It’s garden questions and answers again! You may e-mail me
questions at: ga********@*ps.net. Or you can mail me questions in
care of this newspaper. For a faster, personal response, please
include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
It’s garden questions and answers again! You may e-mail me questions at: ga********@*ps.net. Or you can mail me questions in care of this newspaper. For a faster, personal response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Q: How do I drill drainage holes in a decorative pot? – B.T., Morgan Hill, via e-mail.
A: You’re wise to want to drill drainage holes in the container. Planting in a container with no drainage is highly risky in that if you overwater, the excess water has no place to go. It will eventually rot the roots, killing the plant.
Drilling holes in a decorative pot is actually pretty simple – with the correct tools. You’ll need a masonry bit and a drill. A masonry bit is made for drilling through concrete. Attach the bit to the drill, place the bit on the bottom of the container and apply general pressure to the pot at a relatively slow pace.
If you don’t want to risk breaking the decorative pot, consider using it as a sort of saucer. Simply plant in a slightly smaller container that has drainage holes, and place it within the decorative pot.
Q: My established clematis is losing its leaves, which are turning brown, from the ground up. They were mulched, fertilized and I keep their feet watered. I also used some chelated iron after seeing the leaves looking like chlorosis had set in. Any help would be appreciated. – O.C., Gilroy, via e-mail.
A: You sound like an experienced gardener in that you knew to use iron to treat chlorosis (yellowing leaves). However, my guess is that you may have overfertilized with that chelated iron. Clematis do not like to be overfertilized.
Browning of some leaves in summer is sometimes natural as it doesn’t follow any pattern, such as a wet or dry season. Prompt removal of this dry foliage will hasten new shoot development and reduce the unsightliness of the plants.
After that, about all you can do now is wait and see if new growth develops. Clematis vines seldom have disease problems, but need good drainage and regular watering.
Q: I have a wisteria vine that has escaped into a neighbor’s Japanese privet tree. When it bloomed, it looked lovely. But I’m afraid my wisteria might kill the neighbor’s tree. What should I do? – B.R., Hollister, via e-mail.
A: Congratulations on being a concerned neighbor. Your wisteria probably won’t kill the Japanese privet since privets are especially tough.
However, it’s probably best to prune your wisteria shoots out of the tree because eventually it’ll be a tangled mess. Go ahead and prune now. It won’t hurt either specimen.
