Diana's Garden Centre
Frequently Asked Questions
What plants deer will not eat?
What plants deer will not eat?
As a rule most Deer love to eat tender garden and ornamental plants. What you may do to help prevent Deer from eating your plants is to have ferns , Deer do not like them and the ferns will help you to develop an attractive landscape in suitable climates.
Deer also do not like daises, dianthus, dogwood, lantana, lavender, periwinkle or phlox. Deer also avoid many pungent odour herbs such as basil and mint!
What can grow under a Fir Tree??
You can plant azaleas, ferns and rhododendrons, any acid loving kind of plant! Also you may use different types of ground covering such as cotoneaster, Kinnikinnick or Periwinkle.
If my Cactus has rot can it be saved?
YES! If the top portion of the plant is rotted but the roots are still good you may just simply cut the rot out. Ensure that this wound is allowed to dry in a place with great air circulation or the rot will continue and turn the whole plant to mush. If the plant seems mushy on the bottom, the roots are most likely also rotted and should be discarded. Cutting the top where the tissue is sound is the best way to start the rooting process over again. You should allow the plant to callous in an airy place until the cut is dry. This process can take several days to several weeks, depending on the type of plant and the conditions it is now in. After the callus forms, put the plant into well draining soil and do not water. You do not have to bury the cactus just merely having good contact with the soil is fine. Keep the plant in bright, but not direct sunlight and simply wait. If it is spring and the plant has most of it's original tissue, roots should rapidly form and watering can be resumed in a month or two. If, it is fall and most of the plant was rotted, root growth may not begin for several months and you should not water until you have evidence of a root system growing.
How do I pollinate my plants by hand?
You may take some time and hand pollinate your plants by using a small paintbrush and gently touching it to the pollen bearing stamens in the male flowers and touching it to the receptive tip of the pistil in the female flower, it looks like it has a small squash at the base. Or another way is to pick off a male bloom and remove all the petals and simply dust the pollen onto the pistils of the females. It is best to do this in the morning when the blooms are open!
Most Roses need at least six hours of direct sun to help produce the maximum amount of blooms.
What can I use that is organic to kill my weeds?
Vinegar is an environmentally safe means for killing weeds. It is very easy to use and will not harm the environment. Simply pour undiluted vinegar into a spray bottle and spray directly onto the weeds. Make sure you saturate the leaves. Within 6 to 48 hours the weeds will wither and die. Young seedling less than 2 weeks old will be killed completely while matured weeds may have the tops killed but can re-sprout again from their roots.
No! This is not recommended as it may cause rotting. You may use gravel to store and reflect heat this helps the ripening process and warm the air during frosts. Remember to keep the gravel away from the trunks of your trees.