Q: Can I plant bell peppers and hot peppers together or will they cross pollinate? Robin Walker, email
A: They might cross-pollinate but this will not affect their taste. Pepper flowers contain male and female organs, so the flowers typically pollinate themselves. If pollen from a hot pepper somehow got into a bell pepper flower, the seeds that resulted might produce hot fruit. But this would only be a problem if you save seeds from year to year.
Q: I plan on removing numerous plants and shrubs from my backyard including: azaleas, mop head hydrangeas, oak leaf hydrangeas, rhododendrons and hostas. Rather than have these plants destroyed and sent to the landfill, is there anyone you know who would be interested in having them? Julia Frick, email
A: Your local Master Gardener Extension volunteer organization might have landscaping projects where they could use the plants. Call them and ask: 1-800-ASKUGA1
Q: We planted eight Carolina cherrylaurels six years ago. They were supposed to grow but are still the same size as when they were planted. What may be the problem? Dick Lockert, email
A: When shrubs or trees refuse to grow to their predicted height, I suspect poor root establishment. Maybe they were planted in undersized holes, maybe the soil surrounding is hard clay, etc.
You can try vertical mulching to jump-start their growth. Buy a bulb auger and attach it to a drill. Starting a foot from each tree trunk, drill holes in the soil six inches deep. Twenty holes around each tree, scattered out to three feet from the trunk, should suffice. In a wheelbarrow, mix four pints of Milorganite fertilizer with two cubic feet of soil conditioner. Fill all of your holes with this mixture. The plants should respond with increased growth this spring.
Q: I live in an apartment but I have a private patio. I am interested in planting herbs and vegetables on a small scale using pots. Barbara Thomas, Cartersville
A: I found a great resource for vegetable container gardening AND a very useful calendar of when to plant. The publication is from North Carolina but it is perfectly applicable to our region. Go to bit.ly/containerveg.
Q: I have a question about when to transplant canna. I would like to move mine but I'm not sure when to do it. Cecily O'Brien, email
A: Canna is not always winter-hardy outdoors in the Atlanta area. This winter will test them sorely. I'd wait until the leaf tips emerge through the soil in April. You can dig up the survivors and put them wherever it suits you.
Q: How can I determine what variety of blueberry bushes I have in my yard? Melanie White, Rockdale County
A: You can't do it definitively. You might be able to make a good guess by observing when yours fruit. 'Climax' is earlier than 'Brightwell', 'Powderblue' or 'Tifblue'; 'Delite' is later than all of them.
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