Question: Which phylum of plants has the most amount of differentiation with respect to evolution?

Answer: Holy crow! A taxonomy based question! I’ve been dappling in learning about taxonomy on my own for a bit. Before we jump into answering the question, let’s cover the basics of taxonomy. Taxonomy is the scientific system in classifying organisms. There are seven groups in taxonomy: kingdom - being the most diverse, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species - being the most specific. There are even smaller groups in taxonomy too that are out there that make the main seven groups more specific.
Now a phylum is considered as a group that’s based off of some characteristics. With plants, it starts off as kingdom Plantae where all plants are grouped together. Then Plantae is broken down into twelve main groups.
These twelve groups are:
1. Bryophyta - Moss
2. Pteridophyta - Ferns
3. Coniferophyta - Gymnosperms/Conifers
4. Magnoliophyta - Angiosperms/flowering plants
5. Marchantiophyta - Liverworts
6. Anthocerotophyta - Hornworts
7. Chlorophyta - Green Algae
8. Charophyta - Freshwater Green Algae
9. Cycadophyta - Cycads/Palms
10. Ginkgophyta - Ginkgos
11. Glaucophyta - Blue Green Algae
12. Gnetophyta - Gnetums

I feel the phylum that has the most range and diversity, which has survived years after years of evolution has to be Magnoliophyta. Magnoliophyta has 300,000 different species and as science is expanding, more species are being discovered. Take wild cabbage for example, civilization has been cultivating this plant for thousands of years! Wild cabbage has also been altered to fit needs during those years which allowed to evolve into the different types of vegetables we know it as today - cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and Kohlrabi just to name a few. Even though the evolution of this plant was aided by humans, it just shows how incredible evolution and plant adaptation is!

​Thank you so much for your question! I hope my answer was able to help you out. Please hit the link below the article to submit your plant question! Remember, questions are being answered as they are being sent in. Thank you so much for being apart of my writing challenge!

Question: What is the most under appreciated plant that I should have in my garden?

Answer: I was typing up this article last night in bed and I fell asleep! I did not forget about my challenge!
One plant that I feel is really under appreciated has to be Tiarella, or you may know it as Foam Flower. Tiarella is a shade loving perennial with green, lobbed leaves - sometimes you may find red markings on the leaves. The plant sends up a stalk with either white or pink flowers. They pair well with Heuchera and Astilbe. Whenever I bring this plant in, it just never sells. I feel Tiarella is a really whimsical plant. I have to say my favorite variety is Tiarella ‘Sugar and Spice’; I am really loving the pop of pink with this variety.
A few other plants that could have been on the list is:
Jerusalem cross or Silene chalcedonica: I am a huge fan of the bright red orange blooms. The plant grows upright and enjoys dry soil and hot sun. This is one of my favorite plants that I have not seen in awhile. I’m pretty sure I was exposed to this plant when I first started in the industry which was well over ten years ago. I ended up planting one at my parents house. It thrived VERY well, took off like a dream and took up a bit of space. Leggy, but beautiful. It reminded me of Verbena.
Ligularia: I am a HUGE fan of the deep colored leaves and the warm tone colored blooms. These plants take up so much space. They love the shade and wetter soil conditions.
I feel like Irises are also another good contender. There are so many beautiful varieties and cultivars but I never see them on plant availabilities or in people’s yards.
Weigela: Year after year I snag all these amazing Weigela varieties and they never fly off of my sales floor. They range from being dwarfs at two feet by two feet to five feet by five feet. I see them rebloom occasionally to give you a small pop of color in the summer time. Their foliage is interesting - from variegated to deep maroon (I’m looking at you Proven Winner’s Weigela Wine series - LOVE THEM!). These plants make an excellent deciduous shrubs in any landscape.
I think that covered all the plants I feel under appreciated and that I would definitely like to see more of in any landscape!
Thank you so much for your question! I hope my answer was able to help you out. Please hit the link below the article to submit your plant question! Remember, questions are being answered as they are being sent in. Thank you so much for being apart of my writing challenge!

Question: My hydrangea isn’t blooming. What can I do? When is the right time to trim? Fall? Spring?

Answer: Hydrangeas are such a beautiful plant but to get them to rebloom is a little bit tricky. Some plants like to be cut back completely whereas other plants just like to be thinned out. Hydrangeas are one of those plants that likes to be thinned out. This means that you want to cut out all the weaker stems. You also want to deadhead your hydrangea once the blooms start fading. Also, pruning your hydrangea depends on if blooms develop off of new wood or old wood. Hydrangeas that bloom off of new wood is Hydrangea paniculata and Hydrangea arborescence. You can prune these species in the late fall because they will develop their blooms off of new growth. Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea quercifolia develop blooms off of old wood. You can prune these after they bloom in the summer because they develop their blooms for next year in August.
Hydrangeas also likes acidic soil. You may want to check the pH in the soil. If it’s too high you will need to lower it by using soil acidifier to bring that pH down. I also suggest using Espoma’s Holly Tone fertilizer because it’s for your acidic loving plants. Make sure you fertilize in the fall as your plant is going into dormancy and in the spring as your plant is coming out of dormancy and starting to actively grow.
Thank you so much for your question! I hope my answer was able to help you out. Please hit the link below the article to submit your plant question! Remember, questions are being answered as they are being sent in. Thank you so much for being apart of my writing challenge!

Question: How to eradicate Lesser celandine?

Answer: Before I talk about weed control, here is a quick lesson on Lesser celandine. Lesser celandine, or Ficaria verna, is a low growing perennial weed with dark green, heart shaped leaves and yellow daisy flowers. This plant is considered an invasive species and is considered as a noxious weed by the United States Department of Agriculture because of its toxicity. This plant starts actively growing early winter to early spring and it is recommended to start weed control during that period by spraying a glyphosate based product - I have a theory that if you use Round Up Extended Control, it will prevent the plant from actively growing because that product will control the area for four months. You want spray it before it flowers, same concept with crabgrass. You want to treat for crabgrass before it turns purple and it flowers - same concept with lesser celandine. For all of my readers who practice organically, you can cut off flower buds and dig up the tubers. Put the buds and tubers in a garbage bag and toss them into the garbage. You can also smother them out with heavy mulching. After the flower in June, they start to go dormant again. Apart of me wonders a few things about controlling this weed. I think it could be possible to lay out black plastic to burn out the weed during the hotter months, this will take about four weeks and it should kill off seeds and potentially the plant itself. I also have a theory if we treat lesser celandine like Japanese silt grass and crabgrass - put down a pre-emergent before the seeds starts germinating. The pre-emergent is also a theory since its purpose is to suppress seeds from germinating. As for what type of pre-emergent, it will need to be a trail and error. I honestly think getting a shovel and digging out lesser celandine is the best way for both organic and non organic parties.
Thank you so much for your question! I hope my answer was able to help you out. Please hit the link below the article to submit your plant question! Remember, questions are being answered as they are being sent in. Thank you so much for being apart of my writing challenge!

Question: I am growing morning glory on a trellis, I don't know why but it continually needs to be trained to climb. I wonder if I am twining it in the wrong direction (counter clockwise) How do you know which way to train twining vines? Thank you!

Answer: Vines are an excellent plant to add a different element into your garden! Vines do need to be carefully maintained to get them growing whether it’s vertically or horizontally. When we are growing vines, we want to make sure we are training the vines and as they continue to grow by tying them down to the trellis or the plant support that we are using. As the vines mature, we may find ourselves tying vines here and there to support them. I would continue to work with the morning glory on the trellis and try and embrace how it’s growing. Morning glories have herbaceous stems and when trying to manipulate newer stems, you may create a small puncture that can cause some damage that can potentially cause a plant disease infect your plant. I would not worry about how the plant is trellising unless if it is in a place where it should not be growing - I would prune accordingly in that situation. Enjoy your plant! Embrace their growing habits !

Thank you so much for your question! The link is below to connect you to my SurveyMonkey to submit your own question! See you on day three! Questions that are being submitted are going in order that has been received.

Question: Is it true or false that Peony flowers won't open up without help from ants

Answer: This is false! Our deciduous shrubs and perennials is that they do go dormant in the winter. As our days get shorter starting with the Summer Equinox, plants slowly start to pull all their energy into the roots which allows them to winter over. After the Winter Equinox, that’s when our plants start slowly coming out of dormancy as the days get longer. Once they are fully out of dormancy, they start actively growing and blooming to go through their lifecycle. In New Jersey, Peonies will bloom between late April to early May where the temperatures can be still pretty cold.
Ants come out of hibernation when it gets warmer out, therefore they do miss the chance to help out a peony bloom if that was their role especially in New Jersey and in the states from the north east to the north west where winter can feel like forever. Ants and other insects start coming out on warmer days. I start noticing insects starting to make their way into the world late May. Sometimes I get to see bees mid May if I am lucky. I have noticed this year that ants are constantly climbing all over plants. Ants and plants have a relationship called mutualism. Mutualism is two organisms benefiting from the activity of each other. Peonies, as well as other flowers, provide ants nectar and the ants protect the plant from insects, such as aphids, that feed off of the plant. Ants help out the plant as a food source; they do not aid in blooming.
Thank you so much for your question! The link is below to connect you to my SurveyMonkey to submit your own question! See you on day two! Who knows what the next question maybe!

This Spring Season has been a whirlwind! It feels like yesterday all my nursery stock was arriving, encouraging soil samples, and calculating fertilizer for lawns. Now that the season is winding down, I have the capability of getting back into writing again and having the chance to rebrand and rebuild what I have created. I have not forgotten my blog! I have so many words and thoughts to say in the industry. There are a lot of unfinished written thoughts as well as articles.
I want to kick off the month of July strong by doing one garden post a day with your help! At the end of this article, I have included a SurveyMonkey link for you to go to. This will allow you to ask me any garden question that you want an answer. You are more then welcome to leave your name and your email address as well; this will allow me to email you your link to my post for your answer. You are more than welcomed to even leave your question in the comments!
Thank you so much for sticking with me and supporting me in this beautiful industry! I am beyond excited to connect with you and answer any questions you may have when it comes to gardening, plants, and lawns!