Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers' questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
I have heard that you should not cut off the old flowerheads on agapanthus plants. It was said that they will not bloom the following year if you do. True or false? — Donna Russo
Thanks for checking. Gardening information is often casually passed from individual to individual, and in this case, the advice is false. Go ahead and remove the spent flowerheads.
They don't do the plants any good, and most people think the plants look neater without them. Indeed, the seed pods formed after flowering are a waste of effort on the part of the agapanthus plants.
On the other hand, if you like the way the old flower heads look, you can leave them until they turn brown and cut them off then. Cut the flower stalk back to the point where it emerges from the foliage.
My tomatoes have finished up, and I’ve removed them from the garden. Is it too late to plant pole snap beans? — Matthew Hebert
This is not a good time to plant snap beans. The flowers will not set when it is this hot. The next time to plant snap beans is late August through mid-September. For the fall crop, bush snap beans are preferred to the pole types.
However, there is a great option available to plant now — yardlong beans (also called asparagus bean and Chinese long bean). This close relative of Southern peas makes a decent snap bean substitute in the summer. Originating in southern Asia, yardlong beans are not as commonly grown in the New Orleans area as they deserve to be.
Yardlong beans are easy to grow and undemanding. Choose a site in full sun. Loosen the soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches and mix in compost or composted manure. Give the vines something 5 or 6 feet tall to climb on. Tripods or row trellising with poles and string or netting are effective.
Harvest when the bean pods are smaller than the diameter of a pencil, before the seeds have filled out and while the pods still snap when bent — generally when about 12 to 18 inches long.
You may need to harvest daily because continuous picking keeps the plants producing. Snapped into pieces, yardlong bean pods are a delicious substitute for snap beans.
If the bean pods are left to mature on the vine, they will reach lengths up to 3 feet, and the seeds can be shelled out and cooked like Southern peas.
The leaves of my Easter lilies have started to turn yellow. Should I cut the plant off at ground level and leave the bulbs in the ground? — Jamie Sims
It is natural for Easter lilies go dormant in late June and July. When the foliage yellows in midsummer, cut the plant back down to the ground and mark the location so you will remember where it is.
Easter lilies will begin to grow again in fall, around October. Fertilize them at that time. They will grow over the winter and should bloom the next year in late April.
With good care, every year the clump will get bigger and produce more stalks of flowers. Divide the clump every three to five years in mid- to late summer when the foliage yellows or in fall just as the new growth begins.
Dig up the bulbs, separate them and replant them immediately, spaced 10 to 12 inches apart and about 5 inches deep.
Slime mold appears after rainy seasons, but won't hurt your plants. Just hose off with a strong stream of water to dissipate it.
Garden tips
ICK: With rainier weather, slime molds are beginning to show up on lawns. Look for bluish-gray to black patches a few inches to a foot or more in diameter growing on the grass blades. Although they look alarming, they are completely harmless and will not hurt the grass.
A LITTLE SUPPORT: Some of the taller gingers, such as hedychium, alpinia and costus, may get top heavy when they bloom and lean or fall over. A little graceful leaning is generally not an issue, but consider supporting the shoots if they fall over too much or lie over onto nearby plants. Also, each shoot only blooms once. After a shoot blooms, you may cut it back down to the ground to help manage the plant
PRUNE BLACKBERRIES: Blackberry canes that produced fruit this year should be pruned back to the ground if you haven’t already done so. The vigorous new canes that grow this summer will produce next year’s crop. They should not be heavily pruned, although they may be tip pruned to control their length.
THE WAY TO WATER: Water deeply and thoroughly as needed during long, late-summer dry spells. Soaker hoses are an excellent way to water flower beds and vegetable gardens. Keeping the foliage dry helps keep fungal diseases from attacking.
WEB SITES: Fine, silvery webbing appearing on the bark of area trees and large shrubs is completely harmless. The webbing is produced by tiny scavenging insects called bark lice or psocids. There is no need to apply insecticides. If the webbing bothers you, sweep it off with a broom or remove it with a strong spray of water.
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July 20, 2022 at 07:00PM
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Deadhead your agapanthus. Dan Gill says garden gossip is wrong -- they'll still bloom next season - NOLA.com
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