Down To Earth

A few small stature winter annuals may make for good basket plants,as some of the gardeners do.

A few small stature winter annuals may make for good basket plants,as some of the gardeners do. But one very important aspect while selecting a basket plant is that it should be perennial,as the soil in the basket must be stable and settled. Each time we fill the basket,it takes some time to settle and so do the plants. Because of this,basket culture is generally confined to perennial plants. One very stable and hardy type is Sedum. There are many types of Sedum available. The one in the picture is the Foxtail Sedum. It grows downwards and forms a very nice hanging string. The cloves are,however,very loosely attached. Every segment that falls can give rise to an independent plant.

I was busy with the construction of my house. Can I layout a new lawn? The house was renovated and the old lawn is

severly damaged.

Sukhjeet Kaur,Chandigarh

No,this is not a good time to lay a new lawn if you already have one that has gone bad. In such conditions,there must be lots of weeds and not much time is left to start and finish the procedure of putting new grass. You will not get good sun to burn weeds and not much time to leave the soil open. You will also not be left with time when the newly planted grass will grow due to a dip in temperature. So,revive the old lawn temporarily and plant afresh in April-May.

Can I multiply asparagus now? What is the method of doing it?

Neetu Goel,Panchkula

Yes,you can multiply asparagus now. It is multiplied by dividing the roots. Take out the plant from the pot and divide it to be planted independently.

What is eating the leaves of my lemon plants? The damage to the leaf is in the form of semi-circles.

Mahavir Singh,Chandigarh

The leaves of your lemon plants are being eaten by lemon butterfly larvae. Spray Sevin,dissolved in the ratio of two gram to a litre of water. Repeat the spray after 10 days.

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How long will it take a bougainvillea cutting to take root? Can I see it by taking it out of the pot?

Rashmi,Mohali

The rooting in bougainvillea may take any time between one to six months. However,do not try to extract it to see if it has formed roots or not. If it is putting forth new leaves,it means it is growing. Leave it like that.

For gardening queries,ASK DR GREEN at satishnarula@yahoo.co.in

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