LITTLE ROCK — Q Your article on growing moss a few weeks ago was very good, but you failed to address how to get rid of the stuff that we do not want. It is taking over my yard. I have tried digging up the moss, added lime, covered it with a tarp, even applied Round-Up, to no avail.
A To kill moss, you have to correct the reason you have it: acidic, compacted soil, excessive shade and moisture. Liming acidic soil will help, and aerating if the soil is compacted. Limb up trees to get more light;
and if you have moisture problems, correct poor drainage. If you have all of the situations that cause moss, quit fighting it and embrace it.
Q We have a 7-foot-tall Japanese lace-leaf maple by our front door and another by the house. The one by the door I’ve kept somewhat thinned out and trimmed up so its graceful branches are visible. It has grown nicely and filled out in a pretty but irregular branch style that I really enjoy. I thin out some of the tiny branches in the spring. The other maple has a rounded, helmet shape since I have left it alone. Is there a preferred way to let them grow? I have only seen my tree shaped like this and wondered if I am harming it. I would appreciate your thoughts on “do or don’t” thin the branches.
A There are many different opinions for pruning Japanese maples. Many like them thinned out to expose their graceful branching. Others like the more natural shape of the tree. So I think you can follow your preference. I do not like to see them shaped into an artificial ball or topped, but thinning them out or removing wild branches is perfectly acceptable.
Q I rooted a cutting from a Knock Out rose this year and planted it in a pot on my patio. It has bloomed all summer. Can I safely move it now to a flowerbed on the west side of my house, and expect it to live through the winter? I live in Little Rock.
A Yes, plant it in the ground, mulch it, water if dry, and it should do well. Wait to prune it back in late February. Even though we don’t prune Knock Out roses as severely as hybrid tea roses, they do need to be pruned by at least a third every year before growth kicks back in.
Q I have a 10-foot angel trumpet (Datura Brugmansia) planted in my backyard. How should I winterize? Some say to cut it down, and it’ll come back.
Others say leave it, and it will grow onto a tree.
A There are two plants called angel’s trumpet, and you have gathered both into one name. Datura is one, and Brugmansia is another. Datura will overwinter outdoors almost statewide, but they do die back to the ground with a hard freeze. They come back and can grow the next season and then bloom next summer, but rarely do they grow taller than 4 feet or so. Their flowers grow upright and are usually white or purple.
Brugmansia is typically the one that grows like a small tree or large shrub, and it is not quite as winter-hardy as Datura, but it will overwinter in protected spots in Northwest Arkansas and does well in central and southern Arkansas. It comes in white, pink, yellow or apricot color, and its large flowers hang down.
If you want it to be a small tree and bloom earlier, then moving it inside or to a protected spot in a garage to prevent freezing would be called for.
Q I need to move some peonies from a spot that has become too shady to one that receives more sun. Is it time to move them now, or must I wait until later?
A Go ahead and move them. Make sure that you replant in a sunny location and plant them shallowly. The eyes on the root system should be no deeper than a half inch.
Since the location they have been in is too shady, chances are they will not bloom this coming year because they didn’t set any flowers - they often don’t bloom the year after a move anyway.
Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or e-mail her at
HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 11/17/2012