Ask the Experts
Drought-tolerant plant picks, purple martin advice and more.
I planted Queen of the Night tulips and Poet’s daffodils about 10 years ago. Now they only produce foliage and no blooms. Why is this happening?
Melinda: Many new tulip hybrids, like the Queen of the Night shown here, put on a glorious show the first few years and then stop blooming. Consider them short-lived flowers that give you an opportunity to try something new every few years. Or switch to species tulips that tend to grow, spread and flower for many years. Try digging, dividing and replanting Poet’s daffodils. Do this in spring after they have had several months to grow, or mark the location and divide them in the fall when you plant other bulbs. Make sure the daffodils receive at least partial sun for ideal flowering. This is often enough to stimulate blooms. Perhaps also try this technique to stimulate tulips—if it fails, you’ve only lost some time.
While vacationing in Florida, we stopped at beautiful Honeymoon Island State Park, where there’s a plethora of shorebirds. Can you tell me what this one is? Kimberly Miskiewicz RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
Kenn and Kimberly: This is a classic sandpiper of sandy beaches, as reflected in its name: sanderling. Although sanderlings nest and raise their young on the tundra of the high Arctic, they migrate south to spend the winter on beaches all over the world, including as far south as Australia, Africa and South America. The coast of Florida is technically just part of the wintering range for this bird, but every year, some individuals stay through the summer instead of migrating north to the breeding grounds. So it’s possible to see sanderlings on the beaches of Honeymoon Island every season.
Can you ID this flower? It seems like more of a weed in my garden. Aleisa Hunter NEW PALESTINE, INDIANA
Melinda: This unique flower is Hair allium (Allium vineale). The airy flowers stand out among other alliums and combine nicely with lilies, daylilies, coneflowers, rudbeckias and other perennials. It does reseed readily, making it an excellent naturalizer or, in some cases, a weed. Its parent, wild garlic, is listed as an invasive plant in certain states, raising concern that its offspring Hair may also pose a threat in some areas.
The area around my patio is wet and muddy after it rains. How can I get the soil to dry, and what flowers friendly for hummingbirds and butterflies grow best in these conditions? Donna Maples MIDDLETON, WISCONSIN
Melinda: First, improve the drainage by adding several inches of organic matter to the top 12 inches of soil. Then plant perennial flowers that tolerate moist to wet soils. For early spring blooms, grow camassia, daffodils and leopard’s bane. They all provide a welcome splash of color and offer nectar to early season pollinators. Don’t be alarmed if the leopard’s bane goes dormant in the summer.
For summer blooms, add vertical interest and hummingbird appeal with Siberian iris. And consider white-flowered smooth penstemon and blue marsh phlox for midseason color. Cardinal flower brings a vibrant splash of red and attracts hummingbirds, and tall purple prairie blazing star, giant blue lobelia, turtlehead and Joe Pye weed continue the color into fall. Finish the growing season with moisture-tolerant native crested aster. Include sedges for added texture and to help unify the planting.
Is it better to transplant perennials in the fall or spring? Judy Roberts GRAYTOWN, OHIO
Melinda: For best results, transplant spring-flowering perennials in late summer or early fall. Move fall-blooming perennials in spring, and summer-blooming ones in spring or fall. The more you garden, the more you’ll realize that it’s possible to move perennials whenever it’s needed, as long as you provide proper post-transplant care.
ALLIUM OVERVIEW This large group, part of the onion family, includes more than 700 species of flowering bulbs. Look for giant purple spheres of Globemaster, small yellow bloom clusters of moly, and midsize white globes of Mount Everest.
Do cardinals build nests in birdhouses? If so, what height is recommended? Joseph Duplessis OSWEGO, NEW YORK
Kenn and Kimberly: Many birds that build nests inside holes in trees or other natural cavities, such as house wrens, bluebirds and tree swallows, take advantage of man-made birdhouses. Other birds, like cardinals, don’t place their nests inside such enclosed sites, so they won’t use birdhouses. Cardinals build compact, bowl-shaped nests of twigs, weed stems and strips of bark, wedged into a fork in a branch among bushes, trees or vine tangles. To invite a nesting cardinal pair, plant dense shrubs or short trees with plenty of low foliage—most cardinal nests are only 4 to 8 feet above the ground.
We have several mealworm feeders, but robins aggressively chase bluebirds away from them. How can we prevent this?
Shirley Ilig EAST BETHEL, MINNESOTA
Kenn and Kimberly: We love robins, but their aggressive behavior poses serious problems around food sources. Since you’ve already tried using multiple feeders and the robins dominate all of them, we suggest you try a different type of feeder. There’s one design in which the dish that holds mealworms is surrounded by a large open cage, with openings wide enough to let the bluebirds through while keeping bigger birds out. Once the robins discover they can’t reach the mealworms, they will likely leave that feeder alone.
My friend dug up her tulips after they finished blooming and gave me some. Can I plant them now or should I wait until fall? Carol Stadtlander SHEFFIELD, IOWA
Melinda: You can move the tulips to your garden this spring. Be sure to rinse off any soil to avoid transferring invasive jumping worms or other pests. If you want to wait until fall, allow the foliage to dry and store in a cool, dark place until you’re ready to plant. They may take two years to bloom.
FEED MORE BLUEBIRDS Live or dried mealworms? That’s the most commonly asked bluebird-feeding question. Live mealworms are more appealing to birds, while the dried ones are cheaper and more convenient. Try both and see what works for you.
I live in Miami Springs, which is a bird sanctuary. I spotted this bird last spring. Can you ID it? Jon Toth MIAMI SPRINGS, FLORIDA
Kenn and Kimberly: What a wonderful visitor! It’s a type of warbler called an American redstart. This is an adult male, with that classy pattern of deep black and rich reddish orange. Like most warblers, redstarts usually aren’t interested in bird feeders, but they readily come to water as the one in your photo is doing. The American redstart spends the winter in the tropics, and in summer it’s widespread in the eastern U.S. and all across southern Canada. This one in Miami Springs was undoubtedly migrating through on its way north.
I’m new to attracting purple martins. Can you give me some guidance on choosing and setting up a birdhouse? Cindy Phelps LOUISBURG, NORTH CAROLINA
Kenn and Kimberly: The abundance of choices for purple martins can be daunting. To get started, we recommend a house made of aluminum (painted white) or very thick white plastic, with at least 12 compartments. Wooden houses work, but they’re heavy, which is a drawback as the house should be mounted 12 to 18 feet above the ground. You need to be able to open each compartment individually for cleaning. For mounting, it’s best to have a sturdy pole with a pulley system so that the house can be easily raised and lowered. The Purple Martin Conservation Association (purplemartin.org) offers a wealth of information on attracting these birds.
What is this plant? I’ve given starts to friends, who call them “Cynthias.” I don’t mind a flower named after me, but I’d really like to know its real name. Cynthia Congdon PIQUA, OHIO
Melinda: You could tell your friends to call it Cynthia’s clustered bellflower. They’ll remember the source and have the proper name of the plant. Botanically, it is known as Campanula glomerata. As you and your friends have discovered, it grows best in full sun to partial shade and moist, well-draining soil. It does grow quickly, so regular division helps keep it contained. Prune the plants back after flowering to encourage more compact growth.