FAQ

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

ANNUALS

1.    What is the difference between an annual, biennial and perennial? 

      An annual grows from seed, to plant, and sets seed all in the same year.  A biennial grows from seed to small plant the first year, and then flowers and sets seed in its  second year.   A perennial is a plant that lives for at least three years. 

2.    How do I keep my hanging basket or container looking its best?

      Make sure you water your container sufficiently, and give it a half measure of an all purpose fertilizer (5-10-5 or 15-30-15) once a week.  Dead head the flowers regularly to encourage growth, and make sure they are in the correct light setting for the plant.  For example Begonias and Fushias prefer a shadier location and will not do well in a south or west facing location.  To check your soil for moisture poke your finger into the soil at least an inch, if the soil is moist it will stick to your finger, if it is dry the soil does not stick.  In extremely hot weather you may need to water your container twice a day, in cool weather you may not need to water for a few days.  Always check.

3.    Why do I have to dead head annuals?

      Annuals need to be dead headed to encourage the plant to produce more flowers.  If you do not dead head an annual it will quickly go to seed and die as its growth cycle has been completed.  An annual will produce flowers until our first hard frost if it is dead headed regularly.

4.    How do I dead head flowers?

      Most flowers need to be cut back to just above the next lower set of leaves.  If you just pull the tops off the flower, this leaves a bare stem which will just die back, and it takes longer for the plant to produce new growth.  By cutting the plant back to the next lower set of leaves, the plant puts more energy into trying to produce more flowers instead of wasting energy waiting for stems to die back.  Your plant will look much neater too.  Small flowered annuals such as lobelia and alyssum can be dead headed by shearing back the plant rather than cutting each individual flower.  If you are not sure please ask one of the garden center staff for help.

5.    How do I stop my Petunias from looking straggly?

      If your plant is starting to look straggly by midsummer cut it back to a good set of leaves, this will encourage it to produce more growth.  Regular dead heading will help to keep it looking its best.  Make sure when you dead head that you are not leaving any of the green star shaped sepals behind (the base around the petals) as this is where the seed is produced and if you allow this to go to seed then your plant will start to die off.  These can often get missed as the petunia fades the dried petals will often drop leaving the sepals behind.  Check for these when you deadhead to keep your plant looking its best.  If you are not sure what to look for ask your garden center staff for help.

6.    Why do my Pansies and Violas look tatty in July?

      Pansies tend to prefer the cooler weather, and will often go dormant in our hot summer weather.  If they start looking really tatty, cut them back.  You will often see new growth appearing in August as our nights are cooling, and Violas in particular will produce more flowers in September and often into October if regularly dead head your plants.

7.    How do I make my annuals really bushy?

      Pinch back the top of the plant to the next set of leaves will encourage the plant to produce side shoots which makes the plant bushier.  Dead heading works in the same way.  Single stem plants like stock and snapdragons should be pinched back when you plant them to encourage bushing out, even if they are flowering. If you leave it too late the plant will just set seed, and will start to die back.

PERENNIALS

1.    Are there any perennials that bloom for more than a couple of weeks?

      Most perennials do have a short bloom period, but Gaillardia (Blanket Flower), Monarda didyma (Bee Balm), Nepeta (Catmint) Veronica spicata (Speedwell) and Armeria maritima (Thrift) are some of the longer blooming perennials.

2.    If a perennial is supposed to come back year after year why didn't mine?

      The most common reason a perennial does not come back is because it has not received the optimum conditions it needs to flourish.  Our chinook winds are one of the toughest conditions plants have to deal with here.  The warm drying winds cause havoc to the plant's life cycle, as we get warm temperatures, which signal the plant to start to grow, then we get freezing conditions which confuse the plant and often they cannot survive, these repeated weather cycles.    Another reason a plant does not come back is that it may be planted in the wrong spot in your garden.  It may need a more sheltered spot, a shady spot or a sunnier spot.  Please read your plant labels thoroughly to ensure you give your perennial the conditions it needs for growth.  Generally most perennials marked hardy to zone 3 will do well in our area. 

3.    What's happening to my Lily it has brown deposits on it and looks like it is being eaten?

      Unfortunately what you see on your lily is the larva stage of the lily leaf beetle.  The lily leaf beetle looks a little like a ladybug without any spots.  The Lily beetle lays its orange eggs under the leaves of the Lily in an irregular line.  The eggs take 7 to 10 days to hatch.  The larvae look a little like slugs with orange or brownish bodies with black heads.  The larvae are rather gross as they carry their own excrement on their backs.  Yuck!  They larvae tend to cause the most damage to the lilies, and this stage can last 16 to 24 days.  The larvae enter the soil to pupate and the new adults emerge in 16 to 22 days.  The lily leaf beetle does overwinter in the soil.  The best way to control the beetle is by handpicking and squishing.  I cover my hand with a plastic bag, so I am not touching the larvae.  Carbaryl (Sevin) and Malathion are effective, but these can be toxic to bees and other insects.  Neem oil is another effective treatment  but needs to be applied weekly, probably at a higher concentration than specified on the bottle.  For more information google lily beetle on the internet.  The University of Guelph and Manitoba Lilies are great sites.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

We will be updating this page throughout the year.  If you have any questions you would like answered on this page please email us at fhg@telus.net.