China aster

Hi I just bought 3 pots of aster reine marguerite (white,pink and purple) from Home Depot (they still have them). I thought they are perennials because 5 years ago I bought Aster (dark purple) and it has been coming every…

Hoya Flowering?

  I have had a Hoya plant (see photo, looks healthy / keeps growing) for 6~7 years, started with a stem cut. But it has not had any sign of flowering. I had it indoor until about a month ago,…

Weak Flower Stems

I’m in Zone 5. Flower garden is in full sun. The soil was brought in in two distinct batches to make the flower bed. It is all quite clayey, one half worse than the other. It’s awful stuff! Tends to…

Planting Under Oak Trees

Please tell me what can grow under a big oak tree. The soil is shallow and much limestone in the area… grass doesn’t grow. Is there a tall perennial flower? Or ground cover with flowers?…

Phlox

What mildew resistant phlox would you recommend for part shade ?…

New Flower Bed

I live in Brampton and my new flower bed is adjacent to the driveway facing west. It is about 3fx35f. I would like to plant perennials that are short, flowery and colorful. Could you suggest which perennials I should choose?…

Pruning Russian Sage

Please tell me what I should do with/for my Russian sage in the fall. Do I cut it back? Do I leave it alone? Thank you for any information you can give me.…

Stubborn Mandevilla

I bought a mandevilla last summer, overwintered by pruning back and keeping in a cooler but sunny window, hardened it off before placing it in a morning sun place. Fed it fertilizer and even tried the age old epsom salts…

Dahlia Daytime Droop

Hello! I’m just north of Guelph in zone 5b, with nice loam soil. My question is about dahlias. I’m growing two types of dinnerplate dahlias, Thomas Edison and Otto’s Thrill, and I’m having severe problems with daytime droop when they’re…

Non-Flowering Clematis

For the second consecutive year my clematis Pamela Jackman, while still putting on the usual masses of stems & lush foliage, has declined to flower. It has flowered in the same (unchanged) spot for over 10 years – I don’t…