DEAR READERS: The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show began Friday and continues today and Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Experts are on hand to answer your questions in person.
Q I have a bay leaf tree and I am wondering if it can be left outside. We live in Hot Springs Village.
A While these trees are not considered 100 percent hardy in central Arkansas, I have overwintered two in containers in a protected spot outdoors for the past two winters. I put my plant between the house and the shrubs for the winter then move it out into the yard where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade for the summer. If you want to plant yours in the ground, plant it on the northeastern side of a building. Full afternoon sun would cause more fluctuations in winter temperatures and that would pose a problem.
Q I have two large Bradford pears that need to be cut back. When is the best time to do heavy pruning? Is February OK? They are already starting to bud.
A You probably won't like my answer, but if they need really heavy pruning, why not remove them entirely and plant something that fits the size of your landscape? If I wanted to keep the Bradford pears, I would prune after bloom. The main reason people plant these trees is for their spring blooms and their fall color. Enjoy the spring blooms, and then prune. Bradford butchering goes on all the time, but these trees are becoming quite invasive. They also commonly fall apart in wind storms. There are much better choices.
Q What is wrong with the tree in this photo? Please let me know as soon as possible, before storm season.
A The problem is called "smooth patch of oak." Smooth patch is a fungal infection of the bark. The infection is restricted to the outer bark, causing it to slough off, leaving smooth, depressed areas. This effect gives the bark a somewhat sunken appearance. Since the patch fungi invade only the nonliving, outer bark tissues, this disease is not harmful to the tree and has no long-term effects on tree health or on structure. No control is recommended for smooth patch other than keeping the trees healthy with regular watering when the weather is dry.
Q In one of your recent columns you talked about planting amaryllis bulbs in the ground. When potting them, the instruction is to leave the top of the bulb exposed. I'm guessing that when planting in the ground they should be fully covered. If so, how many inches of dirt should cover the bulb?
A Plant it with the top of the bulb resting at the soil surface. As fall approaches and the foliage dies back, cover the bulb with an extra few inches of mulch, but do so after it goes dormant. Make sure the site is well-drained. In a really cold winter, these bulbs might be damaged but we have seen them being grown outdoors nearly everywhere in the state, and most made it through recent colder than normal winters.
Q Are there any catalogs that specialize in rhizomes? I lost my achimenes baskets last year and cannot find a place to replace the rhizomes. After over 30 years, I hate not to have the beautiful baskets these make.
A Achimenes are old-fashioned plants that can grow from bulbs, rhizomes or tubers, which most people collectively lump under the word "bulbs." Achimenes make good pass-along plants, and if you have a healthy plant, the small pineconelike, bulbous structures multiply. You might try your local county Master Gardener plant sales in April or May. Some perennial nurseries carry them, as do some of the bulb companies. The mail-order Plant Delights Nursery offers a hardy variety, and McClure & Zimmerman have them as well.
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 02/27/2016