False Indigo, Blue Indigo, Wild Blue Indigo

Catharanthus roseus

Cynara scolymus

Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

Our Bleeding Hearts were huge this year with a lot of flowers. I have noticed after the bleeding hearts bloom and fade a little "pea pod" develops. Is there a way to plant these seeds in order to start more plants?

Festuca glauca

I’ve long admired the delicate flowers that sprout up around our Cincinnati, Ohio home each year. The plant appears at the first sign of warm weather and grows rapidly before dying back in fall. I call it a “pea bush” because the blooms and leaves remind me of the peas from my mom’s garden. Can you tell me its real name?

Helictotrichon sempervirens

We recently bought a house with a metal fence in the backyard. I’m a beginning gardener and would like to plant a border garden that would give the fence some character. Can you make some recommendations? I don’t want plants that will spread into my neighbor’s yard.

Spirea x bumalda

Phaseolus vulgaris

Asclepias tuberosa

Is it OK to leave canna lilies in the ground over winter?  And when they are done blooming what are the funky looking little balls where the flowers used to be?  They are filled with very hard black balls. Are these, or any part of the plant poisonous?  

It was an especially good year for flowers here Texas. I was really taken with the blooms of the Chaste Tree. Can you tell me more about this beauty?

Is there any way to have a good looking bluegrass lawn without chemicals?

My lawn is filled with clover. Someone told me I better treat the lawn or it will be ruined. I kind of like the flowers. Should I be concerned?

My rather small backyard bluegrass lawn is being taken over by clover. The lawn is bordered by perennial flower gardens. Can I safely use some kind of weed killer on the lawn without causing damage to my flower gardens? The weeds seem impossible to control naturally.

Asclepias syriaca

Oenothera fruticosa

I would like to plant shrubs in my Laredo, TX yard so that I have continuous blooms year-round.

Cosmos bipinnatus

My bluegrass yard was full of crabgrass last summer. How can I keep it under control, preferably without using chemicals?

Thymus serpyllum

I have a row of pyramidal arborvitaes.  The one next to the telephone pole died.  Is there something I can treat the soil with to neutralize the creosote used on the telephone pole that may have leached into the soil?  I would like to plant another one to fill in this gap.

I’ve just about given up trying to cultivate in the alkaline soil of the Utah desert where I live. What will grow in these dry and windy conditions? I’d especially like to plant fruit- or nut-bearing trees that will attract birds.

Pennisetum alopecuroides

Cercis canadensis

Solanum melongena

Short of moving we need to plant a fast, tall, evergreen border between ourselves and a "sloppy" neighbor. Could you recommend a bush or shrub that is fast growing and survives in clay soil?

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Allium aflatunense

Pennisetum setaceum

Gazania rigens

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

Gomphrena globosa

Heliopsis helianthoides

I received a beautiful hens and chicks plant in a planter for Mother's Day. I'd like to put them in my garden, but the info sheet gives very little information. I live in zone 5 and wondered if they would survive in the garden in our winters?

Sempervivum tectorum

Gleditsia triacanthos inermis

Lablab purpureus

I recently started an iris garden and would like to learn how to hybridize my own irises.

My flag irises develop seedpods each season. Can I dry these pods and use the seeds to share the beautiful plants with my family and neighbors

Imperata cylindrica var. rubra 'Red Baron'

What can you tell me about Joseph’s Coat?

Amaranthus tricolor

Brassica oleracea var. acephala

Gymnocladus dioicus

Actinidia species

In late spring, tall plants come up in our patio bed. At first there were three or four, and now there are 10. The branches almost look like a fern.  It gets great fall color.  My neighbor called them Kochia.  Does this sound correct?

What flowers are in season in the Milwaukee area in the month of November? Why I ask, a November 10th wedding.

Eustoma grandiflorum

Miscanthus sinensis species

Could you please tell me how long it will take for an established clump of Miscanthus sinensis "Silberfelder" (Silver Feather) to reach its full height each summer?

Molinia caerulea

Portulaca grandiflora

Chasmanthium latifolium

I would like to plant small ornamental grasses 6-8 inches tall in an area that is shady and very moist. The area does dry out some during the summer but is very wet during fall, winter and spring.

I am looking for some ornamental grasses to grow in my small city lot. Can you suggest some that tolerate our clay soils and Great Lakes winters?

Everyone keeps talking about the beauty of ornamental grasses. I want to add a few to my landscape. Which ones are the hardiest and easiest to grow?

I am looking for a few shade tolerant ornamental grasses that will combine well with my hostas.

I purchased a Dwarf Zebra Grass from a mail order catalogue. It recently arrived this fall and is very tiny! It is in a 2.25" pot and I am worried it will not survive the cold northern winter. Could I grow the grass in a planter indoors until spring? This is my first venture into gardening in general, and I know nothing about ornamental grasses.

If we dig up our ornamental millet and bring them in the house for the winter, will they make it for replanting next year?

I have three huge pampas grass plants. How and when can I divide these?

I live in Portland, Oregon and have a huge pampas grass clump that flowers by the seedheads are brown like seed pods rather than fluffy and white. My neighbor has one just two houses from me and his is gorgeous and fluffy. They have the same growing conditions and receive the same care. Please tell me how I can get mine to look white and fluffy.

Pisum sativum

Pentas lanceolata

Capsicum annuum

We have a fieldstone terraced back and front yard - the fieldstones face south. What can we try to plug in amongst the fieldstone (perennials) that would be colorful throughout the summer, spread and help to hold the soil in?

I need some suggestions for a hot dry location in my back yard. It receives full sun and little care from me. I want some perennials that will look good even in the tough zone 5 conditions.

Phaseolus vulgaris

Sporobolus heterolepis

I really want to place a rosy periwinkle under a medium sized tree. It would receive dappled shade and 20-30 minutes of irrigation three days a week. Will it be too much shade and water for the plant?

Lupinus 'Russell Hybrid'

Phaseolus coccineus

Eryngium planum

Armeria maritima

I have a shady slope under some trees where I can't get grass to grow.

This spring I planted two silver lace vines in two different locations on the south side of my house.  Both plants wilted, turned yellow and died.  Do you have any suggestions for a replacement?

Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana'

Are there any plants I can grow in front of my fence to create a sound barrier?

Allium christophii

My sister-in-law spotted a pink-blooming strawberry plant in her garden. What caused the flowers to change from the typical white color?

Beta vulgaris subspecies circla

Panicum virgatum

Allium karataviense

Allium obliquum

What can you tell me about wax plant?

Artemisia ludoviciana

We discovered a long vine of 30-40 feet long growing around a large evergreen tree in northern Waukesha (WI) county.   This vine had prickly seed pods. Needless to say, we are curious of its identity.

Achillea millefolium

I have had a yucca plant for many years. It finally bloomed this past summer. It formed pods full of seeds. Can I start new plants from these? If so how?

Yucca filamentosa