Gardeners Supply Plant Care & Gardening Advice/Tips/Secrets @ HortChat.com®

I have 2 trumpet vines, planted last year. This year there were only a few flowers on one and none on the other. Am I supposed to cut them back in the fall or spring?

Trumpet vine, Campsis radicans is fast growing and sometimes considered invasive in warmer climates. It spreads by underground runners and seeds.
For best blooming, give it full sun, well drained soil and low moisture and no fertilizer. If it doesn’t bloom well chances are that you are pampering it too much. Prune it in early spring to shorten and remove dead wood. To control aggressive growth cut it back to the ground and it should resprout. The orange tubular flowers which attract hummingbirds and bees are produced on current seasons growth.
All parts of this plant are poisonous and care should be taken when handling the plant as some can get a skin reaction to the foliage.

PANSY viola x wittrockiana

One of my favorite flowers is the pansy. The flat-faced, lightly fragranced flowers that come in dozen of colors always make me smile. They are great in flower boxes, hanging baskets, bedding plants as well as an addition to your mixed salad. When grown without pesticides, pansy flowers are edible . The flower petals have a mild savory flavor.

An easy way to make an Easter table arrangement:
Combine 3-4 pansies in a basket, cover with grass, add colored eggs and finish off with pussy willows or any other spring flowering branches.

Growing pansies
Pansies can be grown in areas where the summers are cool and winters are mild as they tolerate temperatures below freezing (-15F) and prefer cool summer temperatures below 85F.

In southern states (zones 7 -9), pansy is grown as a winter plant. It blooms in the fall thrives thru the winter and then starts to blooms again in spring.
In the north, it is mostly grown as an annual but new cultivars such as ‘Skyline’, ‘Sky’, ‘Etain’, ‘Maxims’, Unviersal Plus’ have been known to be both heat and cold tolerant providing a longer blooming period.  The super hardy varieties can survive the winter as far north as zone 4 as long as they are planted early enough in the season. Pansies stop developing new roots when soil temperatures drop below 45 degrees, therefore it is important to plant early in order to establish a good root system before the soil freezes. When freezing winds begin to fly, add 2-3″ of mulch for protection.

Care: Plant pansies in rich, moist, well-drained soil in full sun to dappled shade and protect from the hot summer sun. Space them 6-8 inches apart. Add a balanced fertilizer at the time of planting and for maximum bloom, give the plant additional light feedings once a month over the growing period. Water early in the day (1/2-1″ per wk) to provide even moisture and avoid over-head watering to prevent fungal disease.

They bloom best in early spring before the hot summer sets in which causes them to stop blooming. For additional fall bloom, cut the plants down to 2 inches in July and fertilize. They will bounce back with the cooler temperatures.
Deadheading will prolong bloom time and pinching periodically will produce a bushy plant.

Pansies can be started from seeds in late winter 10-12 weeks before the last frost date.

Insect problems
Aphids, slugs, snails, earwigs and sowbugs-love the emerging buds.

Hardy mum winter survival care tips

I had saved my hardy chrysanthemums in their original plastic pots and put the potted plants into the ground to over-winter. Now, I want to remove the plants from the plastic pots and transplant directly into the soil. My question is: When is the best time to do this? I live in Zone 4(Chicago area).

Not many of the “hardy” potted mums bought in autumn in zone 4 will survive the winter. Even though they are called hardy mums, their hardiness can vary. Cold winters and poor draining soil are some of the factors that have an affect on their survival. In addition, when growing mums for the market, growers pay more attention to color, shape and abundance of flowers than to cold hardiness. The result is a beautiful plant with a root system that cannot support it.

Planting in the fall, doesn’t always work because there may not be enough time to develop a good root system, so for any chance of success plant in early fall. Best time to plant hardy mums is in the spring. In your case, try transplanting in the spring, when the soil is workable; if any viable roots wintered over, you should see some green shoots emerge when the weather warm up. Otherwise, buy hardy mum plants in the spring and see how big they get by autumn.

To help hardy mums survive the winter outdoors cut them back down to 6″ after they are done blooming leaving some of the stems to trap winter snow for insulation. Also mulch your mums after a hard freeze with several inches of straw, pine needles or evergreens, the added insulation will protect the root system. Avoid using leaves as they tend to mat down and add little insulation.

Geranium, belongs to the Pelargonium family and unlike its distant cousin (a true geranium and hardy version) is a tender plant grown as an annual in cooler climates and a perennial in zone 10.
Geranium (P. x hortorum) or commonly known as zonal or garden geranium is a favorite for container plantings and flower beds because of its long blooming season and brilliant colors. It bears rounded clusters of individual flowers which are either single or double on a stem which rises above the rounded scalloped leaves. The fuzzy leaves may have zonal markings and emit a “fragrance” when touched.

Care: Geranium requires little care as long as it gets full sun and well-drained, moist soil. In northern climates, they will tolerate light shade but if grown in shade will produce a leggy plant and little flowers. In southern climates, it is best to grow them in partial-sun with afternoon shade. Prolonged hot temperatures will trigger them to stop blooming.
For optimal bloom, feed the plant lightly with a well balanced fertilizer ( 10-10-10) once a month during the active growing season. Container plants may need to be fed more often (2x month) because the nutrients can leach out from the bottom of the pot when watering. They bloom best when slightly pot bound.
Geraniums need at least 1 inch of water per week. When watering, avoid getting the leaves and flowers wet, which can encourage  fungal (Botrytis -gray mold) and bacterial disease. Container plants may need to be watered more often but should be allowed to dry slightly between watering. Take care not to overwater as it can cause root rot.
Plant your seedlings outdoors, when night temperatures are above 40F or after the last frost date. Setting the plants out too early can cause the leaves to turn red from cool night temperatures.

Maintenance: Remove spent flower stalks and yellowing leaves. Pinching back or trimming some of the stems will encourage more branching and eventually more flowers.

Another Pelargonium worth mentioning is P.x peltatum know as ivy geranium. It has smooth leaves and grows in a trailing manner making it ideal for hanging baskets.

Winterover geraniums