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The Garden Plot
Hosted by Adrian Higgins
Washington Post Garden Editor
Thursday, April 10, 2003; 11 a.m. ET
Got a chronic case of green thumb? Like getting your hands dirty? Adrian Higgins, garden editor for The Post's Home section, is here to help. Higgins is a firm believer in "tough plants for tough times" -- the varieties that combine good looks with stiff resistance to disease and pests. He currently rules over a garden filled with spring bulbs, daffodils, ornamental onions, perennials, asters, yarrows, hostas and day lilies. Higgins, an avid organic gardener who believes chemicals are a last resort, also tends his own herb and vegetable gardens where he grows peas, garlic onions, lettuce, rhubarbs, radishes, carrots and more.
Higgins is the author of two books, "The Secret Gardens of Georgetown: Behind the Walls of Washington's Most Historic Neighborhood" and "The Washington Post Garden Book: The Ultimate Guide to Gardening in Greater Washington and the Mid-Atlantic Region."
The transcript follows
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
NW D.C.:
As a novice gardner, I am unsure what is best for my tulips and other bulbs once the blooms and foliage have faded. Do I pull them up to safeguard them from damage as I dig in summer annuals, and plant them again in the fall? Or are the best kept where they are? If it is advisable to pull them up where should I store them? I have a small urban plot. Thank you for your assistance.
Adrian Higgins: Most tulips are not reliably perennial. Some are, but most are not. In a small garden where every square inch counts, I would pull them up. Most other bulbs will come back but you must allow them to produce and keep their leaves, however unsightly and inconvenient they might be, if you want to keep them. They all last a few weeks after blooming, daffodils being the primary culprit. The leaves don't fade until June. One option is to plant daffodils with late developing perennials such as leadwort or among a permanent ground cover such as liriope. As the liriope leaves grow in the spring, they will mask the similar foliage of the daffodils.
Barren window:
Adrian -
All this cold wet weather is so depressing I'd like to put a flower box full of flowers outside my kitchen window to brighten my day.
Unfortunately, the window is on the north side of the house and gets absolutely no sun. My problem, which I hope you can help,
is thatI don't know what flowering plants to buy at the nursery. Do you have any suggestions for me to pick up this weekend?
Adrian Higgins: I think for a quick spring hit, it would be fun to plant a windowbox with primroses, which as extremely colorful and pretty. If I wanted a winter and spring like this, I'd have moved to Lappland.
Alexandria, Va.:
I am fairly new to gardening and am curious about the recommendations I run across concerning soil requirements. Almost always, a source will state that a plant prefers rich, organic soil that is well-drained. My question is, can you name some plants commonly grown in this area, either annuals or perennials, that do not prefer this type of soil? Or to put it another way, when would you want any other type of soil?
Adrian Higgins: Let's talk a little about soil structure. Clay soil compacts over time, and either remains a place of standing water or concrete. There are a few plants that endure such soil, I can think of forsythia, redtwig dogwood, salix, rose of Sharon, lespedeza, Russzzpedesa. Some plants like soil poor in nutrients but well drained, i.e. sandy. I am thinking of some alpine, rock garden plants and herbs. The beauty of well amended soil is that it drains but remains moist, providing an ideal root situation for the vast majority of garden plants.
Frederick, Md.:
Is it too late to lay down a preemergent on the lawn?
Adrian Higgins: Normally I would say yes, but I have not yet seen any crabgrass germinate. It seems like March still.
Annapolis, Md.:
I have a large tract (1.75 acres) on the water. Used to be mainly grass, now, thanks to dogs since retired the grass is gone and replaced by weeds or moss. Somewhat shaded. How do I bring back the grass without breaking my pocketbook and hiring outside contractors?
Many thanks.
Adrian Higgins: What I would do is create a manageable nice lawn around the back of the house and then allow the outlying areas to become natural meadow, unmown, but with mowed paths through the grasses. In time you can develop those undeveloped areas as a wildflower meadow, with seeding of correct wildflower mixes in the fall.
Villanova, Pa.:
Hi Adrian,
Can you suggest a cold, hardy camellia for Zone 6, PA? The lot is part sun/part shade .
Thank you
Adrian Higgins: Try Korean Fire, or one of the Ackerman hybrids with ice or snow in their name.
Takoma Park, Md.:
Hello and thank you for all the good advice. I have recently hired a lawn service to revamp the horrendous lawn that came with my new house. I was shocked to read their instructions left after seeding that said to water every day, for an hour on each section, but never after the sun goes down. Am I supposed to quit my job in order to water my yard?? There is no way that I can follow those instructions and I probably couldn't afford the water bill anyway. My question is whether I am wasting my money on the lawn service if I can't water like they recommend or will weekend watering be enough to make the grass grow?
Adrian Higgins: Seed does not need soaking but it does need to remain constantly moist until it germinates. The the grass should be watered until it is established. On wet, cloudy days, you don't have to do anything. On sunny days and windy days, you should mist the seeded area. This takes very few minutes.
Alexandria, Va.:
Adrian, this has been the first spring in four years in which my two magnolias (star and tulip) blossomed, did NOT get zapped by a late freeze, and were able to begin dropping their pretty petals normally! In other recent years, they bloomed only to get frozen, and then the brown blobs hung there as a reminder all spring and summer. Just happy and wanted to share! For future reference, am I correct in my understanding that native trees such as eastern redbud would not present that problem because they don't get fooled into blooming too early?
Adrian Higgins: I can report the same, and it is a joyous present, almost worth the years of heartache. Redbuds bloom a little later and I suspect the flowers can take a few degrees of frost if they have to, magnolias cannot.
Washington, D.C.:
Love your column. I'm about to contact
landscape companies for spring cleanup
in our front and backyard. Along with
mulching, and possibly some planting,
what other services should I request to
get my garden ready for the summer?
Adrian Higgins: I hate to be a pessimist, but the clean up of last year's stuff should really have been done by now. The problem with raking and blowing now is that you run the risk of damaging emerging shoots. Still, better to clean up than not. If it were me, I would go in this weekend and remove all the spent perennials and grasses from last year, clearing the way for a service to come in and lay mulch. Don't let them lay mulch any thicker than three inches and keep the material away from tree trunks.
Upper Marlboro, Md.:
Hi Adrian,
I have small holes in my garden approximately 1-1/2" -2" in diameter. My husband said they're not snake holes since snakes don't burrough. A neighbor told me they were chipmunk holes, but that doesn't sound right. The area around the holes isn't soft and raised so I'm thinking it's not a mole. What's your opinion and how do I get rid of them other than stepping on them and sealing off the hole?
Thanks!
Adrian Higgins: My money is on the chipmunks.
Alexandria, Va.:
Hello Adrian. I neglected to prune my Jackmanii clematis earlier this spring. Now it's leafing out. Can I still prune it at this point?
Adrian Higgins: Yes, just cut above a pair of plump or newly sprouted buds, not any lower than 18 to 24 inches from the ground.
Clifton, Va.:
Hi Adrian,
I have a 9-year old Bradford Pear which always bears flowers on its lower half only. Other than that it's very healthy. What gives?
Also, I lost a dogwood due the endemic disease. What can I replace it with (less than 10 feet)?
Thanks for your help!
Adrian Higgins: It blooms on the newest growth so you are probably seeing that phenomenon. Ten feet is not very high, I would go with a flowering cherry named Hally Jolivette.
Arlington, Va.:
We have a very small patch of raspberry canes and they are encroaching into our lawn. How and when can we gently move them back to where we prefer they grow along our fence? Thanks!
Adrian Higgins: You need to dig them out of the lawn and then, if you don't want to keep doing that, plant some type of barrier around the raspberry patch. New canes are good though, they are necessary to keep the plant fruiting.
Growing rosemary in Arlington:
I purchased a rosemary plant at Whole Foods Market and have planted it. It's not looking so good. Leaves are curling up and turning brown and it just doesn't look happy.
Any suggestions for watering, fertalizer, light, etc?
Thanks
Adrian Higgins: I suspect it is in heavy clay soil and getting waterlogged. Put it in a pot of soil mixed with sand and a bit of limestone.
Novice Gardener:
What do I do with the leaves of the bulbs, once the flowers are gone. I've read not to cut them, but they start to look pretty pathetic, don't they? Someone told me to tie them up. Help!
Adrian Higgins: What I sometimes do is take a piece of green string and tie it somewhat loosely around a clump of leaves.
Fairfax City, Va.:
Hi Adrian -- I read that grass seed doesn't need soaking, but it's been 10 days since we reseeded our lawn (how optimistic were we that spring was here!). And the lawn (well, the mud patch) has been hit hard by multiple rains that has completely and totally soaked everything. Is there any hope that my seed is still in there somewhere and will emerge when the weather warms up?
Adrian Higgins: If it has not washed away, it should germinate. I would plan to reseed again this September, and not expect too much from newly seeded areas in high summer. You might through in some annual or perennial rye grasses with the mix if you seed again now, this will sprout quickly and hold the soil until the fescues grow on.
Washington, D.C.:
We have a skinny but long backyard and would like to place a few smallish trees in it that have a reasonable growth rate. Any suggestions?
Adrian Higgins: There are some worthy crab apples, but you do need to know the name of the variety, because there are many that are prone to various crab apple diseases.
First Time Gardener:
My apartment complex just started a community garden, and I have a spot -- but this is my first time gardening. I'd like to plant herbs (which I've managed not to kill in planters before), but I'm worried about planting vegetables. Are carrots, green beans and bell peppers OK for beginners? Finally, can you recommend any resources (online or print) that would help me out as I get started? Thanks!
Adrian Higgins: All of these vegetables are quite easy. Carrots: Carrot seed is very fine and won't germinate if the soil crusts above the furrow. So, draw a line, sow your seeds, and backfill the furrow with a light soilless potting mix. As for the beans, you may find bush beans easier than pole beans first time out. In the case of both carrots and beans you should thin out the seeds as they germinate. Follow the directions on the seed packet. Carrots, by the way, do best in deep loose soil. I would buy your bell peppers as started plants in May. They take a long time to flower and fruit, so be patient with them. The wait is worth it.
Reminiscence:
As a child, throughout the seasons, I'd watch Mother out in her garden, chopping, hoeing, planting, pulling weeds, humming to herself all the while and wonder why on earth any grown-up would subject themself to such "hard work" when they could choose to something else. Now I know it is a labor of love. There's nothing more soothing than getting one's hands into the good earth dirt and enjoying the fruits of one's labor.
Adrian Higgins: Well said.
Cats from Hell:
My little garden/veggie plot is a favorite place for my neighbor's cat to ... "relieve" herself; I am talking about the nasty stuff.
It is a daily battle scooping her waste. I tried every "scat cat" option to no avail. My aunt said to ring moth balls around the edge of the plot ... the odor repulses them and she guarantees it works. I wanted to you and the forum if anyone else had heard about this, and if so, does it actually work?
Adrian Higgins: I don't know about moth balls. I have found that once the veggies fill in, the cats aren't interested. Another option after you have prepared your beds and sown the seed is to take black plastic netting, with squares of at least one inch, and use landscape staples to secure it to the bed. This will freak out the felines as they start to scratch around. If anyone has any other solutions, let's hear them.
Alexandria, Va.:
How often do iris and lilies have to be divided? I received some of each last year from a friend and they were small, bareroot plants. But they are putting out a lot of large leaves and it looks like I might get more than one flower/flower stem from each one this year. Is this normal? Do you divide these plants every year?
Adrian Higgins: Bearded iris? Probably every three years and in mid summer. Lilies, meaning daylilies, probably the same. Perennials tend to need dividing when you notice that blooms are small or fewer than in previous years, or when the plant is forming a ring around an empty center.
Columbia, Md.:
Hi Adrian,
I would like to plant a climbing hydrangea to grow up a large oak tree. How far from the trunk should I plant it?
Adrian Higgins: Not too far, maybe 12 to 18 inches. You might want to try a similar vine named schizophragma.
Alexandria, Va.:
Do you prune back year year-old buddleias as well as more established ones?
Adrian Higgins: Yes.
Arlington, Va.:
What can I use to clean green algae off a brick patio without contaminating the soil and plants surrounding the patio?
Adrian Higgins: I would buy an electric power washer. YOu can buy them for under $100 and they come in useful for all manner of jobs around the garden, including pot cleaning and scrubbing wooden furniture and decking.
Alexandria, Va.:
Is it too late to cut back a fig bush that already has buds and some small figs forming? The bush has many branches and probably should have been pruned last year or the year before but wasn't. Now it is very large, maybe 7 or 8 feet tall, with a spread of 5 feet or more.
Adrian Higgins: Figs should not be pruned necessarily. If it is too large you can trim back a few branches, but don't disfigure the shrub.
Washington, D.C.:
I live in a 100-year-old brick townhouse on Capitol Hill and I have serious English ivy growing up the side of the house. It covers most of one side of the house. At this point, is it better to rip it out and risk damaging the mortar and bricks or should we leave it alone until we are ready to repoint?
Adrian Higgins: I think that if you are concerned about the state of the mortar than you probably should remove it and repoint. Ivy can damage soft mortar. Ivy does have the capacity to hasten the deterioration of wood trim because it retains moisture, on the other hand I would think it would serve to cool the house some. I would love to see more use of Boston ivy or Virginia creeper, which I find to be beautiful vines.
Downstream a ways:
Mr. Higgins: I won't use any brand names but are the typical fertilzers, weed and feed and such, guilty of Bay pollution via runoff? Thank you.
Adrian Higgins: Any nitrogen fertilizer has the potential to enter the water stream to the bay, that is why conservation groups have discouraged people from fertilizing their lawns in the spring, when most of the rains appear. I think a responsbile approach is to ferlizize with a slow release granular feed and maybe cut back on the recommended rate, and then only fertilize after you have had your soil tested so you know how deficient or not it is.
Re: Cat in the veg bed:
I would think that running chicken wire around the bed will keep the cat out.
Another suggestion for the person with the skinny backyard. I strongly recommend the U.S. Nat Arb crape myrtles if the yard is sunny.
Adrian Higgins: Great, thanks.
Washington, D.C.:
Is it OK to trim back a crape myrtle aggressively?
Adrian Higgins: Not really. Remove entire branches and start with those that are crossing or dead, but don't take out too many in one year. Don't turn your crape myrtle into a hat stand.
Cumberland, Md.:
What can I do for an ailing Forsythia bush?
Adrian Higgins: Praise the Lord?
Baltimore, Md.:
Adrian, I get a lot of good advice tuning into your chats. Two years ago, I planted six rhododendrons several feet away from a small American Elm. The soil pH was favorable (5.8) at planting, which I amended with compost. I continue to lay a mulch of shredded leaves in the fall. Within the last two weeks all of the plants have developed rusty brown spots on their leaves. The spots begin in the center of the plant and progress outward. The progession is very very rapid with all plants being affected and the flower buds are shriveling. Neglected rhodos in the neighbor's yard are totally unaffected. Do you have any suggestions for me on how to save these plants and are there any resistant rhodo varieties you would recommend?
Adrian Higgins: I wish I could give you a certain answer. It might be insect damage, there is a chewing bug that afflicts rhodos. I wonder if you are seeing the manifestation of root damage caused by standing water after all these weeks and months of precipitation. I would dig a hole and see if you can determine if the roots are draining. In the meantime, I would take a leaf to your county extention agent/master gardener program for diagnosis.
Cat Lady:
The first time I ever planted a garden, I stood guard with the garden hose handy and when my kitties approached, just like I knew they would, I gave them a good squirt. Worked (still works) for me.
Adrian Higgins: Cat on a Wet Tin Roof
McLean, Va.:
Hello,
I have a question about whether some lariope we planted early in December are dead or if they will come back.
For the three plants that are clearly alive, I trimmed back the blades, which were solidly attached to the root. In the "dead" plants, the blades pulled away from the root and were rotten for about two inches where they had been attached. The exposed root was spongy. Is there any chance these plants will grow in or are they gonners?
Adrian Higgins: It's hard to say through this medium. If the roots smell foul then they are rotting, but liriope can take a fair amount of moisture. I would replant them and see if they grow. You should know soon enough.
Cosmos Flowers, Va.:
Would next week be too early to set out some cosmos seedlings in the garden?
Adrian Higgins: I think I would start them in little peat pots so that they don't have weed competition and can germinate in warmer soil. Plant them out once the soil has warmed in late May.
Arlington, Va.:
I have a supply of organic granular 5-5-5 all-purpose fertilizer. Would there be any point in sprinkling some around my emerging scilla at this time of year? How about the emerging perennials? I'm never quite sure about the appropriate time of year to do it. Thanks.
Adrian Higgins: Yes, now would be a good time because the plants are expending energy, lots of it, in producing new growth. But keep the fertilizer away from direct contact with young foliage. Fertilizer is a nice supplement but it is not a replacement for well cultivated and rich soil. Thanks for all your questions, and in spite of the dreary weather at the moment, the gardens are looking perky. I'll be back next week.
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