Q: My gardenias, 5 and 6 feet tall, were hit bad last year. I babied them and they had mostly recovered and even had a weak blooming last fall. December's freeze was even worse. All the new stems are dead. Isolated green leaves remain here and there all over, but 99% are dead. What should I do?
A: With the exception of some gardenias in containers, most of the gardenias I have seen have at least a few green leaves starting to grow. I would still be patient a bit longer (our latest cold snap isn't helping). By April you should be getting some new sprouts if there is life left. Start cutting back, then water well this summer if it is dry and lightly fertilize. I love gardenias and the absolutely amazing fragrance, so if there is life left, I would try to keep them. When I started work back in 1980, gardenias were frozen back to the soil line with great regularity for a decade in Central Arkansas, along with figs. Then our weather started getting warmer, and we had 5- and 6-foot-tall gardenias. Let's hope this is just another glitch in the weather cycle, and we won't have damage again next year. Only time will tell.
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Q: My aucubas, which had been flourishing on the east side of my house, suddenly began dying last year. The leaves turned black, and then the stems began turning black as well. I cut off the affected areas, removed all debris and sprayed with a fungicide and a 3-in-1 spray (disease, insect and mite control) to no avail. They continued to die back and I continued to cut and spray until this spring. And this is what I'm left with. I would like to replace them with new aucubas (this part of the yard is shady and not much grows well there other than shade-loving plants, and I love the variegated look of the aucubas). My question is, after removing the affected plants, should I do anything to the soil that will keep the new plants from being similarly affected (spray with Roundup or something?). If so, how long should I wait before putting in the new plants? Any ideas as to what may have caused the damage so I'll know how to treat the new plants if they start showing the same problems?
A: Before pulling them out, and definitely before planting more aucubas, find out what the cause of your decline is. I would not start an insect and/or disease spraying program before knowing whether the problem is actually a disease or insect problem. Take a sample of some of the dying stems, leaves and a section of roots with soil to your local county extension office. They can send the sample to the disease diagnostic lab in Fayetteville. The most common cause for black foliage on aucuba is exposure to sunlight — they sunburn easily. This winter was not kind to them either, and many look a bit sad. Rule out a root rot problem before replanting with any other plants.
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Q: I have three well-established, 20-foot-tall sasanqua camellias. Should the cold weather we had earlier have affected them? They seemed fine at the end of summer and all three bloomed well last fall. Now, one is leafless and I am pretty sure, dead. The other two are not looking good. I thought they lived to be old trees. I would like to replant but do not want the same thing to happen again down the road. Your thoughts?
A: Of all the winter-damaged plants in my garden, I am saddest about my sasanqua camellias. I am pretty sure they were original to the house (built in the 1970s), and while I have lost some flowers to cold snaps, I have never lost a leaf. This year they have totally defoliated, and I have not seen any signs of new growth yet. Why that December freeze affected them as hard as it did, I am not certain, but it did. Overall, our plants were thriving and blooming when the cold hit. It must have been the "perfect storm" where it wreaked havoc. I am still keeping my fingers crossed to see some sprouting, but I do know they will have to be severely cut back (if they have survived). We may also have to replace some. I have always had good luck with sasanquas and have recommended them over azaleas in past years, but the damaged azaleas are rebounding quickly, and many of the older varieties are blooming well.
Retired after 38 years with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Janet Carson ranks among Arkansas' best known horticulture experts. Her blog is at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet. Write to her at P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203 or email jcarson@arkansasonline.com