Hibiscus syriacus 'Helene' and 'Diana'
Two Outstanding National Arboretum
Introductions 'Helene' produces gorgeous, pure white flowers with prominent ruby red throats. 'Diana' produces waxy, pure white flowers. Both are a vase shaped, multi-stemmed deciduous shrubs with a vigorous upright growth habit. They mature to a height of 8-12 feet by 6 feet wide and can be trained as a large shrub or a small tree. Both varieties produce flowers with broad overlapping petals of an unusually heavy waxy substance. Both are also virtually sterile so they produce no unwanted seedlings, which are the bane of the common Rose-of-Sharon. Sterility also causes these varieties to be unusually long blooming as they produce more flowers in a futile attempt to set seeds. The beautiful flowers are enhanced by the deep green glossy foliage - deeper green than I have seen on any other Rose-of-Sharon. Either variety can be trained as a small tree or planted in masses as a screen. 'Diana' and 'Helene' are particularly attractive planted around a deck, patio or swimming pool - either in the ground or in pots.
$28.85 each or for a limited time save 20% off when you buy one of each! |
||||||
August
10, 2006
|
|
|
Garden Club Frequently Asked
Questions Question: Several of my neighbors are following your Lawn Care Program with great success. I would like to start this fall; however, I can't start until the middle of September when I return home. I have quite a few weeds and crabgrass and I also need to re-seed. Most of our lawn is in full sun. Being as I have to start late, what changes do you recommend in the Fall Lawn Care Program? Answer: As you are just now getting on the Fall Lawn Care Program for the first time, as soon as you return I suggest you fertilize with Turf Trust rather than the Espoma 100% Organic. You are going to have to make a choice between weed control and re-seeding. When you get back if the lawn is mostly weeds and crabgrass I suggest you get the weeds under control. If at least half the lawn is not totally covered with weeds, you can hold off on weed control until spring and re-seed as soon as you return. Question: I enjoy listening to your program on 680AM. My rose bushes are covered with Yellow Black Spotted leaves. One bush is almost completely covered and I am worried that it may die. What can I use that would be easy for me? Two of the bushes are 5 to 6 feet tall. The others are low bushes. What can I use to kill grass and weeds in my garden without killing bulbs, Black-eyed Susans, etc? Will these plants come up if I put the Tan Bark Mulch down or should I use something else in the front of my house? Answer: The best fungicide to control Black Spot on roses is Infuse. If you put Tan Bark Mulch around, but not over, the Black-eyed Susans, the plants will come up through it. There is no product that you can spray on your entire garden that will not kill the Black-eyed Susans as well as the weeds. I suggest you pull out the weeds around the desirable plants and, before you mulch, carefully apply Remuda to the weeds. Remuda kills everything it touches; so spray carefully or use a paint brush. If the weeds are more than 18 inches tall, you can cut them back and when they re-sprout, apply Remuda to the new shoots. Unless the tops of the bulbs are exposed, dormant bulbs will not be harmed by the Remuda. If the tops are exposed, just cover them with soil before you spray. If the flower bed is mostly weeds, consider removing the desirable perennials (or at least the small ones) to a temporary location for a less risky and an easier, more thorough kill. Incidentally, there are herbicides that kill just grass weeds in a flower bed and do not harm non grassy plants. They are best applied in the spring. Applied carefully and usually repeatedly, they work reasonably well. Question: When do you prune Clematis and will they bloom again this year if I do it now? Answer: When necessary, Clematis get their major pruning in early spring before the leaves come on. On many varieties a light pruning after blooming, or even now in early August, will encourage better re-bloom in late summer and early fall. Question: We planted several Cherry Laurels this past spring. The leaves are turning brown; mainly the tips of the leaves are brown and dry. What should I do to keep them healthy and alive?
Answer: There are four possibilities. 2. Fungus 3. The roots of the Cherry Laurel dried out in the summer heat and drought. 4. Balled (as opposed to pot grown) plants with too small a ball and severed large roots. The first and last are most likely. If planted too deep, pull away the mulch and surface soil to expose the top of the original root mass. If the soil is too wet either channel water away from the area, relocate the Cherry Laurel to a better drained location, or amend the soil with Soil Perfector and plant in the same place but higher using Myke beneficial mycrorrhizae.
Question: I have a mature (16 year old) Sugar Tyme Crab Apple tree with a serious cedar-apple rust infection. This beautiful tree has never had a fungal infection before. Is this disease one that could kill my tree or is this relatively minor? How do I treat it, and is there a systemic I could use that would be effective even if I can't get the spray all the way to the top part of the tree? Do you think the semi-draught we've been in decreased the tree's natural immunity? (Also, wherever the Cedar is, it is not on my property). Answer: Sugar Tyme is quite resistant to cedar apple rust; so it is surprising to me that you are having this problem. Even crab apples that get cedar apple rust every year seem to bounce back the next spring, without any apparent permanent harm. It's too late to spray this year. To be sure the tree is not infected next year; you can make several preventative sprays starting as soon as the flower buds show color. Usually a regimen of 3 sprays 7 to 10 days apart is required. Choose a fungicide specifically labeled for cedar-apple rust such as Daconil 2787 or Infuse. Only the parts of the tree that are sprayed will be protected. However, based upon a one year infection over 16 years, if this were my tree I would not start up an annual spray program. I would wait to see how the tree fares next year - either by partial spraying or no spraying at all.
|
|
|