In the garden

— Q I have a baby hydrangea bush that is well under a foot tall.

We have tried to grow hydrangea in the past with no luck; they all died. This is the first that we have had any luck with. It was just a baby plant when we put it in the ground several months back. With cold weather coming on I don’t know how to take care that it doesn’t die. How do I protect it during the winter?

A Hydrangea bushes can be damaged by a cold winter, but usually are not killed. Pay attention to it in late winter. If we have mild winter days, they often begin to grow, and this tender new growth can get zapped by cold weather. The problem lies in the fact that they set their flower buds before they go dormant, so if they get nipped back by winter weather, they will not bloom that summer. I am a little worried about even larger, established plants, because many began a new set of growth late this season, which may or may not have a chance to harden off before winter sets in - only time will tell.

Mulch your plant with 2 to 3 inches of mulch, leaving a little space between the main stem and the mulch. You can cover it during really cold days with a large cardboard box, but that gives you only a few degrees of protection. Hydrangeas like well amended, well drained soil on the north or east side of the house, provided they do get some sunlight - planted in heavy shade, they will not bloom. They are not drought-tolerant plants, but if you give them the right location and ample moisture, they can be beautiful plants in the landscape.

Q I have a fungus of some sort growing all over my zinnias. I figured that because zinnia season is over with, I may as well just let them die, but I do not know if this white spotty fungus or mold disease will spread to other parts of the garden or come back next year with a vengeance. What do you suggest?

A Zinnias are often plagued by powdery mildew. The best thing you can do is clean up the garden, disposing of all the plant remains. You should also remove the underlying mulch so you can start the season off clean.

Pay attention next summer, and take control if you see signs of the mildew early in the season. Many of the new varieties of zinnias are resistant to powdery mildew.

Q I have three Japanese maple seedlings that I planted in pots in June.

They have done well, but when do I need to transplant them and how should I winter them? They are from 12 to 24 inches tall now.

A Japanese maples are fairly winter hardy.

You have two options.

If you know where you want them to be planted, plant them now in their permanent location. If you want them to grow a little more before you plant them in the yard, then sink the pots in the ground, up next to the house. This will protect their roots better than being left above ground in a pot and will help prevent them from drying out too quickly.

Q I have about 10 large geranium plants. Is there any way I can keep them until next year?

A You have several options with geraniums.

They form a fairly woody stalk compared to other summer annuals, so they can be stored as they are in your garage or under the house in a crawl space. Don’t cut them back when you move them in, since they will die back some during storage. Next spring, cut them back, begin to water, and they should come back to life. An old fashioned method that used to be common was to lift the plants out of the pots and store them dry, hanging upside down in the attic until the following spring. If they freeze during storage they will rot, but provided you prevent freezing, they should come back.

Q The plants shown in the attached picture grow in a very shady location in our yard in Springdale.

They bloom this time of the year. The blossoms are up to 2 1/4 inches in diameter and the points of the larger three part leaves form a 5-inch equilateral triangle. They grow up to about 18 inches high. They survived for a few years before we noticed them and they don’t seem to need much care. We would love to know what they are and what we could do encourage them to propagate.

A They are wonderful perennials called Japanese anemones. They come in pink or white and can reseed themselves as well as spread at the base.

Low maintenance and fall blooming makes them a winner. You can save seeds and scatter, or thin them out next spring as they emerge.

Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or e-mail her at

[email protected]

HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 11/10/2012

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