Q I bought my daughter a fairy garden kit for her birthday. It came with dirt and a mixed packet of seeds. We enjoyed planting and were excited when, just days after, they began to sprout. But then days later, the dirt began to grow a white fuzz, and it spread. I think it was mold. We had it in her room in front of her picture window, which faces west. According to instructions, we watered it every day. There are no drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Can you advise? Would we have better luck drilling holes in the bottom? Keeping it outside? I was hoping to leave it in her room so she felt more ownership over it but am open to your advice.
A I am not sure what you are growing inside, but I think you may have better success with seeds outdoors. Inside you could create a fairy garden terrarium, but I would use small houseplants. Watering every day is never needed, and I think all containers should have a drainage hole -- unless it is a terrarium, which is a self-contained unit that keeps itself fairly moist.
Q I have a small planter on top of the brick mailbox. It gets full sun all day. I have tried various flowers in the summer, but haven't had much luck. What kind of flowers would you recommend for this very hot place during summer?
A Small containers in a brick planter in full sun are going to get hot and dry quickly. You might want to try one of the succulent plants like sedum or hens and chicks, which should be winter hardy but in a small container might not overwinter well. There are many succulents that we treat as annuals and that can give you color all summer until a killing frost. Succulents have gotten very popular, so they should be readily available.
Q My husband buried a limb from our large snowball bush to get some cuttings to give to friends. When is the best time to transplant these?
A Our weather has been nothing but erratic this year, so why not wait another week or two and then move them? Make sure they get planted quickly after you dig them up and keep them mulched and watered all season.
Q I have a raised-bed garden. Last year all my tomatoes, cucumbers and okra got what I think is blight, and by the end of the season were completely browned out. It started at the bottom row of limbs and worked itself to the top. Do you know any treatment for this disease? I have some antibiotics I could use -- or do I have to replace my dirt? I added a lot of mushroom compost last year and kind of suspect that the blight may have come from it.
A It is quite unusual that plants that are unrelated got hit by the same disease. I wonder if the compost was thoroughly cooked. If it was still breaking down, it may have been "hot" and burned your plants. I do recommend rotating plants in the garden, including a raised-bed garden. Don't plant the same thing in the same spot for three years. I would also suggest a soil sample to see what the pH and salt content are before you begin planting. If you have similar problems this year, I would take a plant sample to your local county extension office for diagnosis. If you do have soil-borne diseases, you can replace the soil or solarize the beds by covering them with clear plastic between July and September, when days are long and sunny.
Q Please help me identify this plant. Thank you.
A The plant is a strawberry geranium, Saxifraga stolonifera. It is a shade-loving perennial that can be planted en masse for a ground cover or as a single small spreading plant.
Janet B. 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
jcarson@arkansasonline.com
HomeStyle on 04/01/2017