Hi! I'm so happy to have someone to go to for questions! I started gardening a couple of years back and have so much to learn. This year, I ordered strawberries online, hoping they would be shipped at the end of May, but I got them today. I live in Custer, SD and my last frost day is May 25th. I am scared to death to plant my baby strawberries in the garden this early, even if I cover them with frost cloth. I normally start planting in the garden first part or mid-June. What do I do for now to keep them alive? Thank you!

I learned about these pests last season and by the time I did they had done a fair amount of damage. It seems they’re back and already feasting on my Turtlehead. Since I’m catching them earlier this year, what can I do at this point to minimize their impact? Thank you!

Hi! I'm a brand new gardener in Cincinnati, and I think I made a big mistake. I bought some Haas Halo hydrangeas in February (not bare root, but it was a small package of dirt with a twig sticking out of it). I didn't realize I needed to keep them dormant until ready to plant, so I kept them in a bag out in the open. It wasn't direct sunlight, but it was obviously enough and the plants started sprouting. There was significant growth and as soon as I realized I couldn't wait until planting time I potted them into containers and brought them into some sunlight outside and brought them in every night. But they were probably trying to grow for a month with no water or air circulation or enough sun. After being in pots, they have slowly died. All new growth has wilted and died off. There is absolutely zero growing happening after 3-4 weeks of sunlight and watering when needed and encouraging growth. And there's no chance they were left outside for a freeze, they came in every night. The plant now seems like it might be alive (the inside of the stems are white, not green, not moist, but not brown and dry). And since this isn't a mainstream hydrangea, it's been harder for me to research. So my question is... Is this a slow death and they're just goners? Did they have a short growing season and now need another winterizing before attempting to grow again? What do I DO???? Thank you so much for your expertise and your feedback! Maraika Rockwood

Is this the dreaded hvx virus? If so, do I need to remove and destroy the hostas around it too?

Do cicadas hurt peonies?

One of my Khousa Dogwood is showin curling of the leaves especially at the ends of the leaves. 2 others are ok. I applied fertilizer to all 3 10 days back

Hello I have these plants growing all over in my hydrangea bushes. Leaves are about 2” and longer. Some have a little purple flower emerging. I live an hour north of mpls. I usually keep the ground covered with mulch and chopped leaves. The are on a side hill and are partial shade. Good soil. How do I control it? Thanks. Wayne

Help! We’ve had these rhododendrons in place for about 30 years and one of them appears to be dying back. See attached pix. Thes plants are North facing and I had a similar issue last year. Can this plant be saved?

Hi-- I planted five big leaf (Endless Summer) hydrangeas in front of my house in 2021. The area they are planted in admittedly is right against my house, surrounded on all sides by sidewalk/house/driveway and probably does not have the best drainage. The shrubs started out ok, but over the past two seasons they developed bad leaf spots, many leaves fell off and they did not flower well. I suspected that I had planted them too close together with poor drainage and too little airflow given they were planted against my house, so I decided to move the plants last fall. I transplanted them all to different locations in my yard and so far, they appear to be growing well and I haven't noticed any spots. I should also add I have three of the same hydrangeas on the opposite side of my porch that are thriving, but they are planted on a slope and get more shade, so I'm guessing they are just planted in a more ideal location. (In the attached photo of the house the infected hydrangeas are planted to the right) I decided to replace the hydrangeas with new ones this spring and I tried to amend the soil with compost and perlite and added extra garden soil. We also applied new mulch shortly after they were planted. I noticed that the same spots are appearing on the new hydrangeas. My questions are: -What is causing the spots? -How can I treat them if even possible? -Is the problem something having to do with the soil or location? Would you assume that any plant I put in that spot will be susceptible to the same problem? -Is there a shrub or plant you could recommend for that particular planting location? I've attached a photo showing the original hydrangeas last fall before I moved them, a photo of the new hydrangeas that are beginning to get spots as well as a photo of the flower bed where the hydrangeas are planted. Thank you so much for any insight you have! Kate