What kind of soil do they like? Sun or shade? Post Feedback: Click Here |
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Growing Guides
| Growing: Bells of Ireland
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Candytuft
By Ellen Brown
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| Growing: Canterbury Bells (Bellflowers)
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Browallia (Amethyst Flower/Star Flower/Bush Violet)
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: California Poppy
By Ellen Brown
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| Growing: Bachelor's Button (cornflower)
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here |
| More Stuff
Seed Swap!
Tip Contest!
Submit a Request
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By jennifer brumleve (Guest Post)
04/06/2006
I wanted to know how many feet per year a weeping cherry tree grows. I had a small guess to about 4-6 feet but I wanted to verify this on accuracy. I want to purchase a fast growing tree and the weeping cherry caught my eye over the regular willow. I live in a 6 zone.
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