Q Last weekend I saw a few healthy looking rhubarb plants at a nursery. I was tempted to buy one and plant it in my garden in Bella Vista. However, when we moved here from New Jersey 4 ½ years ago, I planted a rhubarb root that I had brought from there, and it died that first season. I’ve been told that this soil/climate is not suitable for growing rhubarb (as it is in Iowa where I grew up or even in New Jersey where we had a few small hills).
A Rhubarb can be grown in Arkansas but not as easily as you did back in New Jersey. I am not sure if is still active, but there used to be a rhubarb club in central Arkansas.
Make sure the site you are planting in is well-amended with compost or another form of organic matter. Give it full morning sun for at least six hours, but shade in the hottest part of the day. Some gardeners I know actually cover their plants with shade cloth in the hottest months of the year to help keep them happy. Do a good job watering and fertilizing, and you can be a happy rhubarb grower. It will usually not be as large and vigorous as it would be up north, but you can still harvest and enjoy it.
Q We planted two beautiful little dwarf crape myrtles last year and we believe that they need pruning. How do you prune a dwarf crape myrtle? We have read on the uaex.edu website about pruning regular ones, but not the dwarf type. We would appreciate it if you would advise on that.
A Dwarf crape myrtles never have beautiful winter bark like a standard variety. They benefit from a general shearing of at least half or more of the old branches. This encourages them to stay short and bloom better. While we normally prune in late February, this late spring has extended our pruning season considerably.
Q I live in Russellville, my yard soil is wet, not under water, but wet. I would like to plant a couple of lilac bushes here. What can you suggest on types and how to plant and care for them?
A Lilacs will not tolerate wet feet. You have two options: either choose a plant that likes wet soil, like buttonbush or hardy hibiscus, or build a raised bed to raise the level of planting above the wet soil line. Lilacs should be pretty this year after our unusually cold winter. They often struggle in the heat and humidity of our summers.
Lilacs also prefer a slightly alkaline soil, so adding a little lime to the soil before planting can help.
Q I have a home on Lake Dardanelle in Johnson County, 75 feet from the water, on a hillside that is dry and rocky. We want to get a hedge started. What do you recommend for that, and how should we plant?
A Even the most drought-tolerant hedge needs water for the first year of establishment and would benefit from ample moisture for the first three years. Eastern red cedar is a tough native and can take rocky, poor sites, as can cherry laurel. Try to get some soil in the planting area to give the plants something to grow in. Plant at the depth they are growing in containers, mulch and water.
Q What would cause hollies to turn brown at the tips of some limbs and die? Also, some of the limbs are breaking and dying for no apparent reason that I can see. I don’t know if they are diseased or being eaten or what. Any help would be appreciated. These are small holly bushes that have been here for quite a while, and I really hate to lose them.
Thanks.
A Is this a problem this year only or have you had it in the past too?
Many landscape plants, including some hollies, have winter damage this year with dead, dried tips from the cold coupled with dry conditions. Pruning out the damage as new growth begins should help with recovery.
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 email her at
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