Tag: Ask Burton

Ask Burton: Q: When can we start planting veggies in our garden?
Ask Burton: Q: When do I prune back my perennial beds?
ASK BURTON: Q: I had a Chinese Pistache planted in my yard a few years back, and I have a question about how it colors for the fall. My neighbor has one in their yard and it gets great orange and reddish color, but mine has been unimpressive, turning yellow and orange but not much red color. Any idea why this is so different?
Ask Burton: Is time to change out my summer color for winter, even if my summer color still looks good?
Ask Burton: Q: I, like almost everybody, had to replace some plants after the devastating winter storm this February. How can I protect them if we have that level of freezing weather again this time?
Ask Burton: Q: My pothos ivy is having problems. It’s been in the same spot inside my home for several years, and always looked great! I water every week like clockwork, with a saucer to catch overflow until the water evaporates or the plant drinks it up. I fertilize once a month, and there are no bugs on it. But now, the plant looks unwatered, with yellowing leaves and just a pitiful appearance. There’s also a white, grainy residue on top of the soil. Any ideas?
Ask Burton: Q: I have hydrangeas that have speckled spots on the leaves from the late spring, and that isn’t my only issue. My cannas are nibbled, some of my red oak leaves have tiny black spots, and my cedar elm’s leaves look very rough (brownish-green!). What should I do to fix these problems?
Ask Burton: Q: My mature live oaks have struggled this year, and a tree guy driving up my street asking to trim trees let me know that I needed to treat my trees for oak wilt. He said that’s why my trees looked weak. They’re not as thick and healthy as last year, but they are still mostly green with only a few dead branches. Do I need to have him treat? He wants to use a spray.
Ask Burton: This week, a pair of quick questions about the vegetable garden that we hear often each September. Q: My tomatoes looked nice all the way through the summer, and I had hoped to keep them for the second crop. Spider mites have struck, and they’re terribly stressed. Is there still time to replant a second crop? Also, I plant broccoli and cabbage in my fall garden, but they always end up covered in holes.
Ask Burton: This week, a question about one of our most popular groundcovers. People have had this issue crop up in the past two to three weeks; here’s how ot fix it. Q: I have vinca major groundcover, and it’s gone from beautiful to devastated in the past three weeks. Nearly every leaf is destroyed; I see brown, translucent pieces of leaves here and there, mixed throughout. All of my stems are still green.