Newsletter7

Why is my lavender wilting? I planted some last year no luck and again this year it has done the same thing.

They prefer sandy, slightly alkaline, very well-drained soil that is not too fertile. When planting them, ideal conditions is to dig quite deep, about 18 inches to loosen the soil. Add bone meal and a little lime to the bottom of the hole. Mix in some of the sandy dirt so the plant doesn't set directly on the additives. Spreading out the roots is essential, then add your sandy soil, water well and basically forget about them. Lavender definitely likes drier soil, so don't water too often, once a week should be enough. They do like to be trimmed back hard in early spring to about 2/3 size because they will fall over otherwise. Give them plenty of room, oh, and full sun is best too. From all that I can gather, they aren't the easiest plant to grow, but they are so well worth it when they bloom! I realize you already have yours in the ground, so to help yours out I'd say dig up the soil surrounding the plants, mix in a lot of sand, and fill up the trench with a liquid fertilizer to give them a good "shot in the arm", fill it back in with more sandy soil, then see what happens. If you plan on making sachets or potpourri, pick when the plants are in full bloom, then tie them together and hang upsidedown in a dark, warm dry area.

Why does my rose bush have yellow leaves and some black spots?

Ortho makes a product called Orthenex Insect and Disease Control that should help your roses. Pick off all the yellow leaves and those with black spots, then try this product according to directions, and they should be fine. Wait a couple weeks and then you can fertilize them with something rich in nitrogen.

SLUGS!!!! I have placed rings with beer, slug bait I have tried it all. They still chew!

The best advise I have is to hand pick them. Gross, yes, but effective. At night, put out a board or something that they will want to crawl under on the edges of your garden. (make sure the ground is wet under it) Put on your nastiest garden gloves in the morning, get your scissors, and cut the little suckers in half. Do this every day and you will see a decrease in your population because they can't breed without mates, right?

I was looking through my kitchen draws and found a bunch of seeds in their unopened packets. THEY DATE BACK TO 1995. What is the shelf life of these seeds? I'd hate to throw them out if they can be used.

Seeds are regulated by the government like everything else. When they are sold, they have to meet certain minimum germination rates. Most rates are about 65-85%. That means for every 100 seeds, the seed company has proven that at least 65-85 of those seeds will sprout. It's actually one of the better regulations! The older the seeds, the lower the germination rates, but yes, you should still be able to get plants out of your packets. I keep mine and also have some dating back a few years. The best way to increase your germination rate is to place them in a folded over very damp paper towel in a plastic bag on top of your refrigerator. You will get the most seeds to sprout using this method, just don't let the paper towel dry out.

What is your advice for dahlias?

I just planted some myself. They are tops in my book, right next to columbine. I dug a hole about 10 inches deep to loosen the soil, mixed top soil in the hole for the bottom 3-4 inches, then filled the hole with water. I put handfuls of top soil back in the hole until it resembled a mud pie, then gently pushed the dahlia tuber clump down in so the top would only be about 1/4 inch below the surface when I was done, then I topped it off and firmed the soil down. I had green peeking through today already, and I put them in Thursday. I have them in full sun, rich soil.

Thanks for your great questions. Happy Growing!

DBS