Q: We have several healthy-looking hydrangeas. One of them is covered with flowers, but on each one, the buds do not all open. There are several large blooms around the edge of each flower. They have been like this for several days. Should we be patient and wait for the rest of the buds to open, or is this an issue that we should address now? George Ray, Fulton County
A: The common hydrangeas that you see growing in landscapes as you drive throughout the South typically have a ball-shaped flower. For this reason, gardeners call them “mophead” hydrangeas. But if you closely examine a flower, you’ll see that there are lots of showy blooms (called florets) surrounding smaller bud-shaped florets. These budlike florets are really the fertile flowers of the hydrangea.
If you visit a hydrangea garden with many different varieties of hydrangea, you may see flowers that have bud-shaped florets spread out and flattened that are surrounded by a few showy, nonfertile blooms. These are called “lacecap” flowers due to their resemblance to a lace cap.
In other words, this is the same species (Hydrangea macrophylla) having a differently shaped flower. That’s what you have — a lacecap hydrangea. The flowers that you see now are normal and give a different way to appreciate hydrangeas.
Q: What is the best weed preventative to put between vegetable garden rows? Every year, my husband plants a garden, and acts like it is on autopilot. He does little to nothing to maintain it — no weeding or tilling between the rows. I have told him if he can’t do better, then we are not going to waste money on a garden. Linda Kokinos-Bakalis, email
A: I think old carpet works as well as anything to put between rows, and it’s easy to roll up and store in a shed or under the house for use next time. Other types of between-row coverings include cardboard, sheet plastic, roll roofing, and landscape fabric. None of the coverings, including carpet, will kill many weeds. Green miscreants like Johnson grass and Bermuda grass will take advantage of every crack in your coverage and burst forth undaunted by darkness. They are put in place simply to retard weed growth and to give the gardener a clear place to walk. Keep your eyes out for apartment complexes that are being renovated, or maybe call a few to ask about their plans to replace their carpet.
Email Walter at georgiagardener@yahoo.com. Listen to his occasional garden comments on “Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for his latest tips.
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