The Garden Plot

Got a chronic case of green thumb? Like getting your hands dirty? Adrian Higgins, garden editor for The Post's Home section, is here to help. Higgins is a firm believer in "tough plants for tough times" -- the varieties that combine good looks with stiff resistance to disease and pests. He currently rules over a garden filled with spring bulbs, daffodils, ornamental onions, perennials, asters, yarrows, hostas and day lilies. Higgins, an avid organic gardener who believes chemicals are a last resort, also tends his own herb and vegetable gardens where he grows peas, garlic onions, lettuce, rhubarbs, radishes, carrots and more.

Catch up on previous transcripts of The Garden Plot.

Higgins is the author of two books, "The Secret Gardens of Georgetown: Behind the Walls of Washington's Most Historic Neighborhood" and "The Washington Post Garden Book: The Ultimate Guide to Gardening in Greater Washington and the Mid-Atlantic Region."

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Privacy Screen: Our side porch is relatively close to the (currently unoccupied) house on the other side. We probably have about 5' of yard between our porch and the property line. The soil is fairly good, moist, but not swampy. We'd like to plant something that would provide the porch with some privacy (probably 8' tall or so) but wouldn't take over the entire 5' of width, as we're planning a flower bed there. The fence is only about 4 feet, so it wouldn't provide enough height support for a taller vine. Do you have any suggestions for plants that might work?

Adrian Higgins: I saw a wonderful boxwood recently called Fastigiata, which grows at about 8 inches a year. Another, more slender upright boxwood is Dee Runk. Both would work, as long as the soil is not flooded and you don't plant them too deeply.

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Annapolis, Md: Good Morning!

First, I'm so happy about DST, since I have an hour of daylight when I get home from work.

Second, I started peas and kale some weeks ago. Do I need to harden them off, or can I just put them in the ground this week? Which other vegetables can I start now?

Adrian Higgins: Both peas and kale are extremely hardy, and are best started directly in the ground. If you have stated them in little pots, yes I would harden them off a bit by keeping them outdoors for a week in a sheltered, shady spot (bringing them in during nights of frosts) and then planting them directly in a bed that has been worked. The peas will need some netting or trellising to get them off the ground.

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Del Ray, Va: We have a few areas in our back yard where the drainage is poor and water tends to stand longer than the other areas in our yard. I have heard that adding sand to those areas will help with the drainage? Is this true? If so, will the sand kill the grass?

Adrian Higgins: It is possible to fill hollows in the lawn with sand, and then sow fresh grass seed. Sand, however, is not an amendment that fixes clay soil because you can never supply enough of it to counter the effects of the clay. However, other amendments are useful. There is a mineral product called Stalite that will improve the soil structure. The best approach is to add organic matter on a continuing basis. The worms will do the rest.

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Elmhurst, Ill: Save an oak! Maybe five years ago, an attractive oak self-seeded in my shrub border. I live in a semi-urban Chicago suburb with smallish lots, but the tree's location between my neighbor's house and ours was OK, so I decided to keep the oaklet. The top whip quickly reached 15 ft; caliper at bottom is about 4". But now the sapling leaning noticeably westward by about one foot. Is it too late to stake the oak or otherwise correct the lean? Thank you for any information you can offer!

Adrian Higgins: You could stake it for a couple of years, to see if that will help. Make sure the guy wire is threaded through hose to protect the bark, and don't forget to remove it. It may be leaning because of the light conditions and short of taking down surrounding trees, there may not be an easy fix. I think the tree is too old for this to be a problem with the rootball shifting.

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Aquasco, Md: I really want to begin my vegetable garden this spring. I have been searching for a magazine that focuses mainly on vegetable gardening but haven't been able to find anything other than flower-type gardening. Any suggestions? Thanks!!!

Adrian Higgins: Organic Gardening, published by Rodale, is still pretty committed to us dying band of veggie growers.

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Bethesda, Md: Good morning. I apologize in advance if this question is too basic. My backyard is small & looks like it needs new grass. Someone suggested Kentucky Blue grass, similar to that of baseball & football fields. What is the most generic grass to use and can I get to work on this project immediately, timewise, for decent results, this year? Thanks.

Adrian Higgins: There is no basic question, just a noble quest to succeed. Kentucky blue grass is sort of the Ferrari of grasses, beautiful but high maintenance. You need the Chevy, i.e. turf type tall fescues. Varieties have been developed that will do well in our hot, humid conditions, so look for these. Don't use generic varieties and stay away from Kentucky 31. Rebel is a good series for our climate. You can sow it now, and, better, again in September.

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Linden, Va: I'm new to the cool season vegetable crop game. What should I be planting now?

Spinach?

Peas?

Lettuce?

Carrots?

Broccoli?

Etc?

Thank you very much.

Adrian Higgins: Many of these are better sown in August for a fall crop here, but you can certainly try them and harvest them as baby vegetables if needed. Lettuce would be fine now for crops in May and June. I would wait a little to sow the carrots, the soil is still too cold for rapid germination. Do the carrots in early April.

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Alexandria, Va: I am planning my new backyard landscaping and was wondering if any of the plants I'm picking are particularly bad idea. I've got a section that currently has ivy for ground cover, I want to rip that out and put in periwinkle instead, day lilies lining the sunny back fence of the area, oak leaf hydrangeas for the partly shady spots (I'm concerned they will get a bit big for the space however); lirirope borders along the sunny walk; a crape myrtle; hostas in the shady area; tuberous begonias in the planters. I like all these plants because they are relatively low maintenance and low in allergy issues. Any thoughts? Thanks, your advice is helpful for this novice.

Adrian Higgins: All of these sound good, except, the tuberous begonia does suffer in our hot, humid summers. I would make sure you only water the roots, not the stems or leaves, and keep it in a spot that gets afternoon shade. In time, i.e. 10 years, oakleaf hydrangeas will grow 8 feet high and 6 feet wide. But you can always trim them back.

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Novice rose grower:: Last month you said to wait until 'bud break' to prune roses

back. Well, ok - what's a bud break? How far back do I

prune bushes? climbers?

Adrian Higgins: Bud break is when the bud bursts open to reveal the nascent leaves. The winter was so mild, in spite of the cold snap, that I had roses that broke bud early. Rose bushes should be pruned now, remove diseased and damaged canes entirely. Remaining ones (four to five in number) should be well spaced and free from rubbing with neighbors. These are cut back to about 18 inches. Wear thick gloves or risk death by lockjaw. Climbers are pruned differently, you can trim them now but don't remove last year's canes entirely, or risk flower loss.

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Washington DC: I really want to plant some Bamboo, I'm pretty sure I first read about it in a Post article a few weeks ago. I have since done some research and think the Black or Blue Bamboo would be best for my purposes and this climate. I want to use it for privacy in the front yard of my townhouse.

The problem, is I cannot find anywhere here that sells it. Do you know of anywhere in the DC metro area that I could go and talk to a knowledgeable sales staff? Or where I could find out more information?

Thanks!

Adrian Higgins: Some of the popular bamboos are readily available from Internet sources. Google the latin names and you will no doubt find sources. Phyllostachys and fargesia are a couple of magic words.

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Silver Spring, Md: Last year I planted bunching onion seeds, but they never got very big and I ended up pulling them midsummer. I think I planted them too late and too close together. When should they go in, and what should the spacing be?

Adrian Higgins: Onion are tricky, because they are heavy feeders, hate weed competition and uneven watering, and take months to develop. The best onions here are seed sown in early fall and grown through the winter for harvest the following early summer. However, you will have fun and success with onion sets put in now.

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Ashburn, Va: Is it too early to plant an Arborvitae along the west side of my house?

Adrian Higgins: No, any woody plants being planted this spring should go in earlier rather than later so that they have overcome transplant shock before the heat of summer.

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Falls Church, Va: I was doing some pruning this weekend and I have a problem with my pruning tool. It will cut through a branch 99% of the way, but it won't cut the bark on the opposite end of the cut.

Is there something I can do about this? I don't think it's a sharpening issue because it easily cuts through the branch. Do I need to tighten the nuts holding the blades together or do I just get a new one?

Thanks!

Adrian Higgins: You need a new blade. Replacement blades are available for quality pruners. I use Felco No. 2.

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Chevy Chase, Washington, DC: Good Morning Professor Higgins:

I wanted to know if now is a good time to prune Camelia and Privet Bushes? If so, how much?

Thank you.

Adrian Higgins: These are two different animals. The camellia is a lovely specimen, or should be, and the privet is sort of like a workhorse. Unless you are growing a camellia as an espalier, it won't need much pruning except perhaps to correct crossing or inward growing branches. This is best done in spring after flowering. Privet is often grown as a sheared hedge. Over several years the bottom gets very thin. If this is the case, cut it back to about six inches and give it two or three years to regrow. When it does revegetate, clip the hedge so that it has a slight taper toward the top. This will allow sunlight to reach the lower branches and keep the hedge thick.

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Washington, DC: How easy is it to grow chives from seed in a pot? I'm new to all of this, but am thinking of planting shives this weekend..

Adrian Higgins: As long as you can maintain even moisture, they should germinate fine. But this is another onion, so it will take several months to attain a stem size worth harvesting. I would sow the seeds in a pot with a couple of sticks as stakes and then build a tent of polythene. This will provide the humid condition needed for the seeds to germinate and develop. Take the plastic off once the seedlings are two or three inches high.

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Not Dead Yet: Just a hello from another veggie grower who was out at 8:30 last night finishing the trellis for the peas.... Welcome spring and DST!

Adrian Higgins: Wonderful.

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Vienna, Va: Hi Adrian,

Your advice is spot on!

My wife would like a fig tree. I've seen them at Home Depot and Lowes. Do they grow well in this area? Do they need full sun? What about pomegranate trees?

Adrian Higgins: Huzzah for global warming. We once were limited to the hardiest variety of fig, now we can venture into more Zone 7 and even 8 varieties. As ever, Edible Landscaping in Afton, Va. has a good selection. Now would be a great time to plant a fig. They prefer full sun, fruiting will diminish or not ripen well in shadier locations, and figs insist on pretty well drained soil. Pomegranates are a little more borderline, but certainly worth growing, especially a dwarf form, Nana.

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Manassas Va: I hate weeding and besides that, I have a slightly bad back. I love to plant lots of pansies, impatients, daffodils and tuplips come up every year.

What is the easiest way for me to take care of the weeds? I have weed cloth down but it is such a pain when adding new flowers. Please help!

Adrian Higgins: A weed cloth will help, you plant through it by make an X with a sharp blade. Then use a thin layer of mulch. I use a kneeling pad, which I find saves the back for weeding. It also looks from a distance as if I am in prayer and saintly.

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South Hamilton, Mass: Dear Adrian,

I removed the vegetable debris from my garden last fall but didn't get to mulching my leaves to put in the garden. Nor did I put in any manure or compost. What can I do this spring to help make up for my negligence last fall?

Adrian Higgins: Composting is a continuous enterprise. Autumn leaves, obviously, are a great starting point, but you can start a pile at any time. Having brown material such as straw or leaves would be really handy, though, to mix with all those spring grass clippings.

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Brown thumb: Hi Adrian!

Any easy-peasy pretty flowers you'd recommend this witless gardener try to plant? Both in ground and in pots (in pots is where I tend to kill them the most, so it's more of a challenge).

many thanks.

Adrian Higgins: For the spring, I love violas, which are somewhere in size between pansies and Johnny Jump Ups. They won't last beyond mid June, but really look fresh in the spring. Plant them again in September.

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Houston, Tex: I've recently discovered that I really enjoy pot gardening. I live in an apartment, so that's pretty much all I can handle. Might you be able to suggest plants well suited to the humid heat of SE Texas?

Adrian Higgins: I thought for a minute you were talking about something else. In your heat and humidity, go nuts with tropicals, such as bananas, gingers, passionflowers, cannas, coleus and taros. Check out a nursery named Glasshouseworks.

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Washington DC: Do you know a good variety of Dwarf pears that will do well in the DC area?

Thanks

Adrian Higgins: Dwarfing is a product of the rootstock, just make sure you get a variety grafted onto dwarf stock. I am told that Magnus is a fabulous variety for our area, you may need another variety for cross pollination.

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Rockville, Md: I had someone come out last October to fill my dead front garden with foundation plants. It's a 3-level garden plot, but fairly small. On the bottom level, there's a japanese maple, and my parents are convinced this is in the absolute worst place.

My question: are they correct? There is only about a foot radius around the maple, with one edge by the walkway and another by the 2 ft. wall leading to the next level.

Second question: if I must move it, when is the best time to do it without killing it, and what special precautions do I need to take? Where is an ideal place for such a tree?

Thank you so much!

Adrian Higgins: Listen to your parents! Weeping Japanese maples, in time, will grow eight feet high and 10 feet across. It will prefer a space with at least six feet around it, anyway. It also does best in an east or north facing bed with some afternoon shade. Move it now, while it is still dormant. Hurry and don't set it too deeply. Give it a light mulch of leaf mold. Feed it with a seaweed, kelp fertilizer. This will help it get over the move.

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Annandale, Va: Hello. When is the best time to apply the type of weed control that inhibits seed germination for crabgrass, etc? Thanks.

Adrian Higgins: When the soil temperature climbs into the 50s, usually around mid April.

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Arlington, Va: Hi Adrian!

I inherited a raspberry bush in my community garden plot. It's done well the past couple of years, but last year produced fewer, smaller berries than before. I don't know much about raspberry bushes, so I'm not sure what I'm doing, and I'm worried my ignorance has led to lower yield. I prune the thing occasionally, but that just means I cut out the dead branches. I've heard that the branches produce only once, then you should cut them, but I never have the nerve to cut them unless they're clearly dead.

So, should I hack away? Also, I think I should fertilize (I've heard you feed if you want fruit or flowers), so is now a good time, or is it too early? Should I be feeding throughout the year?

Help! My son is almost two, and his greedy little mouth wants more raspberries!

Adrian Higgins: There are two basic types of raspberry, a summer fruiting one and a fall fruiting type. YOu will probably have to assume yours is the former for pruning purposes. Remove all the old canes, thin out the stand and leave a few of last year's canes, which can be trimmed back. Your raspberry will flower and fruit from buds on these canes. The second type fruits on the same season's growth, so it can be cut to the ground during the winter months. I would invest in two or three more raspberries, get fall bloomers, and plant them in the next month.

Thanks for all your questions and I'm sorry I couldn't get to them all. But I am back now on a weekly schedule, so we'll see you here again next Tuesday. I'm on Washington Post radio tomorrow at 2:20 p.m. and Friday at 6:20 a.m., as well as in the Home section on Thursdays.

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