Q. Question: Hello again Peter, My question is, “Where’s the bees?”. My fruit trees are all in various stages of bloom. I check them daily and have yet to see a bee or any other insect working the blossoms. I use no sprays or chemicals in my yard. Are my garden labors to be “fruitless”…
Category: Gardening Q & A
Here you will find answers to questions from gardeners around the country. Some answers pertain to all but others are more regional so have a look at them all. You will also see that the Gardening Q & A is broken down into the following regions so please use the drop-down Categories menu to the right to see specific regions :
Squirrel Woes
Q. Because I have very limited areas of ample sunlight in my yard, I plan to do some container (vegetable/herb) gardening this year. The concern I have is about how to keep the critters (squirrels especially) away from my young sprouts. The last time I did container gardening, those guys ate up everything. I don’t…
Transplanting Huckleberries
Q. I recently transplanted some huckleberry bushes. In the process it was necessary to cut the large taproot. Do I need to prune back the foliage? If so how much? Donald Bishop – University Place, WA A. This can be explained using the concepts “supply & demand”. As any plant grows, both the shoots and…
Removing a Laurel Hedge
Q. Hi Peter, The previous owners of my house removed part of a laurel hedge that was blocking the neighbors view. There is still an extensive root system and new shoots keep returning. Short of removing the root system, is there a way to stop the new shoots? If not, will the new shoots eventually…
Chewed Clematis Shoots
Q. Something is either gnawing, eating, or breaking off the tops of my clematis shoots. I can’t see anything, & it’s not slugs or birds. Any ideas? Kim Elya – Federal Way, WA A. Well you just shot down two of the possibilities right there in your question. If the damage is on new growth…