| The Garden Plot
Hosted by Adrian Higgins
Washington Post Garden Editor
Thursday, April 17, 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. 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." The transcript follows 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.
Bad Lawn, Arlington, Va.: Help -- I planted sod about three years ago on my front lawn, and now it's basically one third grass (fescue), and two-thirds either weeds or bare spots. What can I do to save my lawn? Thanks! Adrian Higgins: Between the prolonged drought and the prolonged flood, it is no wonder that our lawns are so patchy at the moment. The problem is that this is not the optimum time to reseed, early September is. I have recurring patchy areas of the lawn that have received the same seed and care as the rest of the turf, which is doing well, but the problem is the soil. It is too poor. In my case, they are areas of gravel or subsoil left over from construction and I realize that the only way I am going to beat this problem is to till in these areas and add copious amount of compost and peat humus, which I will do in late summer. If you think your problem is not necessarily soil based, you can seed now, have a decent looking lawn for a few weeks before the dog days of summer, and then do a proper reseeding in the fall. Or you can lay turf, which is more expensive and could be a waste of money if the underlying soil needs a lot of work. I would get a soil test at your local extension office and proceed from there.
Silver Spring, Md.: Good morning!
After moving into a townhouse last fall with a small front yard with patchy grass, I have decided to remove all of the grass and put in a small patio with shrubs and flowers. As I was investigating my yard last weekend, I noticed that my neighbor's tree prevents my yard from getting much of the early morning to early afternoon sun that my house gets. So I am dealing with a very shady area that gets minimal non-so-hot sunlight. I've thought about putting in hosta and impatiens, but other than that I'm at a loss for what shrubs will work best. I like color, would like to have some green in my yard in the winter months and would like some variation in heights of things I plant. I'm also on a limited budget as a new homeowner, but I want this yard to be one that welcomes me home! Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Adrian Higgins: Shade is not an impediment to a wonderful garden, it's an impediment to a floriferous one. I would suggest you go to McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda with a pen and paper and look at what they have done in an ornamental shade garden. Or to the Landon School Azalea Festival or to Asian and Fern valleys at the National Arboretum and get a better understanding of what can be achieved in a shady setting.
Woodbridge, Va.: I know you recommend we use the mulching feature on our mowers and leave the grass clippings. Would the cut weeds "reinfect" the lawn with more weeds? Adrian Higgins: No, because you cut them, or should cut them, before they go to seed. If the weeds have already set seeds then yes, you would be doing them a favor in dispersing them. I make a habit when I go through my front yard to pluck any yellow dandelion flowers before they go to seed.
Gaithersburg, Md.: Dear Adrian, Question regarding fuzz on peat pots: I transplanted small plugs with seedlings into peat pots and stupidly left them in an enclosed container with no real air flow. A week later, I noticed a lot of fuzz growing on the pots and on the soil. For the last couple of days, I've had them out of the container, and the fuzz seems to be diminishing. Would you recommend that I go ahead and use the seedlings, or should I trash them as they might be compromised? Many thanks for your answer: if I can use them, my vegetables will be almost two weeks ahead of the alternative (back-up seedlings). Adrian Higgins: If the seedlings are growing, then just keep the pots in an area of light and air circulation. I don't know whether the seedlings you have are hardy or not, but you should be hardening them off by now by placing them outdoors in a sheltered, shady spot during the day and bringing them indoors at night. After a week or so you can leave them out all the time, assuming no frost is predicted, and then you should soon get them in bigger pots or prepared beds. The fuzz is mold, which thrives when the potting mix is kept too wet and as you say in an area with poor air flow.
Baltimore, Md.: I just moved a rose bush to a more open spot of my lawn. I hope I kept enough of the roots! I was told that I should prune the bush back severely so that it doesn't go into shock. Do I take whole branches, or the ends of all the branches? How much should be left when I am done? Adrian Higgins: It would have been better to move the rose in its winter dormancy, but this winter was not conducive to such work, there was no let up from it. Yes, you do want to reduce the biomass of the top because you have undoubtedly done so to the roots. The key now is to place the plant in a hole with lots of good organic matter and I would get a seaweed feed from a garden center and water it at least once with that. This will give it minerals and trace elements that will help the rose get over the transplant shock. Prune it as you would any rose in February, remove dead, diseased, weak and crossing branches and leave four or five open canes, each about 18 to 24 inches high. You will lose the first flush of roses as a result at this stage, but this will allow the plant the chance to spring back from this trauma. It will bloom this summer.
Washington, D.C.: I would like to obtain a plot in a community garden in NW D.C. I live near the Newark Street Community Garden, but have not had much luck getting information about the garden Do you know of a Web site for this garden or perhaps know of other gardens? Thanks. Adrian Higgins: I don't. What I would do is go to the garden when people are there, weekends, for example, and ask them for the name and phone number of the garden coordinator. You may be able to find vacant lots still, even though most are probably already divvied up for the year.
Clarksburg, Md,: Hi, Adrian, and thanks again for making yourself available. I was the one who asked last week about whether or not it was too late to apply a preemergent to the lawn. Well, I did so on Saturday, but it didn't rain until last night. I see some dandelions popping up and a few purple flowers. Is it too late? Adrian Higgins: The preemergent is primarily for crabgrass, I believe. Dandelions are broadleaf weeds that are treated once they grow. If you have a great deal of them, you may want to spot treat them. If you have fewer, just dig them out or keep plucking and bagging the flowers.
Phalaenopsis: Good morning! I recently purchased a phalaenopsis orchid. It is in bloom, and it is in potting soil. My question is, what kind of potting medium should it be in, and should I wait until after it is done blooming to repot it? washingtonpost.com: American Orchid Society Adrian Higgins: It should not be in potting soil, it should be in an orchid mix, which is a very open and airy medium consisting of bark chips and charcoal and perlite and the like. You can buy orchid mixes at mass merchandizers these days. You will want to repot your orchid about once every year or 18 months.
Clifton, Va.: is it to soon to plant Zinnia seeds? Adrian Higgins: Soil temperatures are still around 50 degrees. You should sow them when the ground gets warmer. Wait until May.
Arlington, Va.: Hi Adrian, thanks for the chat.
We have a steep hillside once covered with ivy, but now the ivy is burned out after a tree fell last year, exposing that hillside to full sun. Knee high grass started to grow there, but we would like suggestions for nicer looking groudcover, preferably flowering, that will help hold up the hillside from erosion. Any suggestions? Thanks. Adrian Higgins: I think I would go with one of the landscape shrub roses, something like Carefree Delight or Carefree Wonder.
Gaithersburg, Md.: Hello Adrian, What is your opinion on using pressure treated lumber (with CCA) in raised vegetable beds? My Internet research indicates that it is okay to use it, that the leaching and subsequent uptake in plants of arsenic and chromium is negligible, but I was wondering what your feelings are on the matter. Thanks in advance. Adrian Higgins: This pressure treated wood, incidentally, is being phased out for environmental reasons. YOu are right, studies have shown that the arsenic is quite stable in these old timbers and doesn't leach out readily. Still, if I were building a vegetable garden today, I would use iron edging to create the raised beds.
Bethesda, Md.: I really love Coreopsis. Do they like full sun? If I want to plant some, am I going to look for seeds or plants? Thanks. Adrian Higgins: It grows and prefers full sun but will take some light shade. There are many different varieties. It is a plant worth getting to know.
Arlington, Va.: Good morning Adrian,
I drove by a house last week and saw the most beautiful bush of flowers. I have no idea how to identify this plant. It's not azelea. The bushes were grown along the side w/ forsythia bushes. The flowers look like cherry blossoms, but its color is crimson red, beautifully contrast with the yellow forsythia. The branch has some thorn on it. Could you tell identify this plant for me? Thanks. (would a picture help?) Adrian Higgins: Three wildly different plants come to mind. The first is a barberry, the second a hawthorn, the third a flowering quince.
Arlington, Va.: I have a some nandina bushes (sorry, the variety escapes me) that I planted last spring. They are not looking to good due to our harsh winter. Is there anything I can do to help them? Will they recover on their own? The ends look burned out -- but I am seeing signs of new growth. Adrian Higgins: You can either cut them back a little, or allow the new growth to develop and then remove the old burned foliage.
Arlington, Va.: I have a rugosa rose that I get let get way leggy -- like 2 or 3 feet tall. It looks a little silly and I would like to prune it back. When is the best time of year to do so, and how should I prune it. Thanks! Adrian Higgins: I have done the same thing. I forgot to prune one and it is now oversized and a little rangy. The problem is that rugosas are among the earliest to flower and I suspect that the buds have already developed. I would wait for it to bloom and them prune it harder than you otherwise would.
Bowie, Md.: Hello Adrian. I would like your advice on selecting a plant appropriate for a location. I am working on a woodland garden that is under a high canopy of oaks. The location would be a southern exposure under the canopy, which means no direct light in the summer, but some angled light in the spring and fall. The soil is sandy. I need a plant that will reach about 5 feet in height to sit beside a park bench and provide some privacy. I can’t decide if a red Rhododendron such as Nova Zembla or Vulcan would be happy in that much shade or if I should pick a Ruby Spice Clethra or Henry’s Garnet Itea instead. Thanks in advance. Adrian Higgins: All these plants sound wonderful and appropriate. You might also consider mountain laurel or some of the deciduous azaleas.
At My Desk: Hi. I am inheriting a 6 foot tall ficus plant. I have killed several smaller ones in the past. Any tips or general rules? It has been neglected and could probably use some fresh dirt, maybe a bigger pot. Do I let him "settle in" first? Maybe fertilize for a start? I have several sunny windows, but all are near A/C vents. Is that okay? Help! Adrian Higgins: AC vents are probably not as much a difficulty as heat vents. Yes, I would repot, perhaps even trim some of the roots to stimulate root branching and expect it to sulk and drop some leaves before taking off again.
Orchids: Interesting. Is there a better time in the orchid's growing cycle or the year to repot? Adrian Higgins: I think even if it is in bloom and you are careful, you can still repot it in a correct mix. I would gingerly remove it from its pot and then use a gentle stream of tepid water to wash all the soil from the roots, and then replace in its new medium. Gentleness is the key.
Help in Gaithersburg, Md.: we got one Camelia plant from a nursery last summer. It is spring blooming variety. All of winter it looked in good health with buds. In the last 3-4 week, it has become almost bare and the buds gone. It looks lifeless with just 1-2 buds at the bottom. Return it? Is it dead? Help! Adrian Higgins: If it were an established plant, I would say that the winter had killed the top growth but that it would grow back. However, I think because yours was a young plant that was not established and perhaps not fully hardened off before the winter (because of potting feeds applied by the grower) that it is in rank decline. Whose fault is it? I don't know. Perhaps it should have been sheltered, or watered better when planted. Who knows?
Takoma Park, Md.: Are there any "natural fences" that you would recommend besides leland cypress to grow tall yet relatively thin and screen out my neighbors' yard couch? Adrian Higgins: There are a number of evergreen hollies, osmanthus and viburnums that might work. Go to a good retail nursery and see what will work. Do measure the space to be filled and take note of the eventual size of the plants you pick. Don't crowd them for a short term effect, in other words.
Springfield, Va.: I have six white dogwoods that are just starting to bloom. I am constantly pruning a persistent vine that likes to start crawling up and around them. Any idea of what this is and how to deal with it? Adrian Higgins: Depends what the vine is. If it is poison ivy, I would probably get rid of it. If it were Clematis Perle d'Or, I would want to cultivate it for effect.
Gaithersburg, Md.: I'm sneaking a question while at work -- When do I fertilize my hydrangea? And when do I give it aluminum sulfate (for blue flowers)? At the same time? Thanks in advance! Adrian Higgins: You're the only person ever to do that. Whatever feed you use, make it a natural one such as sea weed or fish emulsion. Put a thin later of compost around the plant now and mix in your aluminum sulfate with that. Better yet, mix in some pine needles with the compost to reduce the pH.
Mt. Rainier, Md.: My fault, I left a huge pile of leaves on the median by the sidewalk for the city to take -- and they never did. I finally bagged the leaves and now there's no grass underneath. Will this grow back now that the leaves are gone, or do I need to reseed? Adrian Higgins: If the grass doesn't grow back after a week or two, then it is dead. If so, cultivate the soil, add some amendments, smooth it and buy some strips of turf to place on top.
Falls Church, Va.: I have a bird and squirrel problem in my backyard. Is there a safe, humane way to get rid of this problem? Adrian Higgins: Half the world wants to attract wildlife, the other half wants to shoo it away. Maybe we need a Federal Wildlife Facilitator.
If you feed and water the animals, stop doing so. Squirrels can be trapped humanely and relocated, but the void soon will be filled with new squirrels.
Through the pollen haze, dimly: Morning Mr. Higgins: There is a tree/bush here in town (5 feet) which every spring/summer has the most incredible red roses, a bit smaller, but saturated with flowers -- what is it? It's not a typical rose bush. 2. Now here's my challenge: I have a spacious empty corner in my yard, sidewalk on one side, parking area on another. I would like to plant something showy & appropriate, 1 item, but not too tall. Suggestions? Thank you and g'day! Adrian Higgins: The pollen cometh, grab your hankies. I don't know what the rose is, it might be Dortmund, a great rose, or America. I would plant a shrub for its foliage beauty rather than its flower, which is fleeting. Consider something low and broad such as Shoshoni or Shasta viburnum, corylopsis, or daphne Carol Mackie. I am sorry that we have come to the end of our hour of floral fun. Spring is here, at last, revel in it. Don't allow the pollen to keep you trapped behind a window. See you next week.
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