Q Can you tell me where I can buy the rose companion plant? I had it years ago but lost it during winter snow.
I saw in your blog that it is growing in your yard.
AI think you are referring to rose campion (Lychnis coronaria).
This old-fashioned perennial is often found at Arkansas Master Gardener plant sales. It’s also a popular pass-along plant: A friend who has it might give you a clump (that is how I got mine). I am not sure how it acquired the common name rose campion, but the Latin name Lychnis is from the Greek for “lamp,” and refers to the fact that the felt-like leaves once were used for lamp wicks.
QI pruned my roses last week and now I see that we have the chance for more snow. Are the plants going to die? Did I prune too soon?
AIt has been a miserable winter, and spring is definitely later than normal. Pruning of roses is recommended for late February, so you did right. March often can bring more cold weather. If the temperatures don’t get below the mid-20s, we should be OK. The biggest challenge I see is how dry things are. If your area hasn’t had ample rain, water before a cold snap to ensure that there is a buffer in your plants. A little extra mulch piled at the base can also help protect the plant.
Q Last year I planted a garden. Due to a back injury, I was unable to keep the weeds out of the garden. It is full of weeds. Is there anything I can put on the garden that is nontoxic to kill the weeds? I would appreciate any information.
A There are two seasons of weeds. What is growing there now are winter weeds that will die with hot weather, when the summer weeds will begin to grow. Anything you sprayed now would help you this season but not next. I don’t like weed killers in the vegetable garden. I would suggest scraping the garden now with a strong hoe and then covering the soil with black plastic until you are ready to plant. That will smother out what is growing now.
Once you plant, mulch.
A good layer of mulch and a sharp hoe are your best methods. Try placing some cardboard between the rows and around the perimeter of the garden, and mulch around the individual plants. All too often people keep the inside of the bed clean, but the grass and weeds around the garden begin to encroach.
I also love raised beds - not only do they help with weed control because you are bringing in (hopefully) clean soil, but you don’t have to bend so far down to the ground, which helps your back.
Q I have two established Japanese maples. The bark is flaking off them.
It’s patchy and about the size of your hand. What would cause this?
A There are a number of possible causes. Some varieties have naturally peeling bark; but peeling can also be caused by fast growth, winter damage and rodent damage. Squirrels and even raccoons have been known to peel strips of bark off Japanese maples. This winter we did have an early freeze, and we have seen some splitting of stems, which could lead to bark peeling. Sometimes maples can grow quickly and that can cause the trunks to split, again leading to peeling. Wait and see how the tree leafs out this spring and how healthy its new growth is.
There isn’t much you can do at this point but keep the area clean. If you can, send me a picture.
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
HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 03/01/2014