Q My dwarf gardenias look brown and show no signs of life. Is there hope, or should I plan on replacing them?
A It is way too early to start thinking about replacing dead plants. We have had a late spring, and many plants are just beginning to show signs of new growth while others are still dormant. Be patient and see where new growth begins. I doubt they would have died completely, but dieback is possible. With some gardenias, this will mean no flowers this season, since many varieties bloom only from buds they set at the end of last year's growing season. If damaged, they will just have foliage this season. Newer varieties also set flower buds in the fall, but can also set blooms on new growth as well.
Q Last fall, Entergy came through and cut all vegetation from the easement behind my back fence. Unfortunately, they also cut all the honeysuckle off my really ugly 100 feet of rusty chain-link fence. I used to have a beautiful greenbelt behind the fence, but now have an ugly brown property line in my backyard. What kind of fast-growing bush can be planted that will hide the fence and grow really tall? This is a deeply shaded area with low elevation and lots of towering oak trees.
A You have several options, and in fact I prefer a mixture of plants, for variety. You could plant wax myrtle, which is a lovely evergreen for the shade, or cherry laurel, yaupon holly, lusterleaf holly, one of the Southern magnolias, cleyera, camellias, leucothoe or cryptomeria. Stagger the planting and plant in drifts, and you can have a lovely landscape to look at instead of the ugly fence.
Q We have three crape myrtles that have suffered crape murder as depicted in the photos in your recent article on pruning. If we trim them below the large knots (thus cutting off the knots), will we be able to retrain them without knots forming again? We have one large, beautiful and graceful crape myrtle that I have never let my husband touch.
A You have two options. One is to cut below the knot and when sprouts begin to grow from where you have cut, choose only three that are growing in different directions. Prune out any others. This should put some strength into the remaining sprouts and begin a well-formed structure. You can also do a similar approach by choosing only three sprouts from the knot and letting them grow. In addition to the knots being unsightly in the winter, cutting back to these each year results in many fast-growing branches, producing blooms that weigh down the limbs. All that excess growth also cuts down on air flow, making powdery mildew worse. Over time, and with correct pruning, even those murdered trees can be beautiful.
Q Both of my hydrangeas had set buds and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful year for them. Then the snow and ice came. The buds have frozen and turned black. Will this recover or should I take this opportunity to trim it back some?
A Old-fashioned garden hydrangeas set their flower buds before heading into winter. Last year, many were damaged and we had few blooms all summer, unless we grew the new repeat-bloomers like "Endless Summer" and "Lady in Red." Mine look to have suffered a similar fate again this year, but time will tell. I have seen many hydrangeas that are beginning to sprout at the tops of the branches, which means blooms for those plants, so wait a bit longer to see. Once they fully leaf out, if all the growth is from the base of the plant, then you can prune out the obviously dead canes and have a nice green bush this summer. I plan to rip out some of mine if they aren't going to bloom and replace them with the paniculata varieties that bloom on the new growth.
DEAR READERS: Applications are being taken for a statewide Saturday Master Gardener training course which will be held in Conway beginning June 13 through July 18 (skipping July 4). Upon completion of the 40-hour training course, trainees will become members of their local Master Gardener program and repay 40 hours of volunteer service locally. Registration is limited, and there is an $85 cost for the program. To receive more information or an application, contact your local county Extension office or email jcarson@uaex.edu.
Janet B. 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 on 03/28/2015