Clematis

Ask the Expert: Flower identification

This flower blooms each June and is a vine-type plant. I have not been able to identify this plant. Can you help? Phil

Plant Expert Reply:

What you have is a clematis.  I’m not sure which variety it is.  Go to Donahue’s Clematis, they have great pictures of several clematis varieties and more information on how to take care of them.

Blue Salvia Bloom

Salvia

Emily Hartley

Plant Expert Reply:
You have a type of salvia. I am not sure which species or cultivar it is. It could be a Salvia patens. They tend to become leggy and flop over if in too much shade. You can trim it back after it blooms. This might keep the next set of blooms from falling over. If it gets taller and still flops over, you can stake the plant.

Ask the Expert:variegated weigela
Hi. I’m a new home owner and I have a ton of plants that I don’t know how to care for. My dad insisted that I have this perfect yard and got a friend of his, who owns a garden store and greenhouse, to plan my yard. now my dad and his friend do these drive bys to spy on my house while i’m at work to see how the plants are doing. I was given no instruction on how to care for any of these plants and I made a terrible mistake during the first week. I couldn’t figure out how to get my sprinklers to work and I didn’t water my plants for the first week. Now, I’ve figured out how to get the water to work and I’ve been watering almost every day to make up for lost time. My mom had roses, so I think my fairy roses are recovering and my trees are recovering nicely. but I have two plants that i’m not too sure about. The first is I believe it’s a kind of astilbe. they were blooming for a while and I thought they were going to be okay, but i’m not so sure now. In some places, they look like they’re getting some new additions to the plant, but the original part of the plant the flowering part looks dry. Should I trim that part? Will it grow another flower next season? or did I mess everything up? The other plant was one from the previous owner of the house. I looked it up and I think it’s a weigela. The leaf is dark green with a light green border and earlier this spring the bush had beautiful pink flowers all along it’s branches. The branches are long and tall and spread out. But as you go inside the bush, it’s all sticks. And the bush is starting to get too tall and it’s getting too close to the driveway. By now the flowers are all gone, is it safe to trim now? And if I trim it back and down will the sticks in the middle of the bush start blooming? Or will that basically kill the plant off? please help. I have no idea what I’m doing. Thank you! Sarina

Weigela

Blooming Astilbe

Astilbe

Plant Expert Reply:
Landscaping should be an enjoyable process, so take a deep breath and relax. On the average most plants are fairly easy to care for. However, watering is the biggest challenge for most people. Depending on the area you live in watering every day is not necessary. A good slow soaking of the ground twice a week during the hot season should be enough.

Plants in the picture seems to be in good health. It is hard to tell from the picture but the Astilbe you labeled bad may have a weed growing in it. However, the plant looks healthy may need a little less water. Astilbe blooms last for a short period and then the bloom will wither and fade a way. It won’t bloom again until next year. Trim spent bloom stems from the plant and any other brown foliage. Be sure to keep the asilbe evenly moist but not soggy. As long as the new leaves look healthy your plant is ok.

The weigela looks very healthy. You can trim it back severely to get it back under control. As a rule of thumb anything can be cut right after it blooms. However, I would not cut the plant back so severely that it doesn’t have any leaves. Once you cut the weigela back and open the center to sunlight, you should start to see some growth in the bare areas. I have been able to get mine to bloom again after I trim it.

The best way to care for your plants is to get a little help from an expert. As a someone who has a garden center, I can tell you that plant people love to share their knowledge. So invite your dad and his friend to the house for supper. After dinner stroll around your house with a notebook and ask your dad’s friend to tell you a little about each plant and how to care for it.

Above all remember successful gardening is all about trial and error. Have fun with your landscape. I’m here anytime you need help.

Flower Meanings of Hydrangea & Stargazer Lilies

"Glorious Magenta" Hydrangeas & Peonies

Many trials face us in life, but thankfully we have friends and family to encourage us through them. I know from personal experience what it is like to need encouragement or a dose of happy but have nowhere to turn. It’s remember these moments that make me love the flower meanings of stargazer lilies and hydrangeas. These are the absolute perfect gifts for someone needing a boost.

The hydrangea flower meaning is “perseverance.” Know someone struggling to get through their next big trial? Perhaps it’s something as simple as passing a difficult exam or getting through the night at a job that they dislike. Maybe your loved one was recently given a poor diagnosis at their physical exam. Whatever the issue, these times call for encouragement. If we can’t get it from friends, where can we turn? When you know someone facing a situation that calls for perseverance, embolden them with the gift of hydrangeas.

"Stunning Stargazers" Arrangement of Lilies

Stargazer lilies also have a particular flower meaning that caught my eye. These lovely flowers mean “ambition.” The drive to succeed is inbred within all of us. We all want to make more of our lives than futility. Someone facing a situation that calls for them to use their ambition will appreciate the flower meaning of sunflowers.

Perhaps you have a friend that is moving to another city for the first time. Maybe a friend is starting college or a new job. These are excellent opportunities to share in the richness of ambition. Send flower arrangements with stargazer lilies and watch the richness unfold.

Ask the Expert: We Have Plant in our Store and have alot of bug

Bugs a very small like nats we tried to clean each plant out side but the bugs came back. We need help Steve and Kim

Plant Expert Reply:
You probably have a case of fungus gnats. There are a few things you can do to prevent and get rid of the fugus gnats. First moist shady conditions and decaying plant material are conditions that promote fungus gnats infestation. So make sure all of your plants drain well and allow the soil to dry out slightly (don’t let it dry too much). Remove all fallen leaves or blooms from the containers. Then spray the plants with a pyrethrins based insecticide. You will need to spray the plants a couple of times to kill all of the gnats since they lay eggs. Your local garden center can help you find the right insecticide for control and prevention. Good Luck and keep me posted.

Ask the Expert: Does my Peace lily have a chance? I read through the blogs about drooping PL and all the reasons, watering, sunlight and temp changes etc. Great advice!! I just want to make sure I’m on the right track. Mine, I think, either became too dry or went into shock from the sudden heat, so I gave it a little water and transplanted it into a bigger pot with moist
soil. That was three days ago and it’s still green and the stems are still pretty strong, it just looks really sad. I took your suggestion and cut off the dead leaves at the base of the plant and a few others that looked injured. You had also mentioned to cut off leaves that were also bent. All of mine are bent in some area and I was wondering it cutting almost all of them off might keep the roots strong
and help it to produce stronger the second time. I thought I’d give it two weeks or so to adjust before making that drastic of a decision but wondered if you had tried that and had any success with it.

Jennifer
Plant Expert Reply:
Waiting two weeks before you do something drastic is a good idea. I have seen a peace lily that looked dead and beyond help come back to life. Are your bent leaves broken or more like dropping? If they are only dropping, leave them they will straighten up. Although I have seen peaces lilies recover when all the foliage has been removed, I don’t like to cut off all of the leaves until I start to see some new growth. It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation. Just be patient. Good luck and keep me posted.

Hymenocallis caroliniana Stalk

Hymenocallis caroliniana Leaves

Ask the Expert: Can you tell me what the name of this plant? I live in Arkansas and I found it on the side of the road. Just thought it was neat looking. It looks like it might have a bloom coming out now. I can’t wait to see what it looks like. Can you tell me more about it? Dawn

Plant Expert Reply:

Looks like a Hymenocallis caroliniana known as Spider Lily.  These are native to Arkansas and often found in the wild.   I can make a positive ID when it blooms.  So if you can send me a picture of the bloom.

Ask the Expert: CACTUS LIKE SUCCULENT CARE
I HAVE A CACTUS LIKE SUCCULENT IT IS NOT A TRUE CACTUS. IT LOOKS LIKE A COLUMN CACTUS. IT IS ABOUT SIX FEET TALL AND SOME OF THE LEAVES ARE STARTING TO DROOP. WHAT
DO YOU THINK IS THE PROBLEM? HELP FRAN

Plant Expert Reply:
Cacti and succulent are general terms and although they may have similar traits they may have totally different growing requirements. Water issues are always a good place to start when trying to determine the problem with any plant. On the whole cacti and succulents can tolerate low moisture levels. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need water. For more culture information about cacti and succulents The Cactus and Succulent Society of San Jose has some great information.

From the sounds of it, your succulent has probably been over-watered. With all of my succulents, I let them dry out slightly before I water them. So I would let it dry slightly before I water it again. This should correct the problem and the succulent should recover in a couple of weeks.

If you send me a picture of the succulent, I will try to identify it and give you more specific care instructions.

Ask the Expert: What do I do to save my Schefflera? My schefflera is dying, I got it at my mother’s funeral in January, It’s done great until this week. I lifted up the inside pot to reveal, 3 inches of standing water, and something that I think is root rot? It’s leaves are all drooping. Can I save it? what should I do? I’ve been trying to drain the water off, and get the soil to dry, but it hasn’t yet. Any help is greatly appreciated. April
Plant Expert Reply:
Although you’ve had your plant for a few months, I suspect it is a result of a common problem that occurs with most funeral plants. Florist usually wrap funeral plants with a colorful water proof page and attach a bow. Why? because it makes a prettier presentation. This water proof paper doesn’t allow water to escape which for a funeral home vistition this is great. However, not so good for the plant in the long run. When you receive a plant from a funeral service remove the decorative wrapping. This will allow the plant to drain off excess water. Check the plant. Does it need to be repotted? If so, repot the plant.

In your case, your Schefflera was not able to drain excess water from the roots. Remove any wrapping that was around the plant or outer pot. Check the root and snip off any rotted roots and you might want to repot the plant. Dampen the soil so that it is moist but not soggy. Then give the plant sometime to recover. Be sure to keep the soil evenly moist. It might take a while but the plant should recover. Good Luck and keep me posted.

Ask the Expert:  My bamboo house plant has bugs swimming in the water. I have cleaned the water and all the stones and the bugs still return. Please help! Suzanne

Plant Expert Rely:

The bugs probably layed eggs on the lucky bamboo before you cleaned the container and rocks.  Clean the container and rock with soapy water and rinse thouroughly and then take a clean wet cloth and gently wipe each lucky bamboo stem.  This should remove any eggs that are left.  Hopefully this will take care of the problem.  If it doesn’t you may need to use some insecticial soap.  Good luck and keep me posted.