Q I would like to grow asparagus.
Have I waited too late to plant?
A If you can still find asparagus crowns at the nursery, you can still plant. They are usually readily available in late winter to early spring. Prepare a site with rich soil in full sunlight.
Plant 1- or 2-year-old crowns. Mulch, water and fertilize. Asparagus is a perennial crop that we don’t begin to harvest until it is 3 years old. If you start with 2-yearold crowns, you can do a little harvesting next spring, but full production kicks in usually by year four.
When you harvest next spring, only cut spears thicker than a pencil.
If you over harvest when the plants are young, it can reduce production for years.
Q My azaleas looked pretty ugly after this winter, but I did get some blooms. Now I need to know if I should prune them. If so, how much?
Any other care to help them grow?
A Some of our azaleas were damaged but surprised us by coming back even when we thought all was lost. If they are scrawny-looking, a light pruning can help to thicken them. A light application of fertilizer should also help them recover.
Don’t forget to water all summer when conditions are dry. They need a little TLC to get them back to normal.
Q I planted some broccoli and cabbage early in the winter and babied them all winter - covering and uncovering more times than I want to tell you.
They made it through, and I am getting a few small broccoli spears, but the cabbage didn’t head and is now putting up a flower stem. Should I cut that off and will it still have time to produce a cabbage head?
A You aren’t alone. We had such extremes this past winter, with really warm days followed by excruciatingly cold ones, that our plants were just confused. We often see cool-season vegetables bolting, or going to seed, early when we have this kind of weather.
Once they begin the flowering and seeding process, even if you cut off the stem, it will not produce a cabbage head.
Use what you can of the plants and make way for warm-season vegetables.
It is finally time to start planting tomatoes. It has been a cold spring.
Q I have a tropical hibiscus that I have saved for five years. It is in the largest container I can handle moving in and out and the plant is healthy and large, but each year I seem to have fewer flowers.
I am sure it would like a bigger pot, but I have no room for anything bigger. Is there anything I can do to help it flower better without repotting? I give it full sun, plenty of water and regular fertilizer.
A This is a common complaint. Tropical flowering plants bloom on new growth.
When a plant gets older and woodier, it doesn’t put on as much new growth, and therefore it won’t bloom as much. You don’t have to upgrade to a larger container, but you do need to repot annually and prune it back. When you repot, take the plant out of the container, shake off the old soil and prune the roots back on the sides and bottom. Repot in the same container with fresh soil.
Then prune the top back by a third to a half.
Follow your routine for water and fertilizer.
You should get some new growth and thus more flowers. Or you can do what I do and buy new plants every year.
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 33 on 05/03/2014