Q: I have a 5-year-old rhododendron that looks brown. What can I do to help it along this spring? It looks like it's dead.
A: If the leaves are totally dry and brown, you may have lost the plant. It should have been well-established if it's 5 years old, but the winter took a real toll on plants that were growing in unprotected areas; subzero temperatures, drying winds and no snow cover were the culprits.
If there is new growth, fertilize as usual with an acid-formula fertilizer and water well through the summer. Then protect the plant better next winter by covering it, and consider spraying it with an anti-desiccant like Wilt-Pruf to prevent drying.
No matter how bad the plant looks, the roots may be alive. Don't cut it down too fast. Wait a bit longer and then prune out any wood that's totally dead. If new growth doesn't appear, indeed you've lost it and will have to replace it.
Q: I planted two peonies last year. They grew and leafed to about 10 inches, but there were no buds or blossoms. They are both in warm, airy gardens. Is there something I should do this year to help them blossom, or do they simply not flower the first year? They are both about 2 or 3 inches above ground right now.
A: Peonies can be slow to establish themselves and start blooming. The first few years, blooms will be small and the stems short. They can take five or six years to fully establish themselves. I don't know who you bought the plants from, but the roots may have been quite small to begin with. When peonies are divided, there should be about six to eight eyes per root section.
Your planting location sounds fine. Peonies require all-day sun and good air circulation. I assume you amended the soil with manure and took the time to loosen the soil to about 24 inches. They're going to live there for many years, so make sure you're planting them right.
Plant the roots with eyes 2 inches below the surface of the soil - no deeper or they'll never flower. Allow plenty of space between the plants as well as other plants. Peonies don't like competition from other woody plants. A 2-foot margin is recommended.
Fertilize every two years with a 5-10-5 fertilizer. Keep the plants well-watered, and mulch well in the fall, and I think you'll see flowers next season and more in the years to come. Peonies are very long-lasting perennials, and often thrive for generations.
A: If the leaves are totally dry and brown, you may have lost the plant. It should have been well-established if it's 5 years old, but the winter took a real toll on plants that were growing in unprotected areas; subzero temperatures, drying winds and no snow cover were the culprits.
If there is new growth, fertilize as usual with an acid-formula fertilizer and water well through the summer. Then protect the plant better next winter by covering it, and consider spraying it with an anti-desiccant like Wilt-Pruf to prevent drying.
No matter how bad the plant looks, the roots may be alive. Don't cut it down too fast. Wait a bit longer and then prune out any wood that's totally dead. If new growth doesn't appear, indeed you've lost it and will have to replace it.
Q: I planted two peonies last year. They grew and leafed to about 10 inches, but there were no buds or blossoms. They are both in warm, airy gardens. Is there something I should do this year to help them blossom, or do they simply not flower the first year? They are both about 2 or 3 inches above ground right now.
A: Peonies can be slow to establish themselves and start blooming. The first few years, blooms will be small and the stems short. They can take five or six years to fully establish themselves. I don't know who you bought the plants from, but the roots may have been quite small to begin with. When peonies are divided, there should be about six to eight eyes per root section.
Your planting location sounds fine. Peonies require all-day sun and good air circulation. I assume you amended the soil with manure and took the time to loosen the soil to about 24 inches. They're going to live there for many years, so make sure you're planting them right.
Plant the roots with eyes 2 inches below the surface of the soil - no deeper or they'll never flower. Allow plenty of space between the plants as well as other plants. Peonies don't like competition from other woody plants. A 2-foot margin is recommended.
Fertilize every two years with a 5-10-5 fertilizer. Keep the plants well-watered, and mulch well in the fall, and I think you'll see flowers next season and more in the years to come. Peonies are very long-lasting perennials, and often thrive for generations.
Q: We're very concerned. We have always noted the first appearance of bees each spring on the snow drops and crocuses. They were present last year as soon as the first blossoms appeared. This year, my mother, who lives across the street from me in the Riverdale section of Gloucester, and I haven't seen a single bee. We have spent a lot of time looking for bees in our neighborhood, and there's not a regular honey bee or tiny wild bee to be found.
Obviously, something is very wrong. We went from plenty of bees up through fall 2006 to zero bees in spring 2007. I wonder how many communities in Massachusetts are affected. At the very least, it's a serious problem for anyone hoping to have a vegetable garden this year.
A: The truth is that no one really knows why they've disappeared. It's probably a combination of events, but something has to be done about it.
Some 15 worried beekeepers met in Florida last month to brainstorm with researchers on how to cope with the extensive bee loss. Investigators are exploring a range of theories, including viruses, a fungus and poor bee nutrition.
It could just be that the bees are stressed out. Bees are being raised to survive a shorter off-season so they can be ready to pollinate once blooms begin in February. That has most likely lowered their immunity to viruses.
Mites have also damaged bee colonies. The culprits are two mites, the varroa and tracheal, that attack the bees within colonies. The insecticides used to try to kill mites are harming the ability of queen bees to spawn as many worker bees, and the queens are living half as long as they did just a few years ago. This could be the problem, particularly in areas where certain dangerous pesticides are still allowed.
Researchers are also concerned that the willingness of beekeepers to truck their colonies from coast to coast to assist with crop pollination needs could also be adding to bees' stress. But raising and trucking huge numbers of bees and hives from crop to crop can be very profitable. The average Rent-a-Hive cost is about $125 per hive. And it takes hundreds of hives to pollinate acres of a commercial crop. We need the beekeepers to produce good crops.
Researchers are also studying the possible effects of a group of pesticides to see if they are somehow affecting bees' innate ability to find their way back home.
In the meantime, all we, the small, individual gardeners can do, is to plant more bee-friendly crops and flowers in our gardens and hope this bee epidemic will pass.
This week's dirt: As days grow warmer, check the depth of landscape mulches. The correct depth is 2 to 4 inches deep over the area. Try to avoid coming in contact with plants. Mulch around them - don't cover them.
Why bother to mulch? A well-placed mulch will look neat, retain moisture and save hours of weeding in the summer. In vegetable beds, it can help keep crops clean. And it will reduce mud splashing during rain or watering.
nnn
North Shore Gardener by Barbara Barger of Beverly is a regular feature of the Home North section. Reach Barbara by e-mail at nsgardener@comcast.net or write to her c/o Essex County Newspapers, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915.
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