Perennials

My endless summer hydrangeas haven't bloomed since June. The foliage is healthy and green, but I haven't had an actual flower since the first bloom. They are planted in partial shade with filtered sun on the north side of the house. Should I give up on these? They haven't lived up to their name for me. They were beautiful last year, but this year has been so disappointing. Would there be a better variety to try other than annabelles, which I have in another part of the yard? Should I plant new this fall or next spring?

AstersCheck the Featured Story over on the right called "New bed." It gives some good recommendations for planting a garden to get spring, summer and fall blooms. Asters, like these, can play a big role. - Craig

Does anyone have some suggestions for summer blooming (July and August) perennials or shrubs (full sun) that are about 5 feet tall (or taller) but not as wide? So far, the only plant I have that I really like of this description (love it, actually) is my Rudbeckia nitida 'Herbstonne'. I do not much like Joe Pye Weed...can anyone offer some other suggestions for this area?

Same description (tall but not too wide & summer flowers), I am also looking for some shade plants...help?

Does anyone else have this problem? My spiderwort plants bloom great in the spring and early summer but after that the stalks look so trashy that I cut them back to about a foot. They still look bad and leave big black holes in the garden. Any advice? Thanks...

When is the best time to divide and replant hostas? I've heard some say fall and others spring. Which practice garners the best results?

From Rhonda in Platte City:

Just checking as to the best time to plant a lilac - fall or spring?

I've got some big holes in my garden where some perennials died off and now I can't wait to plug them with mums. Are we getting near the traditional season when mums go on sale and I can start planting? Is there any harm in starting early? Thanks!

A reader question:

My orchid was fine until I forgot to water it for a couple of weeks. The stem and new bud died, but the foliage was ok. Recently I moved and it’s in a north-facing window (my only other option is a west window) with filtered light (the blinds are half open). Now, the leaves are starting to turn black as well, even with once a week watering. It started after I opened the blinds a bit more. I have a paph… Is there anyway to save it? Should I remove the dead stem?

Thanks!

Jen.

I have pruned back when I brought it out of the house from the winter, fertilized it, let it grow then "stressed" it till the leaves were limp and still no blooms....any ideas what to do? It seems to bloom itself silly in the winter after I bring it in from outside. It's great to have all these beautiful blooms in February when it's dreary, but I'd also like to see some on my deck when it 400 degrees outside!

I've heard you can snip starts of hardy Hibiscus from new shoots - right?? If this is so, when is the best time to do it - Spring or Fall?
Any info would be a help.

Thanks so much!!

After feeding my garden phlox and giving them a shot of Ironite, some of them still look mottled yellow and green. I put a damaged leaf under a magnifier this morning and discovered tiny, elongated black specks all over the leaf surface. So I got out an old 50x microscope and had a closer look. The specks looked like....teeny tiny poop? Then I noticed they are emerging from round, reddish spots on the leaf, so they must be the fruiting bodies of a fungal disease. Make sense?

I'm getting out the copper fungicide. It's cloudy and cooler today so I think it's safe to treat them.

when deadheading coneflowers and black eyed susans how far down should you clip the stems? thanks

Just when I was ready to give up on my Endless Summer hydrangea, it bloomed and had significant growth this year. Now there are small brown spots near the bottom of the plant. Should I be concerned?

I have tall white phlox that come out and are beautiful, but then the leaves start to yellow, turn brown and fall off. What could be causing this problem? Thanks for you help!

I accidentally killed a small clump of ornamental grass this year. I'd like to have something in its place so the ground isn't bare this winter but is this too harsh a time to plant something new? Also, Any recommendations on something hardy that's not taller than 4 feet or so? Thanks.

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.

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?

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'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!