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Q. In a past column on Amaryllis belladona (naked ladies), you mention that they come in colors other than the regular pink that are in evidence during summer. I am a real amaryllis fancier and have lots of them in my garden. I would love to get my hands on some of those other colors. I haven't been able to find them anywhere. Can I order them by mail?
Q. My pink hydrangea will not turn blue. I even followed your advice from a past column, and bought and applied aluminum sulphate. What else can I do? A. Thanks for following my advice. Now, if only I can get my wife and daughter to follow suit! Seriously, you did well in applying aluminum sulphate, but yu need to use it every year from the time the leaves emerge until flowering. This means several applications in order to change your soil from alkaline to acidic. Good luck in trying this again starting next spring. Q. I had beautiful sunflower plants this past summer until suddenly they turned gray with a white substance on the leaves. The infected plants eventually died. What caused this? A. Powdery mildew was the culprit. The fungus saps the leaves of energy, causing them to yellow and eventually die. Spray with a fungicide, such as sulphur, horticultural oil or even a powdery mildew spray. One of the latter is called Doo-spray, but there are many on the market. You can also achieve preventive controls by making sure plants are well spaced apart with good air circulation. Also, avoid wetting leaves late in the day when watering. Remove and destroy any infected leaves as soon as you see them. Like tomatoes, do not plant sunflowers in the same location for two years in a row. Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article Garden Question and Answers in California Gardening is owned by Keith Muraoka. Permission to republish Garden Question and Answers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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