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FlowersAmaryllis, forcing bloom
Amaryllis too tall
Bulbs: When to buy
Bulbs, plant in Fall
Bulbs, plant or store?
Bulbs, too late to plant?
Bulbs, transplanting
Caring for Hydrangeas
Daffodils, blooming early
Daffodils, digging bulbs
Daylilies, transplanting
Europs daisy & hibiscus hardiness
Flower color – where is it from?
Geraniums, overwintering
Ice Plant
Iris not blooming
Iris, transplanting
Iris, watering
Midsummer blossoms
Narcissus, transplanting
Perennials, when to cut
Rose blossoms for potpourri
Rose cuttings
Roses, blossoms distorted
Roses: How often will they bloom?
Roses, planting
Roses producing seeds
Roses, miniature
Spring bulbs grow well in NM?
Spring clean-up for flowers
Zinnia vs. daisy
Amaryllis flowers are too tall
Q. Why do our amaryllis stems always get extremely tall before the blossoms open? If we don’t provide extra support, they will topple over. We generally keep the temperature of the house below 60 degrees.
A. It is natural for amaryllis flower scapes to become rather tall, but they should be capable of supporting the flowers without falling over. However, in a pot with a small bottom it becomes unstable and is prone to toppling over. Don’t transplant it now, but you can place it into a larger diameter pot or decorative container. Place some gravel or rocks in the bottom of the pot to increase the weight or this container and allow drainage. Be careful that no water collects around the base of the pot containing the bulb as you water the plant.
Under indoor conditions, light may be limiting. Low light levels will increase the height of the flower scapes. You are doing the right thing to keep the temperatures cool in the room where the plant is growing as this helps reduce the excess height of the flower scape. While it is flowering and the leaves are absent or dormant, fertilizing is not important. Too much nitrogen fertilizer may also cause excessive flower scape growth. If you fertilize before and during flowering, use a flowering houseplant fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus. Nevertheless, the amaryllis is genetically programmed to produce tall flower scapes.
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Bulbs transplanted in May
Q. The leaves on my daffodils and tulips have turned yellow and are dying back. Can I transplant them now?
A. Yes, now that the leaves are dying back, they have completed their work and it is safe to dig them. However, it is best, especially for the tulips, to store the bulbs for the summer and replant them in the fall. This will give you plenty of time to prepare the planting bed, adding organic matter and phosphate fertilizer to the soil. During the storage period, keep the bulbs relatively dry so they do not rot. Store them is a cool place. The garage in New Mexico is not usually a good place to store them.
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Bulbs: When to buy?
Q. I received an e-mail that it is now time to buy fall bulbs. Is it time to plant fall bulbs?
A. I have been receiving e-mails from reputable nurseries to ORDER fall bulbs now. They will not be shipped until fall. By ordering now, the nursery has time to place its orders with the producers, and the varieties you want are more likely to be available. It is okay to order later or to wait for the bulbs to appear in local nurseries, but you can also place your order now with the nurseries sending the e-mails. They often have new varieties that may be in short supply or have a larger collection of varieties than some local sources. The time to plant fall bulbs in New Mexico is from October to December.
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Can I move Iris now?
Q. Is it okay to move my irises now? I have sold my home and would like to take my irises with me.
A. We are now entering the best time to transplant irises. Your timing is good. Irises and other spring blooming perennials are best transplanted in the late summer. This allows them time to establish a good root system in the fall so that they are ready to blossom again in the spring.
Prepare a good site for them, loosening the soil, incorporating compost, and applying phosphate fertilizer. Once the irises are transplanted, be certain to keep the soil moist but don't over water. There should be some moisture in the soil to allow root growth and prevent desiccation of the plants.
Divide the irises as you transplant them. You need not dig a whole clump and try to keep it intact. One or just a few growths with their leaves trimmed back should be sufficient to allow the plants to establish and flower next year.
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Caring for Hydrangeas
Q. I was given five hydrangea plants [potted] that were used at a wedding. They were not watered for several days and looked very bad. I took them home and gave them a good drink of water with Miracle Grow. The next day, except for the leaves, they looked as good as new. The leaves were very dry on the outer edge. As I touched them, they crumbled. I have kept the potted [1 gal] plants well watered. Now the blooms are deteriorating. Will they bloom again? If I put them in my garden, will they winter-over? What does one feed hydrangeas?
A. The hydrangeas should continue to grow and flower. The flowers look bad now because they had dried out. By the way, the flowers are really the little things at the center of what look like flowers. Those things that appear to be flowers are really bracts, modified leaves. These bracts wilted when the other leaves wilted and were dry long enough to dry out. They will probably not recover but, in time, new blossoms with the pretty bracts will form. The plants may be kept in containers (but that is probably the more difficult way) or they may be planted in the soil.
I have seen them growing well in Albuquerque on the east side of a home. A protected outdoor location, such as a courtyard or a location near the house (east side if protected from east winds or a partly shady location on the south side of the house) should be chosen if you plant them outside. Perhaps you will choose to plant them outside but may want to keep some in pots for insurance. If so, you will need to watch them carefully so that they don’t dry out. Plants in containers dry much more rapidly than those in the open ground. A light-colored container will reflect heat from the roots and prevent root damage from overheating.
The plants in pots will need to be transplanted every few years to avoid salt damage. Salt from our water accumulates in the soil each time we water the plants. The calcareous (high pH) nature of our soil will also affect the plants, both those in containers and plants in the ground. Hydrangeas grown in acid soil have blue bracts on their flowers, while those in alkaline soil (such as ours) tend to be pink. If you like the pink, you should have no problem.
If you want blue bracts, you will need to work continually to acidify the soil by adding copperas or other sulfate materials that increase the acidity of the soil Be careful to follow the directions written on the package. These materials can burn the plants if not used properly. In addition to acidifying agents, a good flowering plant fertilizer will help, but select those which acidify the soil if you want blue flowers. If you like the pink, any good flowering plant fertilizer should be satisfactory.
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Daffodils coming up early
Q. We already have daffodils coming up! This has happened in previous years, and they just keep getting more and more spindly and don’t bloom. What should I do?
A. I think there may be several factors involved. Many plants will respond to a period of drought as though it were winter. Following a dry summer, some fruit trees will flower in the autumn. (Of course, no fruit will ripen.) If the bulbs became too dry in the summer, they may respond to fall irrigation and cooler temperatures by growing too early, so make sure that the bulbs have a little moisture during the summer.
A second factor, relating to the fact the plants are getting more and more spindly and not flowering, may relate to light intensity. If the daffodils are in a location shaded by trees, especially evergreens, they may not be getting enough light in the spring while they still have their leaves. For a month or two following flowering, the leaves are producing carbohydrate foods to store in the bulb to provide the necessary energy for growth and flowering the next spring. Shade from evergreens, buildings, or even the early leaves of deciduous trees can reduce the amount of food stored in the bulbs. This will result in spindly growth and no flowering. Many times this happens as the trees in the landscape mature. In the early years of a landscape, the trees are smaller and cast less shade. Bulbs (and other plants) that once prospered may decline as the landscape matures and more shade is produced.
It may help to move the bulbs to a location that receives more light. This will also give you an opportunity to thin clumps of daffodils that have become too dense and to renew the fertility of the planting bed. A final consideration is irrigation in the spring. Remember that the plants will need moisture while they are producing food for the bulbs.
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Daffodils, when to dig the bulbs?
Q. The leaves on my daffodils have turned yellow and died. Should I dig the bulbs now?
A. You don’t have to dig up your daffodils just because the daffodils are dormant. If they produced a lot of blossoms and are not in an inappropriate location, you can just leave them there. They will need a little water through the summer, but very little. In the late winter next year, their leaves will appear again, perhaps with extra leaves produced from newly formed daughter bulbs. These will then be followed by the flowers. In a few years, after the daffodils have multiplied to form a clump of several bulbs, their blooming may decline. Then you may want to dig them and replant them. If nearby trees have grown larger and have begun to shade the daffodils, you may need to dig and move the bulbs, but you don’t have to dig them up just because they are dormant.
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Europs daisy and hibiscus hardiness
Q. I have a friend here in DeBaca County who has purchased some EUROPS Daisy and Hibiscus plants for her flower beds. She would like to know if these can be left out all year long or do they need to be brought in the wintertime? Thanks so much for you help.
A. EUROPS daisies are tough in many ways but don’t tolerate freezing, so they won’t survive outdoors in your county. Tropical hibiscus will freeze if left out over the winter, but a few relatives of hibiscus are hardy. Of the real hibiscus, the Hibiscus moscheutos cultivarsare hardy in much of New Mexico. This hibiscus has very large blossoms, and they die back to the ground after freezing in the fall but return from their roots in the spring. They should survive in DeBaca County, especially if the roots are covered with straw mulch after the tops freeze down or if they are grown in a sheltered area that doesn’t freeze too deeply. They are listed to be hardy to Zone 5(USDA hardiness zone system). Some irrigation will be required (once a month in most winters).
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Ice Plant
Q. I have an ice plant and I like it very much, but I wonder why it is called "ice plant"? It doesn't grow in the winter; in fact, it dies back somewhat during that time.
A. Ice plants are often used in southwestern landscapes because they are very interesting, drought-tolerant plants that produce beautiful flowers all summer. They are called ice plant because they have bladder-like hairs on the leaf surface that reflect and refract light in a manner to make it appear that they sparkle like ice crystals.
Since the name ice plant is a "common name" rather that a scientific name, it is applied to many different plants that may appear to sparkle. Therefore, there are many different plants called ice plant. The one we grow most often in New Mexico (Delosperma cooperi) is often just called Delosperma by some horticultural authors to distinguish it from the others. Another used in New Mexico is Delosperma nubigenum which is the hardiest of the succulent plants called ice plant. It is reported to have survived -25 degrees F., while the Delosperma cooperi may perhaps survive temperatures as low as 0 degrees F. In southern New Mexico's warmer winter temperatures, there is an even larger array of these very striking plants that may survive the winters.
It has been my observation that Delosperma grown on the south side of a house or wall that creates a warm environment during winter may experience significant winter die back. This may be due to increased drying of plants and soil in these locations. Even though this is a succulent plant that is very drought tolerant, it may benefit from occasional winter irrigation.
A little more information about this interesting group of succulent plants is that some of the relatives of Delosperma (Carpobrotus, also called ice plant or Hottentot's fig) are banned in some states because of their invasive nature. Delosperma is not banned.
Other interesting relatives of Delosperma are the livings stones (Lithops and similar plants) and a common hanging basket plant called Hearts and Flowers (Aptenia cordifolia). All of these plants have interesting, often colorful flowers with many petals. However, other than the Delosperma, the others are not hardy enough for outdoor use in most of New Mexico.
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Iris not blooming
Q. My irises have healthy leaves, but out of 30 plants I am lucky if there are 2 or 3 blooms. What do I need to do to increase the blooms? Many thanks.
A. There are several things that can cause this problem. The plants may be too crowded. As the irises grow, the clump begins to crowd itself and must be divided. Another possibility is that the surrounding landscape (trees and shrubs) may have grown and begun shading the irises. Fertilization with a fertilizer high in nitrogen will stimulate vegetative (non-flowering) growth rather than flowers. Lack of water in late winter and early spring may also prevent proper growth.
To remedy the problem, determine which of the scenarios described above is most likely to fit your situation. If none seem likely, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent who can make a diagnosis after seeing the problem on-site.
It may be a good idea to divide and replant your irises. Find a sunny location receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Prepare the planting site by digging the soil deeply to loosen compacted soil. As you are turning the soil, add amendments such as compost and a phosphate fertilizer. If you use a complete fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, be sure to select one that has a high phosphorus content (the second number of three large numbers on the bag). You can also use superphosphate or colloidal phosphate. Both of these are sources of only phosphorus (no nitrogen of potassium) and will not “burn” the plants. If the site chosen is the existing site, remove the iris plants and store them in a shady location until you are ready to replant.
After you dig your iris clumps, divide the irises by cutting them back to retain just a few inches of rhizome (the thick, horizontal stem) and a “fan” of leaves. You can trim the leaf fan back to 3 or 4 inches in length, then plant the rhizomes so that they are at the surface or only half covered. Water them at planting, and thereafter twice per week. As winter arrives, reduce watering to once per month. In late winter, as the irises begin to grow (for Las Cruces probably in January), increase watering to twice per month. Irises are well adapted to dry conditions during the summer, and watering twice per month should be sufficient. Some gardeners water more often, but this is a time of relatively little growth, so don’t overwater.
When the clump becomes dense (after two to three years), you will need to divide them again. In the meantime, enjoy them as very well adapted xeriscape plants.
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Midsummer Blossoms
Q. What are some good plants for midsummer blossoms? My garden is pretty in the spring, but the flowers vanish before the heat of summer.
A. There are some good annual and perennial plants that will produce blooms during the heat of summer. Many of these are plants that are efficient water users and may be damaged if overwatered. I like the chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata) for midsummer bloom because its chocolate perfume is a great addition to its yellow daisy-like blossoms. It is a perennial that will do well with very little water. Cherry sage (Salvia greggii), Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberose), Caryopteris, and roses will bloom well in midsummer. Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus and C. sulphureus) will provide bright color in midsummer as well. The Cosmos bipinnatus have pink, white, and red flowers with a very fine textured foliage. Cosmos sulphureus is smaller with bright yellow, orange, or red blossoms. Marigolds are also good producers of midsummer yellow blossoms.
These are only a few of the many very desirable midsummer flowering plants.
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Overwintering geraniums
Q. I hope you have ideas on overwintering geraniums. I have 11 large pots overflowing with them. It has taken me several years to propagate them (you are welcome to have some). As in Mexico where I lived as a child, I have them massed to decorate my porch, both red and pinks.
A. I overwinter my few geraniums indoors in a sunny window. They tend to bloom through the winter. This works well for a few plants or if you have a large area that receives sufficient light. If you choose to winter-over your plants indoors, you can also try pruning them back before bringing them indoors. Root the cuttings for insurance. To most successfully encourage root formation, let the cuttings lie out in a cool, shady location for a day or two. This allows the wound to close (become covered with suberin, a waxy substance). Allowing wounds to suberize is good practice for all succulent plants. When you place the cuttings in potting soil, choose a brightly lighted location (not direct sunlight). Bottom heat, or a warm location, helps them to form roots. After propagating, you may have extra small plants that don’t take up too much space indoors, and you also have reduced the size of your larger plants so they are more manageable indoors.
A trick I learned in Montana was that some gardeners unpot geraniums and store them by hanging the geraniums in their cellar (soil floor, not a basement). We don’t usually have cellars, so it is more difficult here. Also, the cellar had high humidity and low, non-freezing temperatures. I shared this technique with a county agent in Eastern New Mexico, and he tried it with a modification. He put his bareroot geraniums in brown paper bags and hung them in his insulated garage. It stayed cool and the bags helped reduce water loss. In the spring he replanted them and found he had lost about 3 out of 12. So, most did survive the conditions in the bags in his garage. Occasionally opening the bag and adding a slightly damp paper towel or very lightly misting the geranium stems may help maintain humidity and help the plants survive. The massed geraniums you described sound very attractive. I hope you will be able to carry your geraniums through the winter. That will give you a faster start in the spring. However, if all else fails, buy some new plants early in the spring, get them started indoors in smaller pots, then move them to the large pots outside when the danger of frost is past.
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Plant bulbs now or store for later?
Q. I have some daffodil and gladiolus bulbs that I haven’t planted. Can I plant them now? Should I store them for later?
A. The gladiolus should be planted. They may or may not bloom this summer. They should be able to produce foliage and feed the bulb, keeping it in much better condition than if the corms are just stored.
The daffodils may be stored in the refrigerator in some moist vermiculite or sand. Do not over-moisten and do not freeze them. Plant the daffodils in the fall. They can also be planted now but will not develop leaves until late in the winter. In either case, if they have not deteriorated too much, they may survive and at least produce leaves next year. If they survive, they may not bloom for a couple of years.
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Plant spring flowering bulbs in fall
Q. The stores are now selling daffodil and tulip bulbs. Can I plant them now? I thought they should be planted in the spring.
A. Now is indeed the time to plant the spring flowering bulbs. They will develop new roots through the fall, then in late winter begin pushing their flower stalk up through the soil so that when it seems too early, the flower stalks will appear. Don't worry if it is still freezing at night when the flower stalks appear.
The most important thing to remember is that these plants will need some moisture in the soil from the time they are planted through the time that they flower and until the foliage yellows and dies down. In the summer, many of these bulb plants can tolerate fairly dry conditions, but a little moisture in the soil through the summer is beneficial. Don't let them dry too much in the late winter. That is often a very dry time here in New Mexico, but it is a time when these plants are active and need water. Don't over-water. Because of the cool temperatures, the water evaporates less rapidly than in the summer.
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Planting bulbs
Q. Is it too late to plant bulbs?
A. No, now is a good time to plant most of the spring flowering bulbs and some of the summer flowering bulbs. Here in New Mexico, we can plant them until about Christmas, or until the soil freezes and becomes too difficult to dig. Be sure to incorporate some phosphorus into the soil below the bulbs and to plant the bulbs at the proper depth for what you are planting. While it is important not to over-water the bulbs after planting, it is also necessary to provide some moisture in the soil through the winter. Soon after planting, roots will begin to grow. Some of the spring flowering bulbs produce their leaves in the fall and carry them through the winter. They can provide some green in the winter garden. After the first of the year, it becomes very important that moisture be available to the bulbs. Short flower scapes and short-lived flowers are the result of insufficient irrigation.
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Rose blossoms brown, distorted
Q. My rose blossoms are brown and distorted. What's causing this?
A. There are several potential answers to your question. One is that the flowers are infested with thrips. Thrips are very small insects that are a problem with roses, especially in their first blooming of the year. If you carefully check inside the flower, pulling the petals open, you will often see a small speck scurrying away. This is the thrips insect. (Yes, there is an "s" on the end of its name even when we are speaking of a single thrips.) There are insecticides labeled for controlling thrips on roses. Call your local Cooperative Extension Service office for information, or check at your local garden center for a product that will work for you. Be sure to read the label and follow the directions for any product you wish to use.
Another cause of damage, often appearing in conjunction with the thrips, is desiccation caused by our intense sun, wind, and heat. Be sure the plants are not getting too dry and, if possible, provide some protection from wind and afternoon sunlight. You can plant a windbreak of tall-growing flowers, sunflowers and the like, or plant vines on a trellis on the windward side of your roses. In New Mexico that will often be on the southwest side where it will also provide some afternoon shade. Just be sure the roses get at least four-to-six hours of sunlight each day.
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Rose blossoms for potpourri
Q. Can I take withered blossoms from my roses after frost to make potpourri?
A. Yes. Since you will be adding fragrant oils and perhaps other materials to the potpourri, dried rose petals (whether frosted or not) will serve just fine. If you are counting on the fragrance from the rose petals, you may be disappointed. If the flower cells have frozen, the essential oils that give roses their fragrance may have escaped. However, rose oil can be purchased to renew the fragrance in the potpourri.
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Roses are producing seeds
Q. I noticed that there are small fruits forming on my rose bush. Why haven’t I seen little rose bushes coming up under the old rose bush if these seed are good? Can I plant the seeds? How do I need to treat them? Will they grow roses like the plant that produced them?
A. Most people remove the rose hips (fruits) as soon as the flower fades to increase flowering. This prevents the rose plant from directing energy into the production of seeds instead of new flowers. These seed often have the ability to grow and produce a new rose plant, but the flowers may not be much like the parent. Most of the roses we grow (hybrid teas, floribundas, etc.) are hybrids. That means that there is a mixture of genetics from the mother and father plants. In vegetables, trees and shrubs, gardeners know that hybrid seeds do not produce plants like the parent that produced the seeds. The result may be better or worse but certainly different. If you wish to see what happens, you can plant the seeds.
The seeds will need a period of stratification, that is a time of storage under moist, cool conditions. You can provide this by removing the mature seeds from the fruit, putting them in a plastic bag of moist compost, vermiculite, or potting soil. Place this in the refrigerator for about six weeks before planting the seeds in a pot with potting soil. Keep the newly produced plants in a greenhouse or sunny window through the winter, and plant them outside in the spring. In a year or sometimes several years, you will see the flowers produced by your seeds. Remember, the flowers may be very different from the plant from which you harvested the seeds.
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Roses: How often will they bloom?
Q. I have always wanted to grow roses and now that I am a homeowner, I have planted some. They bloomed beautifully this spring and then stopped blooming. What can I do to make them bloom again this summer?
A. Some varieties of roses bloom only once a year. Other roses may bloom several times a year, but there are periods of rest between periods of flower production.
Modern hybrid tea roses, floribunda, grandiflora, climbing roses, and many shrub roses will bloom several times each summer. They tend to bloom on a 5-to-7 week cycle. After blooming, they will rest a few weeks and then produce new flowers. To maximize the production of flowers in the next cycle of blooming, prune the old flowers as they fade. This is called "dead heading". When removing spent rose blossoms, trim downward to at least the first 5-leaflet leaf. It is okay to trim it even lower if the branch is interfering with traffic on a sidewalk or growing into another branch. Prune just above a leaf that is pointing in the direction that you want the new stem to grow. Just above the leaf is the bud that will produce the new stem, and it will grow in the direction that it faces.
Instead of removing blossoms after they are faded, it is also possible to cut roses for use indoors. When you cut the roses, this is a form of pruning that may benefit the plant if done properly. Follow the directions regarding pruning to select the direction of growth for the new stem. Cutting long stem roses for indoor use is acceptable and will help to keep the rose more compact.
Adequate watering (frequency depends on the soil type) to prevent wilting, mulch to maintain soil moisture and moderate soil temperature, and monthly fertilization with a balanced fertilizer will all encourage good growth and new flower formation.
Some old fashioned roses (very old varieties) and species roses will only bloom once each year. These should also have their spent blossoms removed unless the rose hips (fruits) are desired for color in the fall or for harvest to produce rose hip jelly or rose hip tea. Even though these will not flower again in the summer, adequate water, mulch, and proper fertilization will help prepare for a good flower display next spring.
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Roses: too late to plant?
Q. Is it too late to plant roses in May?
A. In all of New Mexico it is too late to plant bare root roses (those that come in the pack with sawdust around the roots). However, containerized roses (those in pots in the nursery) can be planted. They may suffer some transplant shock, so be careful to keep them moist and protected from full sunlight and wind for a while after you plant them. You can do this by protecting them inside a tomato cage wrapped with white floating row cover material or any porous white material that will diffuse light and block the wind. As the plant establishes and grows too large for the tomato cage, you can remove the covering.
Check the potting soil in which the roses are growing. If it is mostly bark, you may need to wash it off and quickly plant it in a rose bed well amended with compost. If it is in a clay soil and you are planting in sandy soil, amend the sandy soil with organic matter and loosen the soil around the root ball. In any case, add a considerable amount of well-composted organic matter to the planting bed. It would also be wise to add a phosphate fertilizer, super phosphate or colloidal phosphate. The phosphorus will be necessary in the formation of the flowers. Don’t over-apply phosphorus as that can cause problems, but the addition of some phosphorus is helpful.
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Miniature rose transplanting?
Q. I was given a potted miniature rose for my birthday. It has bloomed all summer. Now that winter is coming, I worry that it will freeze if I leave it outside. Can I keep it blooming indoors?
A. The miniature rose is often hardier than the common hybrid tea rose, so it will survive but not bloom through the winter in most parts of New Mexico. It requires a cool, dormant period and will do poorly if brought indoors where it will stay warm. I have also noticed that if it is indoors during the winter, it is often attacked and even killed by spider mites. Other insects also become a problem when plants are indoors.
You have several options. One is to leave it in its pot and keep it outside in a protected location. Plants in pots are more subject to freezing during the winter because the soil in the pot can freeze completely and drop to a lower temperature than soil in the ground unless the pot is kept in a protected location. Plants in the ground may have the soil freeze around the base of the plant, but the roots are often not frozen. A sunny location that allows daily warming and nightly freezing of the soil in the pot is not good. You will also need to make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry completely during the winter. Roses need some moisture in the soil around their roots even in the winter. Soil in flower pots dries more quickly than in the ground.
Another option is to plant the rose in the soil where the soil temperature will remain more moderate and the soil will dry slowly. It is late in the season for this, but it can be done. Don’t let it dry after planting, and by applying a layer of organic mulch (bark, straw, etc.) around the base of the plant, you can help maintain moderate temperatures and prevent sudden temperature changes in the root zone.
Finally, you can keep the rose in a protected, cool location, allowing it to become dormant for several months, then prune it and bring it indoors to begin blooming early in the spring. This allows it to have its winter rest, but you can enjoy its flowering earlier than if it stayed outside. Replanting in a large pot may be helpful to allow more root growth. A miniature rose is called miniature not for the size of the plant but for the size of the flowers. Some miniature roses can become fairly large plants and need a large root zone to support growth and flowering. That is why planting outdoors may be the best choice in the long run, but repotting it allows a potentially useful compromise.
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Spring Bulbs in New Mexico
Q. As I saw the tulips and daffodils blooming, I wondered why the spring flowering bulbs aren’t used more in New Mexico. Do the spring flowering bulbs grow well here?
A. Yours is a good question. There are many spring flowering bulb plants which should be used here. Many of these plants are native to similar climates in the Middle East, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Turkestan, and Afganistan. Some tulips will serve as annuals or short-lived perennials because they don’t tolerate our heat. Other tulips, especially the species types rather than hybrids, should naturalize and persist as perennials. Daffodils naturalize well over most of the state, and there are many other bulb plants which will also do well. Siberian Squill, Galanthus, some of the ornamental alliums, grape hyacinth, crocus, and others should be used more over much of our state.
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Spring clean-up
Q. Should I cut back or pull up last year’s mums and snapdragons?
A. The chrysanthemums are perennials and should be alive below ground. Cutting the tops back before new growth begins is good. It was okay to leave the dead tops in place during the winter because they collect snow to moisten the soil around the roots. They also slow the wind over the plant crown, reducing evaporation.
However, there is a slight chance that they can be a source of disease entry into the plants once the weather warms and growth begins. The dead stems are also unattractive so the planting will look neater if these dead stems are removed. Cut them with sharp pruning shears; don’t try to pull them out.
The snapdragons may have survived the winter, but they may also have died. Cut the tops back before growth resumes, if it resumes. You may find that seeds which fell from the plants have germinated, so even if the old plants didn’t survive, you may have new plants to replace them. If the old plants did survive, they can have problems with rust fungus in their second year so some gardeners dispose of them and don’t leave them. They either rely on the newly developing seedlings or they buy new plants. As stated before, if you want to leave the plants, cut the dead tops off with sharp pruners; don’t try to pull them off.
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Transplant daylilies now?
Q. Is it too late to move daylilies after they have started growing? They are being crowded by shrub overgrowth, but I forgot to move them during winter.
A. Daylilies are an excellent plant because they are tolerant of many conditions, including transplanting when growing. This makes them excellent landscape plants for New Mexico, and they also produce many beautiful flowers. Moving them now should cause little problem for the plants. You may lose this year's blossoms, but as tolerant as they are, I think they may bloom anyway. Their current location, where they are crowded by shrubs, competing for light, water, and nutrients will also have a negative impact on their growth and flowering. Moving them will be the best long-term strategy. As you move them, you have an opportunity to thin them and to prepare the planting bed for the growth of the daylilies over a period of several years. Loosen the soil as deeply as possible, incorporate well-decomposed compost and phosphate fertilizer, and the daylilies should grow and blossom profusely for several years before you need to thin them again.
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Transplanting Narcissus
Q. I have some paper white narcissus blooming indoors now. Can I plant them outside once they finish blooming?
A. If the plants are in pots of soil, you can plant them outside after flowering, but not yet. If they have been forced to bloom with the bulbs sitting on a bed of gravel, you can follow the directions I will give, but the chances of success are not as great as when the bulbs are in pots of soil. Allow the plants to remain in a sunny location indoors after the blossoms fade. This allows the leaves to photosynthesize and make food to replenish food depleted from the bulb when the flowers formed and grew.
A little house plant fertilizer may be applied once or twice a month, but don’t overdo it. The key will be to provide sufficient sunlight and moisture. Don’t keep the potting soil soggy, but don’t let it dry completely. Later, when leaves yellow and die or after the chance of hard freezes has past, you can plant the bulbs outdoors in a well-prepared planting bed.
Be certain to loosen the soil deeply and mix compost and some phosphate fertilizer into the soil in the planting bed. Plant the bulbs approximately six inches deep. If the leaves are still present, don’t worry about burying them; it is important that the bulbs be deep. Keep the plants well watered as long as the leaves are still present. When the leaves die back and the bulbs become dormant, you can reduce the water, but don’t let the soil dry completely even then.
Now you need only wait until the next spring and care for them as you do the other narcissus in the garden. They should bloom in the spring if the leaves were able to supply the bulbs with enough food. If they do not bloom the first year and the planting bed receives enough moisture and sunlight, they should bloom the spring after that.
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When do I force my Amaryllis to bloom?
Q. I have an amaryllis which bloomed in December, and since then has not produced a flower, only green leaves. When is the best time to force it to bloom, and how do I do it?
A. Amaryllis bloom once each year. They need a dry, cool period to induce flowering and will therefore tend to bloom in the winter. They are native to tropical climates and do not tolerate freezing. To force flowering, reduce the water supplied to the plant in the autumn. Don't let the bulb dry completely, but let the soil dry between watering. Don't just wait for the soil surface to dry, but let the all the soil in the pot dry. The pot will become considerably lighter, a way you can measure how dry the soil has become. Some soils are difficult to re-moisten once they have become dry, so it may be necessary to place the pot in a dish pan or bucket filled with water almost to the top of the pot. Be careful that the pot does not tip over as it may tend to float. Once it has absorbed water through the hole in the bottom of the pot and the soil has become moistened, lift the pot from the water and place it where the excess water can drain. Never let the pot sit for prolonged times with water above the bottom of the pot, but for brief periods it is ok to allow the water to rehydrate the soil.
Place the amaryllis in a cool place where it will receive the necessary cool night conditions. Temperatures as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or briefly lower, will not harm the plant. However, freezing temperatures should be avoided. Several weeks of this cooling treatment will be needed to induce flowering. If the plant was kept in location that was too shady during the summer, it may still not be able to flower. It must store sufficient quantities of carbohydrates to enlarge the bulb before it can produce flowers. Be sure the summer location provides bright, not direct sunlight for at least four to six hours each day. I grow my amaryllis in pots outside in the shade of an apple tree during the summer. They receive a few hours of direct sunlight in the early morning. I leave them outside until just before frost is protected. If the weather becomes unstable, where frost is possible, I move them near the house under the eaves where they will be protected from light frost. When the danger of freezing in imminent, I bring the plants indoors into the room which will be their home until danger of frost has passed the next spring.
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When to cut perennials
Q. I read in a gardening book that once frost has killed the tops of my perennials I should cut the tops into small pieces and leave them in the garden. In the past, I have left them through the winter and cut them in the spring. The problem is that they are dry and woody in the spring and compost very slowly. Which is better, leaving them until spring or cutting them in the fall?
A. Either way of dealing with perennials has advantages and disadvantages. Standing perennials may trap more snow if you live in an area that gets snow. In our arid climate, any moisture harvested into the soil is beneficial. However, the chopped perennial debris serves as mulch and helps hold moisture in the soil.
In either case, leaving the perennial debris can be a problem if there are disease organisms in the stems and leaves. The debris also provides over-wintering habitat for insects. If insects or diseases are a problem, removing the debris in the fall may be best.
Finally, chopping and leaving the debris on the garden can help with the composting process. While serving as a protective mulch, the plant material will begin the decomposition process. Being green when chopped, it will decompose faster than if left to dry through the winter. In the spring, the decomposing stems and leaves may be left in place or perhaps removed to the "official" compost pile. If it is removed before the perennials begin to grow, there will be less chance of spreading diseases from the previous season. Removing the mulch also allows the soil to warm more rapidly and may help the perennials develop more rapidly in the spring.
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Where do flowers get their color?
Q. My daughter is doing a science project on "Where do flowers get their color?" I was hoping that someone could provide a brief explanation. Anything would be greatly appreciated.
A. While I could write a long explanation, let me start with a brief one. You didn't say what grade she is in, so I don't want to start off over her head. I also apologize if I offend by being too basic. One of the organelles (or parts of a plant cell) is the vacuole. This is essentially the "storage site" of the cell. Unneeded materials are stored in the vacuole. Some of these are used later as needed, but in many cases they are just stored. Some of the chemicals stored in the vacuole are the pigments (colored chemicals of the plant). Anthocyanin gives red and purple colors to a plant, xanthophylls and caroteniods give orange and yellows, other pigments give other colors. In many cases these pigments reside in the vacuole. In leaves, these colors are hidden by chlorophyll (green) which masks the other colors; however, the shade of green often betrays the presence of the other pigments in the leaves and suggests the colors of the flowers when flowers develop. Most flowers do not contain chlorophyll, so the chemical pigments in the vacuole are revealed immediately, not having to wait for frost to degrade the chlorophyll as in leaves. I don't know if you are interested in the following information, but you may find it interesting. The yellow pigments are very useful in shielding plants from excess sunlight and even in passing solar energy to the chlorophyll molecules which use the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, food for the plants and for us.
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Zinnia vs. daisy
Q. What is the difference between a zinnia and a daisy? They look similar.
A. From a distance, or from a quick glance, they do look a lot alike. A zinnia is an annual that lasts for a single growing season while the daisy is a perennial, living for several years. They look alike because they are both in the sunflower family, the Asteraceae. As a result they have the same structure of inflorescence; that is, the same structure producing the cluster of flowers that look like a single flower. Asters, sunflowers, marigolds, and many other flowers also share this flower structure.
If you look closely at the center of a zinnia, daisy, or sunflower, you will notice that the center is composed of a multitude of "disk flowers" and around the outside are the "ray flowers" that have what looks like the petals.
So, the difference is that zinnias are related to daisies by being in the same family but differ by being in different genera (and species). Zinnias must be replanted each year and daisies can return for many years without replanting. Zinnias have many colors; daisies (Shasta daisies) are white. There are other "daisies" such as the painted daisies that have many colors, but that is yet another genus.
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Watering Irises, how much ?
Q. I have noticed a lot of beautiful irises in several towns I visited in New Mexico. I thought they required a lot of water. Shouldn't people avoid such high-water plants in New Mexico landscapes?
A. There are some irises that need considerable water (Louisiana iris), but there are others that are extremely well adapted to New Mexico. The bearded iris, aril, and spuria irises do well here. They are adapted to the soil and their growing season is in the early spring when the weather is cool, so irrigation water isn't quickly lost to evaporation. The spuria irises are interesting because they don't need to be divided as often as others, grow taller, and are very elegant looking. The aril varieties are from very arid regions and especially well adapted to soils and moisture conditions in New Mexico.
As I speak to gardeners around the state, I continue to learn. I once complained to a Master Gardener that the problem with irises was that they only bloomed once a year. She has since shown me that there are bearded iris varieties that bloom two or more times a year. Irises are extremely beautiful, easy to grow and, if the proper types are chosen, very well adapted to New Mexico.
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Rose cuttings
Q. I would like to start rose bushes from cuttings. How do I start them? Should I put them in water and let them start to root or place them in soil and hope they take hold? I have tried both but have never succeeded.
A. Roses cuttings can be induced to form roots. As a child, I just stuck them in the ground on the north side of my home in Southeast Texas. The soil was clay and never dried completely. My best success was in the early spring. Mid-summer cuttings tended to dry before roots formed. Outdoor propagation of roses by cuttings will be even more difficult in New Mexico because of the hot dry winds.
Now that I have much more experience with plant propagation, I know that the mid-summer cuttings would probably do better if treated with rooting hormones (available at nurseries and garden centers) and started in pots filled with potting soil. If these pots are placed in an environment that maintains humidity around the plants, they have a good chance to form roots before drying and dying. A greenhouse can provide this environment, but many of us do not have a greenhouse. A simple way to provide this humid environment is to place the pots with cuttings into partially sealed white garbage bags in a place with bright light, but not direct sunlight. The garbage bag serves as a temporary greenhouse keeping the humidity around the cuttings high so that the cuttings don't dry too quickly.
A shaded cold frame can also be used as a propagation structure to increase success with rose and other plant cuttings. It is important that the plants receive light, but not too much.
You asked if the roses could be rooted in water. I have never seen rose cuttings form roots in water. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but I would recommend the methods given above.
A final point to consider is that many roses are patented. It is illegal to vegetatively propagate roses while their patents are still in force.
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