QUESTION: “I’ve inherited some Christmas cacti from my mom and my wife’s grandmothers. The ones from my wife’s side were big beautiful plants. Recently they have started to turn yellow and are withering from the ends toward the plants. I’m not sure how much and how often to water them. Should I water them on a weekly basis or should it be more time in between watering? I also started giving them plant food in the water. I don’t want to lose them. Any advice would be deeply appreciated.” – Scotty Bench

ANSWER: This is a very timely question with the Christmas season approaching fast! Here is a link to total care of Christmas cactus. http://www.humeseeds.com/xmasccts.htm You may want to print it out and keep it near where you are growing them for quick reference. Regarding the watering question, the article at that site says: “Since the Christmas cactus is a tropical plant it will require watering on much the same basis as any other type of tropical plant. A good procedure to follow is to water the plants thoroughly and then allow about the top inch of soil to dry before watering again. However, during the fall and winter months, the plants should be watered less frequently in order to get them to bloom.”

My long time plant died over summer and I plan to get a new one this season. They are gorgeous plants and mean more when they come from loved ones. One thing that I don’t think is mentioned in the link is that when or if you repot them, it takes several years for them to begin blooming again.

QUESTION: “I read your article recommending knock-out roses and I planted three double reds this spring, but was unsure what type of winter care they need. I have several hybrid teas that I mulch about 8 inches above the crown. Do I need to do this with the knock-outs as well? Also, do I prune them back, now or next spring?” – Sonia Lencyk

ANSWER: We have quite a few knockout roses ourselves. Some years we do not mulch. However, we are in Tennessee and conditions may vary where you live. I suggest you treat the knockouts just as you would your tea roses. Trim them only to shape and when they start blooming next season all you would have to do is simply deadhead. The only time you would trim the knockouts is to shape them the way you like.

QUESTION: “When planting fall bulbs, how do you keep the squirrels from digging them up?” – Sandy Lovell

ANSWER: The best way I know of to keep the squirrels from digging up the bulbs is to dig the area back a few inches, pin down chicken wire and cover it back up with the dirt. Burying the chicken wire will help to prevent people and pets from tripping over it. Just check it from time to time to be sure it is still secure.

QUESTION: “I saw your column in the newspaper and wondered if you would give me a suggestion. Our house is situated “catty-cornered” on a corner lot, on a slight hill, and right in the middle of the lower part of the yard is a 3 foot wide by 3 foot high electrical box.

“When we moved in there was this huge clump of overgrown shrubs which had been there for 10 years. We had those taken out, but now I’m trying to figure out what to plant around it that will hide the box year-round, but be easy to maintain. Someone suggested some ornamental grasses. The spot is in full sun. I would also be interested in the web sites re: curb appeal.” — Amy Griffith

ANSWER: As far as hiding the box you can do any number of things. The best I have seen is where you try to incorporate it into the landscape so that it doesn’t look like you are just trying to hide a box. Grasses would work well but you may want to also incorporate something evergreen to hide and add interest year around. I have e-mailed you the list of Web sites about enhancing curb appeal. Other readers who would like a copy are welcome to send me an e-mail request.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org

Perhaps you visit a garden center or look at an online catalog and see various intriguing plants but hesitate to make the buying decision because you’re not sure about the correct planting procedure.

Today, we’ll look at three ways you can buy plants (from the little guys up to the most majestic of trees) and have a quick primer on how to plant each type. If you still need help, send me an e-mail at steve@landsteward.org

(Note: this column first appeared a couple of years ago. I’m running it again in response to numerous e-mailed questions about how to plant trees and shrubs.)

Potted plants
Usually, it’s the smaller plants that you can buy in pots, but you’ll sometimes find larger shrubs sold that way, and the planting procedure is the same for all of them. First of all, dig a hole approximately twice the width and depth of the container, add some organic matter and refill the hole about halfway with some of the soil.
Tap the pot a few times to loosen the plant and it should slide right out. Put it into the hole and gently spread the roots out, being careful not to break them. It’s a good tip to seat the plant so it is about an inch higher than it was in the pot to allow for it to settle. If it is sitting too deep, simply lift it out and add a bit more soil underneath it. When it’s at the right height, carefully start filling soil in around the plant, adding water every so often to prevent air pockets and to keep the roots nicely moistened. Add a little mulch… stand back and congratulate yourself!

Bare root
If you’ve seen the term “bare root” but aren’t quite sure what it is, allow me to explain. Simply, it’s a plant, quite often a tree, that comes to you without any soil attached to the roots. Because it has been washed free of soil, there is a greatly reduced chance of carrying soil-bourne diseases to your landscape, and, due to their light weight, they are very easy to handle while planting.
If I have some bare roots that I can’t plant right away, I discard all the packing materials, lay them on the ground and loosely pile some damp soil or compost over the root ends to keep them moist but protected from frost. For bare root trees, about 4 to 6 hours before planting, uncover the plants and soak the roots in a bucket of water. Bare root perennials need less of a soak; 30 minutes to an hour should be enough.

As with the potted plants, dig a hole that’s a bit wider than seems necessary. This allows the delicate young roots to spread without trying to force their way through compacted soil. Place the plant into the hole and hold upright while you fill some of the soil back in around the base. There’s usually no need to add any soil amendments at this stage.

Add the rest of the soil around your little tree and press down firmly but don’t pack it too tightly. Add a generous amount of water and once that has soaked in, add mulch to a depth of about two inches and a diameter of three feet. Be sure that the mulch is not touching the trunk! For the first year, make a point of watering it every week to ten days, depending on weather conditions.

Balled and burlapped
“B and B” plants can be quite bulky and heavy. Always pick up your B and B by the root ball, not the trunk. When you have dug a hole plenty big enough for the root ball, remove any strappings, string or wire. You can do this after you have placed the root ball into the hole if you prefer. Natural burlap need not be completely removed as it is biodegradable. Some landscapers leave all of it on the root ball, while others trim it back, leaving some of it under the plant. Thoroughly soak the root ball with water then begin filling in the soil around the root ball, adding more water as you go. Then simply add a layer of mulch just as you would with a bare root.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org

QUESTION: “We have a new home (2 years old) and I have Knockout roses across the front of the house. Some have grown quite bushy and, not being a gardener, I am uncertain when or if I should prune them. If so, do I prune at a slant or what? They have been absolutely beautiful. Also, I have not “deadheaded” them but wonder if I should. Thanks for any advice you can give me.” – Beth Haynie

ANSWER: First of all, it is not necessary to prune roses at a slant. Pruning comes down to a matter of personal taste and what you find aesthetically pleasing to look at. If you feel you need more uniformity and want them all about the same then you may need to prune. If you prefer a wilder, more natural look, some slight trimming could be all you need to do.

Deadheading refers to pinching off spent flowers to force the growth of new blooms. The deadheading process fools the plant into believing that its reproductive cycle is not yet complete, so it compensates by producing additional blooms and thus the seeds that accompany them.

The Knockout rose was introduced in 2000 and became an immediate favorite due to its hardiness (in USDA zones 4 – 9) and its exceptional disease resistance, blooming from spring to frost. The Rainbow Knockout is one of my favorite varieties.

QUESTION: “I am not able to work in my yard during the hot weather so therefore my yard is a MESS! Weeds, I know, can be cut down anytime and I have a ton of them. But I have Rose of Sharon to be cut and other bushes (I am not quite sure of their names) that need to be trimmed. So is spring or fall the best time to do this?” – Linda Sutterfield

ANSWER: Fall is here and what a time to be outside! Weeds can usually wait, but when they put on flowers, they should be clipped or pulled off as soon as possible because they will produce seed and spread all over for germination next year.

If you aren’t sure what the shrub varieties are, the rule on spring and summer flowering shrubs is to prune them after their blooming cycle. Generally, spring and early summer flowering shrubs will set their buds for next season by mid summer. If you prune those during fall/winter, you will lose flowering for the following year. Rose of Sharon will bloom throughout the summer season and blooms best on new wood, so you can prune it at any time.

QUESTION: “I’m trying to develop a sloping southeast facing rock garden in a full sun area. The soil drains well because of the slope. It is about a 45 degree angle. It is anchored by rocks with planting spaces in between.

I formerly had St. John’s Wort and coneflowers growing in this area. While they seemed to grow well and seemed to be shunned by deer, still I wasn’t satisfied because neither spread. The St. John’s Wort did not make a significant enough statement with either the tiny blooms or with the less than luxuriant foliage. The coneflowers may have been the wrong sort as they had small blooms with small rounded cones and didn’t show up well.

What I think I need is a ground cover to start over with. Do you have any recommendations for this sunny, deer-prone, sloping rock garden as to groundcover to spread among the rocks on the full sun slope?” – E. Clark Buchi

ANSWER: you could go with any number of ground covers but the ones that I would choose for the area would be Dragon Red sedum, Vinca or Periwinkle and Green Sheen pachysandra. Spread them out across the area and they will eventually come together. You could also mix in some creeping thyme which we have amongst our plantings around rocks and such. You might want to add some of the low growing ornamental grasses for texture, easy maintenance, and winter interest.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org