In the garden

By Janet Carson

LITTLE ROCK — Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail her at

jcarson@arkansasonline.com

QThe following picture was taken Nov. 2 on the north side of my sunroom in my backyard. I don’t recall hydrangeas blooming this late.

AIs the plant one of the Endless Summer or reblooming types? If so, that might make more sense. Otherwise, it is just a fluke. It has been an unusual year. Just this week I also saw gardenias in bloom, bearded iris bloomsand a few scattered blooms on a tulip magnolia! Enjoy and cut it for longer enjoyment indoors before a frost. Read on for another example of plant behavior in this atypical year.

QI have several forsythia bushes around my home in Northwest Arkansas (Madison County), but only one that is now blooming ... well, it really is just about finished blooming; and the foliage is a beautiful burgundy color. The yellow blooms and the burgundy leaves make for a very prettysight. Is this unusual? I am 77 years old and have never seen forsythia likethis - let alone blooming this time of year - in my lifetime.

AForsythia often turns a nice reddish bronze before the foliage falls off. Blooms in the fall are a bit unusual on forsythias, but have been known to happen in fluctuating years.

Forsythia set flower buds in August and early September. All the wet weather had them set a lot of buds this year. Then it got cool and then it turned warm again.

Some of our plants are confused as to what season they are in. Hopefully, it is only a portion of the flowers that are in bloom now, and you will still have a good display next spring. For now, enjoy the show.

QW have had clematis for a number of years. This year they did not bloom much, which I am blaming on the rain, and the leaves either dried up on the vine or fell off.

Is it beneficial to cut the vines back each year? We haven’t.

AThe key to pruning clematis is to know when they bloom. Some varieties only bloom in the spring, and flower buds are set now so pruning would remove your flower budsand leave you without any blooms in spring. Some clematis varieties bloom in the summer on new wood, and they can be cut back hard every year in the fall or early spring and still produce flowers on the growth they put on in the spring and early summer. Fall-blooming clematis are the toughest of all and can be pruned as needed through June. After that, leave them alone to set flower buds.

QWe just moved some houseplants in from a shaded patio and the leaves are turning yellow and it seems that the leaf tips are turning brown. What would be the likely cause of this and what steps can we take to prevent this?

AIf you just moved the plants inside the past couple of weeks, yellowing is not unusual. The plants are acclimating to the conditions indoors. It got pretty cool in October at night, and the plants got used to cool nights and warm days. They had loads of humidity and rainfall, plus bright light. Now they are inside in a heated house with a pretty static temperature, no humidity and low light. They have to get used to these conditions. In a few weeks, the yellowing and dropping leaves will stop,but they won’t grow in leaps and bounds. Cut back on how much water you give them, and keep them going until spring, when they can be moved back outdoors.

QWe were at the Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista this weekend and they had some beautiful shrubs about 4 feet tall. They have a very pretty silky-like leaf that almost lies flat like a fern or very soft pine needles.

They are a pretty green color that would almost make you think it was an artificial plant. I took a small piece to the nursery in Bella Vista and they said it was a yew but did not know what kind. We live in Benton and would love to know what they are because they were growing in the shade and we would like to plant some.

AThere are several plants with the common name of yew. In Northwest Arkansas, you saw one of the species of Taxus. You will see some here in central Arkansas, but they aren’t as happy in central or southern Arkansas with our heat and humidity. A more southernfriendly yew is the plum yew Cephalotaxus. While not as formal in growth habit, it thrives in our heat and loves shade. An even more southern-loving yew is Podocarpus. Hope this helps.

HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 11/14/2009

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