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The Garden Club |
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Bearded
Irises with an Autumn Encore The tendency of some Bearded Irises to occasionally rebloom in some locations was first noticed over 100 years ago. Breeding to improve this characteristic has been slow and difficult. The resultant Irises rebloomed only in certain climates, or under certain conditions. Or they had poor flower form and/or floppy growing habits—often blooming so late in the fall that frost destroyed the flowers.
Snow-White Blooms in Spring and Fall 'Immortality' requires minimal care beyond normal fertilizing and regular watering. Hardy in zones 4-9, it will do best planted in well-drained soil in an area that receives full sun. 'Immortality' is resistant to deer. This wonderful addition to any garden never fails to delight and will become a favorite! Planting and Care
Our Garden Worthy Certification means that your satisfaction is guaranteed. |
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Garden Club Frequently Asked
Lawn Care Questions Question: Hi, I live in the Kingsville MD area and I was hoping you could tell me if there is any way to get rid of bamboo. I have a friend who just can't get rid of it. Answer: Cut off all the bamboo to within 6 inches from the ground. Pour glyphosate 42% concentrate into the center of each remaining cut-off cane. If the glyphosate will not penetrate into the root, use a long drill to open up the center of the cane. Also paint the entire outside of the cane with the same material. When the bamboo sends up new shoots in the spring, cut them off at 6 inches above ground level when they are still young and less than 3 feet tall. Then pour concentrated glyphosate down into the center and also paint the outside just as you did in the fall. Treatment over several years may be needed. Every time a new shoot emerges, cut it off and treat it. If you are persistent, you will eventually win out over the bamboo—but it will take several years for complete eradication. Question: I have a small yard and want some climbing, ever-blooming roses - what do you recommend? What are some good non-climbing, ever-blooming, fragrant varieties?Answer: The best climbing roses are William Baffin (pink), Westerland (tangerine) and Autumn Sunset (peach). My criteria for "best" is winter hardiness and low maintenance (disease resistance) - very little spraying. New Dawn (very light pink--almost white) also falls into this category, but New Dawn grows very large - the canes can reach 20 feet. If these don't suit, perhaps I can make more suggestions. But I don't recommend many of the other climbers - unless you are truly committed to a spray program of at least 3 times monthly all season long.Amongst the non-climbers, none of the powerfully fragrant varieties are disease resistant. I recommend Knockout (3 varieties: pink, red and blush), Earth Song (pink) and Carefree Beauty (pink). The last two are lightly to moderately fragrant and all bloom repeatedly. All are very disease resistant. Slightly less disease resistant is Carefree Sunshine (yellow).Question: I have a very small yellow bug that has invaded my garden. A cluster of these pests surround themselves with a blanket of slime. They are usually under a leaf near the stem of the plant. What are they and how can I control them? I do not want to use insecticide on my Basil or mint. But they are on Sunflowers and dahlias too. Thank you. Answer: You have spittlebugs. They rarely significantly damage plants. You can wash away the froths and the nymphs inside with a garden hose. If the infestation is really severe, you can spray the flowers, but not the edibles, with malathion or orthene. Question: Allen, you recommended a climbing hydrangea for a heavily shaded north wall. It's now 5 years old, has grown 20 feet, but never bloomed. I think there's not enough light for it to bloom and would consider replacing it with something variegated that would climb without blooming. Any suggestions?Answer: There are beautifully variegated forms of English Ivy, especially Glacier, as well as the dramatic variegated Hedera colchica (dentata variegata) that will perform in heavily shaded spots. In Maryland, Hedera colchica is borderline hardy; it requires protection from the winter winds. A windy exposed site will not be satisfactory. I cannot think of any other dramatic variegated vine that will perform in heavy shade. Another possibility for a vine with flowers in heavy shade is sweet autumn clematis, Clematis paniculata.Incidentally, I have known climbing hydrangea to suddenly flower one year, after all hope has been given up, and flower every year thereafter. Even if you start another vine, you may want to leave the hydrangea in place. Five years is not entirely unusual to wait for a climbing hydrangea to bloom; but I have never known one to refuse to bloom at 20 feet. I also have never seen a site that was too shady for a climbing hydrangea to bloom. A generous application of triple super phosphate this fall may encourage your hydrangea to bloom next year. Can you prune some trees to let in a little more light? Question: A neighbor has about 8 rose bushes (small) I think they are shrub roses that she wants to give me. Can they be transplanted now? How do I go about this...I am new to roses but love them!!!Answer: Roses are best transplanted in the spring before the leaves emerge. October is also a reasonably good time to transplant roses. If you must, you may transplant them now. In all cases the procedure is the same:
Press the soil firmly around the roots of the rose and water in with SeaMate. Mulch with two inches of tan bark mulch. At the end of November mound up each rose up with additional mulch to the top of the canes. Next spring, just as the new leaves emerge, unmound the mulch and feed with Question: I'm not sure I spelled the flower correctly - it is a perennial and I call it the Black-Eyed Susan. This year I have seen them planted at the rest areas in my state (Michigan) and the flowers are extremely large! Is there a new strain that has been developed? I went to our local fair and saw some in the floral displays, but no where did I see any tags telling me what they were, the same for the rest areas. They are maintained by the Master Gardeners, but they don't have any names on the flowers. Do you know what they are and where I can get some? They definitely are not sunflowers. They look just like the Rudbeckia, but larger. Answer: There are some new huge flowered strains of Rudbeckia. They are usually called gloriosa daisies, not Black-Eyed Susans, but they look similar. These are not permanent garden plants; they usually die out over the winter. However, they are usually sold amongst the perennials in chain stores. The best variety of true Black-Eyed Susan is Rudbeckia Goldstrum. It is a permanent perennial and the blooms are larger than the common roadside Black-Eyed Susans, which tend to be short lived and to proliferate by self-sown seedlings.I don’t know which you saw (Black-Eyed Susan or Gloriosa Daisy); but there are several newly bred strains of Gloriosa Daisies recently available. They have really huge flowers. Many of them have a touch of reddish brown on the interior end of the petals around the central cone. So if you are seeing any mahogany color at all, that is a clue you are looking at Gloriosa Daisies. Question: I noticed on the package of Manage, for nutsedge control, that it should not be applied right after the grass has been cut. Why is this and what about seeding?Answer: Nutsedge grows faster than lawn grasses. After three or four days without mowing, the nutsedge will be tall enough to absorb a goodly dose of Manage. I suggest you delay cutting the grass after the application of the Manage for about 10 days, thus you will go 2 full weeks without cutting. This procedure will enable the Manage to achieve maximum effectiveness against the nutsedge. There is another way I could have interrupted the second part of your question. If you are using a slit seeder, thatcher or a core aerator to plant your grass seed, I recommend you cut the grass extra short before seeding. ►Garden Club Newsletter Index |
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