Question: I am a new rose planter and I’m not sure what is meant by cutting my roses back to the next bud?
A rose bush always has a dormant bud below the stem. Cut 1/8th of an inch above this bud. The rose plant will normally branch or bush out in this direction.
Rule of Thumb: The width of your pinky finger nail is about an eighth of an inch.
Mulch is used around the base of trees and plants to help conserve moisture so that the plant will grow better. Find out how mulch also helps prevent weeds with information from an experienced gardener and horticulturist in this free video on mulch.
Question: To cover or not to cover my plants during a winter freeze, that’s my question?
This totally depends upon the type of plant and how cold the temperature will be. In general, plants that will be injured by freeze (32 degrees) are best covered before this occurs. Be sure to cover the plant to the ground. If you opt for using plastic, make sure to use this to form a box around the plant in order to prevent the plastic from touching and plants growth. Use old pillow cases, sheets or you can buy frost blankets at many reputable nurseries.
Question: Many of my indoor plants have brown tips on the leaves. What does this mean and what should I do?
Brown tips on leaves of plants that are grown indoors normally indicates a root stress. This can be too little or too much water. Make sure the container has good drainage and a lite soil. Add extra perlite to the planting soil. Investing in a moisture meter will make it easier to determine water levels.
Gardeners with limited landscape time find perennials a particular blessing. After all, they have to be planted only once, and require considerably less care than annuals. Too, in general, perennials are more convenient and are more adaptable to local conditions than their annual pals. Even perennials that are damaged by frost will emerge the following season, often with larger and more abundant blossoms.
Not only do perennials offer a variety of appealing flowers, but their foliage can also be more interesting in shape, size, and color than annuals. To improve the overall appearance of your landscape and to ensure year-round color, you should include
an assortment of perennials in your annual beds.
Separate beds of perennials, however, can be breathtaking, permanent, “easy” spots in your garden. Here, hand weeding, watering, and insect and disease control will be much less taxing on your time than annual beds.
DRAINAGE TIPS
Just because perennial beds are easier to care for doesn’t mean they don’t have to be carefully planned. Perennials, as a rule, should be planted in well drained areas. If your landscape doesn’t offer optimum drainage conditions, it’s a good idea to plant your perennials in raised beds, which encourage drainage and delineate landscape areas.
SOIL ENRICHMENT
Soil enrichment is just as important for perennials as it is for annuals. In fact, it’s even more important, since a perennial bed, unlike an annual bed, won’t be reworked every season. You should give your perennials added nutrients before you plant them, especially if you’re planting them in your landscape’s existing soil.
WATERING TIPS
Watering, too, is crucial to your perennials’ continued good health. Most need a good, weekly watering; in fact, I’d advise giving these perennial beauties 1⁄2 inch of water twice a week to ensure that their thirst is quenched.
MULCHING
Perennials benefit greatly from mulching, which makes a flowerbed more attractive, discourages weeds, inhibits soil erosion, and helps conserve moisture in the soil. Cypress or pine wood chips, leaves, and grass clippings are excellent mulches. For perennials that are dormant in winter, mulching in late October and November is recommended. Some gardeners call this practice “putting the perennials to bed for the winter.
A list of perennials can be found here.
