LITTLE ROCK — Q My wife and I viewed the most beautiful red maple we’ve ever seen on the grounds of the Heber Springs dam viewing area just off the highway over the dam. This was about a month ago. We asked dam employees and area nurseries about its varietal name but no one knew other than it was a maple. The tree is conical.
The leaf coloration is not red. It was a more subdued light red, with a distinctive orange, perhaps light pinkish tone. The tree has been planted as a specimen tree and has no other trees near it. Could you please specify quite precisely what it is and where we might obtain these trees?
A My bet is that it is a common red maple, Acer rubrum. The maples this year have been glorious in their fall color. However, just because it is a red maple does not mean it will be red in the fall. Some varieties turn orange, yellow or a variety of shades of red. Some actually have little fall color. If you want to buy a fall-foliaged red maple for your yard you need to buy it in the fall when it is in its fall color.
There are named cultivars such as Autumn Blaze, Autumn Flame and October Glory that are guaranteed to have fall color, but you can get some outstanding color from seedling maples.
It just isn’t guaranteed.
Weather also plays a role, but if you buy a tree with good fall color this year, it should have it annually.
Q My gardenia (August Beauty) bloomed again in September, October and a few blooms now in November. There were lots of blooms in October. Will I have any blooms next spring? I have never seen it bloom this much in fall.
A August Beauty is a variety of gardenia that has one of the longer blooming periods.
It often has a big display in June and then rests for a bit and rebounds in late summer through fall.
I surely hope it has another display set for next spring, but there is nothing you should do now except enjoy any late flowers. I think it was just as happy as we were to leave summer behind, so it celebrated a little longer this season!
Q A friend is giving me some large hydrangea shrubs which I must move to my location.
When is the best time to transplant them? They are huge. How much of the roots must I dig up? Send me all the information I need on transplanting.
A Unless the friend is moving and you have to transfer the hydrangeas now, wait until the bulk of winter has passed and then move them in late February through mid-March. They will be more winter hardy now if their roots are left intact. When you move them, get as much of a root ball as you can manage, and get them in their new soil as soon as possible, planting them at the same depth they are currently growing. Make sure that you plant them where they get full morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered sunlight. They won’t bloom in heavy shade and they will wilt daily with full sun. You may have to thin them out a bit during the move, but remember that flowers are set and if you want blooms this first year in your yard, you want them as intact as possible. Water well the entire first year, and as needed thereafter. No fertilizer is needed in the planting hole, but if you want deep pink flowers, mix lime into the planting soil. If you want deep blue, mix in some wettable sulfur.
Q I have a beautiful variegated Sansevieria that grew on my front porch all season. Our porch gets bright/diffused light and I was careful not to over water and the plant has thrived. Now it is indoors.
The information that I have read indicates to water only once per month. Does this sound correct to you?
A Sansevieria, called mother-in-law’s tongue or snake plant, is a tough houseplant. Watering it once a month should suffice. It has a very tough, leathery leaf and prefers it on the dry side. Indoors, your plant is growing slowly, so the key is not to over water.
Janet Carson is an extension horticulturist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Write to her at P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail her at
HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 11/27/2010