Ask and Answer Flower Questions Archive - Dec 2008

By Robert: The California Poppy after blooming numerous times, has stopped blooming. Should I cut it down to ground level. These flowers are in a small flower bed and now has become somewhat unattractive. I want to see them bloom again next year. Should I let them stay like this.

Answer By The Flower Expert:

The California Poppy plant grows vigorously in dry places. It especially likes areas where soil has been disturbed.

If there are favourable conditions they thrive well and really good, they will continue to flower over several years.

If they are not blooming, it means that now they will set seed.

California Poppy seeds have an impressive seed dispersal mechanism.

Those long, slender pods explode when ripe, scatter tiny seeds useful for planting.

Sow the seeds and enjoy the Poppy flowers again for the coming years

By Wendy: How does thinning down the foilage on Gerbera Daisies affect the plant?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Yes, you can thin out the Gerbera Diaises.

Thinning the Gerbera Daisies will not pose any problem to the plant.

By Tosha: How tall do a dwarf crape myrtle grow, and is it good to plant up next to the house?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Crape Myrtle Semi-Dwarf 'Hopi' is one of the best growing Dwarf varieties.

It grows to a height of 6 - 10 ft at maturity.

You can grow the dwart Crape Myrtle, next to the house.

But leaving a space of 5 - 6 feet, next to the house is recommended.

By Marjean: The leaves of my Morning Glories are full of little holes, in fact they look like lace they're so badly damaged. What's wrong and what do I do?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Your Morning glories are under the attack of Aphids.

As they are badly affected, probably Neem Oil and Permethrin based sprays are best for the use in eradicating Aphids.

Contact a local gardener for the amount of sprays to be used.

By Rosina: This is year 2 for our rhododendrom. It is full of blossoms but I am noticing the leaves look they are being chewed on. What can I do?

Answer By The Flower Expert:They are the Iris seed pods containing seeds in them.

These seed pods have to turn from green to brown before they open to disperse seeds.

When these seeds are sowed, they germinate and come out as Iris plants.

By Stephanie: I was wondering if Heather plants could be cut and transplanted?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Transplanting the Heathers is not much successful.

Though you may try.

As far as pruning, only cut out dead or diseased branches that have browned and withered, but Heathers cannot stand Transplanting.

By Corinne: I have a number of Agapanthus in my garden plus some I am growing in pots. For several years both new and dstablished flowered well but last year and this, some have no flower buds at all, whilst others have perhaps four, whereas they may normally have 300 buds.

Answer By The Flower Expert:

I think its time for you to divide the clumps of Agapanthus, because Agapanthus root system spreads.

And also, Agapanthus are heavy feeders and do not bloom well if undernourished or grown in too shady a location.

Check out whether there are any unusual things.

By Jennifer: I planted about 250 oriental lily bulbs 5 years ago. The first three years were AMAZING! Last year, a neighborhood deer ate most everything. This year few lilies have surfaced, and of those only a handful look like they will bloom.

Answer By The Flower Expert: Oriental lily bulbs should be grown in full sun. (probably they are receiving less light)

You can get away with early morning shade, but they should have a minimum of 8 hours of full hot sunshine including the noon sun.

Oriental lilies that do not receive enough sunshine flop over and are weak.

The bulb planted should be between plant 8inches-10inches. (they are placed 6-8 inches deep )

By Becky:it is a mid-green plant about 2 feet tall, has small white flowers that when die, turn into pod-like things with hundreds of small black seed inside. It has many stems and seems to spread out

Answer By The Flower Expert: Intermediate bearded iris usually grow from 1 to 2 feet in height.

Iris flower fade and turn into green colored pods, which turn brown when ripe and disperse seeds.

Probably they are bearded Irises.

IF not, please funish some more details of the flower or a flower picture.

By Jan Mitchell: The larvae on sunflowers are a light brown colour, about the size and shape of a sesame seed. They are 1/8th of an inch long, and they burrow through the leaves making little wiggly trails. Eventually, they emerge as little black knats/flies, that are the same size only with wings.

Answer By The Flower Expert: Probably the culprit on sunflower might be Suleima helianthana (Riley)

By Jan Mitchell: My dwarf sunflowers, planted in garden pots seem to have a strange bug attacking their leaves. It looks like a larvae leaving trails across the leaves until the leaf is pulverized. The buds continue to form and the stalks seem very strong, but I'm wondering how to stop the larvae. By the way, the larvae eventually turn into a little black fly/aphid?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Probably the culprit on sunflower might be Suleima helianthana (Riley)

By Barbara: However how deep should I plant the seeds. They are green now and on the tree. Last time I tried they were dried and I just laid them in a flower pot.

Answer By The Flower Expert: Collect the palm seeds when the palm fruit is completely ripe or as soon as it falls from the tree. The fresher the palm seed, the better results.

Plant the palm seeds just even with the surface of the planting medium.

By Lisa: What if anything can a Lamium confertum be used for?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Lamium confertum is a Vigorous perennial grown for its attractive, chartreuse foliage.

The genus Lamium (deadnettle) includes both annual and perennial species; they spread by both seeds and stems rooting as they grow along the ground.

By Alison: Im looking to use White Pompon Chrysanthemums for my wedding in Sept, but when I have ordered them to trial table displays I keep getting Yellow ( cream )ones - they say they cannot gaurantee that White ones will be available in Spet. Is this true?, Is there some hwhere I can order them from that can garantee that they can get white ones?

Answer By The Flower Expert: I think you can order white pompom chrysanthemums from the flower sites in Japan, because they are in bloom during that time in Japan.

In Japan, the chrysanthemum has its own holiday, a festival of happiness celebrated every September 9.

By Jose: How long dose it take for the morning Glory to flower the first time?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Morning Glory if planted in March, will bloom in July.

By Melinda: What do I do with the flower and stalks of my kangaroo paws after they fade and seem dried up? Do I cut the stalk back?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Cut spent flowers of kangaroo paws back to the ground for continued bloom after flowering.

They go from spring through fall.

Kangaroo paw is a tropical plant.

They will flower this year.

By Dan: I just received 2 Bird of paradise plants which are about 2 years old. the outer leaves are yellowning is this normal for young plants?

Answer By The Flower Expert: As the plant leaf ages, they become yellow, and drop off.

By Cathy: The leaves of my Calla Lilly are being eaten away, yet the plat continues to bloom. No other plants (including Day Lilly) are suffering. What to do?

Answer By The Flower Expert:

Probably they are some caterpillars eating away calla lily leaves.

These caterpillars chew on the leaves. Try to identify what insect is eating your leaves. Try insecticidal soap.

By Cathy: I bought a perennial flower at a local nursery. It did not have a name marker on it. A man who worked at the nursery said it was a perennial names something like lychne. I cannot seem to find it online. It bloomed in June and still has some blooms now. It is about 3 to 4 feet tall on a thin stalk and at the end of the stalk is a rounded dark pink flower.

Answer By The Flower Expert: Probably you are talking about dark pink Hibiscus.

IF not send us the flower picture.

By Margaret: Is the marigold flower used to help people that varicose veins?

Answer By The Flower Expert: Yes, Marigold is very essential.

Marigold is chiefly used as a local remedy.

Its action is stimulant and diaphoretic.

It is used internally in chronic ulcer, varicose veins, etc.

It has been asserted that a Marigold flower, rubbed on the affected part, is an admirable remedy for the pain and swelling caused by the sting of a wasp or bee. A lotion made from the flowers is most useful for sprains and wounds, and a water distilled from them is good for inflamed and sore eyes