Gardening Question of the Day

Can a hibiscus plant survive a Chicago winter?

Yes, but be sure you have a hardy variety. Tropical varieties will not tolerate frost, although people do grow them in northern climes. You just have to keep them in pots and bring them inside before the first frost. A hibiscus with glossy, deep green leaves and red, pink, orange, or yellow, double or single flowers is probably a tropical variety. A perennial, hardy hibiscus will have dull, medium-green, heart-shaped leaves; dinner plate-size white, pink, or red flowers; and huge, bomb-shaped buds. A hardy hibiscus needs very little care over the winter and is hardy to about Zone 5 with no protection. Growing a hibiscus inside during the winter may require artificial light. No matter what, you can't expect as much lush growth and bloom from a hardy variety as you see in the tropics.

Last 7 Days

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I'm intrigued by the idea of a cutting garden, but I'm uncertain how one keeps such a garden generating new flowers. Any advice?

Different gardeners have different ideas about what a cutting garden should be, but generally speaking, it includes unpretentious rows of flowers, sometimes added to a large vegetable garden, that are intended to be decimated. They are the overflow, beyond the more formal borders, edgings, and patio beds that you want to keep looking their best. A cutting garden is best situated in some sunny, out-of-the-way spot. A skilled gardener will plan successive plantings to provide a steady supply of cuttings as the summer progresses. Some good choices for cutting gardens are the taller, longer-stemmed, not-so-neat varieties of flowers that adorn a bouquet but can make a formal border look disheveled. They may be annuals or perennials. Shasta daisies, feverfew, baby's breath, statice, zinnias, cosmos, strawflowers, poppies, delphiniums, sweet peas, and ornamental grasses are all good choices.

Monday, May 14, 2012

What causes my otherwise great black raspberries to have little dry, brown spots on the berry?

What you're seeing is probably the result of wasps, hornets, stinkbugs or other bucks helping themselves to the juice inside the little drupelets. They can suck out the juice in just a few of these and leave the rest of the berry intact. If it gets out of hand, consider protecting your bush with fine netting.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

How should I prune oleanders?

The best time for pruning an oleander is right after flowering in late spring or early summer. Prune it back by one-third, using hand tools to remove one branch at a time. Prune out any branches killed over the winter as well.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

I'm putting up an eight-foot cedar fence to shelter a brick patio area from the north winds. What can I grow on its shady side?

We assume you're looking for a climbing vine, as opposed to a ground cover or shrub, although you could certainly use all three. To climb the cedar poles, your best bet might be winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei radicans), which can extend up to 12 feet and is a hardy evergreen vine for Zone 5 (and even somewhat north of that). It shows a glossy, variegated leaf and thrives in partial or full shade and ordinary soil. It's a member of the bittersweet family, but it displays a pale pink fruit and greenish white flowers. If you want something more fragrant, you might try a shade-loving clematis vine. Unlike the large-flowered clematis plants that love sun, 'Sweet Autumn' clematis is well adapted for shade and known for its autumn fragrance and small white flowers. It likes rich, well-drained soil. Prune it back for winter; you'll want new growth in the spring. As for shrubs and ground covers, there's no end to the shade-loving varieties.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Last season's mulch has a whitish yellow fungus-type covering on it. What is this?

Most mulches are mixtures of shredded wood and bark residues, and they decompose over time. Fungi and bacteria always accompany the decomposing process. Sometimes the fungi become visible. You may be dealing with a "slime mold," which is usually bright yellow or orange and can grow from several inches to more than a foot in diameter. This type of mold will dry out and turn brown, leaving a white powder behind. If you want to get rid of the slime, you can dump it in your compost pile or household garbage.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Which herbs grow best in shady places?

Some herbs that work well in shade are feverfew, horseradish, pennyroyal, parsley, chamomile, vervain, hyssop, and rue.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

My gooseberry bush has been doing poorly in recent years. Any suggestions?

You should have two inches of soil around the plant and give it an inch of water a week if the weather has been dry. Feed it with a granular organic fertilizer.