Can you explain the process of flower pounding? And specifically, how do you preserve the color of the flowers?

Flower pounding is the process of transferring pigment from fresh flowers onto muslin which has been specially treated for dyeing. You will need a firm surface to work on, along with 2-inch wide masking tape, a lightweight hammer with a smooth head, plastic wrap and fresh flowers. There are many books available to give you step-by-step instructions, but the basic idea is to tape the flowers onto your fabric and tap them gently with the hammer. It is not necessary to use a lot of force. After you have the imprint that you want, colors will need to be set with a warm iron (this will preserve the color), and Pigma markers can be used to outline your flowers. Be aware that not all flower colors will come true – some may change when the flowers are pounded.

Why do hostas require shade?

Hostas do not require shade, they are “shade tolerant.” There are many degrees of shade, ranging from sites that never receive any direct sunlight, like the north side of a building or the dense, low covering of large trees in a heavily wooded site, to open, filtered and dappled light coming through the canopy of smaller leaved, more open trees. Also, direct sunlight in the afternoon, between noon and 4:00 p.m., is much more intense than morning or late afternoon sun.

The amount and type of shade will affect the selection, placement and performance of hostas. In general, avoid placing them where they would receive sun between noon and 4:00 p.m. Yellow or gold-leaved hostas need some sun to develop their brightest coloration. It is frequently stated that a yellow hosta will brighten up a dark spot. This is true, but they often don’t do well in such locations, as they find them too shady. The blue coloring of some hosta leaves, called pruinose or glaucous (characterized by a waxy, silvery coating), will last longer if the plants are grown in light shade. In general, green-leaved hostas can take a fair amount of sunlight, although the leaf coloring will be dulled considerably in too much direct sun.

For any hosta, too much sun, combined with lack of water, will scorch the leaves, especially in July and August. For variegated hostas, placement will depend on the most dominant leaf color, usually the center coloring. For instance the hosta ‘Gold Standard,’ with a dark green border, needs sunlight in mid-season to have its chartreuse center change to a handsome parchment gold. In a very shady site, it becomes just a yellowish-green. Given too much sun, the center turns first to a gold and then to a light, creamy white or even a near white.

If the shade is dense, your hostas will not be as vigorous; they may even decrease in size each year. Some trees have greedy surface roots that will compete with the hostas for water and nutrients. Hostas don’t like such competition, so if possible, plant your hostas far enough away from trees to avoid this problem. Experiment in placing your hostas. If one doesn’t do well in a certain location, move it to another, or replace it with a different variety!

This past winter wreaked havoc on my 45 rose bushes – mostly hybrid teas, some floribundas, and some Old English climbers. Except for the climbers, I had to prune the others severely. At that time, I did not put anything on the cuts as some suggest (like white glue). Is it too late to put something on them, even though that part of the bush is dead and brown? For the most part, the roses looked pretty good this summer, although I would have liked them to have thicker, stronger canes. What is the best fertilizer I can use now to help them through the upcoming winter? Is there still hope that these roses will do better next year?

It was a hard time for many plants that have enjoyed several mild Michigan winters. At this point there is no reason to put anything on the prune cuts. The plant has already healed over. Trim out excess dead wood to just above the green portion. Leaving it over winter could cause bacteria to hibernate. Continue to deadhead and use preventative sprays against pests and diseases. The best fertilizer I have found is fish emulsion. Generally Labor Day is the cut off for fertilizing, as it overstimulates the plant to produce new growth before cold temperatures start. It’s better to water and mulch well with compost prior to bedding them down for winter. Take extra precautions against a hard winter by using rose cones (which can be unsightly and tricky to use properly), or surrounding your hybrid teas and floribundas with wire cages filled with leaves. The latter prevents winter desiccation and sunburn, as well as preventing animals from gnawing the canes.

As far as your climbing roses go, when the temperatures drop below zero, take your climber canes off their supports and secure them to the ground with crossed stakes. You can cover them with mounded soil or wrap them in burlap and leaves for protection. With a little extra care in winter preparation, your roses should be stunning once again.

I put my roses in containers this year and they have done very well. Should I leave them out all winter or should they be put in the garage?

Roses in containers can offer the gardener a few advantages over their garden-planted counterparts. When spring is slow to come, a container rose can be moved out from winter protection on warm spring days and returned during evening frosts. Soil in containers will warm up quicker, yielding an earlier bloom and extending the flowering season. A rose can definitely be grown successfully in a container here in Michigan when just a few easy steps are taken:

1. Place your well-drained container in a sunny location.
2. Monitor daily during the growing season and keep evenly moist.
3. Place the rose on a bimonthly fertilizer program during the growing season.
4. Allow the plant to go dormant before bringing in for winter (requires exposing the rose to heavy frosts and total leaf drop).
5. Prune only if necessary.
6. Move the rose into an unheated garage or shed.
7. Do not allow the container to become dried out.
8. When brought out in spring, re-acclimate slowly and beware of night frosts.

I noticed that some of my cucumber flowers yield a cucumber, while others don’t. Am I doing something wrong?

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is an annual vine whose fruit has two primary uses. Some varieties are grown for fresh eating and others for pickling. The cucumber is in the Cucurbita family that also includes squash, pumpkins and melons. This family is made up of warm-season crops and will not tolerate temperatures below 32 degrees. They actually prefer air temperatures above 70 degrees and soil temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees. 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water a week is suggested for maximum production plus supplemental fertilizations when the vines first begin to run and when blossoms set. Cucumbers need plenty of room to grow, taking 10 to 20 square feet of ground area so you might want to consider a trellis. They can sometimes be reluctant climbers, so heavy twine might be needed to secure the plant.

Most cucumber plants are monoecious meaning that they produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers usually precede the female flowers and at that time no pollination takes place. Since pollination must occur to produce fruit and the male flowers are not pollinated, only female flowers can bear fruit. Some varieties of cucumbers are gynoecious and produce all female flowers and are largely self-pollinating. If you buy seeds for a gynoecious variety, the seed company might supply a few colored seeds (for easy identification) that produce male flowers. Include one of these plants in each row to assure good pollination. Many times gynoecious varieties will out-produce all others because every flower has the potential of becoming a fruit.

So there is nothing to be concerned about – you are doing nothing wrong. Actually, by being aware enough to notice the habit of your plants, you are doing a great job of keeping ahead of potential problems.

What is the latest news on using bone meal in the garden? I have heard conflicting views – some people swear by it, others say it’s worthless since most of the nutrient value is eliminated during the steaming process it undergoes, and then others are concerned about possibly introducing disease into the garden since this product is derived from animal bones. Please help clear up the confusion.

Bone meal is a source of slow-release phosphorus. Most retail bone meal products are coupled with slow-release nitrogen. Both of these elements are significant to good plant health and growth. They affect the plant’s vigor, its photosynthesis process, and its root growth. Many people add bone meal to their soil as a safety net. Perhaps it’s a little like taking a daily vitamin. They feel its nutrient value offsets any problems inherent in poor or unamended soil conditions. Most homeowners want quick results with minimum preparation. The plants respond accordingly to this organic fertilizer.

The commercial bone meal products available in the U.S. must meet stringent USDA regulations. The USDA has not allowed British beef or cattle-generated products to be imported. According to the USDA, during the late 1970’s England started using a heat-only method of treating animal carcasses that were to be used for protein-based meal and bone meal. Prior to that time, they used a combination of heat and solvent extraction. The USDA knows that heat plus solvent extraction kills the BSE causal organism (or mad cow disease), but heat without solvent extraction does not. The U.S. has never abandoned the heat plus solvent extraction method. It seems very unlikely that we need to be concerned about using bone meal in our gardens for fear of contracting BSE. The U.S. has never had a confirmed case even though the USDA has been actively looking for cases since 1989. Our method of preparing bone meal kills the BSE organism but does not dissipate the nutrient value.

Last year I had a large tree removed (36-inch diameter). I want to plant in the currently empty area, but between the stump and large roots near the trunk, it is virtually impossible. I had the stump ground down to grade level, but the machine could not remove the stump below grade. I piled on leaves and compost last year to help accelerate the decomposition process, but I am guessing it will be at least several years before the stump and roots are well-rotted enough to be planted amongst. I heard that there are products to help speed up stump decomposing. Is this true, and if so, are they organic? I do not want to apply anything that would be harmful to the soil.

The use of purchased products to speed up stump decomposition is not much faster than what you have already started. You can speed up the process by drilling some holes in the trunk which will allow air and water down into the trunk. You could even take this one step further by putting fertilizer in the holes. Then cover with leaves and compost and wait. In the meantime, look for some clever ideas to hide and disguise the area until it is ready for use as you originally intended.

Does putting marigolds and nasturtiums in or near a vegetable garden deter pests from entering the garden area? Or is this an old wives’ tale; can it actually be harmful because those plants attract insects that will feed on the vegetables?

Native to Mexico, the sun-loving nasturtium (Tropaeolum) and French marigold (Tagetes patula) both attract and repel garden pests. While slugs devour both types of plants, especially immature French marigold plantings, many gardeners nonetheless use these species as companion plants to protect some of their vegetables. Not all marigold species, though, do the job. Only mature French marigold plants, likely grown in Mexican gardens long before Cortez arrived, emit insecticidal compounds that help control many garden pests. French marigolds are reputed to chase away white flies as well as keep tomato plants free from root nematodes and bean plants free from Mexican bean beetles. French marigolds are also unpalatable to meadow nematodes (eelworms).

Nasturtiums, once grown for the edible seeds that replaced capers when pickled, are considered by many gardeners, but not all, to be good companion plants to tomatoes, radishes, cabbage, and cucumbers. However, some gardeners think nasturtiums attract whiteflies, aphids, and viruses and should not be grown near plants that appeal to these pests. Other gardeners plant nasturtiums to attract these very pests so they will ignore nearby garden plants. Still other gardeners contend that the high sulfur content in nasturtium leaves repels pests such as aphids, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, and woolly aphids.

The vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of French marigolds and nasturtiums are a colorful addition to any garden. Moreover, both plants flourish in poor soil and full sun. However, while nasturtiums thrive on neglect, French marigolds need frequent deadheading for continuous bloom. Nasturtiums offer an added bonus: both their flowers and peppery-tasting leaves are edible.

I have a wisteria vine that is healthy, and over 20 feet tall. This plant is three years old and has never bloomed. What can I do to get it to bloom?

Congratulations! You are well on your way to a blooming wisteria. A little basic biology may help you understand why it has not yet bloomed and what you can watch for to insure it does bloom. Wisteria seems to be a vine that thinks it is a tree; they can be so heavy that they need heavy duty support. That being said, your 3-year-old is just a baby and is not ready to bloom and set fruit (what plants do when they mature). The wisteria is a member of the pea family and the blooms are the precursor to pods (fruit). Be patient and do not start fertilizing; being members of the pea family, they are nitrogen fixers and form nitrogen-containing nodules on their roots. Overfertilization can stimulate foliar growth, but will not encourage blooming. Feeding it once a year with super phosphate to encourage root growth is about all it needs.