Posts for 'General Information' Category

I have been trying for many years to grow poppies. This year they did well. What do I do with them now that they have stopped blooming?

T.H., New Hartford. Dear T.H.: Perennial or Oriental poppies grow vigorously once they have settled in to a suitable spot with moist, well drained soil and plenty of sunshine. The very showy flowers.

A patch in full bloom is visible from a few hundred feet away -- can be orange, pink, red, white or purple. The flowers only last a few days, but the seed pods are also attractive, so they prolong the season of interest for a couple of weeks. After that, the bristly foliage quickly deteriorates.

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First, gardening pro and Globe Style columnist Marjorie Harris helped Globe Life editor Kevin Siu with watering his garden, then she took on his weeds.

Here, she helps him diagnose whether he can revive some plants that are on life support.

How can I tell whether or not a plant can be saved? Every plant wants to survive and if there's some life in it, you'll see it at the base of the plant or.

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Easy to grow in a sunny position, there are a variety of species for warm or cool climates, with less rigid pruning requirements than other fruit trees such as apples or pears. The best pruning time for plum trees is early summer. Pruning plums in winter should be avoided, as there is a greater risk of silver leaf disease to which plums are prone.

Start by removing crossing or weak stems or those affected by disease. Then thin the tree further if it still appears crowded. Plan for a well-balanced tree with an open centre and a good shape. For an established fan-trained plum, remove any damaged or diseased stems then train and prune to shape. Prune all side shoots to six leaves. After fruiting, shorten these pruned shoots to one leaf. The tree will direct its energies into next year's fruit buds.

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Q: I live in a condo and my deck faces west so there's lots of sun, but the big problem is that it is so windy, it feels like a wind tunnel all the time. I have gone through three patio umbrellas and have finally given up on that. I don't really want to hang plants, but would like a few planters on the deck. I thought geraniums would be sturdy. What others would you advise? I am not a very great gardener, but I sure like my flowers. Perhaps just a few sentences could send me in the right direction.

A: Geraniums (pelargoniums) are a good choice. You might also consider zinnias and nasturtiums. Lantana is a very pretty annual that is wind-resistant, as are dahlias. With dahlias, you would have to bring the tuber in for the winter, or treat them as an annual. They should be staked, but they are very good at resisting the wind and would offer spectacular flowers, colour and form.

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The corpse flower is so rare that only 28 have ever been known to bloom in the United States. The 29th is poised to open any day now at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The lime-green bud, which resembles an oversized endive, was nearing 5 feet tall on Wednesday in the museum's Cockrell Butterfly Center.

And has been growing about 4 inches a day. Cockrell director Nancy Greig says it could open Friday or by early next week. Once open, the corpse flower will last about two days.

"Is it pretty?" a visitor to the museum asked Greig. "I'd say it's spectacular," she answered. The bloom of the Amorphophallus titanum.

Which can stand 10 feet tall and measure up to 5 feet across, is one of the world's largest. And, as its common name implies, stinkiest.

The only other one to bloom in Texas came in 2004, when a 61-inch specimen nicknamed Big Jack put on a show at Stephen F. Austin State University's Mast Arboretum in Nacogdoches.

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Colin Berridge of Peterborough Grass Machinery says cut the grass according to the weather. If you cut it tight now and we have two weeks of sun and no rain it goes brown very fast. So be cautious and set the blades a little higher.

Grass is vital in many gardens. It provides a clear breathing space to contrast busy borders, vegetable patches and patios. It's also a must for family ball games or simply stretching out on summer days.

Striving for a perfect lawn causes far more sweat to the brow than the most complex border, so it is worth deciding just how much time you want to lavish on it and what sort of end effect you want - lawn, or a "green area".

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The Fountain Plant can be a beautiful and fulfilling addition to an aquarium and has a normal variety that reaches 8 inches (20 cm) in height, as well as a dwarf variety (Ophiopogon japonicus var. kyoto) that only reaches 4 inches (10 cm) in height. It grows at a moderate rate and produces long narrow leaves, and goes best as a foreground plant, a midground plant, or along the sides of the aquarium. It is best to usually group several plants together, with small spaces between each one.

Although the Fountain Plant is a fairly hardy plant and can survive in most conditions, the water should be regularly checked to help it thrive. It needs a pH between 6.5 and 7.5, and minimal light to keep it growing and looking healthy. Make sure to perform regular water changes and fertilize regularly after each change. The bottom substrate should be nutrient-rich. Propagation of the Fountain Plant is done by planting cuttings from the side sprouts of the main plant.

The never-ending, heart-rending sight of the Gulf oil spill and its devastating effect on human and wild residents alike has us all horrified. While there may be little we New Englanders can do for the fish, turtles, mammals and birds of the Gulf of Mexico, there's much we can do to protect our own regional wildlife.

We can start by getting our backyards certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a safe habitat for our fellow Connecticut creatures. To earn certification, a backyard must supply four essentials: 1. Food: Since native flora and fauna evolved concurrently, indigenous plants feed our resident wildlife best and are often the easiest to grow because they're adapted to our climate and topology.

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The International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society annually polls aquatic-plant experts around the world to build a list of candidates in the running for its pond plants of the year.

These plants  in three categories including tropical waterlilies, hardy waterlilies and marginal plants  are suitable for ponds, backyard water gardens and koi habitats.

Aquatic plants are typically planted in plastic containers and submerged in backyard ponds. Vendors provide recommended depths.

For different plants, as well as sun requirements. Aquatic plants are fertilized with tablets inserted into the pots' soil.

The other day I was weeding my asparagus patch. Asparagus takes three years to get going enough for you to start eating it. The first year you plant asparagus, it takes its good old time getting going, and you have to fight the weeds and mulch like crazy. The second year, the asparagus gets a little bigger, but you still can't eat it, and you have to fight the weeds and mulch like crazy. Apparently, after the third year, you can start to eat it. But I'm not quite sure because mine is only two years old.

No matter how old my asparagus patch is I think I will have to fight the weeds and mulch like crazy. BUT, I'll have my own in-season, local, organic asparagus. For two to three weeks in early spring we will eat asparagus day and night, broiled and in omelets and in salads, and get slightly sick of it and the smell of our asparagus pee, and then we will have to wait. Again. For another year.

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