I want to plant cannas in containers this year. What type of soil should I use? Do cannas need to be constantly moist and, if so, should I plug up the drainage hole in the container?

Although cannas are water-loving plants and actually do very well in a pond or water garden setting, they adapt very well to containers.

Use a soilless mix of sphagnum peat and perlite. Select a container large enough to support your canna. Most cannas will grow between 36 and 48 inches tall. A 14 inch or larger pot should work well. Also think about planting other shorter or trailing annuals in with your canna to help balance the overall look of your container garden.

Water only when the soil is dry but realize with growth your canna will dry out quicker and probably require a daily watering. Do not plug the drainage hole. All it takes is a few rainy days in a row to fill the pot with water and ruin your plants.

I would like to grow herbs, but I have partial shade conditions. Are there any herbs that will grow in partial shade?

Most herbs can be grown in 4 hours of sunlight (part shade), but realize the plants will stretch for the sunlight and could become “leggy” looking. A constant pruning will help keep the herbs full and healthy, so the more you use your herbs for cooking, the better off they will be.

I have had trouble growing tomatoes near a walnut tree. The tomatoes do get 4 or 5 hours of sun daily. I have heard that it can be difficult to grow things near a walnut tree – is that true? Could that be the problem?

It is definitely true that it is difficult to grow certain plants under black walnut trees. All parts of a black walnut tree contain a substance called juglone which affects plants growing beneath and around the tree. Different plants have varying levels of tolerance to being planted by black walnuts. Unfortunately, tomatoes are probably one of the worst plants to plant around this particular tree. Some fruits and vegetables that have more tolerance to black walnut trees include: lima beans, snap beans, beets, sweet corn, onions, parsnips and black raspberries. One option would be to try growing your tomatoes in a large-size container in order to keep them out of the same soil as the roots of the tree. Be sure to get a bush type tomato which will not be as aggressive and overtake the container.