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April Questions & Answers Q: What should I be doing this month in my garden in Durham County? Q: Help! I am being overrun by hellebores! What should I do?
A: H. x hybridus and H. foetidus are prolific seeders. The babies of H. foetidus are easy to pull out but those of H. x hybridus are deeper rooted and more difficult to dig out. You have two alternatives for H. x hybridus: you can cut the flowers before the seeds escape or you can patiently weed the babies out. Fortunately hellebore seeds are relatively heavy and do not travel far from the mother plant. Another alternative is to search for those hellebores, such as H. Argutifolius, the Corsican hellebore, which are sterile.
Q: Will the baby hellebores produce flowers the same color as the mother plant?
A: Alas no. Hellebores are prolific hybridizers and there is no guarantee what color flowers the babies will produce. The only way to ensure a particular color is by using asexual propagation methods such as tissue culture, division, and cuttings, as a means of producing new plants.
Q: I planted some Baptisia last year and it hasn’t reappeared yet. I thought this was a tough native plant.
A: Baptisia is a wonderful drought-tolerant plant but it is slow to wake up. The first two seasons Baptisia produces very little growth above ground because all its energies are going towards the development of a taproot. Once established you’ll have Baptisia for a long time—and its worth the wait. Be aware that all parts of this plant are poisonous. For more information go to: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/wildflowers/baptisia_australis.html
Q: Some of my Camellias have thick yellow leaves with a white powdery cover. It looks awful. What is it and what should I do?
A: This is Camellia Leaf Gall, caused by the fungus Exobasidium camelliae. It first appears on new growth of Camellias in April and May and while the condition is unsightly, it will not endanger the plant. Cut off the infected limbs and do not compost. This disease primarily affects Camellia sasanqua, those Camellias that bloom in the fall but it can be found on other Camellia species. The trick is to remove the galls from the Camellias before the wind spreads the white spores. Exobasidium camelliae only infects Camellias so your other plants are safe. For more information go to: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/cabarrus/staff/dgoforth/mgdgworcamlf1.html
Q: I’m confused with the different kinds of Camellias. Can you quickly educate me?
A: Camellia sasanqua is the fall blooming Camellia while C. japonica blooms for us in the spring. Japonicas have larger blooms and larger leaves than the Sasanquas but aren’t quite as hardy in Zone 7. There are also C. reticulata and C. sinensis that grow in the Piedmont. C. reticulata blooms after C. japonica and has large flowers whereas C. sinensis, whose leaves are used for the beverage tea, as small, almost nondescript flowers. For more information on Camellias, go to: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/quickref/shrubs/camellia_culture.html
Q: When is the correct time to cut back my warm weather grasses?
A: While you can cut them back after the first hard frost when they have turned brown, most gardeners prefer to wait until late February or early March before cutting them back. Many people feel their movement and plumes add much interest to the winter garden. Be sure to cut your warm weather grasses before the new growth is more than several inches high in the spring.
Q: My warm season grasses need to be divided. When is the best time to divide them?
A: The best time to divide warm season grasses is at a time when they are in active growth but haven’t bloomed yet. Depending upon the particular grass, the best time to divide grasses is usually during the late spring or early summer.
Q: When should I cut back my cool season grasses?
A: Cool season grasses go dormant during our hot summers. This is the time to cut them back. However, before dividing them, wait until they are in active growth, either in the late fall or early winter.
Q: My warm season grass is flopping and looks dreadfully untidy. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening?
A: Grasses on the whole do not benefit from fertilization, which can make them flop. Some of the tall grasses, such as Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cosmopolitan’ perform better if gardeners cut back its new growth in the early summer by half. They will bloom on shorter stalks and shouldn’t flop.
Q: I planted my Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ in the sun and it is not doing well. What have I done wrong? I thought grasses needed sun.
A: Grasses do need sun but Carex is a sedge, not a grass. Generally speaking most Carex benefit from some shade. The only Carex that can handle the sun are those from New Zealand, such as C. buchananii.
Q: I bought a Callicarpa but its berries are only on the front of its stems, not all the way around the stem. What should I do wrong?
A: Relax! You bought Callicarpa dichotoma, the Japanese Beautyberry, rather than Callicarpa americana, the American Beautyberry. C. dichotoma, widely available in our nurseries, has smaller leaves than C. americana and its berries appear on top of its stems, not all the way around them. For that effect you need to plant C. americana.
Q: Should I cut back my Callicarpa dichotoma and my C. americana?
A: Callicarpa blooms only on new wood so you should cut it back either every spring or every other spring. Cut it back to one foot tall and it will bloom profusely towards the end of the same growing season.
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