Gardening "How To"

1.) What is an annual?
Answer: An annual is a plant that grows, flowers, sets seed, and dies in the same season. Annuals are plants whose life cycle lasts only one year, from seed to blooms to seed. Removing the flowers as they fade prolongs the blooming cycle, but if left to produce seeds, many annuals will readily reseed themselves. They are an excellent way to create a great display of all summer color in the garden, and can also be used for in hanging baskets and combination containers.

2.) When is the best time to plant annuals?
Answer: Tender annuals cannot be planted until after all danger of frost has passed and the soil is warm. Half-hardy annuals, like petunias, can be safely planted if nights are still cool as long as there will be no more frost. Hardy annuals, like pansies and violas, can be planted in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked.

3.) How should annuals be planted?
Answer: The best time to plant is late in the afternoon. Before planting, water your plants and the soil in your bed well. Remove the plants from their pots gently to disturb the roots as little as possible. If the roots are compacted, loosen them gently before planting. Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball, and set the plant in at the same level at which it was growing. Carefully firm the soil around the roots. Water well after planting and keep moist until the plants are established and new growth has started. Once they are established, an addition of a balanced fertilizer, like Miracle Gro or my favorite a slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote will encourage them to bloom.

4.) How often should I fertilize my annuals?
Answer: We recommend that annuals are fertilized with a liquid fertilizer, like Miracle Gro, once every other week. Another option available is the use of a granular, slow or time-released fertilizer like Multi-cote or Osmocote. These types of fertilizers will gradually feed your plants with the proper nutrients for a period of three to as many as nine months. Package labels give specific information that tells how much fertilizer to use and how often it should be applied. I recommend using a slow release fertilizer and then if needed or every so often apply a liquid fertilizer such as Miracle Gro.

5.) What is the best way to keep my plants blooming for a long time?
Answer: The best way to keep your plants blooming for a long period of time is through deadheading. This means to remove the faded flowers. Deadheading encourages the plant to produce more flowers and therefore lengthens the bloom time. Also, it improves the appearance of the plant in general. Remove the flower stem as far below the leaves as possible, being careful not to cut off buds that may bloom in the future. Plants will also become bushier if they are pinched back or trimmed. Many of the newer varieties have been bred to be self cleaning meaning they sort of dead head themselves. It doesn’t hurt to deadhead them but that’s optional.

6.) What is a perennial?
Answer: A perennial is a plant that lives for several years, growing in size until they reach their full maturity. Perennials are available in a wide range of colors, forms, sizes, and bloom times which means they can provide color from early spring to late fall. Most perennials are low maintenance. They require some basic care which includes fertilizing, mulching and grooming from time to time. Although they live on longer, some perennials lose their vigor after 3-4 years, and should be divided or replaced. While most perennials die back to the ground each fall, the roots remain alive to produce new foliage in the spring.

7.) How should perennials be planted?
Answer: Before removing perennials from their containers, it is important to water the plants thoroughly. Then dig a hole as deep and about twice as wide as the container the plant is in. Next, remove the plant from the container, if the roots are tightly bound together with the soil, be sure to loosen them so the plant will adapt more easily to its new surrounding. Securely position the plant in the ground, cover the roots with soil, and water the plants thoroughly. Be sure to water the plants regularly until the plants are established. Because perennials grow in size as they mature, it is important to refer to individual plant tags for recommended spacing to avoid over crowding.

8.) How often should I fertilize my perennials?
Answer: Fertilize plants in the spring when the new growth begins using a granular, slow or time-released fertilizer (highly recommended) like Multi-cote or Osmocote. These types of fertilizers will gradually feed your plants with the proper nutrients for a long period of time. Package labels give specific information that tells how much fertilizer to use and how often it should be applied. Plants can also be fertilized one or two times per month using a liquid fertilizer like Miracle Gro. Perennials should no longer be fertilized beyond the end of July to allow proper preparation for winter.

Potted perennials should be fertilized at the time of planting with the exception of fall plantings, after late July. In this case, perennials need enough time to properly prepare for winter, so fertilizing should take place the following spring.

9.) When is the best time to water my perennials?
Answer: Early morning is the best time to water perennials because the plants have the most time to soak up moisture in the soil. Watering late in the evening can promote the growth of disease in plants. It is important for perennials to develop a good, deep root system. Plants should be watered regularly following planting until they have been established. Once established, plants should be watered when the soil begins to dry, usually every three to four days depending on the weather. More often if these are grown in a container.

10.) When do I deadhead my perennials?
Answer: Deadheading involves removing spent and faded flowers from perennials. Cut the flower stems as far as you can without removing new buds that may bloom in the future. Deadheading not only improves the look and appearance of the plant but also encourages the plant to produce more flowers and lengthens the bloom time.

11.) How do I deadhead my perennials?
Answer: Deadheading involves removing spent and faded flowers from perennials. Cut the flower stems as far as you can without removing new buds that may bloom in the future. Deadheading not only improves the look and appearance of the plant but also encourages the plant to produce more flowers and lengthens the bloom time.

12.) When do I cut back my perennials?
Answer: After the perennial has finished flowering, cut 2/3 of the entire plant, leaving about 1/3 of the plant. Most perennials will re-bloom a few weeks following the cutting. Cutting back also produces a much fuller bushier plant with more blooms.

13.) How do I cut back my perennials?
Answer: After the perennial has finished flowering, cut 2/3 of the entire plant, leaving about 1/3 of the plant. Most perennials will re-bloom a few weeks following the cutting. Cutting back also produces a much fuller bushier plant with more blooms.

14.) How do I divide my perennials?
Answer: Perennials can be divided by digging the plant clump out of the ground and breaking apart the plant with your hands or cutting the plant with a knife. Depending on the size, plants can be split into two or three large clumps or several small ones. Be sure that each piece has some roots attached and replant the pieces at the same depth. Also you can split a portion off the plant when it is still in the ground by taking a shovel/knife and cutting/digging a portion off. Make sure to refill the hole with topsoil. I think this is less stressful on the plant since many roots (micro roots) are still left in place uninterrupted.

15.) When do I divide my perennials?
Answer: The best times to divide perennials are when they can be most easily managed, in the spring before the new foliage has fully come up, and early fall when the growth of the plant has slowed down. Many perennials will need to be divided at some time. Perennials should be divided when the plant has outgrown its space, dies out in the center, or the flowering has diminished.

16.) How do I winterize my perennials?
Answer: When the growing season has ended following the first frost, most perennials can be cut back to about 4-6 inches above the ground. Perennials like coneflowers and grasses provide winter interest to the garden and do not require cutting back until spring. It is also important to protect the plants from harsh winter conditions by mulching around perennials with things like bark, grass clippings, mulched leaves, or a combination of the three.

17.) How do I prevent my tall and bushy plants from falling over?
Answer: Tall plants and bushy plants fall for various reasons; heavy blooms, unprotected and windy location, heavy rains, etc. and can benefit from staking by avoiding breakage. One way to provide additional stability to tall plants is by surrounding the plant with two or three poles and tying a string to connect the poles to each other, going around the plant two or three times. You can also stake individual stems. In doing so, be careful to leave enough space between the string and the pole to allow the stems room to grow. You can provide stability for bushy plants by surrounding them with peony cages or rings.

18.) What do I do if I spot pests in my garden?
Answer: If untreated, pests can greatly damage the plants in your flower beds. If you notice a problem, it is important to act fast to prevent the spread of pests to the other plants. Treat only the affected plants, it is not necessary to treat all plants in a particular bed.

19.) How do I treat diseased plants in my garden?
Answer: If untreated, pests and diseases can greatly damage the plants in your flower beds. If you notice a problem, it is important to act fast to prevent the spread of diseases to the other plants. Treat only the affected plants, it is not necessary to treat all plants in a particular bed.

20.) What is a shrub?
Answer: Shrubs are thick, woody perennial plants that usually have several stems that branch out from the base of the plant. Shrubs come in many different colors, sizes, and shapes, and have a variety of bloom times. Some shrubs provide a showy, display of flowers, while the color and or shape of the foliage of others adds a great deal of interest to the garden. While shrubs are smaller than trees, they are generally much larger than other garden annual and perennial plants. Because of their size, they make an excellent focal point in the garden and provide an attractive background in the landscape. They are also perfect as hedge plants and helpful in hiding unattractive features of the garden or landscape. Shrubs also grow quite fast and last a long time.

21.) When is the best time to plant shrubs?
Answer: Spring is the best time to plant shrubs because it allows the shrub a long period of time in the growing season to become well established.

22.) When is the best time to transplant shrubs?
Answer: It is best to wait until the shrub has finished flowering before transplanting it.

23.) How do I prune my shrubs?
Answer: Pruning is an important step in caring for shrubs. Pruning will improve the look and health of the shrubs. There are two basic ways to prune shrubs, one is to take a heading cut and the other is a thinning cut. A heading cut is made to reduce the height of the shrub without changing the natural form of the plant. This type of pruning is done by trimming the branches at a slight angle, sloping away from the bud, and about ¼ inch above a new bud. Heading cuts encourage the shrub to grow back bushier and fuller. Thinning cuts on the other hand, are much deeper cuts that remove branches at their source and are made to eliminate the thickness of the plant. Cuts are made at a slight angle but do not stimulate re-growth. All cuts should be made at a slight angle to encourage proper healing. When cuts are too steep the new buds may dry and when cuts are flat, the ends of the branch may rot.

24.) When is the best time to prune shrubs?
Answer: Thorough pruning should be done in late winter or early spring. Pruning in late summer is discouraged because plants have a short amount of time to heal and reestablish new growth. However, light pruning can be done any time of the year. The exact time of pruning, varies by plant but should be based on when the shrub flowers. Shrubs that flower in the spring, before May, should be pruned as soon as the flowers fade in the spring up until prior to July 4th to guarantee maximum flowering. Shrubs that flower in the summer, May or later, should be pruned early in the spring before the new growth begins. While Hydrangeas bloom in the summer, they are the exception and should be pruned immediately after flowering.