Wedding flowers require a little extra
No occupation is as delightful to me as the culture of the earth and no culture comparable to that of the garden.
Q. We have a Japanese friend who is getting married in April and we want to force Cherry blossoms for the event. Any suggestions?
—Jim, Ledyard, Conn.
A. What a thoughtful idea! Use 18 inches to two feet terminal shoots. Cut the bottom at a clean acute angle. Use distilled water. The buds should be swollen now. I saw some in bloom at Christmas time. I would start two weeks from the wedding day. Warmer temps and sunlight will bring them forth. Place the filled vases a few feet from a southern exposure. As the buds swell, you can move them closer to the sunlight. They should show color about five days before the appointed time.
Withdraw the plants and keep them cool if they are popping too soon.
Q. We are planning to put in some bamboo. Are there any that are hardy for us in zone 6? How deep do have to go down to curb their growth?
—Chad, Canton, Ill.
A. Bambusa and phyllostachys are good but as you indicated can be invasive. B.nana is a dwarf specie that grows to 15 feet high. Varieties include yellow and silver leaved plants. B.palmatum will only grow to eight feet with purple stems.
Stay away from B. vulgaris. it will grow to 100 feet. You may have to move the house.
Do not buy Polygonum cuspidatum. It is called knotweed or Mexican bamboo but is definitely a weed that is near impossible to eradicate. Phyllostachys coccinea is not as hardy and grows to nine feet. You will need to go down at least two feet to create a barrier to stop spreading these musical plants. They usually are best planted against the north wind to get the most tunes.
Q. My Buddeleia has grown to seven feet but still does not bloom. Any suggestions?
—Michele, Edgefield, S.C.
A. Butterfly bush will do better, if cut back to a few inches from the ground each fall or early spring. A good mulch of bonemeal, aged manure and some sand will protect it in colder climates and enrich the soil with available phosphates. Phosphorus is essential for blooming. Some soils do not free the phosphorus that are in most soils. Buddlelia do not like heavy soils. If your soil is clayey, frequent cultivation should help.
Q. How should I fertilize my cherry tree ? It's about three inches in diameter a the stem.
—Bill, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
A. Drill a half dozen holes with a tire iron or some other like instrument about three feet from the stem. Each one foot deep hole can be filled with the formula mentioned for roses added to an equal amount of 5-10-10 fertilizer. This should suffice for five years. At that time you can double the holes, the distance from the stem and the depth of the holes.
Mort White is a weekly
The Call. contributor to Visit themagicgarden. com/ library,
which has more than a thousand lawn and garden Q&A.