A: Let me start off by saying how sorry I am that you lost your home. You and all the other brave homeowners in Jasper are an inspiration to all of us. When it comes to your peonies, it would be best if you could put them in some potting mix in a plastic garbage bag or in a large pail. Make sure they are covered with the mix. The potting mix will act as insulation and also help keep them from drying out. You can mist the mix lightly every so often as well. Read More
Every week, Edmonton Journal gardening columnist Jerry Filipski answers reader questions about all things growing.
Every week, Edmonton Journal gardening columnist Jerry Filipski answers reader questions about all things growing.
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Q: I have to dig up my vintage peonies in Jasper. I lost my house to the July 2024 fire in Jasper. When I asked the demo crew if it was possible to work around
these plants the answer was ‘don’t want to’. So here I am on March 10, digging up sleeping plants, not sure where to relocate them and when. Any advice would be so welcome. Do I fertilize? Store in house (too risky otherwise I bet)? Also, since they are out, do I plant as soon as the ground can be worked?
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A: Let me start off by saying how sorry I am that you lost your home. You and all the other brave homeowners in Jasper are an inspiration to all of us. When it comes to your peonies, it would be best if you could put them in some potting mix in a plastic garbage bag or in a large pail. Make sure they are covered with the mix. The potting mix will act as insulation and also help keep them from drying out. You can mist the mix lightly every so often as well.
If you have access to a garage, that would be the best place to keep them for now. If you don’t and have access to a basement, that might do if it is a cool basement. The peonies should be ok until you’re ready to plant them. You can plant them as soon as the soil is frost-free. I would not fertilize them until they have come up. I might use an organic fertilizer such as manure or compost rather than a chemical fertilizer.
I wish you all the best with your peonies and your recovery efforts.
Q: My dad and I are wondering what type of apple tree you would recommend that is most resistant to fire blight.
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A: I have some of my own ideas on this, but I decided to ask a friend and retired plant pathologist, Dr. Ieuan Evans, this question. It turns out we are both on the same page when it comes to these recommendations. Ieuan’s reply was, “Norkent is an excellent hardy zone 2 eating apple. Goodland is an excellent eating/cooking apple for zones 2-3. and Sweet 16 is a zone 3-4 superb eating and keeping apple also resistant to apple maggot.”
Every week, Growing Things Outdoors runs online at edmontonjournal.com or, if you prefer an epaper format, epaper.edmontonjournal.com
Learn more by emailing your questions to filipskigerald@gmail.com, reading past columns or my book Just Ask Jerry. You can also follow me on X (Twitter) @justaskjerry01.
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