| The Garden Plot
Hosted by Adrian Higgins
Washington Post Garden Editor
Thursday, March 13, 2003; 11 a.m. ET 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. Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion. 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." Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Somewhere, USA: Adrian - I have a rose scented geranium that I bought last year and it has gotten quite leggy and tall. I'd like to trim this plant back to a smaller and more manageable size. I was wondering if you can tell me how far I can cut back. I'd like to root the cutting in another pot. Thanks so much!! Adrian Higgins: Geraniums take well to cutting back and the plants perform best when shoots are pinched, this will promote bushiness. As you trim back yours, snip off leaf stalks, dip the stalks in rooting compound, and place them in a tray of sand, indoors under lights. If you stake the tray with little sticks, you can form a cover of clear plastic over the cuttings to give them the humid environment they need to survive and root. Keep the sand moist but not in standing water. The cuttings should root in several weeks. Test by tugging on the cutting, if you feel resistance, roots are present. Pot them up and move them outdoors in a shaded spot until they are hardened off.
Frustrated Renter in Alexandria, Va.: I put my garlic in late last fall (OK, more like early winter), only to be told last month that our landlords are selling our house and we have to be out by the end of May. Is there any way to save my garlic (harvest early, transplant) so I don't have to leave it behind for some twit to mistake for a weed and tear up? Any chance it will be ready to harvest by late May?
Adrian Higgins: Dig it up, carefully, and transplant into a pot full of good soil mixed with a little limestone. Because you put it in a little late and in a very cold winter, those factors will delay bulbing up a little, I suspect, so you cannot count on a harvest before July.
Alexandria, Va.: Adrian - I wanted to write in a thank you for answering my question last session. I'm the one who wrote concerned about my hellebores and that they were not blooming. You said to be patience. Well, you were right! I checked on them this week and they both have blooms! Thanks so much for your advice. Adrian Higgins: Yes, I noticed the nodding blooms on mine coming up too. Everything is behind this year.
Arlington, Va.: Hi Adrian, I'm looking for an evergreen shrub, that grows over 5 feet tall to hide a chainlink fence and adds a little privacy from our neighbors. Someone suggested Phontina. Do you have any other suggestions besides Leyland Cyprus? Also, when can I transplant Azaleas? Adrian Higgins: You can transplant azaleas now as long as you are careful to preserve as much of the root system as possible. Find a site that is well drained, well amended with good soil, and a little shady in the afternoon. One shrub may not be enough to do the screening you desire, but consider Blue Girl holly.
Locust Grove, Va.: Late last summer an infestation of wire grass invaded a bed of junipers used as a ground cover. It here any method of ridding the bed of the existing plants and is there a method of preventing the germination of any seeds that may persist in the bed? Adrian Higgins: Roundup is of limited use on wiregrass in my experience. The only effective way is to dig it all out, which is difficult because it can go quite deep. It can be done if the will is there, however. I would use a sharp, narrow shovel to get to the lower runners. Be careful not to damage the junipers. Old junipers don't transplant well, by the way.
Shirlington, Va.: During the frigid days of January, I brought my potted hydrangea in the house. The weather did some damage, I can tell that I won't be getting all the blooms I otherwise would have. The plant is now starting to bud and new growth is coming from the base. Should I put it back outside now? It's gotten used to the 67 degrees in the house, and I don't want to shock it's system. Any guidance? Adrian Higgins: You need to harden it off, by placing it outdoors in a shaded spot on days like today but then bring it in to a porch, garage at night. You should do this for two weeks and perhaps anytime the nighttime temperatures go below freezing. The new growth will be very susceptible to cold damage.
Northern Virginia: Where is the right place to grow grapes (sun, shade, mix). I've read about enough people who do them that I should try it to replace a small garden area in my backyard. Adrian Higgins: Grapes need something to grow on. In nature they use trees but you should give them a fence, a trellis or arbor. They also need a sunny location and well drained soil. If it is close to a lawn, you should be careful that lawn fertilizer does not come near to the vine because the excessive nitrogen is bound to diminish fruit set.
Washington, D.C.: What's the best way to improve clay soil (or, more precisely, soil that's almost entirely clay with about a half inch of OK stuff on top)? Thanks! Adrian Higgins: The best way is to look at it not as a onetime fix, but an ongoing program of replenishment. One of the best ways to improve heavy clay soil is to lay a mulch of finely shredded leaves in the late spring and fall. Earthworms will incorporate it into the soil. In time, the topsoil will be the envy of the neighborhood. For a quicker fix, you can spread a thick layer of compost mixed with gypsum and turn the soil with a fork so that everything is worked in.
Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: What a glorious day! Adrian, do you think it is too late to start a few tomatoes from seed? I plant on putting them in the ground around May 5 or 6. Thank You. Adrian Higgins: This would be fine. I find that if you set out tomato seedlings until the days have really warmed, they sulk for weeks. Better to start them now or later and plant them in late May.
Arlington, Va.: I've finally decided to do some landscaping! I had someone from a local nursery come out and do a sketch and I'm all set. I've been checking out prices and boy are plants expensive. Have you had much success ordering plants via mail? Know of any cheap nurseries outside of the DC area? I'm willing to travel to West Virginia to save. Adrian Higgins: The most economic approach, other than starting things from seed (ridiculously long enterprise for woody plants), is to order small plants. If they are content, in good soil, and attended to in their youth (read: watering), they will soon approach the size of the plants your eyes desire now. One source of cheaper plants is the plant sales that are organized each spring by local plant societies. We often list these in the Home section.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Adrian,
You gave me some advice on a balcony herb garden a few weeks ago. My question now - when do I start? Thanks - Adrian Higgins: Everybody is itching to go, understandably. You could plant hardy stuff now like parsley, thyme, sage, though I would probably wait a couple of weeks so the soil and nights get a little warmer. You should wait to plant basils until mid May.
Arlington, Va.: I am trying to start some seedling butterfly bushes, and not having much luck. I want to attract butterflies to my garden. Any suggestions on plants I can find in a local nursery that would do the job? Adrian Higgins: I assume you are referring to Buddleia. I think if you start them from seed you won't get a plant of blooming size this year. Far better to buy small plants from a local nursery this spring. They are quite cheap and many lovely varieties in different shades of blue and purple and white.
Washington, D.C.: After buying a new house on the Hill last fall, I'm anxious to see what is going to pop up in the garden this spring...I know there are a lot of bulbs in the ground. But I have one big problem I'm hoping you can give me some guidance on...a very large, very overgrown grapevine. It looks more like a mini-tree, and I don't think it's ever been properly pruned. Rather than a single stalk, three major arteries, each about 3 1/2 inches in diameter, (?) come up from the ground and have spread out over the arbor and then all along the top of a fence that stretches a good twenty feet. How do I go about trimming it back to ensure its health and productivity? I've done some reading, but I've found nothing that will define the terms "cordon" "spur" and "cane", so I'm not sure just how to proceed. Adrian Higgins: There is a difference between annual maintenance pruning and wholesale rejuvenation. The latter seems in order for yours. I would be inclined to take a sharp pruning saw and cut out most of the twiggy growth. Just as a sculptor creates an artwork by removal, you should aim to leave your three main trunks, lateral branches (cordons) from each trunk, and a few canes on the cordons from last year, and these should be tipped. Your harvest this year may be diminished, but the vine will once more become manageable
Annapolis, Md.: Hi Adrian, Can you give me some tips on planting potatoes and garlic? I am trying some new things this year. Thanks! Adrian Higgins: Seed potatoes should be ordered now and planted as soon as possible. Garlic goes in as cloves in early October, to be harvested the following summer. It either case, it is better to send off for a property supply of seed rather than count on vegetables from the supermarket as your growing stock.
Cumberland, Md.: I have some bulbs starting to come up in a place I thought I had removed them from last fall -- how soon can I move and replant these bulbs? Adrian Higgins: Yes, but be careful to keep the root hairs intact. They will extend a few inches below the bulb.
Alexandria, Va.: Adrian -
I have several paper white bulbs from Christmas and I have heard you can plant them outside. Can I plant them in the ground when the weather gets warmer or do I treat them like regular fall bulbs? I'm assuming I have to plant them in a sunny location in good soil. Please advise!!
Adrian Higgins: I believe you can, especially if you place them in a hot, dry site (near a path or wall, for example). They may not make it through a particularly bad winter such as the current one, but worth a try.
Happy Valley, Pa.: Hi Adrian: We've just moved from D.C. to Central Pennsylvania. Any good books you can recommend for what works well in our area for flowers, etc.? Adrian Higgins: You are only a zone or two removed. I would go to a botanical garden in your vicinity and see what grows well outdoors. You will find it harder to grow things like crape myrtles and camellias (though hardier varieties are now available) but other plants will do better than down here in Dixie, including sugar maples, lilacs and rhubarb.
Olney, Md.: Believe it or not, I still have several feet of snow on my lawn. I live in a row of townhouses, and our lawns are so tiny that the snow plowed from the driveways and road piled up the snow on the lawn to about 5 feet. It's down to about 2 feet now. Is the heavy snow going to do anything harmful to the grass after packing it down for so long? Adrian Higgins: Prolonged snow cover can promote fungal diseases in lawn, something to watch for this spring. I would take a hose and melt the snow this weekend to get light to the grass.
Washington, D.C.: Adrian, most of my grass died last summer and i am now looking at a backyard full of dirt. Can I sprinkle some seed this weekend or should I wait? Also, what type of seed should I get? I have no idea what was there before. I'm on Capital Hill. Thanks! Adrian Higgins: You can seed now, the lawn will green up and then die in June because the seedlings won't have a proper root system to handle the heat. The best time to sow is in early September. I am going to turf a verge with sod this spring for this reason, I just don't think spring sown lawns are dependable, though they will provide a handsome turf until the dogdays.
Annandale, Va.: Can you recommend some hardy climbing roses for this area?
Also how does rosa rugosa grow in our area? Adrian Higgins: Rugosas do beautifully, though they form spreading shrubs, not climbers. Hansa and Roserie de L'Hay are among my favorites.
Lisbon, Md.: Would strawberry plants do OK in a raised bed? What other annual fruit / vegetables would be ok in a raised bed? Adrian Higgins: Most soft fruits and vegetables would do well in a raised bed because then you can give them rich soil for their roots that is bound to drain well.
St. Mary's County, Md.: Good morning, Mr. Higgins. A rose question for you. A friend and I are discussing propagating roses from some cuttings. Is the ground too cold yet to place the cuttings directly into the soil? If so, at what temperature should the ground be for the cuttings to root? We've also read that cuttings should be placed in bright light rather than full sun. How damaging would it be to put them in full sun? Thanks! Adrian Higgins: I don't recommend propagating roses: this is done in summer from softwood cuttings or from semi-hardwood cuttings in August. As with the geranium at the beginning of the chat, the roses should be raised in the controlled environment of a cutting tray. Virtually all roses today are grafted on to rootstock developed to resist pests and diseases and to be hardy. A cutting won't have that benefit.
Charlottesville, Va.: Thank you for the article on roses. Over the last year I've become interested in them (obsessed, my husband might say), and I'm wondering what you have to say about the Generosas and Romanticas. I've ordered a couple of each and have heard that they do better in our climates than the David Austins. Adrian Higgins: I don't know the Generosas but I have grown some Romanticas and find them agreeable, particularly one called Leonardo da Vinci. They are tougher plants than David Austin's, methinks, but not as beautiful. Great roses for the mixed border, though. Folks, I am sorry but we are out of time. I apologize for not getting to all your questions.
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