Comments on: Fig trees, Mums and Boxwoods

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:43:23 +0000

Hi! It sounded like you were planning on planting boxwoods in planters on your stoop. They are unlikely to survive the winter in NY in a container. I live in Mass. And I know they would freeze here. I buy some each spring and use then in planters until fall. I then add them to my landscape otherwise they will die. Good luck!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:33:09 +0000

In reply to MilaT. Ikea in San Diego has them!

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 06:26:49 +0000

Some gardening advice: keep your new plantings well watered until the ground freezes. Just because fall has come doesn't mean that the plants have stopped growing. And resist the temptation to fertilize now; it will only encourage new growth that could be damaged in a sudden freeze

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 01:16:43 +0000

I second the recommendation above to slightly batter the sides of any bush you're trimming into a box. That's one of the biggest trimming/pruning mistakes that homeowners make.

Also, it takes more time, but when professional gardeners plan to start a hedge, they'll trim the plant low and flat to encourage it to branch out a lot near the base. Then they allow the plant to grow higher in successive years.

As far as LouisM's question about removing the lower leaves, the plant will lose them on its own as it grows bigger and the lower leaves become shaded. If you want, you can remove them now if you like the look.

Just remember not to remove any more than 1/3 of the plant's foliage at a time if you don't want to risk stressing it out too much. Some plants can handle being hacked like crazy (like butterfly bush and roses), but if it's woody, try not to cut more than one third.

If you're thinking about planting bulbs, remember that tulips and hyacinths are often eaten by squirrels. Interplanting tasty bulbs with daffodil or allium bulbs will deter the squirrels because daffodil bulbs are toxic and allium bulbs smell like onion. It'll give you a longer season of interest too. Daffodils come up before most tulips while Alliums come up after the tulips have pasted their peak.