Q: Is there actually a Confederate yellow daisy available for home gardens? I think it would be neat to have them bloom at home at the time of the Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy Festival. Barbara Pollock, Marietta
A: You're in luck! The Confederate yellow daisy is a reseeding annual. It is found naturally within a 60 mile radius of Stone Mountain. The Georgia Native Plant Society (www.gnps.org) will have them available at their fall plant sale this Saturday at Stone Mountain and again at the spring sale. They require full sun to semi-shade and dry conditions. Also check with Georgia Perimeter College Wildflower Center (http://depts.gpc.edu/~decbt)
Q: My green beans and butter beans have been devastated by the Mexican bean beetle. I tried picking them off, but after being out of town for several days, they had taken over. I try to avoid chemical pesticides but I'm desperate. Annabeth Goodwin, Ball Ground
A: The Mexican bean beetle can be devastating to beans and peas. Both the bright yellow bristly larvae and the ladybug-like adults chew leaves into tatters. For organic control, consider covering each plant with floating row cover from the time seedlings emerge until plants are blooming. You can also spray the undersides of leaves with neem oil (Bio-neem, etc) or spinosad (Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew, etc).
Q: I built a greenhouse and would like some guidance for raising vegetables and flowers. Ted Emig, email
A: It's great fun to have a greenhouse. Nothing compares to being in a warm spot among bright flowers in winter! Finding the right site is of utmost importance. A good spot can save you hundreds of dollars on heating and cooling each year. Don't forget you'll need a water line and electrical service. I have several helpful publications and equipment sources at bit.ly/GAgreenhouse.
Q: The rain kept me out of the garden! Is it too late to prune azaleas? Sherry Wileman, email
A: If you prune now, you'll remove most of the flower buds for next year. Look at the tip of an azalea branch. That tight bud is where a flower will appear next spring. That said, you could remove the tallest, most objectionable branches now and do more severe pruning next spring after flowering. Your shrubs won't be covered with blooms but you'll still have an acceptable flower show.
Q: My backyard is in deep shade so I cannot grow grass. However, ajuga seems to love it: nice flowers, low growth habit, no maintenance. How do I encourage ajuga to spread? Walt Sippel, email
A: Depending on the variety you have, ajuga can be a fast spreader. Plants with the scientific name Ajuga reptans will be the fastest. Go to a nursery and ask the staff which of their varieties gets tangled up with its neighbors most rapidly. That's the selection you want. Small containers usually have more than one plant, so you can separate them easily. I'd install them on 16-inch centers (closer if you can afford it) and fertilize with Osmocote at planting and each spring thereafter.
Q: I want to purchase a grow light to help my Meyer lemon during the winter. Betty Franklin, Upson county
A: I use a 26 watt (100 watt equivalent) CFL bulb in a shiny aluminum clamp light fixture. I keep it eight inches above my Meyer lemon in winter. The plant seems to be happy: It bloomed wonderfully in January and has five lemons on it now.
