In the garden

Q I have a snowball bush that is about 5 ½ feet tall and needs to be moved. It has leafed out and will be blooming soon. Would it be OK to cut the bush back and transplant it after it blooms?

A Moving a plant when it is in full growth is a bit stressful on the plant, but it can be done. Try to get it in the ground as quickly as possible after you dig it up, and water lightly daily to keep the roots moist while it re-establishes. Don’t be alarmed if the plant wilts for several weeks — this is the shock of transplant, but in time it should bounce back and begin to grow. Don’t forget about it this summer when it gets hot and dry. It will need a bit of TLC to get it through this first season.

Q Five years ago I planted two camellias in my courtyard, which is on the western side but still has lots of shade. They look healthy but haven’t bloomed once. I also planted two Encore azaleas that have yet to bloom. I use fertilizer on them. Got any ideas?

A How much shade is lots of shade? Camellias are understory plants and like morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered sunlight like underneath a pine tree. If they are in deep shade, they will be nice evergreen plants, but they will not bloom. Camellias and azaleas set flower buds in late summer to early fall. Most azaleas would need similar conditions; however, Encore azaleas like even more sun than a normal evergreen azalea. If it has been this long, I think you may have more shade than you think. Could you “limb up” some branches on overhead trees to get more light in?

Q Thank you for the recent comments on determinate and indeterminate tomato plants. I have wondered (but didn’t want to risk my plants) about topping indeterminate tomato plants and/or cutting back branches in an effort to make them shorter and more bushy. I assume I would be sacrificing some number of tomatoes, but maintenance would be easier. Am I crazy?

A Many gardeners do prune their indeterminate plants to get them fuller and bushier and to help shade the fruits. If you don’t prune at all you get tall, leggy plants. Decide on the height that you want and prune the plants accordingly. You should see more stems and more tomatoes, not fewer. The key is to do a bit of pruning all through the season instead of waiting and topping them at one time.

Q My mother asked me to ask you if you might have an idea why her beautiful old magnolia tree has not bloomed. It has always had many blooms. Is it too early? Does she need to fertilize?

A It has been a particularly late spring, with surprisingly low cold snaps even into May. Many plants are blooming much later than normal. I have started to see some flower buds on magnolias, so I would say be patient and flowers should appear.

Q Could you please tell me the name of this plant? My dad grew up in Fitzhugh (Woodruff County), and he called this plant a Fitzhugh bush. He wants all of the family to have a cutting, but we would like to know what it is we are growing.

A The plant in question is commonly called Carolina allspice or sweet shrub. The Latin name is Calycanthus floridus. It is a great old-fashioned shrub for partial shade. Its spicy scented flowers appear in late spring, and after that it is just a green bush in the garden, but very carefree. It propagates readily from cuttings and is a wonderful pass-along plant.

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 email her at

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