Spring Perennials

When all the flower buds on a stem have bloomed, prune the stem at its base.Sterilize pruning shear blades before and after pruning daylilies by wiping them with a cloth that was dipped in rubbing alcoholPoorly performing daylilies may be crowded, and...

Cover the bulb with soil and sprinkle with a small amount of fertilizer. Leave the rest of the stem until fall, when you can cut back the entire plant to 3 inches. If slugs are a problem, place saucers of beer around the plant at night, which attracts...

Hibiscus are in the family Malvaceae, which also represents mallow, hollyhock and even cotton. Mallow is often mistaken for hibiscus and is in the same family.Althea is the most similar to hibiscus culturally.

Bloodroot's leaves persist a little longer than its flowers, but they too are gone by early summer. Even after its flower disappears, bloodroot's unevenly scalloped, waxy gray-green leaf is easy to spot since it continues to develop into June, and may...

When you remove the flowers before seeds are allowed to mature, delphinium plants sense that the seeds need to be replaced and send up more blooms. Cut a spent flower's stem completely back to the nearest pair of leaves or set of branching stems.

Flame azaleas grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 7.Growing evergreen azaleas from cuttings is typically much more successful than their deciduous counterparts.

You can easily divide shasta daisy plants in the spring when they first sprout from the soil.Watch for the first growth of the shasta daisies in the spring. As long as the divided portions of the clump have both foliage and roots, they should grow.Examine...

Repeat this around the plant's base, slowly working the root ball out of the soil. Growing 3- to 5-feet tall and 2- to 4-feet wide, Russian sage can have an extensive root system, and some damage is unavoidable.

Lady fern's growth habit is; it's not hard to keep it contained in a garden. The leaflets are divided into 15 or more subleaflets, each of which is tapered in shape andalong its edges.

X lipsiensis.I would like to thank the following people for the use of their pictures: Generally you will need to seek out a specialty woodland plant nursery.Both have lavender flowers but the outside of the tepals is lilac-blue on ‘Allenii' while the...

Among the older cultivars are ‘Variegata' (aka ‘Dawson's White') with wide, irregular white margins and ‘Hadspen Cream' with narrower, yellowish-cream margins. Read on to learn about the varieties that exist.

This species can become invasive because of its spreading underground rhizomes; you can grow it in containers or in pots sunk into the garden to prevent it from getting out of control.Sow Japanese lantern seeds in 4- or 6-inch pots indoors in the early...

Regular division reinvigorates daylilies, and gives you more plants for your garden or to pass along to other gardeners.when you notice a decrease in the number of blooms.Daylilies are remarkably resilient plants, and can be divided any time during the...

Day lilies (Hemerocallis spp.) usually bloom for three to four weeks, but shade, drought, too much fertilizer or crowding can prevent flowering. Plant the sections at their original growing depth and 18 to 24 inches apart.

Use a sharp shooter shovel to remove large pups.Snip off all existing leaves from pups after you separate them from the mother plant. Leave the top half of each pup above the soil surface, then water until water runs from the drainage hole(s).

These items will make up a secondary to-do list of things you need to focus on in order to achieve the main goals.* Top-dress vegetable bed with a bag of manure once a week.* Collect/buy landscaping rocks for use as a new borderAll gardens have an endless...

Large flowers in bright, bold colors make gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) a show-stopper in garden displays. Apply the solution every two weeks while the gerbera daisy flowers, or dilute and apply the fertilizer according to the instructions on its...

The result is sedum with more horizontal growth, less vertical growth and added fullness.A more severe pruning is required to encourage bushiness on an older plant that has gotten top heavy or leggy.

This is best done in early spring. The blooms open in spring and will last until frost, if provided with the right growing conditions and care. Dianthus are not fussy plants and it takes very little to keep them happy.

Don't use fresh manure, as it can cause rhizome rot.Perform spring maintenance that includes removing any brown leaves affected by cold winter temperatures. Its compound white blossoms consist of five or six lower slightly curled drooping petals beneath...

Regular watering and a layer of mulch will help to keep them in top condition.Hostas have beautiful heart-shaped leaves in many different colors.Prune the hosta in fall when the leaves have died back.

It dies back in fall and renews its growth from underground tubers each spring. Keep the plant at its original soil level, and water it well.Large, established herbaceous peonies can be divided in the fall to renew growth or to make new plants, although...

Select pine needles, straw, leaves, compost or even just additional soil from the garden to make a 4- to 6-inch layer of mulch around the base of the plant, recommends the University of Minnesota Extension.

The cream-colored bluebell is rarely found in nature. These plants do best when kept moist, so water them daily. Moreover, bluebells attract hummingbirds wherever you plant them.Bluebells are common in wooded areas of Scotland, England and the United...

Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum X superbum) are undemanding plants, but pruning encourages more flowers and stronger growth. Water the plants thoroughly and continue to water them regularly so that the soil stays moist.

Lamb's ear has a tendency to be invasive and often develops brown leaves near its base. Even though lamb's ear is a hardy plant, you should take these precautions to lessen the chance of infection from pruning.Cut dead or browning leaves from the entirety...

Shrub varieties include Jasminum floridum, or Florida jasmine, and Jasminum primulinum, or primrose jasmine. Planting time for ground cover Asiatic jasmine depends upon the size of the plant.