Q: Please let me know the latest I can severely trim azaleas and hydrangeas without killing them during the winter. — Marguerite Howard, email
A: It is problematic to prune either one right now. Azaleas have just about finished making next spring's flower buds at the tips of branches. If you prune now, you won't have any flowers in April. It's a similar situation with hydrangeas and their flowers. If you really have to prune them, delay until after the first frost. Pruning then won't kill either shrub, but don't expect many flowers if you prune in fall or winter.
Q: I have a new Bermuda lawn. My lawn maintenance company wants to aerate it. Is it too late to aerate a lawn that was planted in April? — J. Ray, email
A: I think the best time to aerate Bermuda grass is in May, when it starts growing rapidly. The holes you put in the soil promote oxygen exchange plus water and fertilizer penetration. Fall aeration might be helpful if the soil is really compacted, but that should not be the case if the lawn area was tilled before the sod was planted in April.
Q: Your website says that May or June is best for establishing a lawn from scratch using centipede or zoysia seed. What would be the odds for success doing it this fall? — David Decker, Milner
A: Both centipede grass and zoysia grass seeds require a couple of weeks to germinate and show greenery above ground. After germination, it takes at least eight weeks for either to begin covering the ground significantly. You simply don't have that much time left after fall planting. Plant the seeds in May or June, when soil temperatures are warm enough to make the roots happy. If you need something to plant to cover the area, consider annual rye grass. It germinates rapidly but dies in late spring.
Q: I brought some tulip bulbs from Nebraska. When should I plant them? — Carol Stewart, email
A: It's best to plant bulbs when soil temperatures are 60 degrees and heading lower. That is usually in October. If you plant them now, leaves will appear in a few weeks due to warm soil. That's not really harmful to the tulips, but I'd avoid it if possible. For the next few weeks keep the bulbs in a cool, dry spot indoors, then plant when conditions are right.
Q: I dug my iris up and replanted several roots in another location at the end of July. The green leaves are coming up now. What I should do so they will bloom in the spring and not now? — W. Virden , email
A: The irises won't bloom now. Despite the emerging foliage, iris plants "know" to bloom in spring. Don't remove leaves; they are absorbing sunlight now to prepare for blooming next year.
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