Dear Rose
Answers to some of your gardening questions.
Perennial Pruning
Hens and Chickens
Hydrangea
Mandevilla Plant
Angel Trumpet (datura)
Winterizing Japenese Maple In Container
Growing Peony (in Containers)
Plumeria Leaves Freckled and Dropping
Dahlia Storage
Dear Rose,
When is the best time to cut back my perennials?
The best time is after the frost when the stalks have died. Or in the case of ornamental grasses, they can be left until early Spring as the grass plumes provide winter interest. In the Spring, cut back all those left, close to the ground and take away all dead leaves and plant matter.;
Dear Rose,
I have a strawberry pot full of "Hens and Chickens". How do I winter over this pot?
Place the pot in a cool place like a garden shed, garage or cellar and leave alone for the winter. In the Sprin,g bring the pot out into the sunshine and begin to water. It will soon be bursting with life again.
Dear Rose,
What do I need to do in order to put my Hydrangea plant to bed for the winter?
Late in the Fall, you may want to mulch or cover with an old basket for the winter, perhaps even a burlap wrap. If you received it as a gift, hopefully it was put in the ground before now to establish root system and growth.
Dear Rose,
What care does the Mandevilla plant need for the winter? It is outside now and the vines are very long. I would like to preserve it over the winter months.
Except for the Chilean Jasmine (Mandevilla laxa), which is root-hardy to about 5F degrees, most Mandevilla's are considered greenhouse or indoor plants in cold-winter areas. Bring your plant indoors, and place it in a brightly lit area where the minimum temperature will be above 55 degrees. Water sparingly, and don't feed, because growth will be minimal in the winter months. In the early Spring, begin watering often enough to keep the soil moist, and mist the leaves every few days (this is especially important when the plant is developing flower buds). When the weather warms in the Spring, take your plant outdoors, where it should put on an attractive performance throughout the Summer months.
Dear Rose,
How do I care for my potted Angel Trumpet for the winter? Do I let it rest in a cool place with no water or do I bring it in the house and keep it green for the winter?
You will need to bring it indoors for the winter. Examine it carefully for pests before you bring it in and if there is time, gradually move it to a shadier location so it can become used to reduced light. You can try to keep it growing and blooming (it may get huge) if you have a very sunny location to keep it in. If not, trim it back by about a third and keep it in a bright but cool location, about 55 or 60 degrees works well. Cut back on the water and fertilizer as the growth slows for the season, then increase it again in Spring when it picks up. Gradually re-acclimate the plant to the sunlight and eventually move it outside for the Summer.
Dear Rose,
What is the best way to winter over a Japanese Maple in a container at an ocean-side, zone 5 home? Should I put it indoors or in an unheated garage? Should it receive any light? What care would be best?
Most Japanese maples are root hardy to zone 5, so if yours were planted in the ground it would winter without too much trouble. Since it's in a container, the roots could be exposed to too much cold if you left it exposed during the winter months. You can bury the pot in a planting bed in a protected area over the winter, or you can place the container in a larger container, surrounded by several inches of insulation to help keep the root mass from freezing solid. Don't put the plant indoors, not even in an unheated garage, or you may induce early growth which will freeze back if you take it outdoors too soon. I'd opt for burying the pot in an east-facing spot, somewhere near a building that would block the wind. It's important that the pot has adequate drainage holes and that the soil around it doesn't get (or remain) soggy during the winter months.
Dear Rose,
Is it true peonies love colder weather and normal to acidic soil? Is it possible to grow peony in plant pot? I have a 12” pot and am planning to use it to grow a peony. If I leave it outdoors during winter, will it grow again after freezing?
Peonies do grow best in cool weather, that's why they look so beautiful in the Northeast! They don't need acidic soil. A soil with the pH between 6 and 7 will do. You can grow them in pots, but they'll have to be protected through the winter either by heavy mulching outdoors or moving them to an unheated garage. It would be best to grow them in the soil where, if happy, will bloom for many years!
Dear Rose,
I have an eight year old plumeria which this Spring had three buds after I moved to a new apartment. One bloomed, the other two did not. All of the leaves developed white "freckles", and leaves are turning yellow and falling off, and then turn brown after falling. Is this a fungal disease? The plant appears to be healthy except for this condition.
This can happen when plants suddenly get moved from one environment to another. Changes in light and humidity are usually the reasons for leaf drop. Is the plant still getting plenty of bright light? They do best with just a little direct sun -- too much might cause leaf spotting. I haven't been able to find any information on diseases that might afflict plumeria -- they are generally easy to grow and trouble-free. If you'd like, you can send a sample to the extension service for them to diagnose. It's best to repot plumeria every couple of years -- maybe yours is signaling its need for a new pot. Hope this helps!
Dear Rose,
I had the most incredible luck with my dahlias this year; planting them like potatoes worked very well. Would putting them in a paper bag with peat or saw dust, and putting them in the basement be a proper way to store them this Fall? What would be the best "container"?
A paper bag or cardboard box should be fine, but avoid plastic bags for instance because they do not allow for air flow. I would expect mice to find them tasty, so you might want to be careful to control any mice and possibly encase the tubers in a smaller size wire mesh cage for good measure. Another possibility would be to hang the paper bag or box of tubers in a nylon or string mesh bag to make it a bit less accessible. Good luck!