Q: Two weeks ago, we saw flowering magnolia, quince, Forest Pansy redbud and Okame cherry in bloom. What's going to happen to these plants in the spring? — Wink Weinberg, email
A: It will be interesting. I expect flowering on these plants will be less than normal this spring. I'm not happy to report that the terminal buds on my common hydrangea were open and elongated in early January before cold weather returned. They are now brown and shriveled. These are the buds that produce flowering stems. Although there will be plenty of leaves on my hydrangeas, I predict blooms will be sparse next summer.
Q: I have several blueberry bushes that have developed mummy berry disease. I have been unable to find recommended fungicides like Indor, Quash, Orbit, Omega, Pristine or Serenade. Can you recommend a product to treat this disease? — Barbara Williams, Dawson County
A: Most of the fungicides you mention are labeled for commercial users. This may be because they are very concentrated, highly toxic to fish, terribly expensive, or require protective clothing when applied. I believe the fungicide Captan is labeled for homeowner use on fruit plants. If this is so, spray your blueberries with it when the leaf buds swell and twice more at two week intervals. Serenade is a biofungicide but will only suppress the disease. Be sure to remove all berry mummies each summer and replace mulch under the plants each year.
Q: I am trying to convert a mossy backyard area to mondo grass. Is there anything in particular I should be doing to the clay soil when I transplant? — Rina Rosenberg, Decatur
A: Some gardeners would argue that moss makes a perfectly nice "lawn." Consider leaving your best moss patches alone and planting mondo grass in the bare swaths around them. Where the mondo is to be planted, I don't think anything is necessary besides breaking up the clay and adding a bit of topsoil. Mondo grass is shallow-rooted, so there's no need to make a deep bed. I'm still sporadically transplanting mondo grass into my increasingly shaded St. Augustine grass lawn and it is gradually spreading and taking over.
Q: You say on your website that redtip photinia cannot be propagated from seed. I recently gathered seeds from a Chinese photinia. The seeds are still red and fleshy. Will they sprout? — Clayton Silverheels, email
A: Redtip photinia (Photinia x fraseri) seed won't germinate well (maybe one out of 100) and the resulting shrubs probably won't have the distinctive red leaves on their branch tips. Chinese photinia (Photinia serrulata) seeds will germinate pretty well. Rub off the red seed coat and pulp, let them dry a couple of days, and plant the seed now and see what happens.
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