Gardening Q and A: When to?

This time of year people are looking for answers to their gardening questions.  Perhaps the most common gardening questions start with the word when.  As gardeners we realize that time is a very important factor when planting plants because it can greatly effect how a plant grows in the garden.

Here are a few gardening whens that people have been looking for answers to lately!

When To Propagate Crape Myrtle?

Crape myrtles can be propagated through hardwood cuttings, greenwood, or semi-ripe cuttings.  Hardwood cuttings are best taken from late fall through winter during the plant's dormant cycle.  Greenwood cuttings can be taken in late spring and early summer.  Crape myrtles propagate very easily can can be grown from cuttings until late summer.  Crape myrtles sucker a lot so the suckers can be removed and used for cuttings without effecting the canopy of the tree.

When to Cut Back Miscanthus?

Miscanthus can be cut back anytime from fall to late winter but I don't cut down ours until a few weeks before spring so that we can enjoy the winter interest.  Look inside the plant to see if there is green growth.  If there is go ahead and cut it back!

When to Plant Lettuce?

Lettuce seeds can be direct sowed about 4 weeks before the frost date outdoors.  Germination is dependent on the weather but they like to germinate in cooler temperatures. You can start them a couple weeks earlier indoors and transplant to the garden.

When to plant tulips?

Tulips are best planted in the fall from bulbs.  You get the biggest bang for your buck through bulbs but you can plant them from potted plants in the spring time.  They will cost you more than planting bulbs but you get the advantage of seeing instant color in the garden!

When to plant Bradford pear trees?

Um...never.  Bradford pear trees and other ornamental pear trees are tree's I don't recommend.  Instead look for an edible or native alternative.  Service berries are often recommended as an edible and a native option for Bradford pear trees.  If you just want ornamental there are some beautiful cherry trees you can plant that aren't invasive like the Bradford pear trees.  In general trees are best planted in the fall but spring isn't so bad either.  Balled and burlap trees get more time to develop roots when planted in the fall.  Most spring sold trees are potted and will do just fine when planted in the spring.