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 [...]

Best time to tame a rose

Question: When is the best time to prune roses? I have a bush that needs trimming, but don’t want to damage it by pruning at the wrong time. If the rose is out of control, it won’t hurt to get out the clippers now. This advice comes from Annie Owen, a Master Rosarian and member [...]

Stem cuttings: A good way to share your garden

I have a hibiscus plant growing in my yard. I don’t remember planting it, but one neighbor is fascinated by the blooms and has asked me to give her a cutting from the plant. What’s the best way to do that? – A.J. There are many types of hibiscus, ranging from the tropical Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, [...]

All leaves, no flowers

QUESTION: I have five plants that I’ve been told are ‘Mini Penny’ hydrangeas. Last year they had lots of white blooms. This year they are growing very well with lots of green leaves etc, but only very few (3) blooms. I have fertilized with an acid balanced Miracle Grow fertilizer as well as a root stimulator. Can you suggest any reason for [...]

Keep ‘Annabelle’ standing

QUESTION: What is the best way to secure Annabelle hydrangeas to keep the beautiful blooms from breaking in the wind and rain? And why do these beautiful flowers do so poorly when they’re cut for an arrangement? – Debbie It’s true. The big, heavy bloom heads of Annabelle hydrangeas make an impressive statement in the [...]

The trouble with roses

The leaves on my climbing roses developed little black spots and now all the foliage has dropped off. What is this? For questions on roses, I always go to the helpful experts at the Nashville Rose Society, and their Web site. It looks like there are at least two fungal diseases that cause black spots [...]

Azaleas: What happened to the flowers?

Question: Last year I planted two azaleas that I found on sale. Both were covered in blooms when I bought them, and both seemed to do well over the summer. But this year, only one of them is blooming, and it has just a few flowers. The other one, nothing. Here’s a picture. What’s going [...]