The Garden Club
January 9, 2004

A winter spectacular!
Winterberry Holly 'Winter Red'

Last week I was at the Murphy farm in Carroll County, Maryland and I spotted one of the most dramatic plantings of Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata Winter Red) I have seen in years. We usually associate winterberry hollies with moist places, but this planting was certainly not in a moist spot; although in Maryland the season has been exceptionally moist.  The berries color-up in mid-autumn while the foliage is intact.  In November, the leaves drop leaving stems covered with spectacular clusters of red berries.

In any event, if you are looking for a show-stopping, bird-attracting winter display in normal to moist soil, I cannot think of anything better. The berried stems can be cut and kept in a vase for months without water.  We have an excellent selection in 3 gallon pots. (Most already more than 4 feet tall! Order now for spring shipping.

Some evergreen hollies, such as Blue Prince or one of the male American Hollies, are often sufficient as pollinators. Ideally the most reliable pollinator is Ilex verticillata “Southern Gentleman”.  They are even larger.

Garden Club Questions & Answers

Question: I have several Christmas cactus plants and they are all thriving well. I've noticed, however, that the plants with white blooms are gradually turning pink with each blooming season. Is there something I can do to reverse this trend...to keep the white blooms white???? Hope you can help with this problem.
Answer: White Christmas cactus is never pure white at the end. The blooms turn blush pink as they age. I think you are noticing it more now. Perhaps when the plant was young; the blooms died prematurely while they were still white.

Question: I received a corn plant about 4 years ago. It is now 24 inches tall and the leave are 16 inches.  It has now formed a bud on the very top of the plant, will this flower?  I have looked at pictures on the internet, but their leaves are more yellow or orange centers.  Mine are green with two silver strips with center being a lighter green. It is kept in a southern facing room, but not in direct sunlight.   What should we expect from the bud?  Thank you for your help

Answer: I have seen corn plants bloom, but never at the 24 inch size. Usually they are at least 4 feet tall when they bloom. The flower is greenish, forming on an arching plume made up of many smaller blooms. It is powerfully fragrant and will drop sweet nectar, so carpet protection is in order.

Question: Hi Alan, First I enjoy your show and listen every Saturday.  About 2 weeks before Christmas I purchased a yellow, miniature Palace Rose at [Home store].  An employee suggested I place coffee grounds or steel wool around the base of the plant. She said the steel wool would rust and would add nutrients when I water as would the coffee grounds.  I added a small amount of coffee grounds and watered.  About a week later the plant started dropping leaves but only on a few stems (there are about 5 main stems around the outer pot).  The leaves on one entire stem wilted limply and were still pliable.  Leaves on other stems dried up near the bottom and were yellow/brown. However, there was still a small amount of new growth occurring.  Also, new flower buds didn't open and turned slightly brown.  I figured I had messed up the balance of nutrients somehow and applied about 1 Tablespoon of Bayer 2 in 1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care to the top and watered.  Even though the plant is looking better and there’s a good bit of new growth, I still have a nasty white mold growing on top of the dirt.  Also, she told me that purchasing roses of this type in the winter are less temperamental.  I have purchased the really tiny miniature roses before and had no luck with them either.  The leaves would slowly dry up and all fall off about a month after bringing them home and then eventually the stems would die from the top down.  I have quite a few house plants and seem to be really challenged with flowering varieties. The only luck I have is with two hibiscus plants. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer: Steel wool and coffee grounds are not appropriate for a potted indoor-grown miniature rose, unless they are applied in tiny, tiny quantities. Even in these quantities, they are rarely needed, and certainly not so soon after purchase. I suggest repotting your miniature rose in fresh soil.
Most people have no luck indoors with miniature roses---they require more sun than most houses can provide—and they are subject to funguses and mites that are difficult to control inside. Why don’t you try some of the new begonia hybrids that grow from rhizomes or moth orchids. They are both much easier to grow and more satisfactory than mini roses. Amaryllis also is excellent flowering house plants.

Most importantly, my recollection is that Bayer 2 in 1 systemic Rose & Flower care is solely for outdoor use and is dangerous to use indoors. Check your label and see if it is labeled for houseplants. If not, do not use it indoors. In general, you will get better plant advice from a garden center or nursery than from a home center.

Question: I am a regular listener of your great show and have been for many years.  About 7-8 years ago, a neighbor of mine gave me some snapdragons that just started growing in her yard, birds must dropped seeds. Anyhow, they grew great in my garden and especially on the deck in the sun.

Is it possible that there is a species that is arctic hardy? Because some of mine are still in bloom, both in the sunny parts of the yard, but curiously in the front of my house that faces due north and gets no sun at all, except for a short time in about mid-July. These things are indestructible! The same is true with some dianthus that I have, they are still green, but not in bloom.

I'm sending you by mail one of the snapdragon blooms and some seed pods in case you want to do some experimenting. Like I said, I have no way of knowing its origin. Watch the mail for my envelope. Keep up the great show. I know that this winter gives us gardener’s depression, and especially you, since it is your livelihood, but spring will be here before we know it.

Answer: The old fashioned snapdragons are winter hardy in a “mild to normal” winter in Baltimore---more so in a protected place that is well-drained. Curiously, they seem to be more hardy where they get very little winter sun. It is unusual for the same plant to persist for 7-8 years---usually they persist for about 3 years and keep going from self-sown seedlings. Breeding for fancier flowers and taller stems in new hybrids seems to have bred out a lot of the hardiness that existed in the old fashioned forms---although I have know a few modern strains to persist for at least a few years.

Question: I want to grow roses on a trellis that only gets full sun in the afternoon. I don't want to spray much for black spot etc. Any suggestions?
Answer: Consider Westerland (tangerine) or Autumn Sunset (peach). William Baffin (pink) is also excellent, but it does need 5 hours of sun. New Dawn (light pink) is also excellent, but it gets too large for most trellises.

Question: I had a live balled Christmas tree which I was going to plant last weekend but I never got to it and now the ground is frozen. The tree is sitting in the garage and I have been keeping the ball watered. What else should I do until the ground unfreezes and I can plant the tree?

Answer: If your garage is unheated and reasonably bright with natural sunlight from windows and as long as you keep the ball moist, the tree can remain where it is for several weeks. Alternately leave the tree in the garage for about a week and then put it outside on top of the ground with the ball totally buried in a mound of mulch. The mulch is probably going to have to sit in the garage so it can unthaw and then you can pack it around the ball. The mulch should keep the ball sufficiently moist with only occasional watering. So that the tree doesn’t blow over and expose the ball to the drying, cold winter winds you should place the tree at an angle partially on its side.

Question: I caught the end of something you were saying on your radio show about watering the Christmas tree with ice cubes. It is a little late for this year, but I thought I would ask anyway for next year. Ice cubes won’t fit in my tree stand. Will cold water work as well?

Answer: You did indeed catch the end of something on the radio show. We were talking about using ice cubes to water a balled Christmas tree to keep it dormant. Cut trees in stands should be watered with warm water so that sap doesn’t congeal over the cut butt and impede water absorption.

Question: The hurricane washed up lots of wood along our shoreline, which I have been burning in the fireplace. I usually have only an occasional fire and I use the wood ashes in my vegetable gardens. What other plants can I use the wood ashes on?

Answer: Wood ashes from driftwood should never be used in the garden. Driftwood absorbs salt while it’s lying in the water. When it burns the salt is not destroyed and will do a lot of damage to your soil and plants.

You may remember from high school history that the Romans used to salt the fields of the conquered nations so that they couldn’t grow crops and therefore be dependent on Rome for food.

Wood ashes that don’t come from driftwood can be used in moderation on anything except acid loving plants. In general, you can use your wood ashes in the vegetable garden, the sun-loving perennial garden, an herb garden and around roses and most deciduous shrubs. You can even use it on the lawn, but you need to be careful you don’t track it into the house. Wood ashes should never be used in woodland perennial gardens or around acid loving evergreens such as: camellias, andromeda, hollies, rhododendrons and azaleas. Wood ashes should never be used around blueberries. Wood ashes are fine for yews and boxwoods.

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