FAQ
I will be updating this page as I get new questions or think of something to add, so bear with me and email me if there is something you'd like to see added.
I will be updating this page as I get new questions or think of something to add, so bear with me and email me if there is something you'd like to see added.
What does “full sun” really mean?
It means that a given area has at least 6 or more hours of sun a day.
What is “shade” or “semi-shade”?
Shade means there is no direct light on the area, but there is indirect or bright light to the area. This can be from a reflected source, like a house, wall or sidewalk.
Semi-shade or dappled light is light that gets some direct sunlight, but not enough to enable you to use full sun plants. This can be under a tree, shrubs or through a fence or decorative trellis.
What is an “annual”?
An annual is a plant that typically grows, flowers and dies off in one season. Think pansies or marigolds. Sometimes an annual will last a bit longer than the season which may be due to where it is planted or if the new season starts off mildly.
What is a “perennial”?
A perennial is a plant that grows throughout the year. It may grow in one season but not flower until another and then go dormant later. Think daisies or cyclamen. They don’t have woody stems and can survive for 2 or more years with the proper care and pruning.
What is a “shrub”?
A shrub is a woody perennial. It can live for several years, again with proper pruning and care. When we call it a woody perennial, it means that the plant develops a tougher stem and in some cases, a trunk. Think jasmine, rosemary or oleander shrubs. They can live for 5 years or more, as a general rule.
What is the difference between evergreen and deciduous?
Evergreen means that the plant stays green all year round. These are not just pine tree types of plants, there are many that stay green all year, both shrubs and trees. Deciduous means it drops its leaves at a given time of the year, usually in winter. The plant is in the “resting” stage and most can be pruned at this time without worry about stress. A plant can also be “semi-deciduous” which means that it may lose only part of its foliage. Often how much they lose depends on how cold it gets that winter. The Jacaranda tree is a common one.
What is “topsoil”?
Topsoil often refers to a soil medium that is devoid of any organic matter. Often it is used to cover grass seed or a planting bed. It can be beneficial in adding minor nutrients to the soil.
What is “organic matter”?
Material added to a soil to give it nutrients or help with drainage. Think of plant debris, peat moss, animal manure.
What do the three numbers mean on my fertilizer container?
That is known as NPK numbers. (N)itrogen, (P)hosporus and (K) Potassium, which are macronutrients. These indicate how much of the product is comprised of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The higher a given number value, the more there is of that particular nutrient. Each of these nutrients is beneficial to a specific area of the plant; High nitrogen will result in lush leaf growth; Phosphorus helps with leaf and blossom production and potassium is helpful to building a good root system. By choosing a fertilizer higher in a specific number of N, P, or K, you can target a specific result. For example, a higher middle or P number is conducive to promote the production of flowers.
What is an “organic fertilizer”?
This is a fertilizer comprised of one or more materials that occur naturally in nature, such as bone meal, blood meal, chicken manure, sea kelp, etc. They can be used individually for a specific need or in conjunction with each other to create a balanced formula that is beneficial to a specific plant. Another benefit of organic fertilizers is that they are hard to overuse and injure the plant.
What is a “non-organic” fertilizer?
This is usually a fertilizer that is made up of both organic and chemical components to create a quicker response within the plant. Often they are high in acidic components that can burn a plant if overused or applied incorrectly or at the wrong time. Some of the slow-release type of fertilizers react to the heat and flood the plant with the fertilizer causing a “burn” of the plant. You need to make sure you never fertilize when the soil is dry, water first, then come back a bit later and fertilize, making sure to water it in again. This is true of potted plants as well.
When should I prune?
There is no simple answer for this. There are several factors involved, such as the type of plant, if it flowers/fruits and if it does so, whether on new or old wood, and the time of year it flowers/fruits. Another factor can be if it goes dormant, dies back or stays green year round. You can contact me with questions about specific plants and I can give you guidance on the proper pruning of the specific plants. I cover pruning roses in another entry on this page under “How to deadhead and prune roses.”
What does “deadheading” mean?
How to deadhead and prune roses:
Deadheading roses is much like deadheading most blossoming plants with a few exceptions. Make the cut on the stem just above the first cluster of 5 leaves that are below the rose and pointing towards the outside of the shrub. By pushing the new growth to the outside of the plant, you create a better environment for plant health. Branches growing towards the center slow air flow and can cause more problems with powdery mildew and rust. Make sure your cut is at an angle to allow water to drain off the cut. If water sits, it can cause injury through disease.
In pruning roses, especially for winter (in my area I do it about mid-January) you need to ascertain the height of the rose as well as the variety (hybrid tea, floribunda, English, shrub, vine, trailing, etc.). With the hybrid tea, a good rule of thumb is the taller it is, the lower you cut it. (This information is for any shrub over 1 year. Under a year, you only cut by half and remove all leaves.) Once you have determined your height and how low to cut it, start by cutting all canes back to the level you have determined. Now, remove all dead canes from the base of the trunk. Once you have done this, strip all leaves from the remaining canes. On large cuts, such as canes greater than ½ inch in diameter, I use Elmer’s Glue to seal the cut until it can heal. This is non-toxic to the plants and eventually will wear off as the plant heals itself. I like it better than tar or tree sealer. Looks better too because it dries clear! I finish it off with a rose food and water real well. If you get frost or snow in your area, you should prune when the weather stays below 55 and omit the fertilizer. Wait until the days start warming up to 55-60 and threat of frost has passed to fertilize.
With floribunda, grandiflora, shrub, English and tree roses you should remove any branches that are crossing or have died. At this time you can cut back to maintain a particular size. These types of roses are hard to remove all leaves and not really necessary as they usually fall off once it starts getting colder.
With vine and trailing roses, only remove as much growth as needed to keep control. On vine roses, this may be keeping it closer to the trellis as opposed to allowing it to grow canes that reach out several feet. Again, you don’t need to remove the leaves as they usually fall off on their own.
What does “drought tolerant” mean?
Drought tolerant means that a plant, once established, can survive on less water than was used to establish it. Many of these plants have leaf adaptations that allow it to close the small stomates (little windows in the leaf surface) to help it retain what moisture it has. There are some that have developed a waxy or thicker leaf to help prevent sun scald and hold moisture. It doesn’t mean it can live without water. All plants, at some point or another need moisture in some form or another. Many of these plants will do better during hot weather with supplemental watering. It takes roughly a year to establish a drought tolerant plant.
