Gardening Advice

Miracle clematis fertilizer?  this mixture contains beer, epsom salt, amonia and water. Ever heard of it? I currently have 35 clematis planted in my front yard and would love to give ...

impatiens trees  Have you heard about impatient trees? I have what I have been told is a "impatient tree" and am looking for any information I can find.....plants get long ...

Snakes and No Dig Gardens  We have a lot of snakes around here, how do you keep them out of the No Dig Gardens?


Doug says you don't. While snakes are not the favorite creatures ...

Cutting Back my Rose Bushes in January  Doug,
Happy New Year!
I haven't cut any of my 3 rose bushes back yet. Is it too late? How should I handle this? The rose bushes are 40 years old ...

Moving perennials during winter  I read your good suggestions for a move in winter, but they knew 6 months ahead of time. We are possibly moving in the winter in Iowa. It's December ...

HEIRLOOM SEEDS Vs. HYBRIDS  Is there a value in purchasing Heirloom seeds for the home garden vegtables? I want to avoid hybrids (a personal choice against messing with God given ...

Natural Growth Enhancer  I am a 71 year old convert to organic as I am using only Fish Emulsion, Sea Magic Seaweed, and Alfalfa tea on my Tomatoes and my Impatiens and Geraniums,...

Help - Violets Taking Over  How do I get rid of pesky violets that have just taken over my garden and are in the lawn and EVERYWHERE!!!!
I've tried digging them up by the roots ...

Planting by a propane tank  I have a propane tank situated between two trees and would like to include the three items into one flower bed. I have been told by some people that you ...

Weeds in the Garden!  What can I put on the ground in my garden to keep the weeds down? I spend 3/4 of my day pulling weeds!! Help.


Doug says the single best thing to ...

Ants in the lawn  Hi Doug. We have a few large ant hills in our lawn. Everybody talks of getting rid of ants, but aren't they a good part of nature? If we try to get ...

vegetable gardens and grubs  can you treat organically for grubs and plant a veggie garden at the same time?

Doug says that if you want to use a predator nematode for grub control ...

Rabbits and Coffee Grounds  Would coffee grounds deter rabbits? - hope so.

Doug says all the hoping in the world won't make it so (unfortunately). Coffee grounds do not deter ...

bad bad robins  my question is this, ive started seeds in a starter tray for my veggie garden.ive been having problems with mud and seeds being missing. i caught the ...

spreading diatomaceous earth  How do you spread it? By hand? with a seed spreader?

Doug says that most products of this material come with a salt-shaker kind of applicator. I just ...

A year without tomatoes?  For the past two years, my husband has grown an amazing, plentiful tomato garden against the south-facing wall of our house. He is now preparing the soil ...

"Spud" tool  While reading your most recent newsletter on Must Have Garden Tools, I wondered what a "spud" tool is that you use for weeding. I googled it and got something ...

Severe Non-ending String Algae Problem  Everytime it rains water is running off into the pond which is only 10 months old. We have had string algae problems real bad ever since the pond was built ...

Newsprint --- ink toxic?  I noticed use of newspaper and cardboards. I'm concerned that the inks and chemicals used in these products will leach out into the soil and into the ...

noxious weeds beneath pine trees  Hi Doug,
I look forward to your newsletter each week and hope you can help me. I live in Southwestern Ontario. Along the back of my property are 4 pine ...

Forcing Iris and Lilies to Get Early Start on Spring  I have sucessfully wintered over water lilies and iris for several years. But, when I put them out into the pond in the spring, it seems to take a long ...

Climbing Rose Pruning  I live in southern Wisconsin, and was given a 1 year old Joseph's Coat climbing rose bush as a gift the spring before last. The card with care instructions ...

How to get rid of Ivy?  How do I get rid of Ivy? Is there a spray like roundup? Roundup doesn't seem to be that efficient.


Doug says you don't say how much you're trying ...

better tasting tomatoes  What do I need to put in the soil ? My tomatoes were pretty last year but kind of bitter.

Doug says the deal with tomatoes is to grow them stress-free....

jasmine plant  i bought a jasmine plant last year and planted it in my garden - as we have had some snow this year it seems to be frostbitten or not doing too well. should ...

how to kill yucca  How do you kill this stuff? I have dug it up, put rocks on it, you name it. It comes back no matter what.

Doug says start digging, keep digging....

How much coffee grounds is too much?  I have coffee shop nearby that collects grounds to give to the gardener. Always debating what to do when i bring home big bag: put as mulch (how thick ...

Clematis Wilting  Last year I planted my first clematis. The buds progressed and bloomed, new buds formed, and the plant was looking very healthy. Then the buds and leaves ...

Coneflower seed  I have searched everywhere and I can't find seeds for echinacea. All the online sites sell plants only. Is there a source out there for the seeds?

Doug ...

virginia creeper planting date  Can i plant virginia creeper in January?

Doug says if the plant is dormant and if the ground isn't frozen and if you can buy one, you can plant it.

Value of mushroom compost  I agree with you about the lack of nutrients in mushroom compost. I do believ also that non-organic MC is probably mosre harmful to the soil than not using ...

Lancalot the Earwig lives in my shower curtain rod  so at first when i saw the earwig's head poke out of the crack near the tile inside my shower curtain rod, i freaked the freak out. freaked out, ewwww!...

Cutting Back Curly Willow  I live in Innisfil, ON. I have a couple curly willow and have snipped off a few branches to root and grow. I believe I heard or read that the entire ...

killing lemon balm or any spreading plant  how can i get rid of this stuff without completely digging it up? is there any weed kill strong enough to get down and destroy the roots? we hate it -

Doug ...

tomato seedlings turning yellow  my plants are about 3 inches tall, growing in plastic cups
using miracle grow seed starting mix. thy are in a window facing west also are 2 hallogen lamps ...

GOPHERS  what is the most effective way of getting rid of them
while not harming my vegetable garden ??

Doug says here's a simple way to control groundhogs ...

Bareroot Rose in February  I have purchased several bareroot roses but will be unable to plant them right away due to freezing rain and ice in my zone (6). Should I pot them up ...

Pool filter run-off and plants  Is pool filter run-off (diatomaceous earth) bad for plants?

Doug says that if you're asking if diatomaceous earth is bad for plants - the answer is ...

Bought Tomato e-book...still had a few questions  I bought your tomato e-book, but I still have a couple of questions. By the way your site is great!


Mulch—would you do that in containers..if so what ...

Solomon's Seal not flowering  I bought Solomon's Seal plants last year and they flowered well. They have successfully come up again this year, beautifully leafy, but none have flowers....

Dead Bed - Too Much Herbicide  Nothing grows in my designated vegetable garden. Not even weeds. Before thinking organic I sprayed the area with too concentrated weed killer. Then ...

daffodils planted late  I have never planted Erlicheer Daffodils before... and the ones I just received from New Holland Bulb Company have GREEN points on the tops of the bulbs ...

Dividing or moving peonies late  October is the best time to divide peonies in my zone 7 garden, and I have done so successfully in the past. I missed this 'window of opportunity' and ...

Hollyhocks  Hi, I live in Minnesota and I am wondering if I need to spread my seeds yet this fall or wait until spring to do it. I have always just left them, eventually ...

Harvesting and sowing perennial seeds  Why can't I just deadhead my perennials for seeds and sow them directly on the ground in the fall? Must they be brought inside and stored in the fridge ...

grubs in my compost, kill or keep?  every time i turn my compost, i come across dozens of grubs. what can i use to get rid of these pest so i don't transfer them when i use my compost in ...

reusing potting soil  Can I re use my potting soil next year?

Doug says he reuses his peat-based potting soil from year to year. All I do is dig it up and loosen it up and ...

Ajuga propagating in container  I have Ajuga growing in a pot with other things. It now has long trailers and I have snipped most of them off. I want to transplant the trailers into ...

weeds in an alpine garden  Hello Doug,

Maybe this question has been answered already with your experiementation of vinegar , salt and dish soap.
I have tried everything to rid ...

Pruning peonies  Do I cut down my peony bushes now or fall, or in spring? Also, some of the buds didn't open, can you tell me why? Busshes are 3 yrs. old, in good soil,...

Virginia Creeper is wilting  My Virginia Creeper does well in the spring but come summer the leaves start wilting, turning an orange/red and brown on the edges. It is hot here, 85-...

New Guinas stop blooming  It has been very hot and I've tried to keep our plants watered. However, I've noticed that the New guinas have stopped blooming. The foliage is beautiful ...

Coral Bell Leaf Browning  The lime green Coral Bells that I planted last year are turning brown around the edges. I have tried a "raised bed." I used one dose of a fungucide.

Doug ...

When to overseed lawn  Riddle me this. The fall has always been the season of choice for overseeding the lawn. However , there now seems to be a conflict as this is the time ...

Run away; Snow on the Mountain & Gil o'er the Ground  Years ago when I first started my flowering areas, someone gave me a small clump of (I'm sure they must have been giggling inside) Gil O'er the Ground ...

compost and compost tea  Questions and answers about Compost and comnpost tea by award wnning garden author Doug Green

transplanting daffodils  when is it safe to separate and transplant daffodils. I live in the northeast & they have just finished flowering. I'd like to transplant them. thank ...

Corn gluten and weeds  Hi Doug. I've read with great interest your information on corn gluten. Our lawn gets worse every year. It was neglected before we bought our house ...

Garden pond Leaking  I have a molded garden pond that had a leak. To save money, because I loved the shape of the pond, I had been using a pond liner that was given to me....

Lawns and rolling  Sorry if this is going over old ground (ho ho). We've just bought a new build house. The builder has put turf down on what was an old garden. It's quite ...

main stem to a geranium  Does the main stem to a geranium have a flower?

Doug says the flowers on a geranium are indeed produced on both the main stem as well as side-shoots....

Dogwood Tree root sprouts  I have new growth coming from the root system upward, should I cut this off?

Doug says that yes, this should be removed.

Rose Tree  My home is almost 200 years old. In the front yard I have a "rose tree". It actually has a tree trunk and is about 6 - 7 feet tall. The tree looks to be ...

Dicksonia-- tree fern  Hi doug,
I want to plant three Dicksonia in a grouping in a shaded area of my garden in parksville, British Columbia. Will they over winter here in my ...

Pond Heaters  I overwinter my fish in my ponds and therefor need to keep a pond heater going as I am in Zone 6b. Can you give me advice on the type that is most energy-...

tulip reblooming  if you cut the tulip off will more grow the same spring or do you have to wait a year for more to come

Doug says you only get one bloom per year and ...

Allectus Grub Control - Organic?  A lawn care company is trying to convince me that Allectus, which they apply for grub prevention and control, is organic. I suspect that it is just another ...

First Garden Design Step  Hello Doug,

I bought my wonderful house two years ago. The previous owners were avid gardeners themselves, so they have a half acre garden in the yard,...

powdery mildew  How do i eradicate and prevent powdery mildew on blackeyed susan?


Doug says you might want to start by reading the article on powdery mildew right ...

cactus misting  Should you mist cactus in the winter time?

Doug says you don't mist cactus at any time.

Damage to Red Maple  My condo has planted several red maple trees, these were planted about 5 years ago, some are doing great but there are two that you can see that have been ...

Canada's Law Re: Weed Killers Per Your Newsletter  I have searched every way I could think of to find the info you wrote on Home Depot discontinuing the sale of weed and feed killers as a new Canada law ...

pesticide free veg garden  I had a garden about 10 years ago and had so many bugs slugs and whiteflies I gave up. We had to put so much spray on the garden I was afraid to eat the ...

Trees in Containers  I am planning on buying several different dwarf fruit trees to plant in containers. I’d like to know how important it is to plant in light-colored pots ...

Black Aphids In a Greenhouse  Our gardening club planted about 500 coneflowers in small pots that we are tending in a greenhouse. We intend to sell them in the Spring to raise money....

Tulip Care  Questions about Tulip Care written by garden author Doug Green