Question: I am looking for a small evergreen to go in front of the deck. There will be loam brought in. Answer: Lynne M. Holland, Horticulture and Social Media Professional First of all, I am going to send along a recommendation to consult this chapter from our manual for some in-depth information on the things […]
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Question: I am a Master Gardener in Virginia, but I’m helping a friend start to think about her garden for a new house she is building in Maine. Only the garage has been completed this year, with the main house to follow next year. Her driveway wraps around a center section, which is also her […]
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Question: I would like to use some spearmint growing in a neighbor’s landscape garden. Since the garden is next to the street where dogs are walked, a neighbor in my building (who is hyper cautious, I might add) advised against eating the mint because of concern that dogs may have peed on the plants at […]
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Question: I am wondering if I should add a cover crop to my raised beds this fall/winter? I was growing vegetables in them over the summer and heard a cover crop is a great idea. What type of cover crop to get and how do you get rid of it before next year’s planting? Answer: […]
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Question: I’m getting wild plantain infestation after amending and reseeding my 1,500-square-foot lawn this past spring. I’d like to topdress with compost and new grass seed at the end of this season. Can you recommend the “safest” selective herbicide to control this? Or would you recommend I start new with “safest” broad spectrum herbicide and […]
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Question: I live in Yarmouth, Maine and am looking for land to start a lavender farm. I am starting small, maybe one acre to see how it will go. My limitations would be: zone, 6a, 5b or5a, not very rich, sandy soil, well drained, around one hour drive from Yarmouth. Could you advise where I […]
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Question: As I was inspecting/removing aphids from our young apple trees, I noticed an odd growth on a few of the leaves of one of the trees (a native bred Black Oxford from our local orchard and nursery). My inclination is to cut off any affected leaf to keep this odd growth from spreading, but […]
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Question: With all of the rain in July, I have raspberry plants way over 6′ tall. Few berries this year. Should I cut them back? I don’t want to hurt production next year, but these seem out of control. If cutting is the answer, how much and when? Also, I just planted a new section […]
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Question: I have three varieties of dry beans planted, and the leaves of one of them, Vermont cranberry, look like they have some sort of virus or other disease. Other varieties right next to them (black coco and silver cloud canellini) look fine. Can you give me an idea what it might be and whether […]
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Question: I have been receiving the newsletter for years, this is my first time writing. I have two hydrangea trees that are about 5 ½ feet tall and 7 feet, that were planted about four years ago. They are in bloom and the blossoms captured the rain enough to bend the branches. On the smaller […]
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