[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

I prune to shape only. I have one overhanging my patio area and that is all the shade I have in the summer, so I am trying to get it tall and thick. This particular Myrtle is a white blossom Nachez with three trunks and it grows to about 30ft tall, so I have pruned off the lower branches and taken out a lot of the fine inner branches, leaving it to grow tall and shaped like an open umbrella. I have two others which are bushes, not trees. Those I just take out the fine inner branches to give the bush some shape. I sometimes take off the spent flower seed pods, but it is not necessary, and I never just cut the ends off the branches; and I never, ever, do a Crepe Murder hatchet job on them!

Excellent information on this site Untitled which I believe is from Auburn University in Alabama.

If I may hijack for just a bit... Today I was walking out of Sam's to my car and passed a white crepe myrtle. It's branches were low enough to reach, and full of blooms, so I pulled one closer to sniff it (heavenly scent). From a car parked in front of the tree came an elderly guy's voice... "I smell just as good as that does!"

It takes so little to make someone's day! I'm still chuckling.

[PaPaLarry]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

My older friend came to visit yesterday and she was planting winter vegetables or had some already planted. I think some cabbage and some lettuce and I can't remember what else she had growing right now. I hesitated over buying a new tomato plant at Walmart, not sure how they do right now.

Gardener people...what do you suggest?

Usually tomatoe plants have about 65-75 days before maturity, which would bring you into January. Good suggestion is to pot plant tomatoes, so you can bring inside against frost. Get large pot, and a pot holder on rollers, so your able to roll in plant at night. Last year, I took chance at end of Feb, and planted two tomatoe plants, and I was successful. It's a gamble of about 5-10 bucks!!!! Good Luck Gracie, what ever you choose to do. Also can plant outside, and wrap clear plastic around whole plant, to stop wind from getting to it, and cover at night on cold nights.

[FoPAA]

I've been planting herbs in a large pot and have found everything I need EXCEPT chives - has anyone seen chives around? So far I've gone to Walmart, Home Depot, Publix, Fresh Market and Sweet Bay. Where should i look next? (I want to start with a plant, not seeds).

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by Uptown Girl

Gracie,
I'm finding that timed release fertilizer seems to be the way to go, as our soil here drains so rapidly. I have been using Osmocote dry granules (spring through summer) for some blooming things and it seems to make a difference.
I have also had good luck top dressing once a year (fall) with Black Kow manure. Just spread it around the drip line about 2" deep, don't cultivate it in. Helps to amend the soil without much trouble. Has worked well for my Gardenia and Camellias.

i do think that some bloomers, like Plumbago and Roses become exhausted in this climate periodically and just take a rest from blooming for a while. That affords a good time to prune. I wait a few weeks before coaxing them back to bloom again.

I'm curious about your use of Black Cow - are you applying it over the rocks or do you have mulch in your landscape? I have those horrible rocks (done by the previous owner) and not sure how to top treat or if it is worth while to put down a pre-emergent weed killer like Preen. I have gone through 2 gallons of RoundUp spraying weeds and would prefer to use a pre=emergent if anyone has had luck using this with rocks in the landscape.

[Uptown Girl]

I keep a generous layer of pine straw around the front landscape and most of the plants I treat this way are located there.
I find the pine straw is very easy to literally roll back. (using a claw type hand tool and my hands) I then have free access to lay down the Black Kow and then roll the straw into place again.

I know that a lot of folks don't care much for pine straw, but I find that a 4" deep layer right over the dirt has eliminated almost all weeds for me. I find maybe one or two baby weeds weekly and just pull them by hand.
I bought a large container of Preen a year ago.... but only seem to need it occasionally along our CYV fence, as the neighbors grass creeps under that.
I pull back the straw, remove the zoysia creepers, sprinkle a line of Preen and reposition the straw.
Takes about 5 minutes quarterly.

The plantings in our back have rock as a ground cover, so I do not use the Black Kow there. (do use the Osmocote, sprinkled on top of the rock) Again, our rock is pretty deep, and I think that helps. We have had it since early summer and I have hand picked three weeds so far, but I did see the landscaper take extra care to prep the ground before the weed barrier was laid beneath the rock.

I imagine that over time, as airborne dirt accumulates between the rocks, there will be places where a weed seed can take hold. I may regret the rock some day. But as time goes by, the plants grow larger, so less rock or pine straw will be visible as our stuff matures.

I have seen homes where weeds are runaway in the rock beds. I have watched landscapers lay weed cloth over existing weed beds and rock over that. Not so good.

Short of re-doing the underlayment, I guess chemical treatment would be most practical, being careful of the plants you do NOT want to kill. You still have to pluck the weeds after they turn ugly and dead, however.... for me they're easier to pluck when they are green. That is, with a good pair of garden gloves to protect your hands from things like rocks and critters.
Happy Gardening!

[gomoho]

Thanks for your response. I find the weeds are the worst around the edge of the bed where the barrier has pulled back or at places where the barrier is compromised because of plantings. Guess there is no easy solution. I think I'm going to give Preen a try this spring - nothing to lose and everything to gain if it works.

[graciegirl]

I agree about liking pine straw. I cannot thank you all enough for all of your good advice. PLEASE continue.

[PaPaLarry]

Originally Posted by FoPAA

I've been planting herbs in a large pot and have found everything I need EXCEPT chives - has anyone seen chives around? So far I've gone to Walmart, Home Depot, Publix, Fresh Market and Sweet Bay. Where should i look next? (I want to start with a plant, not seeds).

Is not chives a bulb??? I'm not sure

[Uptown Girl]

Chives are bulbs... very little ones. They grow best when they are in a clump by themselves. They don't usually like to be planted in with other plants. I suspect they are slow to take in nutrients and are deprived if they must compete with something else.

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by PaPaLarry

It would be nice if we had a Thread that only pertained to gardening

Gardeners: Before you throw away your copy of the POA turn to page 18 of November's Bulletin and read the article written by master gardener Anne Lambrecht. It has all the information you need to work in the fall and spring garden. She runs the Garden Club North and really knows her stuff!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

Gardeners: Before you throw away your copy of the POA turn to page 18 of November's Bulletin and read the article written by master gardener Anne Lambrecht. It has all the information you need to work in the fall and spring garden. She runs the Garden Club North and really knows her stuff!

I saw that and wondered if it was one of you. A great help as was the article on lightning too.

[shcisamax]

I just want to know if there is a reason not to plant all the perrenials now. Should I wait until March so they don't have to deal with the cold their first year. How cold will it get in December for the watering?

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by shcisamax

I just want to know if there is a reason not to plant all the perrenials now. Should I wait until March so they don't have to deal with the cold their first year. How cold will it get in December for the watering?

Cold hardy perennials can go in now, but according to Month-by-Month by Tom MacCubbin there are some cold sensitive perennials which would do better by waiting to plant until March or April, these can be kept in pots and just bring them in to the garage when we are going to have a freeze, then plant them out early in the new year after all chance of a freeze is over and that gives them a year to get used to being in the ground. They may always die back in the winter, but their roots will be strong enough to come back when the ground warms. I bought two beautiful hibiscus last fall at Lowes for $10 a piece and kept them in pots until the early spring, now they are huge - 6ft tall. They will die back, but their root system is good so they will come back.

December is just beautiful here and you will have no problem watering all year. We do not get frost into the ground, only the surface will freeze, so watering is never ever a problem. In fact when we have had a heavy frost usually in the middle of January into early February I run the irrigation on the plants - you'll see that the citrus and strawberry growers run their irrigation all night during a freeze.

If you are concerned about gardening here just use your computer to search for information on your plant. There are loads of great informational sites.

[shcisamax]

Guess I am wondering because I have had several opinions from landscapers. I don't want to have to cover anything. I was advised to wait perhaps until March but if I can get everything in now...as long as I don't have to cover them...I would prefer to get the bones in so I can have fun in the spring with "color".

[gomoho]

It is almost always better to plant anything in the fall so the root system has an opportunity to establish before the summer heat.