Q.Should I apply fertilizer to my flowering shrubs that will bloom this spring now or should I wait until they finish blooming?

A.Wait until all the blooms have finished blooming. This is when new growth starts and the plants will be actively taking up food to build green leaves and new branches.

Q.My hollies are showing brown leaves on some branches now. Should I be concerned?

A.Damage we see to the leaves of hollies and other broadleaf evergreen shrubs and trees may be from more than one cause. If the damage is limited to specific branches and the die-back pattern shows that the browning is restricted to the tips and edges of the leaves, it most likely weather, not pest-related. The strange weather patterns we have experienced the last three winters shows that we have an abnormal warming effect for our region. This past winter we had warming episodes between some very cold temperatures. This inconsistency causes water issues for plants that cannot predict the need for it foliage. The brown leaf tips/edges indicate that insufficient water is reaching the farthest reaches of the plant. This damage will pass as we go into spring and damaged leaves will be replaced before summer!

Q.I see summer flowering bulbs are now available even though it is still very cold. Is it safe to plant these bulbs in the ground now?

A.The bulbs on sale in garden centers at this time of the year are not the same types you plant in the fall for spring blooming. The spring-planted bulbs are for plants that bloom only in warm weather, starting in late spring. Many of them are repeat bloomers and will bloom almost continuously until the fall frost in November. However, they can be killed off by a hard freeze (temperatures well below freezing) should the soil temperature drop to those levels. These are the bulbs that are “lifted” from the soil and stored indoors in a cool, dark and dry location to hibernate until next spring, when they can be planted in the garden again.