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Q - About 10 years ago we planted amur maple shrubs along the back fence in our yard for privacy. Not quite sure what to do with them now, all the foliage, is at the top and they no longer provide any privacy. Also, they have a lot of dead wood. How do we prune them to give us privacy or should we replace them with some kind of evergreen shrub? Thanks for your help! Waukesha, Wisconsin A – Melinda Myers Thanks for the first question to our on-line chats. Amur maples are considered a small tree and tend to grow the way you describe. You can encourage a fuller habit. Start by removing all the dead wood. Then see what’s left. Step back and start pruning your way to an attractive framework. Remove crossing branches, those that will eventually grow together and any with a narrow crotch angle (the angle between two adjoining branches). This will improve the overall appearance of your plant. Consider some perennials or small scale shrubs if you feel you still need to fill the space between the lower branches and ground. Best of luck
Q – How close should trees be from the foundation of your house? We have a Honey Locust that is 11' from the house and a small leaf Maple that is 10' from the foundation. When we had the house built 30 years ago we had a landscaper draw up plans to spread the trees and bushes around the property. We did all the work of putting them in according to the plan. Now we are having work done on the basement foundation and are getting different opinions on whether to keep the trees were they are or take them out. We have blockage in our outside drain tiles but are unsure if the trees may be part of the problem. Can you give us opinion. A – Melinda Myers Tree roots can travel for hundreds of feet so it is always difficult to figure out which tree is causing problems. Any tree will seek the nutrients and moisture that accumulates near a break in a sewer line or drain tile. Your trees should be far enough away form the foundation but will eventually need some pruning to keep them off the house. Many foundation problems (remember I am not the home repair expert) can be reduced or eliminated by keeping water away from the basement. Make sure the soil grades away from your house and your downspouts, gutters and sump pump are in good working order. A reliable basement repair company should also be able to shed some light on the issue.
Q - My question is I was given a leaf, from a friend, to start a 'Night Blooming Cirrus' (not sure of the spelling). I know her plant is very large but that's about all I know. Can you give me some more insights? Dianne A – Melinda Myers Night blooming cereus is a type of cactus. It prefers full sun and well drained soil. If you have problems rooting the cutting you may need to take a step back and start over. Re-cut the base of the cutting if it has turned soft. Let it sit over night to form a bit of a callus. Then stick the cutting in moist sand or vermiculite or a cactus mix to root. Once rooted, place in a small container of well-drained potting mix or cactus mix. Move to a sunny window and allow the soil to dry slightly before you water again. In several years you may be lucky enough to have your night blooming cereus cactus flower. Cool winter temperatures and dry soil followed by warm sunny summer temperatures (many move their plants outdoors for summer) will help encourage vigorous growth and blooms. A mature plant usually blooms only once a year and at night. I know several gardeners that host parties to share this special event with their gardening friends. Oh the crazy things we gardeners do!
Q - Do you know of any solution for getting rid of voles in our lawn. Now they have started eating the bark off some of our shrubs. Thank you, Lorraine A – Melinda Myers Nature often helps keep the voles in check. Hawks, owls and fox will eat many of these unwanted critters. And even those of us in the city may be surprised by the number of these natural predators that visit our yards. You may need to lend a helping hand when the vole populations are high. Prevention is the easiest way to protect your landscape. Use hardware cloth to create a fence of sorts around young plantings. Sink it several inches into the ground and position it so it is 4 feet high. That will help keep out the rabbits. With our crazy weather you may still be able to get out there and install the fencing. Small rat traps baited with peanut butter and oats will also work. Place these in a PVC pipe to make it more inviting for the voles while keeping pets and song birds away from the traps. Keep in mind there can be as many as 400 to 1000 voles per acre – that means lots of trapping. Poisonous baits are available but I am concerned that the poisoned voles can harm the predators (owls, hawks…) that eat them. We don’t want to kill the wildlife trying to help keep our landscapes intact.
Q - Last summer my 1 year old sweet cherry trees bore 4 cherries and before they became ripe enough to eat for myself, I found black ants eating them. Is there any way to keep ants off of produce? I thought about using cooking oil around on the trunk of trees to keep them from climbing up. Would that hurt the tree? A – Melinda Myers Ants are usually a secondary problem. They were probably attracted to the sugar in the ripe fruit. The real problem may have been birds. They may have damaged the fruit leaving openings that attracted the ants and allowed them to feed on your cherries. Avoid putting sticking substances directly on the tree trunk. There is concern about the absorption of light and long term impact. Once your tree starts producing you may need to use scare tactics or netting to keep out the birds. Also monitor for codling moths that can injure the fruit and create entryways for the ants.
Q - This is the first year I have successfully grown an amaryllis, but it is done blooming now and I don't know what to do to care for it and get it to rebloom next year. It still hasn't produced any leaves, is that a problem? Priscilla A – Melinda Myers Don’t worry Priscilla. Move your amaryllis to a sunny location. Water thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are crumbly and moist. Once leaves appear you can give it a shot of a dilute solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer. Continue to care for it like your other houseplants. Once the weather warms you can move your plant outdoors. The more intense light and better growing conditions help the plant prepare for future bloom. At the end of summer, gradually reduce watering and move it indoors before the first fall frost. Store in a cool dark location, no water needed for several months. At the first sign of growth begin watering and move to a cool sunny location. I have had good luck moving mine to an east facing window in my basement for winter. I water only as needed. The plant is somewhat dormant. I remove any dried leaves and wait for flowers to appear. I have been able to rebloom my amaryllis for several years. I occasionally get flowers in the summer as well as winter with this method. If you don’t succeed the first time – don’t give up – amaryllis is difficult to rebloom.
Q - Do I need to do anything to the Goldflame Honeysuckle? It grew quite a bit last summer & I am wondering do I need to prune it, or will it just keep growing where it left off last year? If I need to shape it or trim it down, when is the best time to do that? Dennis A – Melinda Myers Sounds like your honeysuckle is doing great Dennis. In late winter you can prune it back quite severely. Established plants can be cut back to about a foot above the ground. Remove no more than 1/3 of the total height or just the overly long branches on new plantings. Make cuts above a healthy bud facing the direction you want the new growth to head. You will probably need to do this every few years.
Q - What herbs can I grow in my apartment which does not receive nearly as much sunlight. A – Melinda Myers Most herbs need full sun when grown indoors. Consider adding and overhead or spot light to supplement the artificial light. This will allow you to grow a wide variety of plants indoors. Basil, oregano, time and sage all perform well indoors but need a sunny window or artificial light to grow and thrive.
Thanks to all for joining me on our first on-line chat, Have a great weekend Melinda
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