Q My daugh-ter-in-law, who is a Master Gardener in El Paso, Texas, told me about key gardening. I was wondering if I could adapt the idea in my raised kitchen garden. I have four 5-gallon buckets. I plan to drill holes in a spiral manner top to bottom, place them in the ground 10 inches deep, add new materials for compost, and this summer use the buckets for dispersing the water with nutrients from the compost.
A I believe you are referring to keyhole gardening. Keyhole gardening began in Africa but is becoming popular across the South. Typically keyhole gardening uses a circular, raised-bed design with a hollow in the center where water and compost are added. They can be totally round or if larger, a wedge-shape area can be cut out to one side, giving easy access to the center "keyhole." Kitchen and garden waste, along with water, are added to the center basket. A keyhole garden holds moisture and nutrients due to the active compost pile placed in the center. The soil bed layers are slightly sloped away from the center to help distribute water and "compost tea." As the materials decompose, soil, composting materials and amendments are added to the keyhole. I think what you are proposing could work, but your space is somewhat limited in a 5-gallon bucket.
Q When we were clearing the lot to build our house several years ago, I noticed that a tree that was blooming very early in the year appeared to be a "pear" tree, so we left it. It was a pear tree, and almost every year it has literally thousands of pears. The problem: The pears never get any larger than a golf ball. I have tried several things, including thinning the pears, really reducing the number, hoping the ones remaining would grow to normal size. Do you have any suggestions? Is there some type of fertilizer, mineral or some kind of magical dance that can make a difference, or should I just admit defeat and remove the tree?
A Unfortunately for you, I believe you have a Callery pear tree, which is an ornamental pear. Pyrus calleryana is the parent of all of the ornamental pear varieties, of which Bradford is the most well known. These ornamental pear trees have reseeded and become quite invasive across Arkansas. While they do have beautiful white blooms in the spring followed by stunning red fall foliage, the resulting fruits are eaten by the birds, seeds are dropped, and we have an inordinate number of pear trees blanketing the landscape. The fruit on these trees range from a BB size up to a golf-ball size. There is nothing you can do to alter the size of the fruit.
Q I read somewhere recently that climate change has caused the agricultural powers that be to reclassify certain plants and where they may or may not flourish in the United States. One such plant was the poisonous but hardy oleander, and it said the oleander might now thrive in Arkansas. In California where I hail from, oleander is used extensively as a plant barrier, particularly along freeways. Would oleander do well here as a noise barrier if planted out front of my house by a busy road?
A It is true that our winters have grown milder and we are able to grow plants that 20 years ago were not considered winter hardy. Oleander is one of those plants. It has always been winter-hardy in southern Arkansas, but now it can survive over half of the state. While it will survive, it will not thrive in Arkansas as it did in California. It will make a lovely shrub, but it doesn't grow as fast or large here as it does in a warmer climate. For a noise or sound barrier, there are better options. Hollies, magnolias, elaeagnus, loropetalum or cherry laurels or other evergreen hedges would buffer sound much better. You could throw in a few oleanders to add some extra color.
Q I brought my tropical plants indoors after they were outside for the summer. Now the ends of the leaves or parts of the leaves are turning brown and drying up. This is happening with only some of the plants I brought indoors. What do I need to do?
A Brown tips are common on houseplants even in a commercial greenhouse. Over- or underwatering or too much fertilization can cause the tips of leaves to turn brown. Some plants just seem to be more sensitive than others. Dracenas are often affected. Make sure you are not overwatering, and don't fertilize your houseplants when they are inside for the winter. If you see brown edges, trim them off, but follow the natural shape of the leaf: Don't make a blunt end cut or the cut will look obvious. If you trim off the damage following the leaf shape, it will blend in and look natural.
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 02/11/2017