I am sooo happy to have found this forum ( I feel like a kid in a candy store!!!) I have a ton of questions - so I guess I'm just going to list them and anyone can jump in to help me out! I'll probably post more this spring when I start planting my fruit trees! I am in zone 5/6 on the north east coast of Ohio (lake Erie. I just bought my first house and planted about $1000 worth of goodies this year!!

1. A friend gave me some comfrey, I planted it in a sunny location, it's wilted and dead looking, will it come back in the spring? She has tried eveything to kill hers and can't get rid of it, says it's beyond hardy? She says the flowers are sterile, will it live? Will it spread?

2. I have a million small holes in my salvia - what is causing it and how can I best respond? Ditto with my hardy hibiscus - it looks like swiss cheese.

3. What is a good companion flower plant to plant near/with my asparagus?

4. Why are my hostas turning brown on the edges now?

5. I planted a Harry Lauder walking stick in partial shade, in my shade garden, how quick do they grow?

6. I have a ton of "love lies bleeding" seeds, I've heard they reseed freely, can I scatter some now in the fall or should I plant them in the spring?

7. I planted an endless summer blue hydrangea this year and it didn't bloom, when/how should I prune it and will it bloom next year?

8. I ordered oriental poppies online and they came as a root in a bag of peat, should I plant them now or wait until the spring?

9. Has anyone had any luck with the following tulips spreading and blooming for more than two years: queen of the night and rembrant.

10. For each lilly of the vally I have this year, how many will I have in the spring? Ditto on english bluebells.

11. What perennials should I use to be a companion to my giant persian alliums?

12. Will my rose campion spread a bunch this spring (I planted it last spring). And will the transplanted buttercups I put with them bloom this year, or are they biennial?

13. Will verigated wigeilia tolerate some shade? How about ornamental grasses, I have a light shady area I put some in - should I move it - it's by my sum and substance hosta and I thought they would be pretty?

14. Will my ostrich ferns spread? How about ghost ferns?

Thanks in advance, I can't wait to meet all of you!!

Rain

#1- Comfrey prefers some shade...it needs a lot of moisture in full sun.

#5- Harry Lauders are somewhat slow growing, so don't expect too much.

#7- You don't have to prune it at all if you don't want...just wait until spring and remove any dead wood. They can be pruned anytime since they bloom on new wood.

#8- Oriental poppies need cold in order to bloom, so you should plant them now...if you wait until spring they won't bloom next year.

#11- You'll want to use something that will grow over the empty space the alliums will leave when they go dormant after blooming. Daylilies are a good choice.

#13- Both can tolerate a little shade, but the grass may do better in full sun.

* * * *

For the comfrey - how do you propagate by root cuttings? When is the best time to do it? Should I cut off the dead leaves now - they are black and completely mushy?

thanks comfrey - sounds a lot like horseradish - I mad that mistake a while ago and I've got it coming out of my ears! I planted the comfrey near my air conditioner and I'll just keep planting it there, nothing else grows there but weeds! Do you use comfrey at all? What is it good for? I've heard it has a lot of medicinal purposes and is good for poultices as well.

thanks for the infomation, I've heard there are some issues with it, safety wise - I will research before I use!

6-love-lies bleedings do reseed freely, you could scater some now, but id wait till spring, start some in doors so ya know what the seedlings look like, seems like forever for them to bloom, but their so beuitiful its worth the wait!

* * * *