Question: Can you tell us how to start a cutting from a Pfitzer juniper? L.M., Illinois. Answer: Cuttings from Pfitzer junipers may be taken now although it is rather late. About the middle of September would be a better date. Make cuttings from new wood that is firm, using tip branches three to four inches […]

Question: This summer I saved some seeds from my tulips. When would be the best time to plant these here in Central Indiana? Would seedlings be worthwhile? How long does it take them to bloom from seeds? SNB., Indiana. Answer: Tulip seeds should be planted in a cold frame or seed flat in summer. The […]

Question: How can we keep squirrels from digging up our lawn and flower beds in the fall and spring? AK, Illinois. Answer: In the fall squirrels are busy obeying the urge of nature to store food for winter. They store all sorts of nuts, such as acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts, etc. When hollow trees and […]

Question: I have many geraniums, coleus, sultanas, wax begonias and other such plants growing in outdoor beds. They have multiplied rapidly this summer and I would like to winter them over for use next year. Could you make some suggestion as to proper pruning and subsequent care through the winter? Could they be grouped in […]

Question:I have a bed of daffodils in my yard that produces many leaves but no flowers. Are they too old? Or perhaps they should be dug and divided? LS, Illinois. Answer: Daffodils are rather permanent bulbs. They divide slowly and eventually each division becomes large enough to bloom. These slow growing divisions, if left undisturbed, […]

Question: We have a two-year-old Japanese flowering cherry tree. Its bark was skinned about a year ago, and is bad looking. Is there anything I can do to make the scar heal over? GCS., Ohio. Answer:If your tree is bruised deeply enough so that the bark is gone and the cambium layer, the live tissue […]

[ad#promo-content-atf-200-left] Question My Shasta daisies die out after they finish blooming, and the few that survive multiply sparingly. What can I do to make them persist? Answer When the plants have finished blooming, cut them off near the ground. Also be sure they get plenty of sun; shade plus a waterlogged soil will invariably cause […]

[ad#promo-content-atf-200-left] Question Can I grow Shasta daisies from seed? If so, when should they be planted? Answer Yes, Shasta daisies can be grown from seed quite easily. You will get best germination if the seed is sown as soon as it is ripe. Watch the seedlings carefully when they bloom; you may discover interesting and […]

[ad#promo-content-atf-200-left] Question I have lovely edgings of alternanthera along my walks. Is there any way to save stock so that I will not have to buy new plants every year? Answer Yes. Lift several plants, pot them up and place them where they will not freeze. In March take 2-inch cuttings of the ton growth […]

[ad#promo-content-atf-200-left] Question Should I take up my gloriosa lily tubers now to store for the winter? Answer I mulch mine heavily with straw and leave them in the ground. But in the upper zone of the South it would be better, perhaps, to dig and store them as you do dahlias.