Q I want to plant a dwarf gardenia bush. It would face morning sun. Should I wait until spring or plant now? Do you know of a variety that is more winter hardy?
A Since none of us can predict what type of winter we are going to have, my preference would be to wait until spring to plant a gardenia outside. Mild winters pose no threat, but cold winters can damage established gardenia plants from central Arkansas northward, and newly planted ones are at more risk. There are many great varieties of gardenias, including single- and double-blooming types, and some are more cold tolerant than others. "Radicans" is a dwarf with double blooms that trails more than it grows upright; "Daisy" is a single-flowered form, but it produces all of its blooms all at once and is done. Two larger but quite cold-tolerant varieties are "Jubilation" and "Frost Proof."
Q I have a dwarf lemon tree and want to move it into the house. What should I treat it with so it doesn't bring in unwanted insects? I also am going to leave it in the house year-round. Will I have any lemons without pollination? It will receive afternoon sun.
A As you begin to move plants indoors, give pot and plant a good cleaning, plus close inspection. You can spray with an insecticidal soap to remove aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Even drenching the soil with some of the insecticidal soap can help. Unless you have a greenhouse window or sunroom in your house, you may need to provide supplemental light for your lemon if you want fruit. Lemons need 6-8 hours of bright sunlight a day to bloom. While they would prefer a move outdoors for the summer, if you leave them inside year-round, once you see blooms, get a small paintbrush and lightly move pollen from flower to flower. Hopefully you will see some fruit.
Q My cut-leaf Japanese maple is well established in a deep planter now for five years. It is east-facing and gets full sun until 2 p.m. It gets water regularly and Osmocote twice a year. Lately I have been seeing more and more of what looks like burning at the tips of the leaves and beyond. Can you tell me what it is and if I have cause for worry?
A The tip burning can be a bit of sunburn. I consider most Japanese maple varieties as understory trees as they do best with morning sun or filtered sun. Getting sun until 2 p.m. is exposing it to bright light. There are several leaf-spot ailments that can affect Japanese maples, and our recent storms could have added to the damage. I would not start any spray program this late in the season. Rake up the leaves as they fall and monitor the tree next spring as it leafs out.
Q I potted a rose of Sharon last year and it wintered over in the garage. I have only been here a little over a year and have not been able to get it into the ground. It came back just fine and is still in a pot outside. It has bloomed a little. Last month it had many buds on it but they are not opening up, just drying and falling off. The foliage looks good and no bugs that I can see.
A I wonder how large the container is. Rose of Sharon or althea would be much happier in the ground than in a pot. It is one of those plants that often thrive on neglect once planted. In a container, it will require much more water and thus more fertilizer, as all nutrition leaches out. If you can find a spot with full sun to partial shade, plant it in the ground and wait for next year. Many altheas are still blooming beautifully right now.
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 09/22/2018