Ed Hume Answers Your Gardening Questions
Ed Hume cannot answer all of the garden questions he receives, but questions
of general interest will be answered here every month. Email your questions
to HumeSeeds@aol.com. Please
note: we do not accept attachments.
Before submitting a question, be sure to check the index
of previous questions and answers or search our
site using key words. Many questions have already been answered
here on the site.
Other December Links
 When does one prune rosebushes,
apple trees? When can one transplant wild blackberry bushes? Have attempted
all of above and resulted in dead to dying plants. There has to be a simple
rule of thumb.
 The best time to prune
Roses is just as the new growth starts. (When the new growth buds begin to
swell.) Prune Apples in January or February, at a time when it is not freezing.
The time to transplant wild blackberries is in the fall. Mulch the plants
with straw or leaves, if temperatures dip below 25 degrees.
I planted glads and orchids
in the spring, they came up and were beautifull. I dug them up last weekend,
the glad bulbs quadrupled in size, alot of the bulbs have 3 or 4 bulbs attached
along with babies. Do I divide them?
Yes, separate them, they are
bulb-lets and will eventually flower for you. It usually takes two years
before the bulb-lets get big enough to flower.
I live in Montana and have
heirloom peony plants from my great great grandmother. We will be moving
to Alaska in June and want to take them with us. I would like to know if
I can dig them now (October)? What should I do to store them until we move
in June? Can they be potted and kept in a unheated greenhouse? It gets -25
here in winter.
Yes, you can dig them,
plant them in containers, then store them over-winter. The greenhouse may
not be the best place to store them, due to rapid changes of temperatures
during the winter. I would keep them in the garage or in the crawl-space
under the house.
Iwould really appreciate
any information on rhody disease. The leaves are curiling,turning yellow
with black spots and then falling off. THIS SEEM TO BE ONLY THE LOWER ONES
AS THE TOP ONES REMAIN HEALTHY. IS THIS A BUG OR A DISEASE AND WHAT DO I
DO?
It sounds like a natural leaf
drop. The inner leaves of Rhododendrons will turn yellow, red. orange or
even brown, and eventually drop. This happens at different times of the year,
depending upon varieties and care. As the new foliage develops it cuts off
light to the inner growth and it cannot produce chlorophyll, due to the lack
of light.
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