Division

November 2012

The plants shown in the attached picture grow in a very shady location in our yard in Springdale, AR. They bloom at this time of the year. The blossoms are up to 2 1/4 inches in diameter and the points of the larger three part leaves form a 5 inch equilateral triangle. They grow up to about 18 inches high. They survived for a few years before we noticed them and they don't seem to need much care. We would love to know what they are and what we could do encourage these to propagate.

They are wonderful perennials called Japanese anemones. They come in either pink or white and can reseed themselves as well as spread at the base. Low maintenance and fall blooming makes them a winner. You can save seeds and scatter, or thin them out next spring as they emerge.

July 2012

I recently picked a mess of dry seed pods off some lily type flowers. I would like to plant the seeds and am hoping you will tell me if this will work. For some reason, I thought day lilies came up from bulbs!

Many bulbous type plants, including daylilies, tiger lilies and even daffodils and tulips set seeds as well from the spent flowers. It takes a while to get a blooming plant from a seed of a daylily or Asiatic lily, but it is doable. Just lightly cover the seeds with soil and be patient. It usually takes two years before you see a flower, but you will get plants much sooner. A quicker method of propagation is to divide the plant. Many gardeners like to experiment. If you have a lot of daylilies, they will cross pollinate so you will get a different bloom.

March 2012

Things to do in the garden in the month of March.

Things to do in the garden this month: Plant a vegetable garden. Prune roses, crape myrtles, butterfly bushes (if you haven''t already done so.) Don''t worry if they are already growing. Many plants have started growing early this year. Cut back ornamental grasses, including monkey grass or liriope. Check to see how tall the new growth is before you cut. Fertilize spring flowering bulbs and winter annuals. Pay attention to the weather, and keep extra mulch on hand for a cold snap. If your summer and fall blooming perennials are too crowded, divide them as they emerge. Mow your lawn to keep winter weeds from blooming and setting seeds. Weed your flower beds with a sharp hoe. Put down a fresh layer of mulch in your gardens.

May 2010

I have a raised berm with a mass planting of liriope. The bed is well established, but I am having a problem with weeds (both grass and broadleaf) where the liriope is a little thin. What can I use to handle the weed problem and what can I do to increase the density of the liriope in the thin spots?

There is not a broadleaf weed killer that you could use that wouldn’t also harm the liriope. Try to hand-pull or hoe the broadleaf weeds. For the grass, you can use a grass-specific herbicide such as Grass-b-gone, Ornamec, Over-the-top, etc. Liriope is in the lily family so will not be affected by the grass herbicide. The key is to catch the grass when it begins to run. Then put down a good layer of mulch. To thicken up your stand of liriope, either divide some of your larger plants or plant a few more where you have bare spots. A light application of a slow release nitrogen fertilizer will also help.

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