Sherry, we have a Lilac bush that produces lots of leaves and branches each year, but no flowers. It has been located in a shady part of our garden for over five years. We live in Petaluma, Califonia which is about 35 miles north of San Francisco. What do we do to get flowers on our Lilac? --Les S.
First, to bloom well, Syringa (Lilac) needs sun! You may need to move your bush to get a good display. We'll discuss that later. I, too, have one of those non-blooming lilacs. (Well, I did have 2 flowers this year--on a bush that has dozens of stems!)
Pruning of lilacs should take place just after blooming (or just after they're supposed to bloom). We're a little late with it, but here is what we both need to do:
Prune out (cut to the ground) about one fourth of the oldest canes. The oldest canes are the tallest and/or thickest ones. Thin out some of the younger canes also if it's really thick in there. Each year, continue this practice. Allow only about 6 new canes to grow per year, and again prune out one fourth of the oldest canes. In about 4 years you will have a rejuvenated, possibly even blooming, lilac shrub.
It's also important to keep lilacs pruned so that air will circulate and they will be less prone to getting powdery mildew, which is a common problem with lilacs. Sun also helps prevent powdery mildew. Lilacs bloom on 2 year old wood, so when you do cut those bouquets, cut them at random around the bush rather than denuding one section. The bush will not bloom on those stems for 2 years after you cut them.
Another thing you might need to do is shock your lilac a bit by pruning its roots. You will need to do this anyway if you move it. To prune the roots, scribe a circle on the ground around the bush at about the "drip line" or where majority of the branches end. Use a sharp flat spade and push it into the ground as deep as you can along the line you drew--12 to 18 inches should be enough. New fibrous roots will be produced from the inner circle of roots. If you do this in the fall, it prepares the shrub to be moved in spring.
I do think you should move your lilac. You say it's in the shady part
of the garden. Lilacs definitely need sun to produce flowers.
My wisteria appears to be dead and not flowering this year. I may have severed a root yet a new "sucker" has appeared 1 metre from the old plant. Is the plant still alive? Regards, Neena A.
Regarding your wisteria, you say you may have "severed a root." This should have *encouraged* your wisteria to bloom. Root pruning is one recommended way of doing that. Don't give up quite yet. Maybe it isn't really dead. Encourage the new sucker to grow properly just in case you need it for a replacement.
Other possibilities: Perhaps you understated your case. Did you sever
"a" root or "many" roots? Did you prune off the short
stems of last year's upper growth that were at least 8 to 10 inches long?
Those contain the blossoms for the coming season.
I am preparing to put new mulch down around our trees and in our flowerbeds. What steps can I take to help make it harder for weeds to grow in these areas next spring/summer - particularly around the trees.
To prevent weeds (outside and also inside the greenhouse), use weed barrier
cloth. It comes in rolls and is usually black in color. It allows
water penetration. The best kinds are either woven or nonwoven cloth
. My least favorite kind is that thin plastic punched full of holes. Do
not use regular plastic--It does not allow water to get through. When
laying the cloth down, be sure to overlap cut edges at least 6 inches. To
protect the weed barrier cloth from ultraviolet light damage, it must be
covered with several inches of mulch. (In the greenhouse, I use gravel.)
Do not mulch right up to the base of your trees--Keep the mulch at least
3 inches away from the base of the trunk.
"I am looking for someone who knows what the formula is for preserving magnolia leaves. I understand it has something to do with glycerin. If you know this process, or can point me to someone who does, I would be very grateful. Thanks."
I have some assorted leaves left over from last autumn on which I used this mixture. They are still soft and supple. Don't expect them to maintain that incredibly bright color--they'll be more subdued, but at least they won't be crispy and fall apart.
Hi it's Rick (Karin & Rick). Hey, we moved, yup bought our own little piece of suburbia, and are thinking of taking on the yard... One thing that we are considering is a variety or two of bamboo. Heard that you may have had some luck with this in this area and would be interested in your insight. Any good places to obtain starts, what types to avoid, how to keep it from spreading, etc. Is spring the best planting time? I am considering black bamboo and maybe a low ground covering variety as well. This is just one of many things that we are thinking about....
Thanks. --Rick.
Hello, Rick, Karen & James! It's a good thing you bought shelter, with this weather we're experiencing lately. I've stayed off of the computer the last day or so because they've been working on power lines in our area.
On to the BAMBOO question(s):
BAMBOO SOURCES:
Local (for some) - Tsugawa Nursery & Water Gardens (in Woodland, WA--From I-5 takeExit 21 & go north 1/2 mile on Frontage Road). Tel 360-225-8750, fax 360-225-5086. Open 7 days/wk. (I got my Phyllostachys nigra--Black Bamboo--from them. I've had it only a bit more than a year. Already have a cane 15 ft high and have divided the plant into 4 by hacking at it with ashovel and finally sawing through it in several places with a tree saw. I'm working on that black bamboo being a screen between our house and the one to the east. Already have several black canes in the stand. We can see the bamboo through the French doors, and the sound of the wind in the bamboo leaves is wonderful. Can you tell I like bamboo?)
Mail order (in no particular order--ha!) -
Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery, 28446 Hunter Creek Loop, Gold Beach, OR 97444, tel & fax 503-247-0835. (This nursery is near my parents' house. If you get Giant Timber bamboo from Tradewinds, it's probably from my Dad's stand.) Good selection & great prices. I think the price list is free, and a descriptive catalog is $2.00.
Steve Ray's Bamboo Gardens, 250 Cedar Cliff Road, Springville, AL 35146, tel 205-631-4425 (shipping season September through April 15).
Kurt Bluemel, Inc, 2740 Greene Lane, Baldwin, MD 21013-9523, tel 410-557-7229, fax 410-557-9785, web: http://www.kbiusa.com (I haven't checked out this site yet). Catalog is $3.00. Small bamboo selection, but large selection of other ornamental grasses.
New England Bamboo Company, Box 358, Rockport, MA 01966, tel 508-546-3581. Catalog $2.00, color catalog $5.00. "Over 100 varieties."
Burt Associates Bamboo, PO Box 719, Westford, MA 01886, tel 508-692-3240. Catalog, $2.00, refundable with order.
Bamboo Sourcery, 666 Wagnon Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472, tel 707-823-5866. Catalog, $2.00.
NOTE: When buying bamboo, be sure to get one that is crowded in the pot (rootbound). You will get more for your money, and your bamboo will grow faster once planted.
If you're really into it:
The American Bamboo Society, 750 Krumkill Road, Albany, NY 12203. Annual membership, $25.00.
The Temperate Bamboo Quarterly, published by Sue and Adam Turtle, 30 Myers Road, Summertown, TN 38483, tel 615-964-4151.
WHAT TYPES TO AVOID:
In my opinion, no type of bamboo is something to "avoid." It is really just a matter of whether you want to control it (which will take some extra effort at least initially), or not control it (which requires a truly carefree attitude about your yard and possibly the neighbor's, too, if you're planting running bamboo). There are exceptions to this, of course.
Ok, you can get "clumping" bamboo, but they are often not as hardy, and the ones I seem to like are those flat out "running" types. Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) is the one that I think is the very most beautiful, and it is (of course) a "runner."
If you get a clumping bamboo--no worries. Just put it in a spot that gets a bit of winter protection. For our area, be sure to get one that can survive a temperature as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The names of some clumping types are: Bambusa, Chusquea, Fargesia, Otatea. There are many varieties of each.
Running types require a bit more effort. The names of some running types are: Arundinaria, Chimonobambusa, Phyllostachys, Pseudosasa, Sasa, Semiarundinaria, and Shibataea. As with the clumping types, there are many varieties of each.
Here are some suggestions for CONTROLLING RUNNING TYPE BAMBOO:
My favorite shorter bamboo (another runner, of course) is Sasa veitchii (Silver-edge bamboo). It has wider leaves than you would expect on bamboo. They are green in spring and summer. In fall and winter, they have a beautiful wide parchment-white margin around the edges. There is quite a nice clump of it in our neighborhood that I've been admiring. There are many nice dwarf ground cover bamboos to choose from.
WHEN TO PLANT:
Spring is the best time. Autumn is fine if you are planting container grown plants with fully developed root systems. Bamboo likes full sun or partial shade. (Phyllostachys nigra has best black cane color if you give it some shelter from afternoon sun.) Bamboo is quite drought-tolerant once established.
REGARDING TYPICAL BAMBOO WORRIES:
Yes, bamboo will grow rapidly if you encourage it. No coddling required. You will get great satisfaction from that, and you might even wish a few of your other plants would do half as well. (It's absolute MAGIC when your plant sends up that first really big cane!) So what's the big worry everyone has about bamboo TAKING OVER?! If it's so aggressive, why hasn't it taken over already? It's planted in various places throughout my neighborhood, and it seems to be behaving very well. I seriously doubt that all of those plantings are surrounded by trenches and concrete barriers.
ANOTHER BAMBOO THING:
(This write-up I'm doing for you strikes me as being quite typical of the rampant growth of most bamboo...) If you have Sunset Western Garden Book (completely revised and updated 40th anniversary edition), it has a great chart comparing various bamboos. If you DON'T have that book, you should go out and get it right away. If I could have only one gardening book--that would be the one.
"I think I have killed my Crape Myrtle but I'm not positive. Are they supposed to lose their leaves in the fall like other trees because that is exactly what happened to mine. If you think it is dead, could you give me some tips on how to keep one alive. I live in Virginia and there are lots of beautiful ones in this area so I know they will grow here."
Yes, Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is deciduous and loses its leaves each autumn.
Prune while dormant (no leaves) to increase flowering wood next summer. For dwarf types this means pruning out twiggy growth and removing old flower clusters. For large shrubs and trees that means cut back branches about 1 to 1 1/2 feet.
Crape Myrtles like to be watered deeply but infrequently. They like full
sun and moderate feeding. Will grow almost anywhere (depending on variety)
but bloom best where summers are hot.
EARLY SPROUTING BULBS
"I put in crocuses and narcissusses(narcissi, narcissussesses?) three weeks ago, believing they'd spend the winter hibernating, as they've quite happily done in the past. It's been warm here in Washington, D.C. (60s), but not unseasonably so.
I'm sure you can see what's coming. 2 to 6-inch shoots are now coming up, and I fear that we'll have a lovely crop of blooms just in time for the snows. Is this kind of behavior unusual in bulbs? What, if anything, might I do to convince the flowers that they really don't want to bloom right now, and they'll be sorry if they do? Or, if they're determined to bloom now, how might I convince them to come back in the spring?
Thanks for all your good advice. I love the web site! --Judy B."
In my experience, yes, that is unusual bulb behavior. Your bulbs seem to feel that they've had a sufficiently long cold period, and now, with the temperatures in the 60's, feel it must be "spring" and time to sprout.
Were you keeping your bulbs in your refrigerator awhile before you planted them (thus extending the cold period)? Probably not, in your area, but I had to ask.
This is what I would do: You know that really cold weather is
coming soon, and the bulbs seem determined to grow (since some are
already at 6 inches!), so try to protect them as best you can. Pile some
fluffy mulch over them (at least 4 or 5 inches). Maybe that will protect
them when the cold weather comes, and maybe then they will at least
pause and finishtheir sprouting come spring.
BERMUDAGRASS
How do you care for a bermuda grass lawn? --Ann N.
Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is a good type of lawn to have as it is drought tolerant. Popular in warmer climates, it is fine textured, becomes brown in winter and spreads by runners, making a wear resistant turf. Modern hybrids of bermudagrass are not as aggressive as open pollinated varieties.
BERMUDAGRASS LAWN CARE TIPS:
Fertilize in late spring, just as it begins to turn green, then again a few weeks later. Use a finely pulverized organic fertilizer, spread evenly over the lawn just before rain is expected. Leave clippings on the lawn--they are rich in nitrogen. DON'T use chemical fertilzers. Growth will then be too rapid, producing too many clippings which become thatch problem.
When mowing, use a sharp blade, and cut Bermudagrass no lower than 1 inch. During summer droughts you should leave it a little longer.
Dethatching is not necessary unless the thatch is more than 1/4 inch thick. If need be, use a thatch rake to break it up and get air to the grass roots. Don't use chemical fertilizers--too much thatch will build up. Normal decomposition will take care of moderate amounts of clippings and will feed the grass as well.
Your lawn will probably need to be aerated every 2 or 3 years, especially if it is subject to heavy foot traffic. Aerating amounts to poking tiny holes through the turf to the soil below. Small step-on devices and large power devices are available for this. Mow the lawn first and spread a thin layer of organic fertilizer on top. Aerate in one direction. Repeat in crosswise direction, then water deeply.
Water less often, but deeply. Short duration/shallow watering only encourages
a shallow root system. Then your lawn is very susceptible to damage during
a drought.
LEMONGRASS PLANTS IN QUANTITY
Where can I find lemon grass plants in large quantities for resale?
Try these wholesalers. If they don't have lemongrass plants, they may be able to tell you who does.
1. Blooming Nursery, 1-800-257-0719
2. Bluebird Nursery Inc, 1-800-356-9164
3. Martin Perennial Farm, 1-800-554-3139
IRIS COLOR CHANGE
Dear Sherry,
A few years ago I planted a pink-peach iris. It bloomed so beautifully over the years; however, I was shocked this spring when I saw that the color was no longer my beautiful pink-peach. It suddenly had the most common iris color of purple-blue. I did not transplant nor change anything in its vicinity to my knowledge.
Can you help solve this mystery of mine? --Rosemary
Hello, Rosemary! Thank you for visiting my website--and for being so patient and persistent! (I think I did delete your original message. Sorry.)
I didn't know the answer to this one, so had to make a lot of calls. Barbara Aitken of Aitken Salmon Creek Gardens told me this:
You must have a seedling (or many seedlings) started that is giving you the purple-blue color. That means that the iris flower was pollinated by bees, the seeds matured, then dropped to the ground and grew. The pink-peach iris would be a hybrid, therefore the seeds would not produce true to type. Instead, they will have features of one of the parent plants.
Barbara said that iris normally multiply by producing more bulbs around the edge of the clump. Those bulbs will be true to type because that is vegetative propagation, rather than propagation by seed. (Another form of vegetative propagation is by taking cuttings, but that doesn't work with iris.)
To prevent more seedlings from developing, simply cut off the bloom stalks of your iris right after they finish blooming. If you don't want the existing purple-blue iris seedlings, pull them out when you can identify them (bloom season).
If your pink-peach iris have completely disappeared, you will need to
get new ones. Barbara's nursery does mail order business. Their next catalog
will be sent out this coming spring. If you would like one, send $2.00 to:
Aitken Salmon Creek Gardens, 608 NW 119th Street, Vancouver, WA 98685, telephone
360-573-4472. They carry bearded, Japanese, Siberian, and Pacific coast
iris.
WIRE CAGED ROOTBALL OF TREE
Hello! Here is a question for you, Sherry. I have a problem that is going on out at the ranch...In Wyoming.. The architectural landscaper did not take the wire cages off of the balled trees... Now my question to you is do the cages need to be taken off or not? I know that they should be and I know I would if I was doing the job, but can you give me some references...
Your Help appreciated in advance. Thanks, Toby H.
Funny thing--in all of my books there is no mention of the burlap/wire cageand exactly what to do about it.
So, I called a local nursery--"Big Trees Today", 503-640-3011, that handles only large trees. They have used the wire baskets on rootballs for 20 years. The mesh is fairly large. Inside the basket, the tree rootball is wrapped in burlap. The wire basket is used to protect the rootball when the tree is handled.
The person I talked to said it is perfectly fine to leave both the burlap and the wire basket in place. The burlap will disintegrate quickly, and the wire will either rust away or be so weakened that by the time the roots get that big they will be able to push it out of the way. They said that tests had been conducted to confirm this. They added one caution on the burlap:
All burlap should be cut away from the TOP of the rootball. Absolutely no burlap should be sticking up above the soil surface where it could wick away moisture.
If I hadn't checked with people who do this for a living, I, too, would have said it should be taken off. Learned something new.
Hope this relieves any worries you had about your new trees.