Hi, all,
I’m fairly new to this community and to gardening. I’ve just started an in-the-ground garden after having some potted plants for several years, and this community has been a big help already! I’m in zone 7/almost zone 8, in the part of Texas that’s called ‘black land prairie’–which is a nice way of saying ‘you’re going to spend a lot of time working that soil before it does anything but harden into clumps of black cement’.
My mother has some type of mint growing in her garden. I wanted to try to start some in mine, as well, since it smells so wonderful. Since neither of us know what we’re doing, she decided to try cutting off the tops of a few plants where the seeds form, and pulling one whole branch/sprig/stem/whatever out of the ground to see if any of them would serve to start the plant in my garden. Will any of these work? If so, what should I do with them? Put them in water? In the ground? Something else?
Also, will mint grow in soil that stays fairly damp? I have one spot in my garden that takes much longer than the rest to dry out, and I’d love to plant *something* there that won’t rot away.
My mother also accidentally pulled up an iris, bulb and all. Knowing I want to plant some irises, she decided to give it to me rather than replanting it. I know this isn’t the ideal time to plant an iris, but I’d like to give this one a chance to live. What would be the best way to go about this?
And finally, I have some little critters on the underside of my hibiscus leaves. They’re white, rectangular, about as long as a sharpened pencil lead, and seem soft-bodied. I’ve seen some similar black ones, although I have no idea if they’re related or not. Any idea what these are and how to deal with them? Or suggestions on good sites for identifying common gardening pests?
