Old garden roses, hybrid rugosas, and other hardy shrub or landscape roses often survive Iowa's winters with little or no winter injury. If there is any winter injury, it can be pruned back to live wood just as the new buds are turning…
Spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilac and forsythia, bloom in spring on the growth of the previous season. The plant’s health or condition determines the best time to prune spring-flowering shrubs.
Summer-flowering shrubs, such as potentilla, Japanese spirea, and panicle hydrangea, bloom in summer on the current year’s growth. Prune summer-flowering shrubs in late winter or early spring. The pruned shrubs will bloom in summer on…
To reduce the chances of crop damage from a late frost or freeze, leave the mulch on as long as possible. Removing the mulch in March may encourage the plants to bloom before the danger of frost is past. Temperatures of 32 degrees…
Geraniums are relatively easy to grow from seeds. However, geranium seedlings are slow growing. Geranium seeds should be sown in early to mid-February to produce flowering plants for spring. Flowering occurs approximately 13 to…
The growth rate of the seedlings and the outdoor planting date determine when to sow seeds indoors. The crop time (number of weeks from sowing to planting outdoors) for several popular flowers and vegetables are as follows: 10 to 12 weeks…
Petunia seeds should be sown indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last average frost date. In Iowa, late February or early March is an appropriate sowing date for petunias.
Plant caladiums indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the average last frost in your area. Tubers should be planted 1 to 2 inches deep. When planting tubers, place the knobby side up. The knobs are the tuber’s eyes or buds. …
Material for hardwood stem cuttings should be collected in late winter (when the plant material is dormant) from wood of the previous season’s growth. In Iowa, hardwood stem cutting material should be collected in late February or early…
Peas are a cool season crop. They should be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in spring (late March or early April in central Iowa). Sow seeds 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart. Peas can be planted in single or double…
Early spring (before bud break) is the best time to transplant evergreens. Evergreens can also be transplanted in late summer (late August to mid-September). Evergreens transplanted after mid-September may not have adequate time to…
Early spring is the best time to divide ‘Autumn Joy’ and other upright, clump-forming varieties sedum (Hylotelephium). Dig up plants in early spring just as new growth begins to appear. Divide each clump into sections with a…
Summer-flowering shrubs, such as potentilla and Japanese spirea, bloom in summer on the current year’s growth. Prune summer-flowering shrubs in late winter or early spring (March or early April in Iowa).
In Iowa, early spring (before the plant begins to leaf out) is the best time to transplant a rose. The optimal time period is normally late March to mid-April. Dig up the rose using a shovel or spade and replant immediately. …
Most bulbs should be planted in a full or part-sun location. Early blooming bulbs are often successful beneath a high branched deciduous tree because they usually flower before the tree fully leafs out. After the bulbs…
Cut off the branch just beyond the branch collar and branch bark ridge. The branch collar is the swollen area at the base of the branch. The branch bark ridge is the dark, rough bark ridge that separates the branch from the main…
Just about any herb has the potential to be grown indoors. There are, however, a few species that do better with indoor growing conditions. These herbs tolerate the lower light levels, low humidity, and cooler temperatures indoors, making them…
Several woody trees, shrubs, and vines can be propagated by hardwood stem cuttings. Plants that can be propagated by this method include willow, poplar, dogwood, forsythia, wisteria, grape, currant, gooseberry, and elderberry.
‘Northstar’ and ‘Meteor’ are two of the best performing sour cherry varieties in Iowa. Both varieties were introduced by the University of Minnesota and possess excellent cold hardiness. ‘Northstar’ is a dwarf tree that commonly grows…
The yellow-green color is likely due to a nutrient deficiency. Nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies sometimes occur when flower and vegetable seedlings are started indoors. Symptoms of a nitrogen deficiency include yellow-green foliage and…
Snow molds may be responsible for the brown spots in your lawn. Two snow mold diseases, gray snow mold and pink snow mold, occur in Iowa. Gray snow mold is caused by two species of the fungus Typhula, while pink snow mold is…
Brown leaf tips or edges can happen on any indoor plant but are common on some species like spider plant and dracaena. Trimming the brown portions off the leaves with a scissors can improve appearance, but new browning will occur if…
Wilting is the result of roots not being able to provide adequate moisture to the leaves and stems. It can be caused by two completely opposite reasons, either under-watering or over-watering, which can make it difficult to diagnose and…
Without adequate light, seedlings become lanky. Tall, spindly seedlings do not transplant well into the garden. For most homes, even the brightest windowsill does not provide enough light and the light is one-sided causing seedlings…
A crabapple is a type of apple. The main difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit. A crabapple is a tree that produces fruit that are less than 2 inches in diameter. An apple tree produces fruit that…
A standard fluorescent shop fixture containing two 40-watt tubes provides sufficient light to grow seedlings indoors. For best results, place one cool white and one warm white tube in each fixture. Place the fluorescent lights no more…
A late freeze in spring may damage the blossoms or developing fruit on apples, cherries, and other fruit trees. As a result, the fruit crop may be smaller than normal. The extent of damage will be determined by the plant species,…
One of our biggest frustrations with moles is the perennial misinformation that an insecticide application to kill grubs will solve the mole problem. This is the “lie that will not die.” Forty years ago, it might have been true that…
Freezing temperatures don’t harm dormant plants. In some years, warm late winter temperatures can cause some fruit trees to break bud, leaf-out, or develop flower buds earlier than normal. The inevitable below-freezing temperatures that…
