I live in North Central Florida. I have a very tall bleeding heart vine on a front porch post. Should I prune it back now Or Spring?

Answer:

I have done some research on this plant as it can't grow outside in the UK. Most say that you should prune your Bleeding Heart Vine once all the flowers have faded but I believe flowering periods differ throughout the world. However, November seems to be the best time. I'd say you'd be OK to prune it now then in future years prune it once the flowers have gone.

• Oriental Poppy - Question:I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to gardening. I absolutely adore poppies and I bought an Oriental poppy plant in the summer and planted it in my front garden. It flowered fine in the summer but into the autumn the last couple of heads turned black and failed to flower. I have about six ...

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to gardening. I absolutely adore poppies and I bought an Oriental poppy plant in the summer and planted it in my front garden. It flowered fine in the summer but into the autumn the last couple of heads turned black and failed to flower. I have about six heads on it now, but as they grow in size the same thing is happening again, they begin to turn black and do not open. I'm gutted! Do you know what this is and if I can treat it? How wonderful it would have been to have had a splash of red in winter!

Answer:

The Oriental poppy is a late spring / summer flowering plant which begins to die back in autumn. I'm afraid you won't see this one flowering during the winter but it will come back next summer. Cut back any growth which is left and cover it with a layer of compost to keep it snug. If you fancy something red which will last until about the end of November; you can't go wrong with Dahlias. There are lots of red varieties around. You can buy and plant them as plants during the summer or buy corms which you can plant as soon as the soil is warm enough. Once they are in you just need to cut them down in December and cover with a mulch to enjoy them the following year. Most garden centres sell them but if you want to buy online try Crocus.co.uk. You will find a link on the Features Sites page on my site.

• Bleeding Heart Vine - Question:I live in North Central Florida. I have a very tall bleeding heart vine on a front porch post. Should I prune it back now Or Spring?Answer:I have done some research on this plant as it can’t grow outside in the UK. Most say that you should prune your Bleeding Heart Vine once all the ...