Ask John

Seems to me with all that foliage color you are going to need some nice green foliaged plant that blooms when the abelia is not in bloom. What about Dwarf Gardenia, Rosemary, Yewtopia(if partial shade) or Gumpo Azalea.

It should work but most folks recommend round-up or a good brush killer like brush-b-gone- john

Apparently it is not available in the market place unless it is old stock(which is fine to use). Most folks are replacing it with horticultural oil spray. It will take several applications to control scale if that is the problem.

The only control that I know of is to cut them off. I would recommend that you cut them off and discard in a trash can not the compost pile.

Most folks think spring or fall are both fine. Frankly, unless we are having a serious drought I am comfortable planting azaleas anytime as long as they can be watered.

You can get them locally but they are generally more abundant in the fall. Call around and I bet one of the local garden centers have some.

Absolutely when they finish blooming.

Good description of your needs but if you want to do it right, hire a good professional to do it. If it has a landscape or you have a “builder’s landscape, I will be glad to make some suggestions based on your questions. So if you could give me a bit more information and perhaps a picture or two I think I could help you more.

The only place I have ever seen them are in farmers bulletins but probably not this time of the year. Also posting on Craig’s list might turn up some but the best way is to get some from a fellow gardener in summer when they go to seed

Yes, spring is fine and I recommend after the last frost. That is generally around April 15.

I like for pots to have year round appeal. So to get something 3 to 4 feet tall, I would first start with an evergreen like rosemary and tuck seasonal plants around it that are tough. For spring perhaps crocus or dwarf daffodils, summer lantana if in sun, impatiens in shade, and for fall marigolds, and pansies for winter. Most of these plant have to be watered and fertilized occasionally but are easy care.

Probably, cut the old rose buds off and keep clean water in the vase by changing it when it gets cloudy. If after a few weeks you will start seeing small rises on the stems that are in water they will generally put out roots if not they will eventually die.

In all likelihood it’s either oriental fruit moth or plum curculio.

Oriental fruit moth early in the season lays eggs in new shoot tips, larvae feed on the new growth, and there’s flagging of the tips (appears wilted). Once wood hardens and fruit are growing, subsequent generations of larvae go into the fruit and eat them on the inside. Best control is sanitation – cleaning up old fruit and leaves from previous year. Also use of a general home fruit tree spray can be helpful. Spraying just after petal fall (so bees are not affected) can help reduce populations and then spraying every couple of weeks during growing season could be helpful.

Plum curculio also affects fruit. The female lays eggs in fruit usually with a small crescent shaped cut, eggs hatch, and larvae eat internally in fruit. Spray control probably beginning about mid-May could be helpful.

For both insects, once larvae are inside the fruit, they are well protected from insecticide treatments. Only way to get them is spraying the adults prior to egg laying.

This is from a friend of mine who is an expert

That is a complicated recommendation. Put the superphosphate on first then wait a week to start your fertilizer applications. Since it is a berm, I would water throughly after each application but not to water run-off. Hope you have beautiful plants this year-john