Gardenias turing black and dying

I live in Charlotte NC. I have five hanging gardenias ( jasmine ). I've been getting nice fragrant flowers every spring but this year as soon as the young buds are formed they turn black and die. Please help!!

-- Sarla


Anne's Response:

The problem is probably a fungus - Botrytis cinerea - that is more common in greenhouse plants on the east coast but does affect outdoor plants. (I am not sure where you keep the hanging plants in the winter.)Most references still give the control as removing affected buds and destroying them. To prevent the problem next year, clean up debris on the soil at the base of the plant this fall. Be sure there is good air circulation around the plants and the plants are generally healthy.

The plants may need to be repotted when you take them down this fall. Next spring as new buds swell in the spring you may try treating the plant with a systemic fungicide.

What Kind of Flower is This?

I listen to your show most Saturday mornings and I have recently come across a flower that I don't know what it is. I found this in a wooded area between my drive and a field. The flower with stem is approx. 10 inches tall, it has no leaves near the ground that I can tell. It is a spiral arrangement of small white flowers with green in the center area. If you can identify this please reply and let me know, if not I would appreciate a response anyway.

-- Ken


Anne’s Response:

That is a lovely photograph of Spiranthes gracilis, commonly known as Slender Ladies’ Tresses. It is a wildflower found in dry to moist fields, meadows and sandy hardwood forests of the North Carolina mountains and Piedmont regions. The leaves come out in early April, then the bloom spike starts to develop. The leaves usually die and disappear before we notice the bloom in August or September.

Help With Hydrangeas

Our blue, white and pink hydrangea bushes all turned to a light green color and have remained green throughout the summer. What would cause the colors to change? We have also had very poor success with the roses the last two years. They bloom early and the all the leaves fall off leaving just the flower. After the leaves fall then the newest buds never open. They seem to be starving for something but we cannot figure out what is lacking. Can you help?

-- James, Fayetteville


Anne’s Response:

Your hydrangeas are growing just as they are supposed to. The plant blooms its original color (blue, white or pink) then instead of having the flower turn brown and fall off it turns green and remains on the plant until frost turns it brown in the fall. That is one of the joys of the plant - a bloom form that remains attractive on the plant for a very long time. The problem with your roses is harder to diagnose. In most cases the leaf drop comes from leaves that have been affected with Black Spot fungus. The leaves get spotted, turn yellow and fall off. It is quite near the end of the rose season this year and there is not enough time to control Black Spot and produce a set growth of foliage and bloom before the first frost. Clean up all the dropped foliage and dispose of it. After the first frost spray the ground around the plants with a Lime-Sulfur spray to control any fungus spores that may be on the ground. In December spray the plants with the same product. Next spring start a fertilizer and disease control program. Many gardeners with just a few rose plants have found the Bayer 3 in One or All in One product a safe, easy way to fertilize the plants, and protect them from diseases and insects. The chemical is mixed with water in a watering can and the product is poured on the ground around the base of the bush, being careful not to get the chemical on the foliage of the plants.

Osmanthus Won't Bloom

We included an Osmanthus in our landscaping when we built our new home and was told it would bloom with a white fragrant flower. It has failed to bloom since in was planted in November of 2006. Is it going through a shock period and should bloom this fall or do I need to add something to the soil to improve the conditions? We have lots of red clay and it gets plenty of sun.

-- Mary


Anne's Response:

I am not sure whether you have osmanthus fragrans or the holly osmanthus but both plants thrive in full sun. You may want to mulch the plant with some composted leaves or other garden mulch to improve th soil but osmanthus does not seem to be all that particular about growing condidions. Sometimes it just takes time for a plant to acclimate to a new location. Last summer was hard on some plants as they did not have the rain they needed during the summer to develop buds for fall flowering.