Divide crinum lily bulbs in late winter
coarse compost, which is not quite fully decomposed with portions that are reasonably small. Add about one inch of these mulches or similar products and keep an inch or two from the base of annual flowers. Too thick a mulch layer can cause these normally smaller plants to remain wet and rot.
Clear plastic used to cover our garden site has puddles of water. Do I punch small holes in the plastic to let the water through or just let the water stand?
Punching a small hole or two in the plastic covering probably won’t affect the soil solarization process that bakes the soil to eliminate pests. Since the idea is to hold in the heat, keep the holes to as few as possible. Openings of any size can let the heat out and reduce the effectiveness of the treatment that should last for six to eight weeks.
While it is hard to reduce the sagging plastic that allows puddling, some gardeners add plastic pipe and small containers to tent the covering. These are placed under the clear plastic to hold it up a few inches above the soil and help the water flow toward the edges of the treated bed.
Due to the mild winters, our hibiscus plant has not been trimmed for several years and is now about eight feet tall and still has blooms but a good number of yellow leaves. Should I do some pruning?
Declining leaves are normal, as hibiscus plants grow old and tall. Many would not touch their plants while they are providing landscape color. They simply apply fertilizer as needed to keep the plants vigorous and attractive. Others do what you might call midsummer grooming. Taller and lanky shoots are removed to renew the size and control out-of-bound growth. Usually, major pruning of hibiscus is reserved for late February after most of the winter is over. At this time, cold damage is removed along with needed trimming to bring the plants in bounds.
We planted Asiatic jasmine in a shady area, but deer have eaten the plants down to the ground. Are there any plants they don’t like for the shade?
Hungry deer are likely to eat or at least nibble on any plant, but there are some they normally do not like. Regretfully Asiatic jasmine seems to be a favorite. You might give liriope or mondo grass a try. The latter is not a real grass but a lily relative with grasslike leaves also called lily turf. If you have filtered sun, creeping wire vine would be a possible ground cover resembling Asiatic jasmine. Some low growing shrubs you might try in deer territory include dwarf camellias, cast iron plant, dwarf crotons, Xanadu philodendron, holly ferns and bromeliads. Deer repellents are also available but may need frequent application.
I am growing a pitaya plant that is yellow-green in color. Is this because it is growing in full sun?
Pitaya plants, also known as the dragon fruit and night-blooming cereus, are new to many gardeners. Some residents have been growing this cactus for years with its three- to five-sided stems climbing trunks of palms and walls but until recently did not know them by name. Sudden interest in their fruits has made them popular.
Most pitaya plantings appear to have a yellowishgreen to medium green look. If the plants do not have adequate water and nutrients, it is possible to get sunscald on their stems, but all do best in the full sun. Frequent but light fertilizer applications help maintain the greenest stem color. An easy way to feed the plantings is with a slow-release fertilizer at the container rate once every other month during warm weather. Also, apply a minor nutrient application, following label instructions, every other month.
We are considering using flowering perennials and have enjoyed coneflowers in our northern garden. We don’t see many here. Don’t they do that well?
Garden centers offer the purple, orange and yellow coneflowers, but few residents get them to last more than a season or two. Locally, these flowers are best termed short-lived perennials. They flower spring through fall but may decline during the summer due to the heat and rains. It’s probably best to treat them as annuals to enjoy several months of flowering.