Plant Questions and Answers for May

When should cuttings of caryopteris (blue spirea) be started, and how should they be planted? L.M., Missouri.

Blue spirea is usually classed as a hardy perennial and propagated from seeds. The seeds are started in the spring and the plants transplanted to their permanent location when large enough. During winter they need the protection of a coarse mulch. They may be started from soft wood cuttings rooted in moist sand. Such cuttings are taken at midsummer, and by fall are in their permanent location. The plants are so cheap, and so quick-growing that if winter killed, new plants may be grown each year from spring sown seeds.

I bought a home last fall and I find that the one sumac tree which was planted has spread throughout the backyard with roots pushing through the ground from ten to 20 feet away from the original planting. How can I get rid of this tree and the shoots it is sending out? L.F., Montana.

The cultivated sumacs grow and spread from the roots. Wherever a root is severed or injured, a new plant appears. The roots are shallow and can be easily dug and even pulled out of loose soil. If the shrub is removed and all suckers destroyed as they appear for all of one season, they will largely disappear.

The chrysanthemums I grow outdoors usually freeze in the fall before they come into bloom. Are there varieties that will bloom earlier in the season? Is there anything I can do to encourage these that I already have to bloom earlier? S.C.S., Missouri.

Chrysanthemum blooms set when the hours of daylight begin to decrease. So the only way late blooming varieties may be made to bloom earlier is to shade them with black cloth for a few hours morning and evening in early fall until buds set. This is not practical on outdoor plants unless they are grown commercially in frames or beds. It would be better to discard the late blooming varieties and replace them with recommended outdoor hardy varieties. The recommended garden varieties will mature from September 1 to October 15 depending on the variety grown.

My tulips will soon finish blooming. I would like to take the bulbs out of the ground this year. When is the best time to take them up? Should the blossoms be pinched off when petals begin to fall? M.D., Michigan.

Dig tulip bulbs after the tops have died, usually the first of June. It will make for better bulbs if the blooms are removed as they fade. This prevents the plant from setting seed.

How should narcissus bulbs be taken care of after they have flowered? Mrs. R.S., Wyoming.

Narcissus bulbs growing in the garden need the same attention and treatment as tulips. The bulbs should be planted deep, four to six inches depending on the type of soil. The heavier the soil, the shallower the planting. The bulbs may be dug each year, after they have died down, divided and replanted. This is not necessary every year but should be done at least once every four years. In a dry fall the soil should be watered so that the bulbs can make a good root growth. The soil should be rich, and a mulch of straw or leaves over winter will aid the root growth and improve the size of the bloom.

I would like to know why my wisteria tree does not bloom. I have had it in the ground three years or more and it is a beautiful little tree with lots of foliage. I bought it at a nursery and it was in a plastic container. It had three large blooms on it and when I planted it out, I split the pot down the sides and did not disturb the roots. I used to have a wisteria and it was so pretty, but we lost it in an unusually cold winter. Mrs. O.E.F., Texas

There is no sure formula for making a wisteria bloom. Some of the best varieties do not bloom freely until after they have been established for a long time. Give the plant time, several years, and it will probably bloom freely. In the meantime, to help it along, see that it gets water regularly and feed the plant with a superphosphate fertilizer. Mulch the plant each fall and hoe it into the surface in the spring. During the summer prune out the straggling growths leaving only the ones needed for climbing purposes, Pruning will probably do more than any one other thing towards making it bloom.

I have a holly tree that has never had any berries on it. Do I have to have two in order to get fruit? N.C., Kentucky.

A holly is either a male or a female plant. A tree of both sexes must be grown reasonably close together in order to produce a crop of berries on the female plant. Usually one male plant is grown to furnish pollen for an entire planting of female trees.

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