“Parents are not interested in justice. They are interested in quiet.” – Bill Cosby
“We had a quicksand box in our backyard. I was an only child, eventually.” -- Steven Wright
“Adults are obsolete children.” – Dr. Seuss
“The most important time you can spend in the garden is the time you spend not gardening.” – Paul James
“You have to live life to love life, and you have to love life to live life. It’s a vicious circle.” -- Unknown
”In spite of the cost of living, it’s still popular.” – Kathleen Norris
THE GARDENER GUY’S Q&A
When I do personal appearances, the format is a simple Q&A. It’s more like a cheesy nightclub act than a traditional gardening lecture. But I like hearing what concerns gardeners most, and I like interacting with the audience. So here’s the online version of my live act. And by the way, the questions are pulled from emails you provide, so keep them coming. Just go to the “Comments / Contact Us” tab. I’ll update this page weekly.
June 1,2009 UPDATE Q & A
The Buzz on Carpenter Bees
Nan has a problem with carpenter bees that are boring into the trim on her deck.
Carpenter bees are valuable pollinators, so I don’t suggest you try to kill them outright. The males, although loud, don’t have stingers so they can’t harm you. The females do have stingers, but they don’t use them.
Because they prefer unpainted or untreated wood, your best bet is to paint or stain the wood on your deck. Females are attracted to depressions in the wood, so fill any holes with wood putty before painting or staining. If you absolutely must spray, use a pyrethrum-based insecticide. Pyrethrums are contact poisons, so you must actually spray the bees directly.
I’m getting more questions than I can possibly answer, but I’m doing my best to keep up! And rest assured I do read every one of them, so keep them coming.
Overwintering Bonsai
Deb, who lives near Baltimore, wants to know how to overwinter bonsai.
One of the biggest mistakes people make with hardy bonsai is moving them into the house or garage during the winter. Doing so will almost certainly kill your little trees. Bonsai need to experience the same climatic changes that full-size trees do. In other words, they need to be left outside even during the winter.
In late fall to early winter, if temperatures drop below 20-degrees Fahrenheit overnight, you can put your bonsai in the garage, but you should bring them back outside the next day as temperatures warm up. In the middle of winter, if temperatures remain below 20 degrees for an extended period, you can place your bonsai on the ground in a protected spot (so they don’t get buried in snow) and cover the pots with an organic mulch such as wood chips. The goal is to prevent the roots from freezing solid. Water to maintain even moisture in the pots, but don’t overdo it or you might encourage root rot.
Sadly, you often see pictures of hardy bonsai on display indoors, which leads people to believe that they can be kept indoors. But trust me, the plants you see displayed indoors are rotated back outside again every day or every two days. Only tropical bonsai can be kept indoors, and even they prefer to be outdoors during the warm spring and summer months.
Brussel's Bonsai in Olive Branch, MS
Not So Cool Cats
Barbara wants to know how to get rid of stray cats that use her garden as a litter box.
Well, Barbara, when you find the answer to your problem, let me know! You see I’m dealing with the same problem, but it’s tough to keep felines out of the garden, unless you’ve got a dog that’ll make your property less inviting to the cats.
Repellent products – in the form of sprays or granules -- rarely work, at least for more than a few days. Some people have had success spraying vinegar around the perimeter of their garden, but vinegar is a non-selective herbicide that will kill plants, and one rain will wash it away. Citrus-based products are more effective, but they don’t last all that long either.
There is a product on the market that you might want to consider, depending on the size of the area you’re trying to keep cats out of. It’s called a Cat Scat Mat, and it’s available from one of our sponsors, Gardeners Supply Company (www.gardeners.com). The mats consist of numerous spikes that prevent cats from scratching at the ground prior to doing their thing.
Cat Scat Mat at Gardeners's Supply Company
Save the Cherries!
Donna from Wisconsin asks how best to prevent birds from harvesting all her cherries.
There are several approaches to consider, the most effective of which is to cover the trees with plastic netting. The birds may still be able to get to some of the cherries on the outside branches of the tree, but not those within the interior.
You might also want to consider hanging CDs in your trees. Just drill a small hole on the outside edge of a CD, run some fishing line through the hole, and tie the line onto a branch. As the CD sways in the wind, reflected light bounces all over the place, which drives birds crazy.
Yard Art
Patricia wants to know where I got all the metal yard art she’s seen on my show.
All the cool sculptures you refer to were made by a friend of mine, Lisa Regan, who calls herself The Garden Deva. Lisa is a great gal, a talented artist, and quite the welder to boot. You can order directly from her website at www.gardendeva.com. And tell her I said hi.
Garden Deva website www.gardendeva.com
Archive Q and A
Brussel's Bonsai in Olive Branch, MS
JUNE 9 UPDATE Q & A
Happy Birthday Patsy!
Patsy in Michigan (Zone 5) received a Calla Lily for her birthday from her daughter, and wants to know if she can grow it outside.
The answer is no, Patsy. You can’t plant the Calla lily (Zantedeschia) outside, because it’s a tropical that’s hardy only in Zone 10 and points south. You can, however, keep it in a pot and set it outside in full sun to partial shade during the summer months. Just make sure to bring it in before temperatures drop into the 50s at night. Once it’s finished blooming, the leaves may start to yellow, which is perfectly normal. Just snip them off at the base of the plant.
Indoors, the plant needs fairly bright but filtered light, evenly moist soil, and daily misting to maintain high humidity levels
Palm Reader
Randall, who doesn’t mention where he’s from, has 100 Mexican fan palms (Washingtonia robusta) growing in a greenhouse. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the pots the palms are growing in are being invaded by a wild clover, and he wants to know what herbicide to use to kill the clover.
You know, Randall, your problem could be a lot worse, because of all the weeds that could have invaded your potted palms, clover is the least problematic. In fact, clover can be considered beneficial because, as a legume, it sucks nitrogen out of the air and returns it to the soil. Nevertheless, assuming you want to get rid of it, I suggest you use a natural herbicide such as the one I described in an earlier Tip of the Week, namely Burn Out. It contains clove oil and vinegar, and it works great. However, it’s non-selective, which means it’ll damage the palms as well if it comes in contact with their leaves. So, just be careful when you spray the stuff.
Name That Plant
Barb in Phoenix, OR, sent pictures of a plant she’s been growing for 13 years, but can’t identify.
Hey Barb, my best guess is that the plant in question is a Missouri Primrose called ‘Sundrops.’ The Latin name is Oenothera missouriensis. It’s a great little perennial that’s hardy in Zones 5 through 8 and really should be planted more.
Guilt by Association?
Mrs. Thompson is trying to decide whether to plant gardenias or oleanders along a back fence. She favors the latter, but has a peach tree nearby and, knowing that oleander is poisonous, wonders whether the toxins in the oleander might find their way to the peaches via the roots.
Good question, Mrs. Thompson. Oleander (Nerium oleander) is indeed extremely poisonous, and all parts of the plant contain deadly toxins. However, while tree roots of the same species will graft to one another, those of different species rarely do, so I think your peaches will be okay to eat.
Having said that, I’d hate to be responsible if your next cobbler turned out to be not just bad, but deadly.
Doughnut Hole in Grasses
Sharon, in Macomb, IL, is frustrated by the way her ornamental grasses, namely Miscanthus ‘Morning Light,’ develop doughnut holes in their centers after several years.
As they mature, many ornamental grasses do just as you’ve described, Sharon, and dividing them is one way to correct the problem. Another solution is to dig a hole in the center of each plant and plop in a one-gallon “replacement.” Do this early in the growing season, and by midsummer the grass will look good as new.
Ants in Their Plants
Michelle and Greg of Algonquin, IL, have ants invading their garden beds and want to know how to get rid of them without resorting to dangerous chemicals.
For the most part, ants are beneficial critters, so I don’t usually recommend taking steps to eliminate them from the garden. But it sounds as though you’re both committed to at least controlling them, so here’s what I suggest.
Mix a batch of sugar and boric acid (sold in hardware stores as a roach control) in equal parts, and place the mixture in covered bait stations in the garden. The ants will be drawn to the sugar and take it back to their nest along with the boric acid, which is fatal to ants. It may take several days before you see the effects of the bait, so be patient. Boric acid (a crystal derived from borax) is quite low in toxicity.
Missouri Primrose 'Sundrops'
Oleander
