Brunswick Nurseries ¦ Dr. Duncan

??? GARDENING QUESTIONS???

You can now email your gardening questions to me at doctorduncan@brunswicknurseries.com Gardening questions spring, summer, & fall, houseplant questions, leaf spots, bugs, no flowers, deer problems fertilizer, lime, veggies, broken branches, need more colour, brown spots, yellow spots, plants for birds, slugs, etc, etc..., ! Try me!!

I'll post old and new questions; every one is interesting, with something new to learn for all of us. The newest will appear at the top, with the first name and locale (let me know if you'd rather not be identified at all).

Doctor Duncan:
I have a climbing honeysuckle which is now about 12 ft. high. Last year it didn't bloom as well, most of the blooms were on the top. Do you recommend pruning it and if so, is there a better time of year to do so, also any pruning suggestions? It has fairly wood stems which are supported by an arbour. Is there anything else I should be doing to keep it blooming. It is in a well protected area with morning sun and afternoon shade. Thank you and look forward to your assistance.
Dianne, Rothesay (April)
Diane:
I bet it had some fungal disease, maybe two of them. They ofteng et powdery mildew, and also black leaf spots. Both could discourage blooming to a degree. Fungal disease is worse in wet seasons, and both the last two were very wet. Pruning way back should stimulate new growth, and it might be more inclined to bloom. It's not a sure thing though. I'm not nearly as taken with climbing honeysuckle as I used to be, for that reason. It is often diseased looking, and I see them get woody and less vigorous often. If you want to be aggressive, prune it back to about 3 or 4' tall, and see how it grows back (do so anytime soon) I absolutely make no promises, but if you're unhappy with it now, why not try?

Doctor Duncan
I have some perennials growing in my yard which I plan to dig up and give away. They are growing wonderfully, however I'm concerned of the timeframe of when I should dig these up. One plant is a purple coneflower which is growing next to the front of my house. The other is a columbine which is not next to the house, yet has been sheltered all winter, and is growing quite well
Tammy, Quispamsis
Tammy:
Its a little easier to handle perennials before the tops develop too much, so that would give you 3 or 4 weeks at least. Its fine to dig and transplant them now, as long as the ground is defrosted. Just be sure not to let the dug-up perennials freeze while out of the ground. Best to replant them within a day or two. Columbines often act like biennials, meaning they die after two seasons, so if your columbine ever doesn't come up, that may be why. New seedlings may pop up nearby. That's what happens with them in my gardens.

Doctor Duncan:
I am wondering if you could tell me what the fastest growing evergreen tree would be for the Hampton area. I would prefer not to have cedar as we have a large deer population that seems to like to eat the cedar during the winter. I am looking to plant several trees on one side of my property to provide a privacy barrier. The land is at the top of the hill with the house and yard below. The land runs parallel to the road way and in winter this road receives lots of salt. There are pine trees on the opposite side of the street that have been here for years!
Donna, Hampton
Donna:
Pines are usually a little fuller than spruces, due to the long needles, but not enough to rule out spruce. Austrian pine would be the fullest, as it has the longest needles. Deer rarely touch it. It will grow up to 18" a year. The trouble with growth so fast is that the tree tends to look more open, or less full. Scots pine will grow as fast or faster, but it isnt quite as full or regular as austrian. The fastest growing evergreen is probably white pine, but because of that fastness, it is more open. White spruce is quite fast, and fairly full. With all of these, if you shear the new growth back a couple inches in late June, they will be fuller and more evenly shaped, but not as fast growing in height. The most salt tolerant of these evergreen trees are Austrian pine and white spruce, the least are cedar and white pine.