Q We have two sago palms, and I am afraid the harsh winter here in Magnolia has gotten the best of them. Can the palms be cut back to salvage them? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
A Do you normally leave them outside in pots? Many sago palms that were planted outdoors also took a hit, but plants in containers will be more damaged, simply because of the smaller root area and lower temperatures.
If you do want to leave them in pots, repot to a slightly larger container since they are root bound. Cut off all the damaged foliage, and the palm should re-sprout from the base.
Q Most of my daffodils were beautiful this year; however, there was a row that did not bloom. They reached maturity with healthy-looking buds that failed to open into flowers. The buds began to dry up when it was time for blooming. This is the second year this has happened. What can I do to ensure these plants bloom next spring?
A By any chance are these double daffodils? For some reason, the doubles often give us fits in central Arkansas, but damage can occur to other late-blooming varieties as well. If they go through extremes in temperatures when the buds are up, or if it is extremely dry, they often don’t open - a condition known as bud blast. I saw loads of doubles in bloom in southern Arkansas this year, but very few in central Arkansas. Watering when dry and hoping for even temperatures is about all you can do.QI reside in Sherwood.
Last year we lost a huge tree to lightning, so our hosta bed lost all of its shade.
I will have to move all these plants to shady spots to save them from the sun since this flowerbed now receives sun all day. Can you recommend replacement plants that can tolerate Arkansas sun and heat? We also had hydrangea plants in this bed, but they don’t look so good either.
A Move your hostas and hydrangeas into a shady bed and replace them with sun-loving shrubs, annuals and perennials. Sun-loving, blooming shrubs include abelia, buddleia (butterfly bush) and Indian hawthorn. For perennials, you have plenty to choose from including Echinacea (purple cone flower), gaillardia, coreopsis, daylilies and lilies. For annuals try Angelonia, lantana, penta and zinnias. But your bad-looking hydrangeas’ problems might not be sun-related. This winter was not kind to hydrangeas.
Q I recently bought an old house with a large yard that has a number of iris plants in several small beds. They are just beginning to bloom and need some TLC. What can I do to keep them and to improve them?
A Iris bulbs (or rhizomes) can get matted quite thickly in a relatively short amount of time. When planted too close together, they often don’t bloom as well.
I would consider thinning them out six to eight weeks after they bloom.
When they are lifted out of the ground, try to do a thorough job of removing weeds and grass, since we don’t mulch iris beds and weeds can be an issue.
When replanting, the bulb or rhizome is planted half in the ground and half on top of the ground. When thinning, cut the rhizomes, leaving two to three fans of leaves per division. Lightly fertilize and water, and they should give you even better flowers next season.
Q I think that the difference between a determinate and an indeterminate tomato is that the former grows to a specific height and the latter keeps on growing. Correct? How are they cared for differently?
A Correct. There are two basic types of tomatoes - determinate and indeterminate. Determinate types are like the patio or bush tomatoes - the plants are smaller at maturity, have a stronger stem and tend to produce all their tomatoes at one time, and that is pretty much it for the season.
While they don’t necessarily need staking, I still recommend it. Indeterminate plants will continue to grow as long as they are healthy and the weather is right.
They have a weaker main stem and require staking.
My personal favorite is the Traveler tomato. Other indeterminate varieties include Better Boy, Brandywine, Bradley and Early Girl. One of the more popular varieties in the trade is Celebrity, and it is a determinate variety. There are plenty of great tomato varieties out there. Care is similar for both types, but if your indeterminate plants are healthy, you fertilize them later in the season to keep them producing until frost.
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 email her at
HomeStyle, Pages 29 on 04/19/2014