From flowers not blooming to weeds popping up in yards, we’re answering your questions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – You asked and we got the answers to your latest gardening questions from Wallitsch Gardens.

Why are my Zinnias not growing this year? What do I do for powdery mildew on them?

“Ahh powdery mildew. So the powdery mildew is always a problem with Zinnias especially this time of year,” said Jeff Wallitsch. “It’s not anything really necessary to worry about. It’s just more of a nuisance. It doesn’t look great.”

To help control it, Wallitsch suggests making sure you are watering at the soil and not on the plant itself. You could also use a fungicide.

As for not getting Zinnia seeds to grow this year, Wallitsch says it could be a couple of different things.

“Depending on when they planted them this Spring, could be with a lot of the wet spring we had and the moisture,” he said. “They could have rotted or stayed too wet.”

Why are my Hydrangeas not flowering? Is there anything that I can do about it?

“So there are lots of things with Hydrangeas. I’m going to say maybe this Hydrangea is a shade Hydrangea,” Wallitsch said. “Theres three different reasons why they wouldn’t bloom. The first is if they’re in too much shade. The second thing is they are cut back at the wrong time. And then the third things is if you get your lawn fertilized and your Hydrangeas are close to the lawn, a lot of nitrogen is put on the grass. And that nitrogen can leach into the soil where the Hydrangea is and nitrogen promotes foliage growth, but it doesn’t promote blooms.”

Wallitsch suggests finding a good fertilizer with a high middle number to promote blooms.

The lilac bushes look terrible after that week of really hot weather. The leaves started turning black and brown and then falling off. Should they cut them back or wait to see if they start blooming again?

“This one is a great question,” Wallitsch said. “It is a little too late to trim back your lilacs if you want them to bloom in the spring. If you don’t care about them blooming in the spring, go ahead and hack those guys back.”

How do we take care of Johnson grass and Nutsedge grass this year?

“I always tell people this time of year to keep your lawn longer. That way it’s harder for weeds to come through,” Wallitsch said.

He adds that hand-pulling is the best option as long as you get the entire root system.