Flower Questions Answered

By Pam: How poisonous are fresh sweet pea seeds?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Unlike most peas, the seeds of the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) are poisonous, and should not be eaten. Sweet pea flowers are also not edible and are poisonous.

By Keven: We planted daisies in our beds last year and they shot up this year to four feet high and bent over?.lots of white flowers, but too tall. What is a variety that will not get so tall? Maybe two feet or so?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Varieties can be, Painted daisy (C. coccineum, also called Pyrethrum roseum) - a bushy perennial from two to three feet tall. and Ox-eye daisy or common daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) - perennial, grows to two feet tall with bright green foliage and white, yellow-centered daisies.

By Shelly: Peony Not a bulb, not a shrub, What?

Answer By The Flower Expert: There are two types of Peonies grown in home gardens- Family name is Paeoniaceae

2. Tree peony or Paeonia suffruticosa types often grow to eye-level height on woody stems with few branches. Tree Peonies are shrublike plants grown either from seed or from grafts.

By Anita Stoner: When should the stems of Irises and Daisies be cut off, and how close to the ground?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Irises: Usually, Irises need to be cut back in late July or early August. Cut them back to 4-5 inches tall.

Daisies: Deadhead the spent gerbera daisy flowers by cutting them off close to the crown.

By Ruth: It recently rained very hard and my Shasta daisies have fallen over and won't go back up. What can I do so my plant survives?

Answer By The Flower Expert: The only thing you can do is to remove the spoilt parts of the plant and give a support for the remaining part.

By Chandra shekhar: Are theyre any red oleandear flowers they come in red color.?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Yes, there are flowers, red oleandear flowers they come in red color.

By Dave Sharpe: I was wondering if you could tell me the average days till flowering of tulips from planting day.

Answer By The Flower Expert: If tulips are planted in october like 1 st october, they would come to bloom in and around april.

Usually in october, but in warmer climates planting should be delayed until Thanksgiving or even later.

By Roberta Volante: Something is eating the leaves on our marigold plants. Stripping !

what could we use to stop that?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Probably they might be some gold colored bug that looks exactly like a ladybug.

Try an insecticidal soap.

Be sure to spray the underside of the leaves.

By Becky Money: I have two carnation plants growing within about 5 feet of each other with about the same light, soil and water. One is blooming and the other is not. The one not blooming has become more of a ground cover and is growing well. The one blooming is not expanding much but is putting out beautiful flowers. How can I get the one not blooming to bloom?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Carnations should be fed lightly every 6 to 8 weeks with an all-purpose (10-10-10) liquid fertilizer to the plant thats not blooming and see the difference.

By Lisa: What info have you for the green (house) plant called "Peace plant" - as - to light, water, feeding? This one has 5 blooms coming - would love to keep it alive

Answer By The Flower Expert: Peace Lily - Spathiphyllum

Water: Peace lily needs heavy watering, allowing the plant to dry out in between waterings. If the plant leaf droops, then water the plant, its the indication.

Light: The plant needs low lighted areas, and not in direct sunlight.

Feeding: You can fertilize with balanced blend mixed ½-strength.

By Herman: Can a bouquet of Blue Iris be dried and preserved, if so how?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Drying of Iris

Iris flower can be dried and made into dried flower bouquets or arrangements.

Iris flowers are dried by freeze drying. The flowers after cutting are hydrated and treated with a specific solution. They are treated with a protective coating which combats the effects of humidity and sunlight. They are then freezed for about 14 days in a freeze dry machine. The machine slowly extracts moisture from fresh flowers at extremely low temperatures. Moisture leaves the flowers in shape and its size intact. Each flower is then sealed with a post treatment to protect them from fading and re-absorbing moisture.

By Shirley: I planted Calla Lilies for the first time this year. The flower tubes are now closed but there are green like balls inside the tubes. Are these the bulbs? and do I cut them and save them for planting next year?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Those green ball like thing develop into pods containing seeds in them after maturity.

When the seed pod of Calla lily matures, it should turn yellow and become soft and mushy.

This can take several months. They are usually ready in the fall.

If you pick it before it matures the seeds will not be viable. You can remove the seeds by pinching or squishing each berry between your fingers which can hold 1-5 sticky seeds.

These seeds can be planted after refrigeration.

By Lisa: After Iris have flowered, do you cut only the stalks, or the stalks and leaves and how far from the soil?

When do you separate the plants.?

Answer By The Flower Expert: You can cut Iris flower stalks back to an inch or two above the rhizome to prevent seed formation.

Iris after 3 to 5 years generally become crowded and should be divided. Iris can be divided any time, usually 4 to 6weeks after the flowering period.

By Sarah: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WILL MAKE A SUNFLOWER SUCKER OUT. MY SUNFLOWER HAS 12-14 HEADS ON 1 PLANT

Answer By The Flower Expert: Suckers are the side shoots or underground runners that are generated at the base of trees, shrubs or other plants.

You can trim off suckers when you see them, by just pulling them off by hand.

But if suckers are allowed to grow from the grafted root, the energy from the root goes into producing the inferior base plant?s growth and the grafted plant you want to grow will be deprived of the strength it needs.

So, it is better to remove suckers when when grown.

By Anita Stoner: When should the stems of Irises and Daisies be cut off, and how close to the ground?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Deadhead the spent gerbera daisy flowers by cutting them off close to the crown.

The spent Iris blooms should be cut off at the stem below the flower. The part of the iris that bloomed, will no longer produce blooms. Instead, There will be two new plants on either side of it, that will bloom during their second year.