Trees & Shrubs
- My garden is bright and sunny in spring but once my Japanese maple leafs out, it becomes quite shady. How do I know what plants will grow well?
- Is there a purple-leafed tree other than a red maple that I can use to spice up my yard?
- When is a good time to prune a lilac?
- Is it possible to rejuvenate an overgrown butterfly bush?
- Can you suggest a tree for a small yard?
- I have an overgrown Mugo pine in my front border. Is it okay to prune it?
- I have an overgrown shrub in my backyard that I’d like to prune. Can you tell me how to do it?
- Are there any roses that are easy to maintain?
- My walnut tree is showing signs of dieback as are several others in the area. Could Thousand Cankers disease be the cause?
Annuals & Perennials
- I read somewhere that daylily flowers are edible. Is this true?
- Do I have to dig up my tulips every summer?
- Is there anything I can do to stop my Ligularia from wilting in the afternoons?
- How do I collect seeds from my geraniums so that I can start them in my greenhouse next year?
- Is this a good time to divide irises?
- I'm looking for a rose with a strong scent. Any advice?
- I planted a peony five years ago and although it has a lot of really healthy leaves, it has never bloomed. Any idea why?
- No matter what I do with my delphiniums, I still end up having to replace them every few years. Is there some trick I'm missing?
- What should I do to prepare my roses for the winter?
- Is it too early to transplant perennials?
- Should I cut back my perennials before winter or leave them until spring?
- What can I do about the slugs that are devouring my hostas?
- Last fall I planted tulips and the neighborhood squirrels dug most of them up. What can I do to stop them?
- Is it true that pinching the dead flowers off my marigolds will make them last longer?
- Can you recommend an ornamental grass that I can grow in the shade?
- Why did I lose so many perennials last winter when the weather was so mild?
- What types of plants can be used in a rock garden?
Fruit
- Do I remove the flower stalk from my rhubarb?
- How do I know when my melons are ripe?
- Do I need to prune my raspberries?
- Do I prune fall-bearing raspberries the same way I prune June-bearers?
- Why are my peaches small even though I thin the fruit?
- Can you recommend a type of apple tree that would be good on a small property?
- How do I support thornless blackberries and when is the best time of year to prune them?
- How do you prepare strawberry beds for the winter? Do you cut off all the foliage before you cover them with straw?
- What do I do about peach leaf curl?
Vegetables
- What are the best vegetables to grow when you have limited space?
- Is it okay to broadcast carrot seeds instead of planting them in rows?
- Is there a good reason for growing marigolds in a vegetable garden?
- How do I stop voles from eating my potatoes?
- Is it true that someone has invented red carrots?
- Why are my zucchinis producing only male flowers?
- Can you tell me why my squash and cucumber leaves are suddenly turning white?
- How do I know when my potatoes are ready to harvest?
- When is a good time to plant fall vegetables?
- Why didn't my garlic bulbs form cloves?
- Each year my eggplants produce lots of flowers but no fruit. Why?
- Is now a good time to plant onions and garlic?
- What is the difference between summer and winter squash?
- How can I keep my vegetable garden going past frost?
- Is it too late to plant garlic?
- Is it better to plant potatoes in mounds or rows?
- Can I grow corn on a small property?
- How do I grow lots of vegetables in the garden the size of a postage stamp?
- What are the best vegetables to grow in pots on my balcony?
Vines
- Is it okay to use copper pipe to support a wisteria?
- When do I prune my clematis?
- I have a couple of climbing hydrangeas that I planted this spring and I want to move them to a shadier spot, but I’m wondering if I should move them this fall or in the spring. What do you recommend?
- I've been trying for years to get my wisteria to bloom, but all I get is green, leafy growth. Any ideas?
- How can I stop my trumpet vine from suckering?
Maintenance
- What is the best kind of sprinkler to use for watering a garden?
- Do I need to replace all the soil in my pots, or is some of last year's OK to leave in?
- What is the best tool for planting bulbs?
- How can I reduce the odour coming from my compost pile?
- What is the benefit of growing cover crops?
- I would like to plant a cover crop in my garden this fall. What do I plant, how do I plant it and when do I work it in?
- I'd like to convert my vegetable garden into raised beds with micro-sprinklers, use hay for the walkways in-between those beds, then work the decomposed hay into the raised beds at the end of the growing season. Is this a good idea?
- I put manure on my garden last year and my plants turned yellow. Any idea why?
- Which is the better fertilizer, compost or manure?
- Do those motion-detecting sprinklers really keep deer at bay?
- Is it okay to put diseased plants in my compost pile?
- I’d like to have a drought-tolerant garden, but I find most drought-tolerant plants ugly. Do you have any suggestions?
- I read somewhere that you shouldn't put peat moss in your garden. Is this true?
- Deer are determined to prune the bottom four feet of my cedars. Is there anything I can do to stop them?
- Can deer manure be put in the compost or used directly on a garden?
- Can fruit tree leaves that have insect or disease problems be put in the compost?
- Can you give me the names of some plants I can use as a groundcover for a dry, sunny bank that I don't have to water?
- Dog urine is killing my lawn and even some of my garden. What do I do about it?
- I have moss in my lawn. I have used sprays and even replaced the sod only to find it keeps coming back. Do you have any suggestions?
- How do I get the moss out of my lawn?
- What groundcover can I put in the shade?
- How do I get clover out of my garden?
- Any thoughts on how to control quackgrass?
- Can I get rid of quack grass by turning over the soil and letting the sun dry out the roots?
- Is there any plant I can grow to keep the mosquitoes away?
- Is landscape fabric a good way to control weeds?
- How do I get rid of horsetail?
- How do I attract butterflies to my garden?
- How do I get rid of all the ants that are coming in from the garden?
- Are the bee deaths that I have been reading about for the past year something to be concerned about?
- Powdery mildew is showing up in an area of my garden that gets very little water. How can I get rid of it?
- What can I do about spittlebugs?
- What can I do to control blossom end rot in my tomatoes?
- How can I control slug damage?
- Do wasps serve any useful purpose in the garden?
- I have four apple trees on my property and I’m interested in spraying them myself. I read in the Creston Valley Advance that an organic spray for coddling moth has been approved. Do you know the name of it?
- My cabbages have big holes in the leaves and I’m finding green caterpillars on the underside of the leaves. What are they and what can I do about them?
- What can I plant to attact hummingbirds to my property?
- My maple leaves are covered with powdery mildew even though I’ve cut back on watering. How do I get rid of it?
- Why are aphids attacking my viburnums year after year even though I spray them?
- How do I stop sow bugs from eating my plants?
- Why does one of my honeysuckles get powdery mildew every year and the other one doesn't?
- I’ve inherited a garden full of borage and I don’t know what to do with it. Any ideas?
- I’ve been trying to grow winter savory, but so far I’ve had no luck. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
- Do you know anything about worm bins?
- Are there any plants I can put in my garden that won't aggravate my pollen allergies?
- I would like to build raised garden beds for my vegetables and someone told me I shouldn’t use pressure-treated lumber. Is that true?
- Can you say something positive about what bats do for the garden?
- What do people mean when they talk about edible landscaping?
Lawns & Groundcovers
Weeds, Insects & Diseases
Herbs
Miscellaneous
Copyright 2009 - 2010 Vanessa Farnsworth