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“Dear Ruth” Column
Category: 'Dear Ruth' Column, Presenting "The Curious Gardener"
The “Dear Ruth” Column for Gardening Questions
Ruth Rogers Clausen is a horticulturist, journalist and author who is partnering with Womanswork to produce the “Dear Ruth” column.
Ruth grew up in Wales and studied horticulture at Studley College in England. She has contributed greatly to her profession as a writer of tomes (Perennials for American Gardens, Random House; Essential Perennials, Timber Press); an editor of gardening magazines; and a lecturer, advisor and judge for botanical gardens and flower shows all across the country and around the world.
For many years Ruth gardened in Westchester County, NY (Zone 6), and more recently has been gardening in Maryland where she grows an eclectic range of plants. Her plant choices reflect those plants that do well in her region and throughout the northeast and mid-atlantic.
Ruth wrote a book for Timber Press titled 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat, and more recently co-wrote with Tom Christopher a book, Essential Perennials, also for Timber Press.
Write your questions in the Comments section below and Ruth will respond in a timely manner.
thank you for the answer to the site’s very 1st question. It answered the very question I have had for a month. Now I know what to do with the bulbs I found in a pot of dirt I dumped out. They were a surprise for me. I will be watching this site for more information.
Dear Ruth,
I’m growing several dark, leafy greens (collards, broccoli raab, etc.) which are healthy, leafy but light green rather than dark. Can you tell me why this might be, and what I can do so they’ll be the normal dark green color? Many thanks!
Elaine
Dear Ms. Clausen, I’ve inherited two peonies which have survived the predations of the previous owner who loathed their kind. They are eking along in an awkward place (hiding right next to the trunk of a crepe myrtle in deep shade). Even so, the blooms they do manage are glorious and very fragrant so I would like to move them to a more hospitable place where they can thrive. When is the best time to move them, what is the best way to go about it and what type of situation do they like best?
Thanks very much in advance for your thoughts and advice.
Kind regards,
Heather
Reply to Heather’s question from Ruth: Peonies are remarkably tough and you will probably be surprised to see how well they do after they have a good spot. Fall is the best time to move them, when the leaves have started to yellow.
Cut stems back to about 6″-8″. Unless you have had rain, soak the plants the night before you plan to move them. I hope you have a nice sunny new home for them. Prepare it before you lift the plant: dig a wide, deep hole to accommodate the roots. The soil should be good and rich, and drain well. Work in plenty of compost or rotted manure (bagged manure is fine).
Dig the roots carefully, so as not to break too many of the large ones, although undoubtedly some will get broken—don’t worry. Dig deep and wide so that the rootball is large; this may take 2 people. Transport the rootball to the new site trying not to lose too much of the original soil. Plop it in the hole—the crown should NOT be buried more than 2″ below the soil surface or no blooms. Work the prepared soil around the roots trying to avoid large air spaces (a stout stick is a useful tool for this). Firm and water well.
Hope this is helpful Heather, and good luck with it.
Ruth’s reply to Elaine:
Pale leaf coloring in greens is often a sign that the soil is low in nitrogen or other essential nutrient. Are your other veggies doing well? Did you apply a dressing of compost or a general fertilizer prior to planting? In some parts of the country there has been excessive heavy rain this spring/early summer. If you have experienced that, many of the normal nutrients in the soil may have been washed away and need replenishing.
I suggest you apply a light dressing of high nitrogen fertilizer (I prefer organic products, but you will see an array of fertilizers in the garden store). Check the formulation on the bags: nitrogen (N) should be high. You should see an improvement in the leaf color in a couple of weeks.
Best
Ruth
Dear Ruth,
Is there a secret to growing Hens & Chicks & other succulents? I live in zone 6 & plant hardy varieties that do quite well during the growing season, only to find them long gone upon the arrival of spring.
Would it be better to pot them up & bring indoors? If so, what would be the best way to care for them?
Thank you,
Molly
Dear Ruth,
I bought a climbing rose last Spring. What is the best way to protect it for the winter in my zone 6 yard? We haven’t had a frost yet and it’s still blooming! Thanks. Lizzie
Dear Ruth,
I have several double file viburnium shasta seedlings and small transplants that i would like to move to more appropriate locations. When is the best time to do so? I am in zone 5. The leaves have just begun to turn red.
Many thanks.
I have a yellow baptisia in my garden that is large and shrublike. It’s beautiful, but I don’t want it to get much larger. Can I divide it? I think it has a taproot so I’m not sure it can be divided. Would love your thoughts on this Ruth.
Hi Molly,
Hens-and-chicks and sedums should do fine in Z6 all year round but perhaps have been dug up by chipmunks or squirrels. If that happens and they dry out, they are shot. You can bring then in in a sunny windowsill if you like. As long as they have bright light they will do fine. The same goes for other succulents: echeverias, agaves,etc. Give them a very free draining soil mix and water only occasionally or they will rot.
Hi Lizzie,
I am glad that you are still enjoying your climbing rose. I suggest you wait until it loses its leaves, then tie in any loose canes to avoid winter wind damage. Wrap a couple of layers of burlap round the canes to protect them from winter cold. They should do fine. In spring don’t wait too late to unwrap them.
Hi Suzanne,
How lovely to have free seedlings ready to move. I would wait until they lose their leaves. Then lift them carefully and plant them right way in a better location. If you don’t get to it before the ground freezes, do it in spring before they leaf out. Either time should work well. Don’t forget to water them in well and keep the soil moist for a few months till they become established.
Dear Dorian,
You are correct in thinking that Baptisias have a strong tap root, that does not care to be disturbed. However, if you really want to try splitting it, just be prepared for it to sulk for a while. Take a large root ball as there are lots of feeder roots as well as the main one. Watering the night before makes this easier. You will have already prepared the holes where they are to go. Slice into 2 or 3 pieces with a sharp spade and replant as soon as possible. Water thoroughly and keep the plants sheltered from sun for a few days. Good luck with this.
How can I root a succulent? Do I just put it in free draining soil mix? it was from a bouquet at my son’s wedding and looks good and vialble so I hoped I could keep it!
Hi Wanda,
Congratulations on your son’s wedding!
Yes, succulents are pretty easy to root. Do you know what kind it is? I recommend that the cutting not be too long–maybe 3″-5″ tops. If the base has already started to dry out or callus over so much the better. Remove the lower leaves and stick the callused stem into very free-draining soil mix. I like to use 50% perlite: 30% chicken or turkey grit: 20% potting soil. You can use almost any mix you like as long as it drains freely. Commercial cactus or succulent mixes work too..
How do I harvest, dry and store my basil?
Hi Cathy,
how nice that you have a big enough crop of basil to harvest before the frost cuts the plants down. Basil loses much of its flavor when dried, so I recommend that you freeze the leaves instead. Harvest the whole stems and remove the leaves. Then swish them in water to be sure they are clean, and pat dry. Large leaves can be frozen whole in single layers on wax paper in freezer plastic bags, with as little air as possible. I like to chop and then puree the smaller leaves in a food processor with a small amount of olive oil. The result can be frozen in ice cube containers, convenient to add to soups and stews during the cold months. You can also make pesto to freeze with a layer of olive oil on top.
We have a small garden behind our home in Baltimore City. Our Japanese Maple has a gooky, stringy, cobweb-like infestation which makes leaves and branches dry up and fall off. Is there a non-pesticide way to get rid of whatever it is? A neighbor’s holly trees had the same thing and she had a company spray them. We are trying not to use a harmful chemical.
Thanks!
Hi, I have planted some croscomia corms in wooden crates recently and plan to put them in an unheated greenhouse. I used garden soil and planted them the correct depth. Do you think I should cover the crates so the soil doesn’t get too cool? I want to have them ready to plant in spring after the last frost.
Hi Helen,
Sorry to hear about your Japanese maple. If you still have a cobwebby net I suggest you blast it with water to break it up. During the winter when the tree is dormant you can spray with horticultural oil which is safe and does not harm beneficial insects. This will control aphids, tent caterpillars, spider mites, and scale insects among others that are probably causing the problems you have been experiencing. Be sure to read and follow the directions to the letter. Hope your tree is healthier next season.
can you recommend the best gardening gloves. I have gone through so many pairs over the years some are better than others but I usually end up with a pair that has a hole in one or two finger tips. I have an extensive garden vegetables,flowers,fruit trees and bushes. Thank you.
Hi Cindy,
I well know that horrible feeling when your finger goes through the tip of a gardening glove. Womanswork to the rescue no doubt! I suggest you try their “Digger” gloves that are double thickness at the finger tips. I have been wearing WW original leather gloves for more than a decade and haven’t had to replace them yet, although they get heavy wear. Check out the catalog, and you’ll find Holiday gifts as well.
Hi Sue,
Crocosmias should be fine in an unheated greenhouse. I don’t know what zone you are in, so can’t tell how cold it will get in the greenhouse. The corms should not freeze solid. They are hardy in the garden to Z5 (-10? to -20?F). A cover would be fine if it gets extremely cold. More important than keeping the soil “warm” is being sure that the corms are not kept too wet or they will rot. In hindsight, a soil mix for container plants that drains well would have been better than garden soil, but keep them on the dry side. Hope they do well.
Hi Ruth,
Three seasons ago I purchased some Montauk Daisy plants. They blossomed and did very well, but the past two seasons I have not been able to get them to flower. What am I doing wrong.
Thank you
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
I love Montauk daisies (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) and obviously you do as well. They’re actually native to Japan, but thrive near Montauk, LI.! I wonder if you are giving them too much water? Sometimes you can be too nice to plants. Montauk daisies like dryish soil such as you might find at the shore. Did you cut them back at the beginning of the growing season? It is best to cut the old stems back after the winter to about 6″ or so. New young growth will grow from the old stems and should produce plenty of flowers come fall. Hope you get a better crop of flowers in 2016.
At our local Christmas Bazaar we have a plant table. One of the items not sold was a 12# “stalk” looking like bamboo but it isn’t. It has produced about 3″ white roots (4) and it looks like baby’s teeth protruding through the “circles” on the stalk. The one blooming at the bazaar had a leaf like a philadendrun (?????). Could you please identify this unusual plant? I am thanking you in advance, Nel.
Happy New Year to all the Womanswork family, which means all of YOU! I’m looking forward to getting questions from you and helping you create the garden that you want. Even if you are a newbie to gardening, there are never stupid questions, so send away.
All the best for 2016
Ruth
Hi Nel,
Your mystery plant sounds like “lucky bamboo” or “curly bamboo”, Dracaena sanderiana. You are correct, it is not a true bamboo. It grows indoors in low light conditions in water and needs little care—no wonder it is sold by the millions as novelties! If it gets floppy, add some clean stones such as river rocks (pet store) to secure the stem. Hope it brings you the best of luck for 2016!
Hello Ruth,
Freezing weather hit our area before I finished planting all my new tulip and alliums. Would it be possible to successfully plant them in the very early spring or as soon as the ground thaws enough for me to dig the holes? I am in northern Colorado zone 4b. The bulbs are all the late blooming variety and still in excellent condition. Many thanks.
Just a reminder to avoid damage to your evergreen shrubs, since the Northeast has just experienced heavy snow in many place. Avoid bashing the snow off the branches from the top as the stems will likely split from the weight. Instead take a broom and sweep from underneath to dislodge the snow.
Dear Ruth,
Last year grasshoppers destroyed my tomatoes. They were especially attracted to the German Johnson plants. They would chew a hole in the ripe fleshy part of the fruit and suck the juice out of it – then go on to another ripe fruit and repeat the process. Is there any thing that I can do to prevent this? I have grown tomatoes for 50 years and have never seen anything like this.
Thanks!
Norine
I am searching for flowering native plants for zone 5-6, Brooklyn NY. Are their native daylilies? Fairly sunny spot. I can only find bushes in my searches. Thanks so much.
Dear Judi,
Don’t feel badly about your bulbs still being unplanted. I have some too! I’d go ahead and plan to get them in the ground as soon as you possibly can. An alternative would be to pot up the tulip and allium bulbs now and grow them indoors. Of course they will take a couple of months, but at least it will give them a chance. After planting and watering, let them root in a cool, dark place for 6-8 weeks, then bring them into a warmer spot gradually to bloom. it’s worth a shot!
Hi Joyce,
You have a wide choice of natives for your area. Here are a few. Try bee balm (Monarda), Baptisias, purple coneflowers (Echinacea), tickseeds (Coreopsis), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), yarrows (Achillea), golden Alexanders (Zizia), asters (Aster, Symphyotrichum). Check out native plants for your zone on the internet or visit the library at Brooklyn Botanic Garden which is a wonderful resource.
Hello Norine,
Sounds like you really had a bad time with the grasshoppers last year. This year try to keep watch and pick off the young ones as you see them. Plant barrier plants including peas and colorful pot marigolds. Grasshoppers actually prefer lettuce and carrots, so plant some of those nearby. To make home-made traps sink a shallow can or jar in the ground and fill it with a molasses/water mixture. This attracts the grasshoppers that drown. Personally I would avoid using pesticides on edible crops.
Is it necessary every fall to cut off the dead lilac blooms? Can you just leave them on or is it better to cut after they have bloomed?? thanks ruth!!
Ruth I have a tree in our parkway facing north,but going east and west at the front of our east and west positioned house.Starting in 2014 this tree that drops two types of leaves with acorns has a bark problem in the main trunk.During the summer I keep water bags on all of my parkway and property trees.In the winter I don’t have the water bags on the trees.The main trunk of the tree is splitting down the middle like you could see through the crease.I was going to buy tree tape or cover with burlap,but it seems all of these may be too late as a bandaid.Can you suggest any thing that will not upset the tree further???
Hi Sandi,
Although it may be a bit time-consuming, it is really much better to deadhead lilacs after they have bloomed. I like to cut off the spent flowers right after bloom time. The plants look neater and the developing seed heads are not very attractive. Seed making takes a lot of energy from the plant, which instead is used to maintain the health of the shrub. Don’t be afraid to cut some for bouquets as well.
Hi Karen,
So sorry to hear about your tree problem. Obviously you take care of it well and do not allow it to dry out. However there are several causes of tree splitting, often started when the trunks are subject to sunscald. At this point it is probably too late for remedial treatment, but I would call in a qualified arborist to inspect it and give you a professional diagnosis. You don’t say where you live, but if you contact your local Cooperative Extension Service they might even send someone to inspect the tree for you.
I have had some of my variegated hosta plants start sending up plain green leaves and eventually the whole plant is a not so interesting plain green. What can I do about this?
Hi Geri,
If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone! From time to time hostas and other variegated plants will “revert” to a parent with plain leaves. All you can do is to trace the plain shoot as far into the soil next to the crown as you can and sever it from the main plant. It may be easier to see if you lift the whole plant, shake off the soil, and then look carefully and do the surgery before replanting. If you are short on time, you may decide to replace the offending plant!
I have a hydrangea that I have planted in the front of my home by the entry door and am looking for deer resistant plants to plant in front of it- between the lawn and the hydrangea ( to make it less palatable for the deer). I live in USDA zone 6b and the plants will be getting morning sun and afternoon shade. Any good ideas on deer resistant plants that I can coordinate with my hydrangea?
Ruth,
I certainly hope you can help me!
About 10 years ago I had some lovely raised beds built for me out of cedar. I put vegetables and herbs in them each year, rotating the crops, and not using any chemicals. Two years ago, I purchased some straw which I later found, had seeds in it. My lovely raised beds are now filled with a terrible grass infestation.
To make matters worse, I also have huge ant colonies and roly poly bugs in the beds. This has resulted in my potatoes and some roots being chewed on.
I think I will take this year to try to fix this mess, but need help in thinking through what to do. The beds are of varying sizes, but are mostly 2 1/2 feet wide and 10 feet long. i am an organic gardener.
Thank you in advance.
I hope
I love peonies however, for he past few years my peonies will not bloom. I see flower buds, but they turn brown after a time and never bloom. I have them in pots and in the ground, they receive a good amount of sun, which becomes dappled shade in the hot afternoon. Other than not blooming, the plants are green and healthy looking. I appreciate any helpful insights you may have.
HI Julie,
I don’t know where you live so can’t be sure that you don’t have red ants that are really nasty. Most ant are more or less neutral in gardens. I dump boiling water on the colonies (may have to do it a couple of times) to get rid of them. People swear by using 1/4″-1/2″ of coffee grounds and watering daily for getting rid of ants. You could try both. As far as the grass is concerned, I suggest digging it out as you can. Don’t know if you still have snow or how soon you want to plant. 2.5′ wide should,be pretty easy to clear out in stages as you have the time and energy. Be sure to get the roots as well of course and don’t compost them. I think the roly poly bugs (pill bugs or sow bugs) will disappear after the grass has gone. They thrive where there is moisture and decaying matter.
Ruth,
Thank you. I live in northwestern Illinois. The ants are not red, so I guess that’s good.
I find it very hard to dig in raised beds, but I guess I could try. I was wondering if I should cover the beds with black plastic for the summer to try to kill the grass.
Julie
Hi,
I have a hydrangea that I have planted in the front of my home by the entry door and am looking for deer resistant plants to plant in front of it- between the lawn and the hydrangea ( to make it less palatable for the deer). I live in USDA zone 6b and the plants will be getting morning sun and afternoon shade. Any good ideas on deer resistant plants that I can coordinate with my hydrangea? (sorry for the re-post, but I thought maybe my question was missed).
Hi Julie,
By all means cut the grass down as low as you can and cover the raised beds with black plastic over the summer to kill the grass. However this will put the beds out of action for this year of course. I suggest you leave one bed uncovered and try to remove the grass in small doses. Start at one end and clear as far as you can at each session. Plant herbs as you clear, especially perennial ones such as chives, lemon balm, and sage. These will fill in and cover the ground reducing light, rain, and nutrients to the grass.
An alternative product to black plastic is landscaping cloth but don’t cover it with soil. Make X-shaped cuts in the fabric and plant in the Xs through the cloth. I hope this is helpful.
I have my vegetable seedlings under lights on a heat mat, near the woodstove in my basement. My problem is that I just watered them with diluted fish/seaweed fertilizer, and now I have mold growing on the surface of the soilless mix. Can I spray them with diluted vinegar, isopropyl alcohol or what? I have never had this problem before, after years of growing my starts this way. Thanks, this is somewhat of an emergency.
Hello again, Ruth, and thank you for identifying my “Lucky Bamboo”. It still is in the very early stages of producing a full blown leaf. My question this time is, I re-potted my Christmas Cactus last summer. It did not bloom until now (Mar. 2016). When the blooms have expired what should I do with the plant. Will it bloom next Christmas? Some say I should put the plant in the closet out of the light for awhile. I await your professional response.