IN THE GARDEN

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette peace lily illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette peace lily illustration.

Q I have a peace lily and understand that they are poisonous to cats. I don't want to lose it, so what is the best way to protect it from winter yet keep Kitten out of it? Would it be OK to cut it back?

A It is best to keep pets from eating any houseplants as they can make them sick, and some are more toxic than others. Mulching the plants with sweetgum balls or pine cones will keep the cats away from the pots. Elevate the pots, too, and they should stay away.

Q We live on five shady acres of land. We planted Vinca major in many areas and it spread and thrived for 20 years but died out everywhere this year. I read it might be caused by a fungus. Will it come back? Does the fungus only affect the vinca major?

A I need to know what the fungus was (if it was a fungus) and spray it in my yard! While Vinca major is a groundcover commonly sold for a shade garden, it spreads prolifically and has become quite invasive. My yard gets invaded every year from neighbors' plants. I would be very surprised if it did not come back next spring. Those who live in the northern tier of Arkansas have less of a problem with it spreading, as the colder it is, the better behaved it seems to be.

Q Can you identify this plant for me? It has beautiful pink flowers on a plant that is about 9 feet tall. It is blooming now.

A The plant is a hardy hibiscus commonly called a Confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis). It dies to the ground in the winter and grows up to 10 feet or more in one season. This particular hardy hibiscus is reliably hardy from central Arkansas south. It only blooms in the fall, and the blooms go from pink to dark pink or white to pink in the course of a day.

Q Now that the leaves have fallen, is there anything we should do to our scale-infested crape myrtles? I have never "murdered" mine, and don't want to, but they sure were ugly with black leaves. I was afraid if I cut them back, they'd just get re-infested in the spring anyway, and then I would have ruined the shape. Can this scale kill the trees, or will it just make them look awful?

A Now that the leaves have fallen, you can take a soft brush with warm, soapy water and clean the trunks to remove the black sooty mold. Then spray with a dormant oil, saturating as much of the tree as possible. Dormant oil smothers out the scale insects it contacts, but keep in mind that crape myrtles have peeling bark where scale insects can hide. Next year in March or April apply a systemic insecticide. We don't think the scale insects will kill a crape myrtle, but they can keep them from blooming well. They can also weaken the tree where something else could attack.

Q We recently moved back to our home in Fayetteville. I have several large raised-bed vegetable gardens. The gardens have been covered with black plastic for the three summers that our home was rented. The soil is very packed down and hard. What would be the best way to loosen up the dirt over the winter to prepare for planting next spring? We are thinking of covering them with mulched leaves for the winter; or should we just wait until spring and then work in some compost with a pitchfork? Will it have done any damage for the soil to be covered for so long?

A I think you have nailed the problem with the covering as to the compacted condition of the soil. There has not been natural air and water circulation, and the soil is compressed. I would consider working in some compost this fall, and then top it with shredded leaves to keep weeds from sprouting. Then in the spring, work in the shredded leaves along with additional compost, if you choose, and you should have a better environment to grow plants

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

photo

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JANET B. CARSON

Confederate rose can die back for winter and then grow 10 feet or more in one season.

HomeStyle on 11/18/2017

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