Dear Master Gardener: I bought some lovely, blooming gerbera daisies at the beginning of the summer but they stopped flowering. Is this typical of gerbera daisies? I was hoping they would keep blooming all summer!
Answer: Gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii) are bright, colorful flowers in the Aster family. They usually bloom in cycles and not continuously — they take a break then bloom again. To keep gerbera daisies blooming, remove the flowers as soon as they start to fade by cutting the stems at the base. Feed your gerbera daisies every 2-3 weeks with a phosphorus-rich fertilizer. Fertilizers that are formulated for flowering plants have a higher middle number (phosphorus) which is important for blooming. For example, the one I use for all my annuals is 10-54-10.
Dear Master Gardener: I saw a plant called Angelica on a garden tour at the Legacy Gardens in Staples. I’ve never heard of it — what can you tell me about it?
Answer: Not knowing which species of Angelica they have in the Legacy Gardens, there are two possibilities — Angelica atropurpurea or Angelica archangelica. Angelica atropurpurea is a very tall (probably the tallest) native Minnesota wildflower that reaches 6-8 feet in height and has been known to reach 9 feet! In the wild it is often found growing in wet meadows or wet ditches. The smooth purple stems are hollow and 1-2 inches in diameter. It is a short-lived perennial that usually dies after flowering and setting seed, but if you cut the flower before that happens, it may grow and bloom again the following year.
Angelica atropurpurea is one of the tallest native Minnesota wildflowers.
Contributed / Shutterstock
Angelica archangelica, also known as garden Angelica, is a European native hardy to zone 4. It is a biennial that can be grown in the garden for ornamental or culinary purposes. The first year, this plant produces foliage. In the second year it produces a 6-foot-tall hollow stem and large, greenish-white, 6-inch diameter flower umbels that bloom in early summer. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, “The leaves, stems, roots, and seeds taste like licorice and have been cultivated for many years for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Culinary uses include: (1) leaves may be added to mixed salads; (2) stalks and young shoots may be used like celery or crystallized in sugar for cake decorations or snacks; (3) leaves, seeds and roots may be used for making tea; (4) seed is commercially used for flavoring liqueurs (such as Chartreuse.)”
Angelica grows best in full to part sun and is a good addition to a rain garden.
Dear Master Gardener: At the beginning of the summer, I planted some beautiful Hostas that are blue in color. They have turned a sickly green color. Why did they lose their beautiful color?
Answer: The top layer of a blue hosta leaf is covered with a glaucous coating that provides a blue appearance to the leaf. This coating is also on blueberries and plums. The more glaucous coating a leaf has the bluer the appearance. Blue hostas peak early in the season and are generally bluer when they first emerge. The blueness can fade due to sun exposure and/or heat, but some will keep almost all their blue color until autumn. How much blue color a hosta retains depends on genetic make-up, light levels, and degree of summer heat.
Blue hostas are best planted in protected areas (under tree canopies). They perform best in filtered sunlight or just a little morning sunlight. The thick coating on blue hostas will wear off from strong sun, high heat, and heavy rains.
Dear Master Gardener: What is digging up my outdoor potted plants? Sometimes it’s so bad that I find the flowers have been dug up and are lying on the ground and I can’t save them. I’ve been spraying them with animal repellent, but it doesn’t always help.
Answer: Squirrels are the most likely culprits. They dig up plants, tossing them aside, so they can bury their treasures (acorns and nuts). In addition to digging in flower pots, they dig up newly planted bulbs in the fall, strip bark off trees, steal bird seed from bird feeders scaring off the lovely songbirds and dig up flower beds. Some experts suggest placing stones or river rock on top of the soil in containers, or placing chicken wire on top of the container before planting, then cutting holes in it for the plants. Some gardeners have reported success sprinkling cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, which contain capsaicin, on the soil. Squirrels and other mammals are sensitive to capsaicin, which causes a burning sensation and irritates their sensitive nasal passages and taste buds. I have a very large container of red pepper flakes which won’t be found in my spice cabinet, but is in with my gardening supplies. Red pepper flakes sprinkled on the soil in my containers has been the most successful squirrel deterrent for me.
Dear Master Gardener: Would wild ginger make a good groundcover for my shade garden?
Answer: Yes! Wild (Canadian) ginger (Asarum canadense) is a great choice for a shade or woodland garden. It is a Minnesota native plant found in moist woodlands and forests. It gets about 6-9 inches tall, grows best in part to full shade, and spreads by rhizomes. The leaves are heart-shaped and densely covered in soft hairs on the underside. Canadian ginger flowers in the spring, but you have to look hard to find the flower. Each plant has a single, brownish-red flower that is jug-shaped and lies on the ground at the base of the plant between two leaves. As an aside, it is not related to the ginger we use for Asian cooking.
You may get your garden questions answered by calling the new Master Gardener Help Line at 218-824-1068 and leaving a message. A Master Gardener will return your call. Or, emailing me at
umnmastergardener@gmail.com
and I will answer you in the column if space allows.
University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners are trained and certified volunteers for the University of Minnesota Extension. Information given in this column is based on university research.
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