LITTLE ROCK — Q I have three gorgeous crape myrtles, 25 to 30 feet high and planted in a line 15-plus feet apart.
They don’t look stressed but haven’t bloomed this year. They have never been pruned but the canopies have started to grow together. Are they mature and, therefore, not blooming on new growth? Should I have them trimmed (by an expert of course) or could it be a chemical problem? They are in full sun.
A You aren’t alone. Even crape myrtles seem to be affected by this hot, dry weather. Many are not blooming, and those that are have much smaller than normal flowers. For those that have finished blooming, removing the spent flowers can encourage them to bloom again. But since yours haven’t started blooming yet, try giving them a really deep water soaking. While crape myrtles are extremely drought tolerant - and won’t kick the bucket or even appear wilted - they will slow down and stop performing when it gets re ally dry. Look around at neighbor’s landscapes.
Often the greener and more lush the garden, the more flowers you will see. If you can’t or don’t want to water, the crape myrtles can hang on. And if we get a break in the weather, there is still ample time for them to flower.
Q Recently, I asked you about my dwarf gardenias not keeping their blooms very long. I have been introduced to Epsom salts this year and have been doing some experimenting with different plants and having wonderful results. The gardenias also received a dose of Epsom salts and now are blooming again - but not many and very few blooms and very little, if any, fragrance. We are curious if the salt has produced the extra blooms. We do not recall them blooming after spring last year.
A Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate and many home gardeners swear by it for magnolias, tomatoes and roses. If your soil is low in magnesium, this is an easy way to raise the level. Many of our old acidic soils lack magnesium. Having your soil tested will determine the levels. Gardenia varieties vary tremendously by how long they bloom and whether or not they can re-bloom.
Weather conditions can also alter the bloomability. This year, many plants bloomed very early and if they have been watered, I have seen a large number of the plants setting new flower buds. I even have some new buds on my single blooming daisy gardenia, which has never re-bloomed before. Enjoy the new blooms, but don’t depend solely on Epsom salts as your fertilizer regimen, and I wouldn’t use it much later in the season on gardenias.
Q Like a lot of people, I’m losing some plants this summer. You may know that here in Maumelle, we’re restricted to once-a week watering. Even sneaking around my backyard with my hose isn’t doing the job!
You mentioned in your column that hydrangeas are not drought tolerant. I have one that’s in a bad spot that I think I’ll just take out after this year, so I know what you’re talking about. My question is this: Would it be possible for you to print a list of plants that are drought tolerant in a forthcoming column? I’ve threatened to tear out everything and plant cactus next year or maybe just rosemary and black-eyed Susans, since that’s all that’s doing well in my garden right now!
A As mentioned above with the crape myrtles, even those are struggling with the heat. When planting even the most drought-tolerant plants, they will need water at the first growing season. I can’t imagine what my landscape would look like with once-aweek watering, the soil is so incredibly rocky and I am on a slope. Deep, excellent soil encourages deep roots, which makes it easier to water less often. Some drought tolerant shrubs for sun include: abelia, althea (rose of Sharon), forsythia, spirea, buddleia (butterfly bush), barberry, junipers, beautyberry, nandina and ninebark. For shade, try acuba, cleyera - and even camellias once they are well established. Perennials include rosemary, thyme, lamb’s ear, butterfly weed (milkweed), yarrow, gaura, rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), purple coneflower, liatris, sedum and penstemon. Annuals include lantana, periwinkle, cleome (spider flower), cockscomb, cosmos and portulaca. There are also a good number of succulents - plants with thick fleshy leaves - that are available from nurseries.
Q I have an angel trumpet that I rooted from a cutting. When and how much do I cut it back in the fall? Is there a special way I need to cut it to make cuttings?
A Angel trumpet is a common name for brugmansia and datura.
Daturas are much more winter hardy in Arkansas than brugmansia, but even those have started overwintering from central Arkansas south.
Typically, if they are planted in the ground, they will die completely to the ground with a killing frost and emerge the following spring. If you want to move the plant indoors for the winter to keep a larger plant, then prune only as needed for size constraint.
They root quite easily, so if you cut them back, you can easily root what you have, cutting them into 4-inch cuttings.
Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204, or e-mail her at
HomeStyle, Pages 33 on 07/28/2012