Does anyone know much about the proper way to deadhead a Shasta Daisy? I bought three plants last year that were beautiful and planted them around the end of June. I know deadheading them is very important, but am not sure where to do it. Do you clip them right under the flower or at the bottom of the stem? When I tried at the bottom of the stem, I felt like I was taking too much off, but when I took off just the flower, it just left a clipped stem. They didn't bloom as long as they should have, and I wasn't sure if that was because this was their first year in the ground, or my lack of knowledge with where to deadhead. Thanks for any advice!!

The stuff I use has Sevin in it which will get rid of the grubs. I don't know if it's that or the fact that I have so many plants that the beetles do not like. Here's a good article I saved that describes these plants and reports on the nematodes & milky spores as well as other things. Good luck on your beetle "war."

Shastas can be deadheaded just below the faded bloom & above the 1st set of healthy leaves.

My mom is coming down at the end of March to help plant for the year. I was hoping to have everything in the ground by then, but with the stress of getting everything in the house done -- I doubt I'll have it done.

It will be nice to have the help in the garden AND she pays for everything (even though I've told her not to) so I can usually get more exotic than I usually would.

I have to put my seed order in now if I'm going to have it when she gets here. *pulls out millions of seed catalogs*

[B]Mizski[B]: Thanks so much for the info. I think I was cutting them all over the place last year!

I have a big strawberry pot that I plant my herbs in, Cyndi, but I haven't noticed whether it attracts ladybugs. I'll have to watch for them this year. I remember one year my dad ordered several thousand ladybugs for his garden, and when he released them, they all flew away.

Cottage - I can't help but laugh at that.

Alright, I'm getting mixed information on my zone. Some websites say it is a 7, some an 8 and others a 9....this makes a big difference in my planting.

I've decided to just tackle one bed this year. I'll do the big one in front of the house this year and do the sides next year.

I'm thinking of putting in some Elephant Ears (they get HUGE), some lilies or irises (anyone know of any good varietals for full sun?) and then...? Maybe some annuals of some sort.

I also have want to get another hibiscus (man, they are so easy to grow down here!) and a lavender or rosemary shrub for the area by our front door.

I'm going to do vegetables in containers this year unless my dad is willing to build me a raised bed when he comes down -- although it won't be until the end of May.

Sorry, Cottage...I don't know how I totally missed your question! I've got an east-facing bay window which is where I was planning on putting them. I was hoping to get some cuttings this week while I was in Austin, but mom was sick and I was unprepared. Oh well, Jason and I are planning on heading up there in a few weeks, so I'll probably try again then!



While driving halfway across the state this past week, my coworkers and I saw tons of beautiful flowers in bloom. We were all yearning to get to the nursery to start our flower beds, but we've had a HARD freeze every Easter weekend for the past three years, so none of us are going to risk it.

Zeff, I'd try either the Sunset links I posted or try asking either a good gardener in your area, the person who runs your local nursery/farm supply store, or check with the person who writes gardening columns for your local paper to get an exact number for your area. Some areas are really different from the general number. The presence of hills or lakes can change the climate a lot from something 10 miles away. That's why I think the Sunset stuff is so helpful.

Cottage, that's what I'm always afraid will happen if I purchase ladybugs! I see a few from time to time in our garden, but we don't have a lot of aphids in our garden, so someone's eating 'em!

Selling my house and building a new one this year, so no gardening for me.

Big challenge will be NEXT year when we're all moved in. We bought a lot where the deer and the antelope play. I'm sure the deer are already waiting to see what I'll plant. Double

I'm wondering if it's deer who mow down the huge tulip bed in the front when they start to grow. I thought it was the squirrels or maybe rabbits but the tulips in the back yard (all fenced in where deer can't enter) are fine. This year I'm going to try some deer/critter repellent to see if that works. I think Ropel makes some. I had better get some soon. The trick is to put it out even before they start popping up and continue to apply it.

The plants are safe for now...they are buried under the snow.

Miz,

Deer love tulips but hate daffodils. Even when they're not in bloom. I've never tried the repellants (never had a deer problem) and I keep hearing all sorts of things about their effectiveness. Let me know how you do. Husband wants a fence! A chicken wire fence! What??? That's fine for vegetables and herbs, but my Japanese maple and water feature won't fly with a fence. I'm gonna miss the hostas something fierce if I don't find a solution.

Oh well.... I have a year to research it.

mizski- I know my grandmother used to always just spray her plants with a hot pepper and water mixture- it kept the critters from eating them and is safe...

I have several dozen hostas of different kinds all over the place and no one bothers them. Maybe because they look so dangerous when they pop up out of the ground with those spikes. I think they look very cool.

I agree: hiss, boo on the chicken wire fence. I'm not sure where you are in New England but I would check out the good gardening/landscaping places in the area. They give great advice on how to combat the bugs, critters & other nasties in your area. My places are continually helping me...last summer it was a battle between carpenter bees & the shed. (I won. LOL)

I'll let you know how the tulips are doing in the upcoming months.

Rikki, I think the Ropel has cayenne in it but also coyote urine as the scent scares deer/rabbits/squirrels away. Trouble is that no matter what you use you have to continually apply it...the rain and even heavy dew gets rid of it. Thanks for the suggestion tho'...I might make up a bottle of pepper water spray to cut down on the expense.

I'm going to have to try something for that, too--none of my tulips in the front made it last year because something ate them. Could be deer or squirrels. I planted 50 daffodils several years ago and only 3 made it...most of the rest had leaves, but something ate the flower heads. Odd! I thought they were critter-proof...

I balk at using the commercial products for scaring off pests, as they are often $25 or $30. That's out of my price range! But I'd like to try the pepper spray...