Spring Report Card

I'd put the stake in the soil right now while it's on your mind and then tie it three times as it grows.

I think Cat needs to plunge the stake through the vampire's heart. Then the iris will be normal again...

Cat - why not ask the question on the iris forum since we don't have an answer for you. Please post a link if you do it since I hate an unsolved mystery.

If it was only the beards turning white I would say it's time to divide...

Oh, Victor!

I need advise about when ,how, or if I should trim a Mougou pine(sp)

Don't, unless there is a compelling reason to!

It's getting out of controle.
Googled the Mugo and they recomend cutting back the "candle" new growth.

It's very pretty JoAnn, we had a couple outside of my office, but they cut them down last year, don't know why, I liked looking out the window at them.

These are 20 years old.
The pruning is for up to one inch on the candles now and then the rest in the fall.
I read the article fast so might have missed something.

Doesn't look at of control to me!

OK I'll take it up with DD. Since she does the work It will probably escape another year.

Last year I bought a Lenten rose (Hellebore) because they are claimed to be so early, blooming in the snow, etc. This year it was buried in the snow for quite a long time. The snow finally melted and my plant appeared. It continued to develop and looks very healthy, but no blooms. What's the problem here?

They don't bloom right away. Takes a few years, depending on how small it is when planted.

Not that small. And it bloomed last year.

Hmm - don't know. That's unusual.

First case of HVX in my garden reared it's ugly head this week with my Halcyon hosta. Ugh. :(

Nearly all my Daylily foliage is looking particulary ratty for so early in the season, so something is wrong there too.

Please explain HVX--we have had a few Hosta for yrs. & no trouble with them (except deer).

HVX is a virus specific to hosta that has no cure and can lay dormant in a hosta for years before showing up. All you can do is remove and destroy the plant after you find it. To prevent the spread of the virus in your garden, you need to clean and disinfect tools after any cutting or digging of hosta. I dearly wish I had started gardening before this virus came into being. I have seen infected hosta sitting at several good nurseries near me, leading me to believe it's a huge problem. Here is a link with some pics

http://www.hostalibrary.org/firstlook/HVX.htm

Thank you for the information. I think I'll stick to the plants I have and move them around. One unnamed one is seedling itself so I can move the new little plants. I see that hosta people know about it, with luck the general gardeners can learn.

What's scary is that people that work at nurseries don't seem to know anything about it, hence the clearly infected plants just sitting there for unsuspecting people to take home. There are certain nurseries that specialize in growing hosta, so if you are interested in adding to your collection in the future, I would recommend seeking one of those out. It may not guarantee you won't wind up with HVX down the road, but I think it likely improves the chances.

Wow - sorry to hear that. That's the first I've heard of it.

Not the first i've heard of it but it is the first time ive seen pictures. I'm going out to inspect my hosta!!!

i'm worried about a lot of my daylilies too... But now i have read so much about their various issues i am more confused than when i started. i guess i will wait and see...


amy
*
(still in NYC)

Amy , what makes you worry about daylilies?? Rust won't survive the winters in Conn. so I really don't know what else you would be afraid of.

I'd be more worried about being in NYC...hee hee. Just kidding! Native NYer here.

I'm in Maine, and some of my daylily foligage looks really crappy. I thought it was rust, not really knowing what that is, but I had purchased some mail order daylilies last summer and I thought maybe that was where it came from. Someone on the hosta forum said maybe mine had "Spring Sickness" and after looking at the link they posted, I do believe that is exactly what is going on with my DL's. Never had that happen before and it's very annoying that there is no definitive cause and solution. Not gonna be a good year for blooms in my garden, I don't think.

Nor...had the same problem a few years ago but they seemed to snap out of it and bloom anyways. I have a few looking sad now because of SS but I've never totally lost a daylily to it.
I find this page very interesting, gives lots of pictures and explanations. http://www.daylilies.org/ahs_dictionary/spring_sickness.html

I've had the same thing and I just remove the affected leaves. They rebound with gusto and still give the normal amount of scapes and flowers.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what I've got out there....particularly on South Seas. Does that one tend to have more splayed out foliage (it's leaves are so much wider than my others that I can't tell if the way it's growing is normal or not.) But I have lots of brown holes and those ragged saw tooth edges. I will go out tomorrow and try to clean up the damaged ones. Some fans look reasonably healthy so I expect those will bloom.

Check to see if it's listed as an evergreen or semi-evergreen and then check the others in the same class as South Seas.

I lost a few things this winter....none upset me more than losing my DL that I bought in honor of my brother who has passed.
'Francis Of Assisi' did not survive the winter and it is hardy to zone 4! Guess I'll have to be on the look out for another and put it in a different bed this time.

It's sad when we lose one that we have such a strong connection to and feel it's absence even more.

Sorry to hear that, Celeste. I prefer shrubs or trees for remembrance. More durable and you can see them all year.

Know of any shrubs or tree's with the name Francis??

I checked plant files for you they have this cherry tree but no pic...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/121974/

I'm disappointed with my daffodils! The two new varieties I planted bloomed (Geranium and Minnow), but the Decoy, Pink Charm, and "regular" yellow ones that I've had for a few years or so never flowered - just greens!

Do you think it has anything to do with the weather? I'm stumped (and dismayed)!

We had some non bloomers too,I figured the clumps were too crowded.

Good to know about the DLs. i was looking at "Spring Sickness" as a possibility, though after looking at pictures of rust and streak i was more confused than when i started! But whatever it is is affecting a lot of the DLs, including the "Happy Returns" that the landlords planted 2 years ago, which i think are supposed to withstand everything!
Maybe it's bugs.
Maybe it's nothing, and there are always some twisty brown and tellow leaves. Last year i only had the "HR"s and the one Modred i'd bought, and i didn't pay much attention to the foliage in the spring.
But i feel better now.

Only one of our few daylilies gets 'spring sickness' and it is semi evergreen. The others, mainly red, do not but they are dormant varieties. I take it that it is a difference in our northern area. the one that seems a problem in the spring always recovers nicely. It is a yellow named 'Carl Milikin' and it has been blooming in different spots because it has to be divided for almost 30 yrs.