Q Could you please tell us where we could find French sorrel? We use it in scrambled eggs, omelets and soup. I would also like to purchase watercress for a dish of steak, french fries and watercress -- the combination is delicious and very healthy.
A There are two types of sorrel that I have seen sold in Arkansas nurseries and garden centers, the green leaf form and the red-veined one. In my garden I have some of the red-veined form that has overwintered several years now. Garden centers are gearing up for fall planting of edible vegetables and herbs, so you may be able to find some plants. If not, both types of sorrel can be grown from seed, and now would be a fine time to plant it. Watercress is easily grown from seed as well, and can be grown indoors in a moist environment.
Q My elephant ears' leaves are drooping, touching the ground almost. What can I use to stake them so they will stand up? Or is it lack of water? They get morning sun and partial sun the rest of the day. Some are planted in pots, some in the ground.
A Elephant ears do like water, so a quick test would be to give them a good drink and see if they stand up. If they stay droopy, make sure the site is well drained. If so, adding some perennial stakes or support to help hold them up without detracting from their beauty can help. The plants in the pots will dry out quicker than those in the ground.
Q Having added a number of "Indian hawthorns" to the yard, I was dismayed to see some leaves with spots and red and yellow coloration. Those afflicted leaves are dropping. Mr. Google thinks the cause is entomosporium, which is listed as the scourge of red top photinias. What to do?
A Indian hawthorns are affected by entomosporium leaf spot, and this summer seems to be a good year for leaf-spotting diseases, with the frequent rainfall and milder temperatures. Who could guess that a miserable hot and dry summer breeds less leaf spot?! I for one will take the weather and let plants suffer a few diseases. That being said, I think it is getting a tad late in the year to start a spray program. I would do a good job of sanitation this fall, raking up all the fallen leaves and old mulch, since the disease does overwinter in plant debris. You can spray with a dormant oil to smother any disease spores once the weather gets cold. Next spring, use an ornamental fungicide such as Rose Spray or Daconil as soon as plants begin to leaf out. If your plants have gotten leggy, lightly prune. Sterilize the pruning shears in between cuts. Spray with a fungicide when you are finished. I suggest spraying two or three more times next season at two-week intervals. For the plants to stay totally clean you would need to repeat the spray schedule, but I think catching it early should help. Hopefully you could prevent it. If you need to replace any shrubs, or are considering new plantings, choose resistant cultivars such as "Olivia," "Eleanor Tabor," "Indian Princess," "Gulf Green" and "Georgia Petite."
Q Someone in my house did the unthinkable and threw out the July 15 paper with your article "Showy survivors." I tried going through the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette website but wasn't allowed to view it. Is there a way I can view it again? I was mostly interested in how some plants were from the same family as (okra)? For years, I have questioned what the plant is that blooms in roadside ditches this time of year that looks like okra blooms. I keep your book close by and am a huge fan of your column.
A Subscribers can create an online account that allows them to search the newspaper's archives online. The newspaper also has back issues for sale for about a month after publication. The showy plant related to okra is hardy hibiscus with dinner-plate size blooms in pink, red or white.
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 08/19/2017