Gardening Q & A: From Rose Sport to Container-Grown Plants

A: Actually, a sport is a mutation that results in some sort of change to the original plant. Sports can appear on virtually any kind of plant including roses. For example, a red-flowering rose may all of a sudden produce an orange blossom (figure A), or a double flower may appear on a plant that produces only single flowers. But sports can be mixed blessings. While there are both good sports and bad sports, the vast majority are bad sports. However, every now and then, someone identifies, propagates and patents a good sport that winds up being popular among gardeners. And with any luck, he or she makes money on it. For instance, a popular perennial may earn up to $15,000 a year in royalties--at least until the next good sport comes along.

Q: I've got a small tree growing in a clay pot that I want to plant in the ground. Any tips?

Q: How long can you leave a container-grown plant from the nursery in its container?

A: Well, naturally it depends on the plant in question. But virtually all plants are better off in the ground than in their original nursery containers. Still, there are times when you have no choice but to keep plants in their containers for a while, perhaps because weather conditions are not favorable for planting, or you just don't have time to get the planting done. Just make sure the plant is in a protected spot that gets one or two hours of morning sun. Add mulch or shredded leaves around the container and water well, maybe as often as every day. Do all that and your plant should be fine for a month or so. As a matter of fact, I've had a batch of prized evergreens held over in the dead of summer for two months and they're doing fine.

Q: You once mentioned a blue-flowered shrub called a Caryopteris, but it wasn't in bloom at the time. How about now?