In the garden

Q We want to know how to control corn earworms.

Every year we get the most beautiful looking ears of corn, but when we harvest them, the whole ear is a mess, with worms.

A Corn earworms attack as soon as the silks begin to form, so that is when you begin control. One of the easiest methods is to put a drop or two of mineral oil where the silks are emerging. Repeat every three or four days until the silks turn brown.

This oil prevents the worm’s entrance.

While there are insecticides you can use, they also need to be applied repeatedly, so I find this the easiest method.

Q We have four large (20 feet tall) Japanese maple trees in our front bed. They are 15 to 20 years old and have seemed very healthy. Lastweek, my across the-street neighbor cut down one of his Japanese maple trees in his front yard because it had died. Seemed like it died fairly quickly, just a year or two and it was gone. He has another one in his front yard that has some dead major branches. I took a closer look at my trees and discovered that they all have many dead branches, although they are all small branches, no major ones. I am concerned that there may be some kind of disease. What should I do?

A Several things could be at play here. One is simply weather-related damage. We have lost Japanese maples to repeated drought, and we have seen some winter damage.

One other possibility could be the granulate ambrosia beetle. I have not had any reports this year, but they can be a cyclical pest. The granulate ambrosia beetle is a small beetle that can attack even healthy trees.

One of the first symptoms can be small, toothpick-like protrusions on the trunk of the tree. For more information on that particular pest and what to do here, you can read the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service fact sheet about it: At uaex.edu, search for “granulate ambrosia beetle.” Monitor your trees, keep them watered when they’re dry and see what happens. If you continue to lose branches, take a plant sample to your area’s county extension office.

Q We bought a house a year ago, and this beautiful perennial has bloomed. I have never seen one like it. Can you please identify it? It is about finished now, but I don’t know what else to do with it.

A It is a hellebore, commonly called Lenten rose. It is a great perennial. It loves the shade, blooms in the winter and is deer resistant - because it is poisonous. Once warm weather hits, you will see very little new growth on this plant, but it will stay green, and the spent flowers remain for sometime. When cooler weather of fall begins, hellebore kick into gear, putting on foliage and then blooming in the winter and early spring. They are a wonderful evergreen perennial for the shade garden.

Q I have almost total shade in my backyard, and we have a woodland garden. Will dwarf dogwoods grow in Benton County in rocky soil?

A I am not sure what you mean by dwarf dogwood. There are many dogwood species.

The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is still the most popular, and it is a great understory tree.

If the shade is deep, it will grow but it will not bloom. It does best on the fringe of the woodlands or in pockets of dappled sunlight, or where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. The dogwood is a shallow-rooted tree and would like decent soil; but where their owners apply water during droughts, there are many dogwoods thriving in rocky soil statewide. It is not the most drought-tolerant tree we grow.

Q We thought we were buying a silver maple because that was what was on the tag. But my sister-in-law saw it during its early years and when we told her that it was a silver maple she disagreed, saying that she was pretty sure that it was what was called a “trash tree.” We had never heard of a “trash tree” and hoped she was mistaken. It is now over 15 years old and is a beautiful huge shade tree in our backyard. The bark isn’t smooth, but I don’t mind that. It adds character to its beauty. But its roots are huge and on the top of the ground, and they branch out way beyond the base of the tree. Is there anything we can do to cover up or hide the roots without damaging the tree?

A You and your sister in-law are probably both right. I am always amazed to see silver maples for sale, since in my opinion, they are a trash tree. A trash tree is simply a derogatory term we give to trees that are not long-lived or are invasive, messy or begin to fall apart at a young age. Silver maple grows so fast that it is weak-wooded, has terrible surface roots and tends to drop limbs and branches at random. So I am not a fan. They do have pretty foliage and bark. But that being said, it is your shade tree. You cannot cut off the roots without damaging the tree, so your best bet is to fill the area under the tree with mulch to buffer the roots and prevent tripping.

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

jcarson@arkansasonline.com

HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 04/26/2014

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