Gardening Interview Questions And Answers

Pruning Clematis depends upon what kind you have. Different varieties are pruned at different times of the year. First of all you need to identify when your Clematis blooms and what kind it is. Those that bloom on old wood (C. florida, Montana and patens) need nothing beyond removing dead wood. C. lanuginose, jakcmanii and viticella bloom on current season wood and may be cut back in spring before growth begins.

Manettia cordiflora can be propagated by taking stem-tip cuttings when the plant is in active growth, usually around mid-summer. Nodal cuttings are more likely to succeed, since some plants will not root internodally. Prepare each cutting from new growth, up to 4 inches long, by making a clean cut just below the node. Insert carefully in planting medium, water thoroughly with a fungicidal solution so that the medium is moist right to the container bottom.

Semi-ripe cuttings are used by taking the current season’s growth that has begun to firm; the base of the cutting should be quite hard, while the tip should be actively growing and therefore quite soft. Take semi-ripe cuttings in mid-to late-summer or even in early autumn. Take between 21/2 to 4 inches for the cutting. Remove the side shoots, and trim the cutting. Wound the stem and apply a coating of rooting hormone, shaking off any excess.

Semi-ripe cuttings may be rooted in a variety of situations. One suggestion is an outdoor nursery bed that has been amended with soiless potting mix and can be covered and protected so that the cuttings don’t scor or dry out. They require a humid environment for the rooting process to take place. A cold frame or container will work well also. During the winter inspect the cutting regularly and remove any fallen leaves. Water if the medium shows signs of drying out. Gradually harden off the cutting in spring before placing it in the garden.

It sounds like you have the vintner’s ancient scourge, grape black rot. It usually starts with small spots on the foliage that enlarge and are surrounded by a darker brown border. Spots also appear on the fruit, but, as you noticed, not until they are about half grown. They enlarge quickly, rotting the entire grape in a few days. The diseased fruits turn black, shrivel, and dry up; they look very much like raisins and are known as mummies.

Grape black rot is caused by a fungus, Guignardia bidwellii, and is a serious problem for grape growers, since all cultivars are susceptible. Wayne Wilcox, a specialist in grape diseases at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, explains that sanitation is of utmost importance for control. The fungus produces two types of spores: The overwintering spores survive on mummies and these are airborne, thus any infected fruit left on the ground or on the canes becomes the primary source of infection. Later, the disease is further spread through waterborne spores that develop on infected fruit. Remove all mummies from the vines and from the ground beneath. Mulching to cover any remaining overwintering spores creates a physical barrier that will help reduce infection.

Although grapes can be propagated from seed, this is rarely done because most grape plants are cultivars and won’t come true from seed. But you have three other options. The first option is to take hardwood cuttings. All grapes grown in the U.S., except Muscadine, can be propagated from hardwood cuttings. In the winter, take one-foot cuttings that have three buds and store them in moist sand or sawdust until early spring, when they should be planted with the top bud level with the surface of the soil. The cuttings should produce vines by the end of the first or second season.

Your other options are to take softwood cuttings or to layer a vine. Both methods work with all grapes, including Muscadine. Softwood cuttings should be taken before the stems harden in early summer and planted immediately. Layering involves taking a vine growing on the parent plant, breaking—but not severing—it at a node, and burying the node in the soil alongside the parent plant. Once roots form—usually within a year—the new plant can be separated and transplanted.

Sow seeds at 64-73 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring. Root softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat in summer.

Unlike their agricultural counterparts, Ipomoea batatas ‘Marguerite’ and ‘Blackie’ are bred for ornamental properties rather than edible roots. ‘Marguerite’ is grown for its broad, heart-shaped, chartreuse foliage on trailing vines, and ‘Blackie’ is becoming a favorite in the garden for its dark purple, deeply lobed foliage that makes a great companion for plants with brightly colored flowers or foliage.

According to Janet Bohac at the USDA’s Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, ‘Marguerite’ seldom produces a “usable” edible root and ‘Blackie’ almost never does. If, by chance, such a root is produced, there is no reason it could not be eaten.

Bohac adds that while it is possible to propagate these varieties from slips produced by their roots, propagation from cuttings is much easier.

Even gardening books that talk about this plant, Tweedia caerulea, usually use its former name, Oxypetalum caeruleum. It is also called southern star and blue milkweed, since it is a member of the milkweed family. It is a native of the tropics of South America, so must be grown as an annual in the United States. Not really a vine but more of a subshrub, it has twining stems to three feet tall. Its most spectacular feature is its flower color, described as a powder blue tinged with green that makes it almost turquoise, becoming lilac as it ages.

David Austin has had mixed success until recently breeding red roses. Most
older red English Roses (such as 'Fisherman's Friend', 'Prospero, 'The
Squire' and 'William Shakespeare') have produced beautiful fragrant dark red
flowers on weak plants that are disease-prone (especially to blackspot).
Recent crosses, especially with the vigorous and disease-resistant Mary
Rose, have attempted to improve on those weaknesses and seem to have
produced some very good new red English Roses, 'The Dark Lady', 'The Prince'
and 'L.D. Braithwaite'.

* The Dark Lady
* The Prince
* L.D. Braithwaite

'The Dark Lady' (1991, 4'x5', 'Mary Rose' x 'Prospero') has flowers that
have been described as dusky crimson or deep pink. It has a strong Old Rose
fragrance. It is a very good repeat bloomer.

'The Prince' (1990, 2.5'x3', 'Lilian Austin' x 'The Squire') has some of the
darkest flowers of any rose, described as either dark red or purple-red. It
is very fragrant. It is a good repeat bloomer, but the flowers have a short
vase life. Its glossy modern-like foliage may have problems with blackspot.
It is a very small bush, even in the warm climates, so it is probably best
planted in groups of three (or more). It may be a good candidate for
planting in a half-whiskey barrel.

The care of English Roses is similar to that of Modern Roses with some
exceptions.

Hardiness: Most English Roses can be grown in Zone 5 or warmer. 'Constance
Spry', 'Mary Rose', 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh' are some of the hardiest
English Roses. 'Graham Thomas' and other yellow varieties may need some
winter protection in cold climates.

Disease: Some varieties of English Roses seem to be rather resistant to
blackspot and other diseases. However, this depends greatly on the
particular variety and climate. In particular, many of the red English Roses
have been rather susceptible to blackspot and other diseases and have been
weak growers.

Planting: While English Roses can be grown as individual plants, group
plantings of two or three plants of one variety planted closely together are
often recommended if there is room in the garden. A group planting will
produce a fuller looking growth and more flowers in an area than a single
planting. An odd number of rose bushes planted in a particular location
usually looks more natural than an even number of bushes.

Blue laceflower (Trachymene coerulea) is listed in older references by its former name, Didiscus coeruleus. It is a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae, and has finely divided leaves on slender, branching, erect stems. The small flowers are in rounded umbels two or three inches across, held aloft on stems one to two feet high. The lacy flower does resemble that of Queen Anne’s-lace, but is pale blue or lavender. The species is a native of Australia and the islands of Southeast Asia, and our references make no mention of it being naturalized in the United States. Catalogs tout it as a cut flower. It is a sun-loving annual or biennial that does best in porous, well-drained soil of moderate fertility. In greenhouses, blue laceflowers can bloom from fall to late spring. Seeds are available from several retail mail-order companies.

These plants are not hardy. Sow seeds at 61 degrees Fahrenheit in the Spring. All parts are highly toxic if ingested so be careful. Outdoors these plants grow in fertile, moist, but well-drained soil in full sun.

Your plant is Abutilon. Outdoors, it requires moderately fertile, well-drained soil and full sun.

In your area, April 30 is the projected date for the last killing frost, according to a map published in U.S. Department of Agriculture “Home and Garden Bulletin 202.” This date could differ as much as one to two weeks within 10 miles of your home. It is best to check with your county Extension agent or local weather bureau. Keep in mind that this is the average date for the last frost that will kill established perennials to ground level. When installing tender plants or sowing seeds, wait a few weeks so the soil can warm to a safe temperature.

I do not wish to give the impression that all English roses are beautiful
disease-resistant shrubs with large long-lasting old-fashioned flowers. Here
are some of the problems that some or many varieties of English Roses have.

Cut flowers: English Roses can make beautiful cut flowers, but most have two
disadvantages when used as cut flowers. First, most of them have rather
narrow short stems when cut, not nearly as long or stiff as the long-stemmed
Hybrid Teas. Second, the petals are usually more delicate than those of
Hybrid Teas, and some varieties don't last long when cut. 'Heritage' blooms
are famous for lasting only about a day on the bush and only hours when cut.
'Graham Thomas' doesn't last very well either and fades, but 'Abraham Darby'
and Evelyn both have many petals and peform well as cut flowers.

Size: Some English Roses that are medium-size plants in England, where they
were bred, grow very large (often twice as large) in warm climates, such as
the Southern part of the United States. Examples of large plants in warm
climates are 'Graham Thomas', 'Abraham Darby', 'Othello' and 'Evelyn'. This
should be taken in mind when purchasing English Roses.

When he was an amateur hybridizer, David Austin crossed the Gallica 'Belle
Isis' with the Floribunda 'Dainty Maid'. 'Belle Isis' has small, light pink,
very double flowers and is a once bloomer. 'Dainty Maid' produces single
flowers and is a repeat bloomer. Among the seedlings of 'Belle Isis' x
'Dainty Maid', one, in particular, was outstanding. 'Constance Spry', as it
was named, produced surprisingly large, beautiful, pink flowers. The flowers
were deeply cupped in the Old Rose tradition. In addition, 'Constance Spry'
has a strong fragrance described as 'myrrh'. It was introduced in 1961.

'Constance Spry' had nearly all of the qualities David Austin was trying to
achieve, excellent Old Rose flowers with good color and fragrance, all on a
vigorous bush, but it was once blooming. Since the repeat blooming gene in
roses is recessive, a cross between a once blooming old rose and a repeat
blooming rose almost always produces once blooming seedlings, so 'Constance
Spry' was once blooming. However, 'Constance Spry' was crossed with a repeat
blooming rose, and some of the seedlings were repeat blooming. With these
seedlings, David Austin had what he desired, repeat blooming roses with Old
Rose style flowers and good fragrance. So far, David Austin only had pink
roses.

Even gardening books that talk about this plant, Tweedia caerulea, usually use its former name, Oxypetalum caeruleum. It is also called southern star and blue milkweed, since it is a member of the milkweed family. It is a native of the tropics of South America, so must be grown as an annual in the United States. Not really a vine but more of a subshrub, it has twining stems to three feet tall. Its most spectacular feature is its flower color, described as a powder blue tinged with green that makes it almost turquoise, becoming lilac as it ages.

Like most hardy bulbs, alliums are best planted in early fall, but you may get away with planting them in early spring if you can store them in a cool, dry place. Another option is to plant them now in a large container and place it outside or in an unheated garage so they will get enough chilling to bloom. Make sure the soil around them stays slightly moist but not waterlogged.

Some other hardy summer-flowering bulbs to consider include Sicilian honey garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum) and native spider lilies such as Hymenocallis caroliniana and H. liriosome, which are hardy to USDA Zone 7. “Crinum lilies would be really good for Chapel Hill,” says Nancy Goodwin, creator of Montrose gardens in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Crinums and spider lilies have an advantage over some other summer bloomers in that they don’t mind clay soils, and some even thrive with wet feet. Despite references that indicate these bulbs are hardy only in Zone 9 or 10, Goodwin has had no problem growing Crinum ‘Ellen Bosanquet’, C. ‘Milk and Wine’, or Amarcrinum memoria-corsii, a hybrid between Amaryllis belladonna and Crinum moorei. Good choices for lower-growing bulbs, according to Goodwin, are rain lilies such as Zephyranthes candida, Z. flavissima, and Habranthus robustus, which flower after rainfall throughout the summer. Old favorites include Gladiolus, Crocosmia, and, of course, many, many lilies (Lilium spp.)

Since Amaryllis bulbs do not like to be disturbed, it is best to remove offsets each year. This will also encourage the growth of large, single bulbs. If the offsets are left attached, however, large clumps will eventually form and they will have to be divided. This should be done in autumn, and the bulbs should be replanted with neck and shoulders above the soil surface.

It’s not very common for caladiums to form flowers, but apparently the environmental conditions in your garden were just right for them. Like the related calla lily and Jack-in-the-pulpit, the flowering structure consists of a hooded, petal-like bract called the spathe and a spike called a spadix. The tiny flowers are crowded along the spadix with the female flowers on the lower part and the male flowers above them. Following pollination the plant will form white berries.

One of the oldest known cultivated plants, the broad bean or fava bean (Vicia faba) is a legume related to vetch. Native to Africa and the Middle East, it is also known as Windsor bean, Scotch bean, and horse bean.

Broad beans make an excellent substitute for lima beans in cold, short-season areas where the latter cannot be grown successfully. Plant them in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked (at the same time as peas). They need the long cool springs to set their pods; warm weather—above 70 degrees Fahrenheit—inhibits flowering and pod setting. Broad beans will survive frost but not a heavy freeze. Their taste has been described as between that of a garden pea and a lima bean, with rich nutty overtones.

Neal Peterson, founder of the non-profit PawPaw Foundation, says pawpaw trees are generally self-incompatible—requiring a genetically different tree for successful fertilization and fruit set to occur. In the wild, pawpaws often spread by root suckers and form groves of trees with identical genotypes. Additionally, natural pollinators of pawpaw flowers—bees, flies, and other insects—are not always dependable or available. Trees in a wooded setting are also often heavily shaded and thus less vigorous than trees in the open.

To improve fruit set, Peterson recommends thinning trees around the pawpaws to provide more light, transplanting wild pawpaws from other areas of the woods to offer genetic variability, and hand-pollinating pawpaw flowers when they bloom in early spring. But the best way to ensure the development of quality fruit, Peterson says, is to purchase grafted clones of several pawpaw cultivars and plant them in an area where they will receive full sun.

Pregnant onion (Allium cepa) is more commonly known as Egyptian or top onion. Its unusual name is derived from the way a dense cluster of tadpole-shaped bulblets form at the tip of the plant’s stem. These small bulbs can be harvested and eaten when the onion tops begin to wilt and dry out. Egyptian onion’s underground bulbs can become rather strong-tasting late in the season, but can be harvested in early spring as green or bunching onions. Plant Egyptian onions in fall by setting out bulblets in well-prepared soil amended with organic matter. They will tolerate a hard freeze so that plants left over from the previous season can sometimes be harvested even into winter.

Star anise (Illicium verum) is a magnolialike evergreen tree native to Japan, China, and India. Its glossy brown seedpods are star shaped and have a very pronounced aniselike fragrance, hence the common name. In its native environment, the seed pods are burned like incense to scent homes, and they are chewed after meals to freshen breath. The seed pods are also used as a seasoning in Asian cooking and are often an ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder.

The tree may grow to 60 feet in height and is hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 9 and heat tolerant in AHS Zones 9 to 7. It bears small, star-shaped flowers with yellow tepals—petals and sepals that are indistinguishable—in early summer.

Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is parthenocarpic, which means it is capable of producing mature fruits without benefit of fertilization, or sometimes even of pollination. The resulting fruits will then be seedless. If you planted your tree with other Japanese persimmons, however, cross-pollination will likely occur and the fruits will bear seeds.

The term “parthenocarpic” is derived from the Greek roots parthenos, which means “virgin,” and karpos, which means “fruit.” Notable examples of parthenocarpic fruits include navel orange, banana, and pineapple. Brian Capon, author of Botany for Gardeners, notes that not all seedless fruits are parthenocarpic. Some seedless grapes, for instance, develop after pollination and fertilization, but embryoes abort before seeds enlarge.

The seeds of Tacca—a genus of 10 or so herbaceous perennials from the subtropical forests of West Africa and Southeast Asia, grown for their handsome foliage and unusual flowers—should be sown in the spring on the surface of a porous soil mix at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the seed evenly moist. Bat plants can also be propagated in spring by dividing their rhizomes; be sure each section contains a bud.

The plants require a moist, warm environment, and if grown outdoors they will need some shade. Since they are not hardy—the minimum temperature at which they will survive is 55 degrees Fahrenheit—they are often grown in a greenhouse.