Yarrow: too much of a good thing?

QUESTION: I’ve heard that yarrow is a great drought-resistant perennial, but don’t know anything about growing it. Is this a good time of year to plant it? Is it planted from seeds, or is it better to buy transplants? It’s true. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a tough and persistent perennial plant that tolerates drought. In [...]

Boxwood pruning, and May fairs, sales & tours

QUESTION: Our boxwoods have a few limbs at the bottom that have lost their leaves and appear dead. Is it safe to trim boxwoods at this time of year? If the limbs are dead, cut them off. No matter what time of year it is, dead limbs serve no useful purpose. If the rest of [...]

Iris time in Tennessee

QUESTION: When is the right time to divide irises? Bearded irises, the large, showy flowers that have fuzzy patches on the outer petals, are putting on a pretty nice show across the region right now, and they’ll continue to bloom for several weeks. After they have finished blooming, the rhizomes can be thinned out and [...]

What else can go wrong with tomatoes?

QUESTION: My tomato plants are tall and full, and they have been blooming a lot but the blooms disappear. The flower usually dries up and falls off. Otherwise, they look  healthy. Can you tell me what’s wrong with them? – D.S. Two things could be causing tomato flowers to fall off: extreme heat and dry [...]

Tomato troubles

I have two questions for The Garden Bench: 1. The tomatoes on one of my tomato plants keep turning flat and black on the bottom before they get anywhere near ripe.  Any idea why that is and what to do about it? 2. When is the best time to dig up the garlic I planted [...]

For asparagus, a good bed is the best way to begin

Question: I want to start an asparagus bed in my garden. Where can I get some plants? – James W. Before we talk about plants, let’s talk about where to put them. I’ve pulled out my copy of the Guide to Tennessee Vegetable Gardening by Walter Reeves & Felder Rushing and turned to the “Asparagus” [...]

It’s a great time for gardening in Middle Tennessee

Flowers are blooming, seedlings are sprouting: May is prime-time in the garden. Now that the weather is reliably warm, it’s finally time to plant those summer garden favorites that need a little heat: tomatoes, peppers, basil, dill, squash, okra. Here are other ways to celebrate this first week of May in the garden: * Plant [...]