Gardening with Allen

Some of the newer hydrangea varieties are both longer blooming and smaller in size. It is great to see these newer varieties which are extending our shrub blooming season. A few are available in a standard tree form. The Endless Summer series was one of the first to introduce the re-blooming trait in hydrangeas. There […]

Our extended period of hot dry weather has caused some trees and shrubs to develop premature yellowing or browning and dropping of leaves and needles. Trees and shrubs which do not receive irrigation when adjacent plants are watered need deep watering now. Water should be applied for a long enough time period so it reaches […]

Most container plants have had all the fertilizer that was initially in the soil used up or washed out by frequent watering. Plant roots have a more limited growing area in containers. Container soils are more porous to insure good drainage. These two factors make it necessary to water more frequently. As a result, fertilizer […]

I love roses but have just about given up growing them because I don’t have time to spray them regularly for diseases. Are there roses available which are disease resistant and bloom all summer? There are a number of recent varieties of shrub roses which are very disease resistant and continue to bloom throughout the […]

I am often asked to evaluate a situation where home owners want to drastically reduce the size of a large tree. When I ask them why they want to reduce a mature tree’s size, the response is often “It is just too big. We didn’t realize it was going to get this big when we […]

I have noticed geraniums and marigolds in the garden stores. Is it okay to plant those now? What about tomatoes? Geraniums, marigolds and tomatoes are very sensitive to frost. We could get frost for several more weeks, especially in the higher elevations. They are all warm weather plants, which means they will not make much […]

Tom and Mary moved into a home that was only 2 years old in a nice neighborhood. The previous owner had planted a lawn, shrubs and a shade tree about 20 feet west of a large picture window. The tree was large enough to partially shade the hot afternoon sun on the window. By the […]

If you have perennial weeds such as dandelion, clover, Canada thistle, ivy or blackberries, now is the best time to apply herbicides. Plants are sending food produced by the leaves down to the roots, so herbicides are transferred more quickly to kill the entire weed. Use lawn weed killers or weed and feed on your […]

Question: I was planning to fertilize my lawn when a neighbor told me I should wait until October. Is this the wrong time to fertilize? I saw a lawn care truck fertilizing in my neighborhood last week. When is the best time for fall lawn fertilization? I normally fertilize my lawn just twice a year. […]