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Pastimes : Gardeners Anonymous -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ga Peach who wrote (38)	7/29/2001 2:57:53 PM
From: HG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90

I'm in Sunset zone 9...California. Plants send off flowers as a means of propagating and reproducing themselves. Most do so only when thier own life and existance seems threatened. A sure way to induce blooms on most plants is to somehow convey to it that it is dying, or is in trauma and could die. When vines like Wisteria are watered and fertilised well, they refuse to bloom. Why would they want to work extra when they don't have to ? In these cases, its advised that the roots be shovel pruned...the threat induces plenty of blooms <g> Similarrly for orchids. They grow well in large containers...they just don't flower.... Crowding them in a small pot or binding them to trees makes them scramble for their existance, hence the pretty blooms... Now there are exceptions to this, so don't you go shovel pruning all your plants at my advice <vbg> Pines provide a great mulch and natural fertiliser for roses as they contain tons of nitrogen....pinapples are lovely...I prefer the foliage of a lot of shrubs and trees to fruits anyway...I planted ornamental Yoshino cherries instead of bing...they look spectacular and cover the ground with snowflakes after flowering in early spring...and look great thru the year... My most challenging tree is the Apricot tree. Tests my patience once a year. Is there something I could do so it would stop sending out fruit ? I was hoping some charities would collect the fruit this year, but by the time they sent someone, the apricots were squished all over my pretty garden....yuck ! I wish you all the best with orchids.....