Mock Orange: Sun or Shade?

Question: I've seen various recommendations for mock orange. Some say it should receive full sun, and others say to plant it in the shade. Which is the best place for it?

Answer: Mock orange (Philadelphus) is reasonably adaptable. It thrives in full sunshine in most gardens but appreciates partial afternoon shade in the hottest climates.

Understanding Fertilizer Labels

Question: What do the three numbers on fertilizer packages mean? For example, 10-10-10.

Answer: The three numbers refer to the percentage of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) in the fertilizer. These 3 elements are referred to as macronutrients because plants need them in fairly large (i.e., macro) amounts to thrive. Plants also need many micronutrients, but in much smaller quantities. While synthetic fertilizers often contain just N, P, and K, organic ones, such as fish emulsions and seaweed extracts, contain numerous micronutrients, too.

Dethatching Lawns

Question: I recently discovered my lawn has thatch. What is the recommended method of dethatching a lawn? Do I do it by hand, or is there some sort of mechanical dethatching tool I can use? Should I aerate before or after I dethatch (or at all)?

Answer: Dethatching is a practice used on mostly warm-season lawns that produce heavy woven mats of stolons or runners. It's done in spring before the lawn gets off to a new start. The steps, in order, are: 1) scalping -- setting the mower as low as it will go and taking the grass to within 1/2 inch of the ground; 2) dethatching -- using a rented machine that rakes the mat of runners right out (hand dethatchers are available but they are not efficient and can wear out the best of us if the lawn is large); 3) aerating -- using a rented piece of equipment that removes small plugs of soil which you then fill in by raking compost across the lawn.