ARGH -- I hate trumpet vine! We live in kind of a rural area of JoCo and we have trumpet vine coming up all over our lawn. It's a pretty bad lawn that we've been trying to get going and will do some renovation this fall, but I'm not sure even Roundup will kill trumpet vine, and it sure can't be pulled out. Any suggestions?

I'm growing an heirloom tomato in a large container and trying to keep it watered enough in this hot weather. But the bottom leaves and branches are yellowing, and some in the middle too, so I figure I'm overwatering. Is there a rule of thumb for how much to water and how to tell when it's too much?

Last year I planted 5 coneflowers. They were an expensive hybrid. Although they didn't do much then, this year they came up looking great but about mid-May one at a time the leaves shriveled and they died. They looked like someone has sprayed them with weed-killer but no one had, and other plants nearby were fine. A couple of weeks later, some columbine planted this spring did the same and now my Japanese painted fern which have been thriving for 4 years looks like it's next. And today I saw one of my sangria dahlias starting to droop. None of these plants is remotely near each other. The soil has been amended at different times with different sources of compost and things like cotton burr compost.

Field Day

On Saturday you can see the world's hottest peppers, 100 varieties of ornamental grasses and much more at the K-State Research and Extension Horticulture Center’s Annual Field Day in Olathe. Just click on the Field Day link in the left column for more information.

Moles are tunneling all over our yard and are really destroying it. Any suggestions on how to get rid of them?
Thanks.

I have a beautiful hibiscus tree that is over 5 ft tall. I prune it in the fall, bring it in the house and prune it in the spring and put it outside.
This year the leaves are turning yellow and as of mid July there aren't any blooms. All the leaves completely fell off this spring when I took it outside. I lose most of the leaves when I bring it inside also.
Last winter I had a mite problem but treated it as soon as I took it outside.
Why are the leaves turning yellow and eventually falling off? Am I under or overwatering?
Help, please.

I have tried 3 different Delphiniums plants and am unable to make them grow. I recently planted 2 more in my garden in June. I have compost in the soil and adequate moisture but the plants just dry up, turn brown, and die. Any suggestions?

If I cut back dead blooms on Monardia, will the plant rebloom?

I enjoyed your 4/24 article on rain gardens. I am considering constructing one.
1. What plants would you recommend I plant on a hill to slow down my neighbor’s enormous runoff before it runs downhill to pond my back yard and flood my cellar?
2. What is the name of the “green” engineering firm (constructing a new building downtown near Ward Parkway, I believe) recently mentioned in the Star because people stare at the hole in the ground which will become a water garden?

Here's a question lurking from a gardener in the spiderwort discussion yesterday - Craig:

Is it too late to cut Boltonia back now? Mine is about 5 foot tall and is staying upright, but I know it is a matter of time before it starts to fall over.

I planted Joe Pye Weed for the first time ever this Spring, and they seem to be doing well, about 3 feet tall and bushy. I knew they grow tall and thought they would eventually get there. But yesterday I saw some in a garden and they are about 6 feet tall at least! Are mine on a normal growth pattern for the first year?

is there a website i can look at to see pictures of caterpillars and the butterfly they turn into?

Here are a few more tomato color mutations that most never get to see. Most never get to see these because breeders at this point have chose not to work with them and release them as a variety.

Sherry gene

apricot

Apricot interior

I obtain these from the Charles M Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center out of UC Davis for breeding and education (such as sharing them here).

I've got several spiderwort plants that are prolific and huge. About this time of year though they stop blooming. I'm tempted to cut them way back because the foliage isn't very attractive. Is that a good idea? Any chance they might bloom again this year if I do? Thanks!

Yes, it's that time of the season. For the how-to, check Dennis Patton's Tip of the Week in the left column. And thanks to picable.com for the cool white iris photo. - Craig White iris

Bagworms are out in big number this year so keep an eye out for them. I was surprised to find them covering one of my evergreens. Yes, even I have plant problems!

:) Dennis - Johnson County Extension

From Susan:

My mother is a flower freak and she is coming to visit me from Nebraska next weekend. I have taken her to Powell Gardens and she loved it, just a little bit too much walking. Do you have any suggestions on where I could take her that could live up to that but something new.

Dennis --
Thanks for all of your help you gave me when it came to totally redoing my yard. By the way it came back great and it looks awesome. One question thou, I'm having a problem with some pesky light green that has invaded certain parts of my lawn. Some people call it watergrass, but I really dont know what it is I just want it gone. What do you suggest I use to get rid of it

Thanks, Frank n Tongi

My evergreen shrubs are looking burned out in spot's. They're usually in very good shape, but a few weekends ago we trim the hedges some what. And since then we have had a good 3 days of rain & also several short afternoon showers. We need all the rain we can get in Georgia, with the drought we're in, it's been an non stop issue since last year with this drought. And we're a strict water usage, so I water my yard & shrubs as much as I can, which is usually once a week. Anyway I notice last night while taking my dog out side for nightly bath room trip that my evergreens look a little dry in certain spots, there's dried up leaves in each shrub and I thought that maybe it was loose leaves from the trim we recently gave the shrubs. But that was not the case. The over all of the shrubs looks really healthy, but I do see a difference. We have St. Augustine grass in our yard & we have a section near the drive way that's gotten bare over the last 2 yrs it's a walking path that seems to get taking to get to the porch, but the bare section has gotten larger. I have tried everything that I know to get my grass to grow back & it's not working. I have heard others say that I need to losing the dirt around the roots to help the grass to grow back, they mention something about the roots being smothered. I have no idea what they mean or how to do that. I am so tired of reading articles on line trying to find out more on this subject, I believe others have called it cultivating the ground. Do you have any advice? Keep in mind I cannot afford a lawn service, I do my best with what I have and that's me. Please keep in mind I am just a mom & house wife and I don't know a whole lot about gardening and so forth, so please explain so I can understand. Any information would be greatly appreciated, words cannot express my gratitude.

Does anyone have any advice on adding goldfish to an outdoor pond. I have a small pond about 6" by 5" and 2 1/2" deep. I have put goldfish in twice and they died the next morning both times. What am I doing wrong? The pond is 2 years old. I have a lilly plant and some oxygination plants in it. I have a pump and filter.