Q Is there anything I can do to ward off aphids in my tomato garden this year? I was overwhelmed by aphids in my garden last year and really struggled getting rid of them. It was awful. Is there anything I can add to my soil as I get ready to plant my tomatoes?
A Aphids are not among those insects for which we do preventative control. They are the rabbits of the insect world and multiply seemingly overnight once they hit, but the best defense is a good offense. Walk your garden daily and scout for problems. If you see them, spray with an insecticidal soap or even a good spray of water and you can stop them before they move in.
Q My hostas are coming up rapidly. I have a giant hosta which, in the last few years, has overshadowed the smaller ones to the point I can't even see the small ones. Would I be successful if I dug up and moved the smaller hostas now? It's a shame to have them and not see them. The giant hosta is amazing and can easily "stand alone" in all its glory. We live in Conway.
A This is a great time to transplant or divide hostas. Get on it quickly as they are growing rapidly. If you know you have to move at least one, why not divide at the same time? You can dig and divide hostas in the spring as they are emerging or in the fall as they are going dormant. While that is the ideal time to do so, you can have success in other seasons, provided you water to get the roots established.
Q It happened! I thought I had made it unscathed through the cold winter and then the April freeze hit and my garden looks awful. My hostas have turned to mush, fig leaves are frozen, azalea blooms are shot, and all the tender new growth on my blue hydrangeas looks awful. Have I lost them all? What should I do, other than start over?
A While the April 6-8 "winter" was not a good thing for our gardens, I don't think you have lost the plants. Cut off their damaged foliage and wait for new growth. Many azaleas still have unopened flower buds, which hopefully will still bloom. Keep your fingers crossed that your big leaf hydrangeas just had some leaf burn and the buds are still intact. If they were frozen back, they will not have many blooms since flower buds were already set. I have heard reports that some blueberries had partial damage, along with peaches and strawberries that were unprotected; but again, time will tell. We can't control the weather, all we can do is make the best of what we get.
Q I live in Conway and most of my outdoor plants/shrubs did OK [in the recent freeze]. Last year I bought one of the native climbing vines that has orange trumpet blooms you see in the wild along roadsides. I got it from our Master Gardeners plant sale. It had started to leaf out nicely and it was the hardest hit by the below freezing weather ... leaves are very wilted. Do you think it will snap back out? I am terribly disappointed about this as I so wanted one of these climbers in my yard.
A I am assuming you have a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans). It is a tough native, considered a weed by some. I cannot imagine that it will not bounce back given a few warm days. Again, cut back the damaged leaves and hope for the best.
Q I photographed this blooming tree in May 2016 in Little Rock. The environment is woodland and wild. Can you help identify it?
A Great picture of the chinaberry tree blooms. Melia azedarach is the Latin name for this tree that is native to Pakistan and India. While it does have beautiful blooms, the blooms result in clusters of yellow fruits that persist all winter. It has the propensity for reseeding and can become somewhat of a nuisance.
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 04/21/2018