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| Q. My butterfly bush (Buddleia)
is looking scraggly. Any tips? |
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A. After a busy spring
and hot summer, Buddleias may have pale leaves and few blossoms.
To get ready for fall’s intense butterfly activity, now is
the time to rejuvenate them. Cut them back about a third. Follow
pruning with fertilizer and water. They’ll look bad for a
while, but soon will put on new shoots, each with a terminal bloom
to guarantee lots of flowers by fall. New growth is the secret to
more flowers.
If you look closely, spider mites are causing the pale leaves.
These sucking insects love this plant! Send them on their way with
an upward blast of water or insecticidal soap under the leaves.
This treatment, along with pruning, and fertilizing, will have your
plants back to full performance in no time. Remember not to apply
soaps in the heat of the day to avoid burning the leaves.
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<<view past Questions of the Week |
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|
 Cenizo
('Silverado' and others)
Cenizo or Texas Sage, as it is sometimes called, is a great
Central Texas native shrub that deserves a place in the landscape.
There are many evergreen varieties, with leaves ranging from
shades of gray to green. Flowers come in hues of pink, white,
or lavender. Bloom cycles follow summer rainstorms. In periods
of high humidity, the flowers really stand out in the garden!
Deer generally ignore this plant, and once established it
is very drought resistant. Give it a full sun exposure. Keep
the roots slightly moist for the next month or two after planting,
but never over water. The plant will not thrive in shade,
poor drainage, or too much water.
For the best presentation, don't shear cenizo like a hedge.
If you need to prune to keep it dense, just lightly shape.
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<<view past Plants
of the Week
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- It’s time to make sure those pecans and persimmons are
adequately watered. Around August 1st, pecan trees start to fill
the inside of the nut. Up into then, the pecan is growing in size.
In August, the kernel fills. If the tree doesn’t get water
at this point, you won’t have much nut meat when it comes
time to harvest. So, keep the tree adequately watered to ensure
a good crop for you, or at least, for the squirrels!
- Persimmons, too, are ripening their fruit and need plenty of
water for a good harvest in a few months.
- Continue light pruning of re-blooming perennials for a new round
of flowers in October.
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<< more Planting Tips |
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