Sage Advice

A relatively new gardener writes in:

"I have two questions. First, I have bougainvillea bushes that grow in my back yard. Something is eating them ragged and I can't actually find any evidence of the pest except for the pitifully chomped leaves. Can you give me some clue about what the problem might be and how I can keep it from happening in the future?

Second, I have a lot of shady areas where I'd like to plant, or areas that get lots of sun part of the summer and lots of shade toward the end. Can you recommend some ...

A gardener recently wrote in a curious question:

"Hey gardenerd!  My new place has an artesian well... Will the high sulfur content (assumption scientifically based solely on smell) of the well water affect plants?  Yers truly,from the turtle coast, Florida."

Right off the bad I have to admit that I had no idea how to answer this one, simply because I've never dealt with wells or sulfur or anything other than chlorine in the water.  While I never claim to know everything there is to know about gardening, I do know where to go to find the answer.  In this case, ...

Here's the second part of our new gardenerd's question:

"I buy organic and local produce here [in Paso Robles], but my heart's desire is to grow most of my own veggies.  I also want to do so organically, without using pesticides.  I have tried the last two years with truly disastrous results and I'm really discouraged.  I'm thankful I found this site as I'm hoping it will assist me in trying again.  I especially crave homegrown heirloom tomatoes.  I finally did 3 plants in pots last year and they had bugs galore and then this horrible rotten part at ...

A  question recently came through Ask Gardenerd:

"Is this the time[February/March] to fertilize - Roses, fruit trees (apple & orange) bushes, etc? Last year our roses didn't produce much.  Right now our flowering shrubs look yellow and the overall look of things looks spindly and not healthy. Help!"

In many parts of the country, fruit trees haven't started to show buds yet.  I don't know about you, but my fruit trees are all either in full bloom or already have buds fattening on the branches.  So if you live in zone 10, yes, fertilize your fruit trees now.  (I worked some into ...

A fellow Gardenerd recently wrote in:

"When is the best time to plant herbs? I planted basil last spring which slowly started to die in November. I planted another basil in October which is on its way out as well. Dill I planted in the fall is brown and not growing!! HELP!"

That's a very good question, and depending on your climate and growing options, I have an answer for you.  Before that though, I want to say you have really good luck with Basil!  Basil is a summer plant, and it usually dies back when the first cold spell hits.  If ...

Since Gardenerd.com is a proponent of organic gardening and environmentally friendly living practices, we are always looking for ways to spread the word about how to conserve energy, prevent pollution and give back to the earth.  The LA Stormwater Program contacted us and asked if we could publish one of their articles that would help promote their cause.  We are pleased to present this important message from the LA Stormwater program: