Q Help! I do not have a green thumb, and someone gave me a poinsettia last week. It is already dropping leaves. I fear it will be dead in a week if you don't tell me what to do.
A Poinsettias are often killed by kindness -- too much water. I would make sure it gets bright light or full sun during the daytime. Remove the foil pot that the plant is in and put a tray or dish under it to catch water, but let it dry out before you give it more water. They like even moisture -- not bone dry nor water-logged. With bright light and even moisture the colorful bracts can continue to remain attractive long after the holiday season is over.
Q For I think the first time ever, I've brought my good potted plants into the garage for the "winter" (what winter, right?) anyway ... how often should I water them? They're boxwoods, ever-blooming hydrangeas and regular hydrangeas as well as lavender and rosemary. And a big blooming gardenia tree (which is the only thing not looking so well ... a lot of leaves are turning yellow and falling off ... is that normal?) I'm just not sure what to do or how often with any of them. Can you please give me some direction?
A If you live in the northern tier of counties in our state, I can see the reasoning behind moving the gardenia and hydrangea into a more protected spot; but boxwoods are fairly winter hardy statewide. Depending on the rosemary variety, it is usually hardy; and lavender struggles more in our summers than our winters. That being said, you have already moved them to the garage, so I will move on. Gardenia plants will shed old leaves all at once, and they do turn yellow when they shed, so that could be the reason for the leaf drop. Winter protection of container plants is to prevent the root system from freezing in a container, but you want the plants to stay dormant -- so temperatures do need to be lower. How often to water will be affected by the temperature in your garage, the size of the pot and the amount of light they get. You do not want them to dry out completely, nor do you want them waterlogged. I would think once every three or four weeks should suffice unless it is really warm in your garage, in which case they are going to break dormancy and need more light and moisture. In the spring, you will need to gradually expose them to sunlight and you may need to do some pruning of damaged branches. Good luck.
Q Can you tell me what kind of berry this is? [The reader sent a photo.] It is kind of hard and growing on a vine with stickers.
A The berries you are seeing on the thorny vine are called greenbrier or Smilax. This is one of the most tenacious weeds in our flower beds. I battle it every year, and when I think I have eradicated it, the next spring it is growing back. Thankfully for me, mine has never borne fruit. These fruits contain seeds that the birds will eat, and then they spread the plants wherever they fly. Believe it or not, this wild plant is also edible. One wild edible website, Foraging Texas, claims: "Greenbrier is one of the best wild foods available as it can be found in immense quantities all year-round" and I concur, it is found in every yard in Arkansas. The reason it is tenacious is that it forms a tuber underground, which gets larger with time. Supposedly the tubers can be cooked like potatoes and the berries are sweet, and the plant is a major wild food for many birds and mammals (and obviously some humans). In my yard this perennial vine is a weed.
Q On a recent tour of Ireland I came across this beautiful miniature plant. I'd like to add/order a couple for my garden. Would you know what it is? [The reader sent a photo.]
A The plant in question is Skimmia. It is a beautiful small evergreen shrub for the shade. There are separate male and female plants, as in the holly family. The females are the ones that set the showy red berries. There was a plant at Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs for years, but they can struggle in the heat and humidity of an Arkansas summer. If you want to give it a try, enrich the site with organic matter and make sure it gets no afternoon sun.
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 12/15/2018