Imperial Star artichokes produce edible buds quickly
Q. In your last e-newsletter you mentioned successfully growing and harvesting Imperial Star artichokes in your garden. Where did you purchase the plants? This will be next year’s experiment.
A. I purchased plants at Ebert’s Greenhouse Village in Ixonia, just west of Oconomowoc. Several catalogs also sell the seeds. As you read in my e-newsletter, artichokes are perennials and normally do not start producing the edible flower buds until the second season. The Imperial Star variety produces edible flower buds the first year. Start seeds indoors in late winter. Move plants you started from seed or purchased into the garden in early June. Imperial Star are perennials and will grow and produce for several years in milder climates. Some zone 6 and even 5 gardeners claim success overwintering the plants. Just mulch heavily. This will be my experiment this winter. I will keep you posted.
Q. How do you get rid of whiteflies on hibiscus plants. They are outside now but will move inside for winter. I tried insecticidal soap, Neem and Sevin, but still have the problem. Help.
A. The good news is most healthy outdoor plants can tolerate whitefly damage and, better yet, these pests do not survive our cold winter. The bad news is they are good at moving indoors on our plants. Their populations build in the warm indoor environment and their feeding can damage the already stressed plants. Isolate infested plants before moving them indoors with your other houseplants. Yellow sticky traps can help manage small populations. Larger infestations will take more work to control. Since the eggs and pupae are not susceptible to most insecticides, you will need to make four to five applications five days apart. Insecticidal soap and Neem are organic options and labeled for control on whiteflies. The key is timing and repetition. Lightweight horticulture oils like Year Round Spray oil are also organic. These kill the pest by suffocating adults and their eggs. No matter what product you choose, always read and follow label directions carefully.