In the garden

— Q Can you please tell me what this plant is? I grew this bush from a cutting off of a huge bush next to my duplex in the Heights in Little Rock. The mother plant is about 11 feet tall, has tea/camellia-like leaves that stay on the bush until late in winter. Then the leaves drop off and new leaves grow quickly. The bush puts out new shoots clustered around the base. New growth is green but becomes woody after about a year. This bush flowers twice a year: once in spring and once in late summer. The flowers bloom from hard, waxy buds. These buds look similar in shape to the persimmon flower bud but not in color. These buds are neon orange and about 1 by 3 /4 inch. The blooms are about 1 1 /2 inches in diameter. The bloom petals form ruffled double flowers most similar to typical pink Camellia japonica. There is very little scent to the flower. No fruit are produced after flowering. I have found this bush described online in North Carolina and New Orleans. I have found an 8-foot bush in Russellville. No one I talk to can agree what type of bush this is.

A The plant in question is a pomegranate — Punica granatum. It is an old- fashioned shrub with beautiful orange flowers. The edible fruit can range from pea size to almost apple size depending on the variety. While the small fruits are edible, there isn’t much to eat. Many grow it simply as an ornamental.

Q When is the best time to transplant a fig tree?

A If you have a choice, I would do so in late February through early April. Figs used to be a bit challenged by winter in Arkansas, but have fared much better in recent years. Still, I would prefer it go into fall and winter with a strong root system and move after the bulk of winter weather has passed. It is so hot and humid now that it would be a shock to the plant if it were moved. It could be done, and, if you kept up with the water needs, it could be successful, but it would be easier on you and the plant to wait until next year.

Q My friend is traveling by plane to Rhode Island to visit a friend who is a gardener. She would like to take some seeds that are representative of flowers or items that grow in Arkansas. It’s more the idea of representative Arkansas flowers than what would really thrive there. Any ideas? I can think of Texas bluebonnets for Texas, but I am stumped for a special Arkansas flower!

A Finding seed for it may be a challenge, but Amsonia hubrichtii, commonly called Arkansas blue star, is a great wildflower that would do well in Rhode Island. Coreopsis, purple coneflower, butterfly weed and many others are great native wildflowers for us, but not necessarily only found in Arkansas. So a nice mix might also be a good idea. The state flower of Arkansas is the apple blossom and the state wildflower is supposedly tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata). Hope this helps.

Q We have five hibiscus plants in pots on our patio. My husband calls them my babies. Ha! One is a double bloom tree and the other four are regular ones. All different colors. We take them in the garage in winter and prune and put out in spring. This is the third summer we have had two of them and the second summer for the other three. They are growing well and the leaves look great but are hardly blooming. The double bloom tree will have one or two blooms every now and then and one of the others the same. Three are not blooming at all, no buds, even, but they all look healthy. We have been told several different things to put on them but wanted to ask you. Do they need phosphorus? We put potassium (0-0-60) and Start-N-Grow timed release (18-6-12) on them in the spring. Not being gardeners, we need help. We live in Cabot and these plants are in full sun.

A This is a common complaint from people who keep their hibiscus from year to year. These plants bloom on the new growth. If the plants are large and possibly root bound, they won’t grow much. They can be full of foliage and look healthy, but unless they are growing well, they aren’t going to flower well. If you keep your plants from year to year, I suggest repotting every spring when you move them outdoors and cutting them back by at least one third if not by half. Then fertilize regularly — every week or two with a water soluble fertilizer and periodically with a slow release granular fertilizer. I would go with a complete fertilizer which has ample N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphoruspotassium); either 13-13-13 or 20-20-20 would be fine. Water as needed and they should bloom well. Or you can do what I do and buy new plants that are vigorous every year and get plenty of flowers.

Janet Carson is an extension horticulturist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Write to her at P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail her at

jcarson@arkansasonline.com

HomeStyle, Pages 35 on 06/26/2010

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