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Falling Verginia Creeper Hello : ) My Virginia Creeper is growing on the Vinyl siding of the House and when it becomes to heavy it falls "Snaps". Any suggestions on to how to help ...
Above ground vegetables doing poorly We started our first raised-bed vegetable patch this spring. It is a 9'x8'x15" bed. The bottom 5" or so is gravel. Above that is 800 lbs. of Ace potting ...
Wisteria Trees
Can you root a wisteria tree from a part of a branch?
Doug says depending on what "part of the branch" you have, you may be able to get it to root. But ...
Grass infesting flower plants. I have a grouping of garden phlox (tall) that is infested with lawn grass. outside of digging up the plant, separating the stems and removing the grass,...
Wanting that Banana tree! I haven;t bought my banana tree yet, I wanted to know first if I will be able to grow one here in southeast tennessee? I love the tropical look and want ...
Miracle Grow for Straw Bale Gardens?
You recommend fish emulsion or compost tea for fertilizing straw bale gardens. How about Miracle Grow once every week or two?
Doug says that Miracle ...
broccoli seedlings - when to transplant? I started my broccoli seeds in a shed, on a warming mat, under grow-bulbs on 3/7/10. They germinated and sprouted well, but now the seedlings (still with ...
do bell peppers need special treatment? I have tried several times to grow bell peppers - the plants thrive and do well, but the frost kills the tiny peppers, they seem to take too long to develop....
Planting pepper plants
Do pepper plants need to be planted with at least two together for cross pollination? I have heard that one pepper plant by itself will not do well.
Thanks,...
Can Trumpet Vine be grown in containers? Would a Praecox colored Trumpet Vine grow if planted in a container? If yes, what size container should be used and will this stunt the growth? I have ...
Planting a new clematis in same spot one died I planted a clematis last fall. It showed some growth this spring and then when it got hot, it died. On reading your material, I suspect I didn't plant ...
Transplanting Ladie's Mantle I had a plant that was getting too big for the area it was originally planted in. I dug it up and transplated it in a different location but with the ...
something is eating my brussel sprout leaves pretty much full sun...lots or organic product in a brand new raised bed...never grown brussel sprouts before...about 18 inches tall...top leaves got lots ...
Dying Seedlings I've started several different batches of seeds and all of them will germinate, grow for a week, and then keel over an die. I've noticed that all of the ...
nervous about virginia creeper I love the idea of planting virginia creeper on the front of my house. But I am nervous about it growing into and over the roof and into any holes or window ...
Vines that don't make cats sick
I live in zone 4. Are there any vines that I can grow, that won't make my cat sick if he eats it?
Doug says he's not a vet - let me suggest you check ...
Changing Hydrangea color by "old school" techniques. I was looking on the internet to research changing the color of Hydrangea blooms by using techniques my mother once told me and used herself. Basically ...
cow manure compost
Can we use cow manure compost bought from the store since we don't have any of our own?
Doug says that stuff isn't the best but better than nothing....
Figuring out microclimates
Hi,
I have been reviewing USDA Zone info lately -- trying to decide if a particular plant would work in my area. What I discovered is that a zone doesn'...
Mold on seedlings started indoors I started my seeds indoors and am using a heat pad for the first time. There's mold all over my little peat pots - should I start over or will the mold ...
chlorine in my water I have decided to keep my yard all organic, I buy organic fertilizer made from alpha meal and use no chemicals at all, I bought a new pull behind ...
how is to old for cow manure
I have a large pile of cow manure and it is 20 to 25 years old, does it still have any value if i put it on the garden. thanks. Larry
Doug says it doesn'...
Planting a Rose in a Container?? I just bought a "KnockOut" rose shrub (not bare root-it has leaves, etc.,so it came in a plastic container). My husband wants to re-plant it in a regular ...
homemade fish emulsion
I live near a small lake - can I chop up a few small fish (punkinseeds) and use this instead of the fish emulsion?
Doug says that would be very dedicated ...
forsythia close to wall
what kind of root system do they have and how far should they be planted from a concrete block retaining wall?
Doug says they have a basic fibrous root ...
Can 12 year old rosemary be saved? We planted a 10 trailing rosemary plants about 12 years ago. They have spread to roughly 10 x 10 ft beautiful bushes. However for the last two years they ...
container rhubarb
It's in a large pot,3rd year ,west facing balcony.Doesn't grow tall,only about 7 inches.Shouldn't it be growing taller this year?
Doug says that yes,...
Old-fashion Lilacs We planted old fashion lilacs about 10 years ago. They have gotten about 3 feet high and do not grow any more. They put on seed type growth each year after ...
seed orientation With big seeds like broad beans ( I sow edge on ) and runner beans ( vertically ) but the seeds are not symmetrical should the bulbous bit be the deepest ...
rooting new cutoffs I would like to make a fenced in area with my forsythia but constantly buying the trees is expensive - do I need to root it for sure or can I take a clipping ...
canna flower color I have probably 150+ canna bulbs my Father had stored. He passed away so I am taking over this job for him. i know he has every color of flower, but they ...
digging holes for trees water does'nt drain from hole I dug for some fruit trees.The ground is mostly clay.I need to know what soil and other material to put in the hole to fix ...
Would straw bale gardening be suitable for starting bamboo? Hi, I live on a lot with heavy clay, little topsoil, but have made a planter filled with lighter growing medium amended with sand, specifically to plant ...
Pruning Virginia Creepers
I am not sure how to prune my Virginia creepers - they grow a huge amount and end up hanging on the ground, going sideways, along the ground, etc.
Doug ...
Roots close to Home Foundations
Hi Doug,
We have an area in front of our house where we believe when it was built in the 80's were plans to plant something. The area wraps around ...
how far apart do I plant the vines? I'd like to plant Virginia Creeper to spread over some gabion rock cages we have along our lake front property. The soil is a clay/sand mix and the length ...
honeysuckle ground cover on slope I have grown honeysuckle on trellises in this climate successfully. I now live on a very steep slope, and have heard that honeysuckle can be used as a ...
Encourage Growth After Hard Cut-Back Hello, I recently bought this property and I believe that I cut back the two Clematis plants back to severely (approx 2-3 cm above the ground). I can barely ...
bringing clematis inside in cold weather
I live in South Jersey. I have no problem growing clematis outside in containers in summer. How do I keep them alive thru the winter?
Doug says you ...
cutting back carnation greens I live in NH and planted carnations for the first time last year. In the fall the foliage seemed good so I didnt cut it back. It is okay now, but I am ...
pruning hydrangea Hi Doug. Sorry, but I read a few questions so I wouldn't have to ask one you have previously answered but I didn't see what I was looking for so I am doing ...
composting dog feces
How do I accelerate dog poop into good compost? I add dirt with worms to it now.
I know not to put food scraps in that bin so I added an additional ...
straighten wisteria trunk
can you straiten a wisteria trunk?
Doug says - the trunk of a wisteria tree is a grafted bit of wood under the vine on top of it. So the quick answer ...
no fruit, flowers dry up. my rasberries set fruit and then the flowers dry up. Plants are on a soaker hose one hour per night during the summer. I live where it is very hot 100-...
How fast do lilacs grow? The Arbor Day Foundation sent me a small (approx. 10") bareroot lilac. It was already coming out of the dormant stage when it arrived. I have planted it ...
