May Questions

Q.   How do you change the color of Hydrangea blooms ?

A.   You can change the color of the blooms of many varieties of Hydrangeas by adjusting the soil pH (a measure of how acid or alkaline the soil is). Many Hydrangeas will have blue flowers when they are growing in an acidic soil. To help produce blue flowers drop the soil pH by using Aluminum sulphate, Sulfur or Ironite. To change the blooms of a Hydrangea to a pink or rose color you can broadcast Hydrated Lime or Dolomitic Lime around them and water in. Our soils are acidic in our area and pH adjustment for flower color will often have to be repeated in the future because the soil returns to a more acid condition over time.

Q.   How should I take care of the Gardenias that I was given ?

A.  Gardenias do best here in light to moderate shade when planted in moist yet well drained soil. Fertilize them with Esposito's 5-4-7 in March, June, and August. The most troublesome pest of Gardenias is the Whitefly. Control Whiteflies by spraying the undersides of the leaves with SunSpray Ultra-fine Oil. This spray should be repeated 3 weeks later. Gardenias need little  pruning if some erratic branches develop prune them after flowering. Check your Gardenias often during dry weather to see if they need watering.

Q.  My daylilies have dying leaves with raised orange and brown spots on them. What can I do to prevent this from happening?

A.  You likely have Daylily Rust (Puccinia hemerocallidis) a new disease that will require removing and destroying infected leaves and spraying the new leaves that come out. We suggest spraying the new leaves that emerge on a 7 to 14 day schedule with  two separate fungicides. Start by spraying with Ferti-lome Broad Spectrum Fungicide (Daconil) then the next time that you spray use Ferti-lome Systemic Liquid Fungicide (Banner). This spray schedule should be kept up until the leaves mature and anytime that there is new growth on your Daylilies.

Q. Can you suggest some flowers that that I can plant now to survive the Summer heat ?

A. Good heat tolerant flowers include Begonias, Blue Daze, Globe Amaranth, Impatiens, Lantana, Melampodium, Pentas, Portulaca, and Vinca.