Shrubs - Weigelia
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  (February) I bought a weigela last year and now I would like to move it. When can I do this? We live near Mountain View.

  If the plant has only been in the ground for one season, it should be fairly easy to move. Move it either within the next month--while it is still dormant, or after it blooms in the spring. If you move it now, protect the root ball from low temperatures during the move.

  (February) If you have time, I would sure like to know when you would recommend pruning Crepe Myrtles, Lantana, Coral Bells, Weigela, and Dwarf Maiden Grass. We planted all these plants last summer.

  There are several different types of plants you are asking about from annuals to perennials to woody shrubs. Let's start with the woodies. Crape myrtles bloom on new growth. If they need it, prune them before new growth begins in late Feb. Weigelia is a late spring bloomer, but it has its flower buds set now, so prune it after it blooms. All ornamental grasses benefit from a haircut before new growth begins--in late Feb through mid March. Before pruning, check to see how much new growth there is, and then cut as low as possible, without cutting into any new green. Coral Bells--or heuchera ( I assume you mean the perennial--not Coral bell azaleas) is a semi-evergreen perennial. Often you will have some cleanup to do in the spring before new growth begins. Lantana is a summer annual/perennial. In some parts of the state it comes back easier than in others. It is rare to see any lantana resprouting above ground. Usually it will come back from the crown, with the upper portions burned back by winter, so cutting back the dead foliage before new growth begins is beneficial.

  (August) I was wanting to know if there is a way to change my hydrangeas to a deep purple. This year they were mostly light to medium pink with a few of the blooms having some light blue and an occasional light purple. Also, I have 5 java red weigela's that did not bloom very much this year. I pruned them last fall and was wanting to know if I pruned them at the wrong time or why else would they not bloom.

  Hydrangeas change color based on the pH in the soil. If you want a more purple shade, add sulfur. Aluminum sulfate or wettable sulfur should work. Lightly work it into the soil. Use a small amount this late in the season, but consider adding some early next spring as well. Pink means an alkaline soil, while the bluer flowers indicate an acid pH. Even though weigela bloom in late spring, they set their flower buds in the fall. Pruning in the fall removed many of them. In the future, prune weigela after they bloom.

  (September) We have six Weigela bushes in our backyard landscape. They were planted in December 2002. We fertilize and water regularly, but each summer some kind of insect attacks them, and eventually the leaves shrivel and fall off. We began spraying them with insect spray in June, and have continued. It seemed like it was helping at first, but in the end, it doesn't seem to combat insects. We have also noticed this kind of damage to our Forsythia bush this summer that we didn't see last year. We can't actually see any insect, except for tiny black spots on the undersides of the leaves. The spray we have been using is Diazinon. Is this the wrong spray. What do you recommend?

  Normally weigela's are pretty tough plants. If you actually don't see an insect, my thought is it might not be an insect, or if it is, maybe scale, spider mites or lacebugs, which are all relatively small. These insects suck the sap out of the plant and can cause the plants to break down. Diazinon is an insecticide that is fairly broad spectrum and would help if you come in contact with the pest. If the pests are all on the underside of the leaves you may be missing them. Unfortunately you can't buy any more of the Diazinon, since it has been taken off the market. Instead of a regular spray program, I would try to figure out for sure what is causing the damage. It may be too late this year to get a decent sample. If you still have foliage with relatively new damage, take some to your local extension office for them to look at. Once you know for certain what the culprit is, you should have a better chance at controlling it.

  We are new to Arkansas and have some questions about plants we have in our yard. We have the same thing with a Weigela plant that we have. Could sure use your help.

  Weigelias are normally deciduous plants that should lose their leaves every fall -- many persisted late this season. At this stage, even if they look damaged, lets take a wait and see approach and see where new growth begins this spring. Hopefully, you will have little damage, and the plants will bloom in the spring.

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