garden letters

Editor's Notebook

Some plants are destined for long, long lives, but tulips aren't. It's a good thing too. If tulips lived for decades, no one would need new ones, and the entire bulb industry would be reduced to roaming the beach with metal detectors just to make ends meet. Hybrid tulips-the ones with the big, gaudy flowers-are a short-term investment, especially if you live outside Holland. They bloom great the first year (provided they receive 8 to 10 weeks of chilling in fall and winter), so-so the second year, and by the third year, all you get are leaves. So unless you're aiming to have the world's finest collection of Dutch leaves, my advice is to yank up your hybrid tulips as soon as they finish blooming, plant something in their place for summer, and then set out new tulip bulbs next fall. The bulb industry will thank you. Of course, the metal detector industry will be a little peeved, but you can't please everyone. -STEVE BENDER

Question

I just planted a peach tree, and it already has yellow leaves and tiny worms. How can I make sure this tree won't die?

CHARLOTTE BABSON * GOOSE CREEK, SOUTH CAROLINA

Answer

Peach trees are hard for homeowners to grow in the South. They fall victim to a host of diseases and insects. To prevent diseases that target leaves and fruit, spray according to label directions with powdered sulfur, fixed-copper fungicidal soap, Bordeaux mix, Daconil, or lime sulfur. To control borers and caterpillars, ask your Cooperative Extension Service about an appropriate pesticide approved in your state. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil.

I need information about how to eradicate violets from the lawn. No one seems to know what to do. IMOGENE MEERS

ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI

Well, you've come to the right place. Our answers have earned a four-star rating from the Horticultural Poohbahs of America. There are three ways to get rid of violets. Which method you use depends on the age of the plant. Spray seedling violets with Ortho Weed-B-Gon or Brush-B-Gon according to label directions. For violets that are one to two years old, run them over with a lawn mower to cut their leaves, and then apply one of the weedkillers listed. Repeated applications might be necessary. Old, established violets are very resistant to weedkillers. The only way to eradicate them is by digging them up.

Can you suggest any annuals and perennials that slugs and snails don't find tasty? LINDA WARNER

ALCOA, TENNESSEE

As you've probably discovered, slugs and snails really like to pig out on marigolds, zinnias, petunias, and thin-leaved selections of hostas. Plants they don't like as much include lantanas, ornamental grasses, wax begonias, phlox, impatiens, ginger lilies, black-eyed Susans, Lenten roses, pinks, Russian sage, sedums, daylilies, globe amaranths, and Madagascar periwinkles.

How can I get my Indian hawthorn bushes to bloom? MARGARET M. MCKINLEY

THOMASVILLE, ALABAMA

The first thing to check is whether your plants are getting enough sun. Like many flowering shrubs, Indian hawthorn blooms best in full sun. Also, make sure you're not pruning them in summer, fall, or winter. Doing so would remove flowerbuds. The correct time to prune these plants is in late spring, right after the shrubs finish blooming.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation May 2005
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