Boxwood

/Boxwood/

Boxwood

Box blight usually causes leaves to brown and die off fairly quickly, not just yellow. I do see a bit of brown twig on the left edge of the photo. Yellowing foliage usually indicates poor cultural conditions, such as waterlogging. It's certainly not unheard of that plants growing so close together can be affected by varying conditions. But the green, healthy stems in the photo look as if they are a different cultivar all together - although this could be the difference between healthy and unhealthy foliage. Check the drainage along the hedge to make sure that water is not keeping soil too wet. For further information, take a sample into your local garden center or read up on box problems here:
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=851

By | 2016-03-15T18:01:09-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Living Stones Or Stone Faces

Lithops resemble small, rounded pebbles as a camouflage protection against grazing animals. Living stones also subsist on very little moisture and do best where there is low humidity, no frost, and about 4-5 hours of sunlight. Do not water during winter dormancy. After white blooms emerge, the plant bodies open to produce a new pair of succulent leaves and the old leaves will then eventually shrivel up. In late spring and summer, water most Lithops very sparingly - when in doubt do not water. Lithops are among the most drought tolerant plants on earth. However, yours is the beautiful L. optica rubra, a completely pink-purple species that grows in late summer through winter, so unlike other Lithops species, withhold water in the spring months.

By | 2016-03-15T17:36:49-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Succulents|0 Comments
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Lily Of The Nile

We cannot be positive without seeing your plants in flower but the foliage resembles the lily of the Nile. If it is, the large clusters of blue, purple, lavender, or white trumpet-shaped flowers on tall stems will arise from the lily of the Nile plant in spring. It is a common but beautiful landscape plant where conditions are naturally dry, and does well as long as the site is sunny and the soil well-drained. Leaves can get nipped by hard freezes and sunburned in heat waves. Plants prefer full sun to part shade, regular water and are pretty resilient to many growing conditions. Fertilize annually with a formula made for flowering perennial plants, but the plant will usually perform satisfactorily even without fertilizer.

By | 2016-03-15T17:36:45-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Canna Problem

We cannot be positive without seeing the flower you have described, but this may be a Canna lily. Cannas are prized for their showy leaves and striking spikes of large flowers in reds, oranges, white, cream, yellow, pink or bicolors. They grow best in full sun and regular water. In mild winter areas, cannas can be left in the ground all year long, but in your area they may not be winter hardy. You'll need to lift them after the first frost and keep them dormant inside over winter or keep them in a pot indoors like you have done...When the temperatures turn mild, take outdoors and place in partial shade, then gradually introduce it to full sun over 7-10 days. Otherwise the leaves will scald if put out in full sun suddenly.

By | 2016-03-15T16:52:32-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Tropical Plants|0 Comments
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Clivia

Care for a clivia: it is a perennial from tuberous rhizomes. Native to South Africa, it bears primarily orange, red, or yellow clusters of funnel-shaped flowers on stalks that emerge above the clumps of foliage in late winter-spring. Following the spent flowers, seed head berries appear that typically ripen to red-orange or yellow. It grows best indoors in bright indirect light and needs a period of coolness in winter to promote bloom. It should be watered when the top inch of soil feels dry down to the first knuckle. Does not tolerate frost, but when day and evening temperatures remain mild, it will do very well outdoors in shade. Feed with a slow release fertilizer during its growth and bloom cycles. Do not water overhead, water at the plant's base.

By | 2016-03-15T16:10:17-07:00 March 15th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Rose

Photo is too distant fand dark or us to see the details of the foliage and flowers, but it may belong to the Rosa genus of which has many different classes, families, and varieties. There are just too many for us to identify one specifically. Generally speaking, rose plants need sun, well-drained soil, regular fertilizer and water regimes, and sometimes spraying to control pests. Removing the old flowers as they age will sometimes bring on more, but leave a few late in the season to form rosehips, a favorite backyard bird treat. Hips should ripen to an orange or red color. For an identification of the cultivar, suggest you contact your local rose society or visit www.helpmefindroses.com to see if your cultivar can be identified.

By | 2016-03-15T13:20:18-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Sturts Desert Pea

Sturt's Desert Pea, Swainsona formosa, was adopted as the floral emblem of South Australia on 23 November 1961, using the name Clianthus formosus. This species, a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, is confined to Australia, where it occurs in all mainland States except Victoria. Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869) noted the occurrence of Swainsona formosa in 1844 while exploring between Adelaide and central Australia, and the common name, Sturt's Desert Pea, commemorates a notable explorer of inland Australia, as well as indicating the plant's habitat and family. Sturt's journal, Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia, refers several times to the beauty of the desert pea in flower and the harsh nature of its habitat.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:20-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Ground Cover Plants|0 Comments
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Aphids

We can't see the small eggs/pests clearly enough to identify them. However, aphid season is in full swing so these may be aphids. If the infestation or presence of these eggs/aphids isn't too widespread, you can remove them with a forceful stream of water from the hose. Continue to monitor the infested plants and hose off these pests as they appear.

If you can't remove them or the infestation is too widespread, you may want to confirm your pest so you'll know the best way to deal it. You can take this leaf or another sample to a local nursery or to the Colorado Extension Agency where they can examine them using a loop, a hand magnifier. Here's a link to your local Extension office - http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/arapahoe/

By | 2016-03-15T11:04:50-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Succulent Bush Senecio Leaves Browning

We're not sure that your plant actually has a problem. From what we can see in the photo (and it's difficult to be sure exactly) the browning appears to be on the leaves closest in line to the bottom of the plant. If this is truly the case, it is normal. The oldest leaves closest to the bottom of the plant eventually die as with most plants - they did their job and are replaced by new ones. Make sure you have it growing in full sun, that it is in a well draining soil, and water thoroughly when you do but don't water again until the soil has dried out fairly well. Feel free to remove those dried up leaves and see if things don't settle down after this first rash of die-offs. Contact us again if the observation we made is incorrect or if the problem persists - I think it should be o.k.

By | 2016-03-15T10:04:17-07:00 March 15th, 2016|Plant Diseases|2 Comments
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Moth Orchid Care Notes

They have extra long bloom cycles, but when they're done, flowers wilt and drop. During the bloom cycle, they need to be fed weekly with half strength water soluble orchid food or slow-release fertilizer formulated for blooming container plants. When flowers fall off, prune back only to green stem, since often the same flower stalk will rebloom. Check both sides of the leaves closely for mealy bugs and scale insects (the latter are like tiny scabs on the leaves). Both usually often produce sticky residue called honeydew. Remove insects with cotton swabs soaked in 70% alcohol. Does best in bright, indirect light and water every 7-10 days at the base of the plant, not in the center of the leaves. Do not allow plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot.

By | 2016-03-15T09:52:10-07:00 March 15th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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