Gardening

[umslopogaas]

I've always believed it wont if you cut deep enough. If you just slice off the top and leave any trace of the central bud, it certainly will. Generally, roots wont reshoot unless there is a trace of stem tissue left on top. Of course, I may be wrong and dandelions may be an exception, but I am sure I have destroyed them in the past by cutting, without the need to dig out all of the root.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Aye, 'appen - but these 'ere are Yorkshire dinosaurs: teks more 'un a bit of a snip to do for them!

EDIT: "dinosaurs"???!!! "Dandelions", of course!

[vinteuil]

Aye, 'appen - but these 'ere are Yorkshire dinosaurs: teks more 'un a bit of a snip to do for them!

... you may well be right - the dandelion is a complicated beast, and as wiki helpfully reminds us -

"The genus is taxonomically complex, with some botanists dividing the group into about 34 macrospecies, and about 2000 microspecies; about 235 apomictic and polyploid microspecies have been recorded in Great Britain and Ireland... "


.

[jean]

I have found flourishing dandelion plants whose leaves go down at least three inches below the soil surface before one gets to the bit of root from which they have sprung.

[umslopogaas]

Thanks Jean, that explains the differing results. The root only begins below the point where the leaves join, and if its as deep as three inches it would be very easy to cut above that point, in which case it will regrow.

[Serial_Apologist]

Re dandelions, boiling water carefully applied does the trick, useful too for getting rid of weeds on paths and 'patios'. Salt solution can also work.

Carefully applied in the case of boiling water being the operative words - too enthusastic pouring will kill off anything in the immediate surrounds, in the case of lawns leaving white or yellow patches which can take a long time to permit re-generation as the organisms of encouragement are killed off in the process.

[Lat-Literal]

Thank you for these very helpful comments on dandelions.

I will find the appropriate implements in my kitchenette.

[Lat-Literal]

My foxglove has lost all but two of its blooms.

I suppose there is no way of getting it to bloom again this year?

[doversoul1]

My foxglove has lost all but two of its blooms.

I suppose there is no way of getting it to bloom again this year?

If you cut the stalks at their base and leave the plants, they often grow new flower heads/stalks but they are not terribly spectacular.

When I cleared and dug my flower beds in spring, I left the foxfloves in one of the beds as they would make a good show before annual summer flowers. This was a mistake. They all but filled the flower bed, leaving no space for the annuals. Now they are coming to the end and it’s too late to plant annual flowers . I’ll be left with an empty flower bed. I will be ruthless next year and pull them up in spring (I tell this to myself every year).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

My foxglove has lost all but two of its blooms.
I suppose there is no way of getting it to bloom again this year?

My own foxgloves have been a bit feeble this year in comparison to the flamboyant shows they usually offer me - yes, just a couple of flowers left on each stem; they usually carry on until much later in the season.

I don't think that there's very much to remedy this, Lats - just hope that they feel more cheerful in two years' time and that next year's brood shows them what they should be doing.

[gradus]

Foxgloves not too bad here but I doubt you'll get great re-blossoming by cutting back but always worth a try if combined with feeding them - maybe save some seed and re-sow as well. Again, the summer stars here are the hollyhocks, huge branching things with stems that have remained upright (mostly) despite strong winds.
Very heavy fruit setting on plums and I'm having to thin the bunches to stop branch snapping - too late for a gage/white bullace with has a substantial branch broken under the weight of fruit.

[Lat-Literal]

Thank you dover, ferney and gradus.

I might place it in a bigger pot but don't have high hopes.

Now the mass of pretty pink flowers - probably dianthus although it could be phlox and spectacular for several weeks - is turning brown in a lot of places.

I've deadheaded all the rotten bits but noticed a small green worm like thing crawling over part of it which may explain it although equally it may be the heat or over-watering.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thank you dover, ferney and gradus.

I might place it in a bigger pot but don't have high hopes.

Now the mass of pretty pink flowers - probably dianthus although it could be phlox and spectacular for several weeks - is turning brown in a lot of places.

I've deadheaded all the rotten bits but noticed a small green worm like thing crawling over part of it which may explain it although equally it may be the heat or over-watering.

Dianthus are the carnation's lesser relative, the flowers being distinguishable by virtue of being pink, which (believe it or not!) is why they're known as Pinks! I may be wrong but Phlox have small, nondescript off-white flowers and pale grey-green leaves, in appearance succulent-like, forming a mat for ground cover.

I hope I'm not wrong here - I got rid of all my garden plant books long ago, only keeping the ones on trees, shrubs and wild flowers,

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Dianthus are the carnation's lesser relative, the flowers being distinguishable by virtue of being pink, which (believe it or not!) is why they're known as Pinks! I may be wrong but Phlox have small, nondescript off-white flowers and pale grey-green leaves, in appearance succulent-like, forming a mat for ground cover.

I hope I'm not wrong here - I got rid of all my garden plant books long ago, only keeping the ones on trees, shrubs and wild flowers,

You are, S_A - Phlox are tallish (between 12 - 24 inches) plants with a variety of different coloured flowers (mine are a pinky-violet, but there are others, including variegated):



... they look lovely in the garden on a Summer evening. (Yes - you can definitely watch your phlox by night.)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ah! There are short-stemmed Phloxes, too. These look lovely: