Q: What is the best time to prune roses when we have had such a mild winter? Jennifer Kilcrease, email
A: Late February seems right to me, even when a shrub rose has emerging leaves. I have two tips to keep in mind when pruning shrub roses. Number one, plan to reduce the size by about 50 percent. Unpruned roses won't have a dense covering of blooms. Number two, make your cuts about a quarter of an inch above a bud that faces outward. This gives better air circulation through the shrub, which prevents disease and stimulates the production of more leaves, which leads to more flowers.
Q: I planted a Tropicana canna lily last year. It has just sprouted new shoots nearby. Will the original plant come back? Susan Collado, Forsyth County
A: Canna lilies spread via underground roots called rhizomes. Typically the old plant will sprout again and also put out new sprouts from the rhizomes that grew last summer. The clump will slowly expand each year.
Q: Given how very early things are blooming this year, when do you think hummingbird feeders should be put out? Barbara Ribner, email
A: Many birders keep at least one hummingbird feeder out all year long. Ruby-throat hummers arrive in spring and depart in fall but other species migrate through Georgia in winter. The good folks at Georgia Hummers (georgiahummers.org) report at least a dozen species have been recorded here.
Q: My front yard is mostly shade. But I recently lost a tree and now there is a circle of sunny space in the center. I'd like to plant it with a low maintenance grass like creeping red fescue. Janet Rochman, email
A: Creeping red fescue has a hard time surviving the intense summer sun and heat here. I'd consider 'Elijah Blue' clumping fescue, 'Evergold' carex, or 'Ogon' acorus instead.
Q: I received an Ukigumo japanese maple a year ago. I thought it would be fine in the pot it's in but several branches on it are dying. I can also smell rot coming from the soil. It had been sitting outside in full shade the whole year before I brought it in. Should I transplant it to another larger pot or attempt to plant it in the ground this winter? Michael Morgan
A: This is a gorgeous maple. Young leaves are green but they change to white during the year, leading to the name "Floating Cloud" maple. It needs to grow outdoors all year long. Bringing it indoors in a pot leads to too much moisture around the roots. This could lead to root rot and is possibly the source of the rotting smell. I would consider repotting it into a larger pot with fresh soil.
The buds and leaves are tender now since you’ve had it indoors for so long. The best thing to do now is to bring it outside on warm afternoons and take it inside at night if it’s cold. Gradually expose it to cold weather but you can leave it outside when night temperatures are reliably above 40 degrees in the spring.
