Re: hi, a few questions....
- Subject: Re: [SG] hi, a few questions....
- From: M* T*
- Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 00:54:56 -0400
Well, Marilyn..FWIW..
1) You can plant container grown plants any time the ground isn't
frozen. I've been planting Hydrangeas in this awful heat and they're
doing fine. I puddle mine in, however and make sure they don't get
dry.
Usually, you'll get purple when you buy a blue flowered form and your
soil can't decide whether it's acid or alkaline...like you have acid
soil but amended it with lots of compost and composted cow manure or
something.
2) Ants don't damage plants unless they mound soil up on them when
excavating their nests...or build a nest directly under something and
you don't notice and don't water it - ant nests provide very sharp
drainage:-) Do not worry about them. Fire ants are another story,
but don't think you have those?
3) Could be your soil is too loose to support the weight of the
flower stalk? Where mine seed into an area with pure rotted
woodchips a foot deep or so, they will tend to lean in full flower -
they get very big in that "soil" and simply don't have enough weight
on their roots to anchor them in. Some do this even in clay...just
seems to depend on the plant and whether it develops a strong enough
stem to stand up to the weight of its flowers. Particularly happens
after a heavy rain...those flowers just get too heavy for the plants.
You can simply stake them if this is a consistent problem. Or
scatter seeds around shrubs so they grow up through them and let the
shrubs support them.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
-----------------------------------------------
Current Article: Planting Basics: Soil
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
------------------------------------------------
Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
------------------------------------------------
All Suite101.com garden topics :
http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635
----------
> From: marilyn <marimuse@earthlink.net>
>
> Hi, very quiet around here lately, guess everyone is in the
> garden....but I have a few questions, so am hoping that someone
will see
> them...
>
> 1. I want to plant a few hydrangeas under a mountain laurel. When
is
> the best time to plant these? Also, I really love the ones that
are
> purple more than blue....do I buy a particular one, or is this all
done
> by amendments to the soil? And if amendments, what exactly should
I do
> to get this marvelous color?
>
> 2. I just was about to plant something, when I found that there
was a
> swarm of ants- some with and some without wings....at least, they
look
> like ants. Millions of them! What do I do? and will they harm my
> plants in any way? They seem to have nibbled at me a bit before I
> realized that they were there.
>
> 3. I am having some problems with my foxgloves. I really love
them,
> and have seen them in other people's gardens standing up straight
and
> tall....but mine, the minute the flowers start to come, bend over
and
> lie on the ground. Any thoughts on what the problem may be?
>
> Thanks, and hope everyone is having a terrific gardening season!
>
> marilyn
