As any good gardener in the Lowcountry knows, weather is end-all, be-all

We had visitors from Oregon staying with us over the holidays. Oregon is a hot subject now, and I took advantage of their company to find out more about this newsy state. They moved there five years ago from Costa Rica, where they'd spent 21 years. You would expect they are interested in the environment or, as they put it, "we moved from one rain forest to another."

They moved, as did so many others. There is an influx to Oregon from California, partly because of the devastating drought there. Suddenly, the rains of Oregon no longer look so undesirable.

Weather is king. In my own garden on the last week of 2014, I cut down flowers that were planted last April and May. I think because of our area's proximity to water, the low temperatures in late November did not reach the freezing mark. I'm having fun filling vases with coleus, Persian shield and viburnum. The geraniums that love cooler weather are producing flowers the size of volleyballs.

Question. I bought the most beautiful poinsettia for the holidays. How can I prolong its life?

Peg Ritchie

Answer. Poinsettias should receive approximately six hours of indirect sunlight daily at room temperatures between 68 and 70 degrees. Allow the soil in the pot to dry some between waterings. Never fertilize poinsettias while in bloom.

Q. I've read there are herbs that boost your immunity to flu. There's flu going around and I'd like to try one or two. Could you tell me their names?

S. Lykin

A. Ginseng has been used for centuries to fight fatigue and increase immunity. You can find it at your health food store.

Q. Why did my basil plants die last summer?

S. Moore

A. Basil appears to be fighting for its life. This past summer, as well as the previous summer, basil plants were affected by Fusarium wilt, which spreads throughout plants that eventually die. The variety Spicy Globe is the most susceptible.

Q. I purchased my first red hibiscus rosa-sinensis about three weeks ago. It's in a 7-inch container and sits outside our front door. The leaves are all turning yellow and dropping off. What must I do to save this plant?

N. Stuart

A. The letter was written last summer. The frequency of this condition brings me to answer. I followed the age of one specimen for weeks and neither I nor the owner could figure out what was causing the leaf drop and, after trying myriad treatments, we gave up.

We won't give up on hibiscus or basil or all the plants that deer munch on. Who knows? Maybe 2015 will be the year we buy plants labeled "deer resistant," "drought resistant" and "disease resistant."

May your Meyer lemon tree produce the best crop ever.

Sixty-year master gardener and environmentalist Betsy Jukofsky has spent three decades on Hilton Head Island learning the peculiarities of Coastal Lowcountry gardening.

This story was originally published January 3, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "As any good gardener in the Lowcountry knows, weather is end-all, be-all."