Q&A – Ask Neil: April 28, 2022
To say the least, this newest feature of e-gardens took off like a rocket. We had 80 really good questions. A few were duplicates, but I was really impressed with the breadth of interests you’ve shown.
Please, no new questions this week. Give me a chance (1) to get caught up and (2) figure a way to work this into a manageable format. I should be able to open the QA submission page back up again for next week’s e-gardens. Thanks for understanding!
Here, then, are this week’s questions:
Question 1
BLUEBONNETS FLAT FLOWERS
Dear Neil: Why would bluebonnets have flattened flowers? E.P. near Greenville.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 2
BOXWOODS BAD AROMA
Dear Neil: We have boxwoods that are emitting a very unpleasant odor. No amount of air freshener inside our house can overcome it. I detect it elsewhere in our neighborhood as well. I hate to take them out. What would cause it? D.M. Dallas.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 3
RED OAK KILLED PARTIALLY BY COLD
Dear Neil: My Shumard red oak was damaged in the February 2021 freeze. It has come back strongly, but the outer branches appear to be dead. Should they be pruned out? The trunk shows no visible damage. J.M., San Antonio.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 4
RIDDING PURSLANE FROM GARDEN
Dear Neil: I have a large vegetable garden and each year purslane is a problem. I end up on my hands and knees pulling it because weedkillers say I cannot use those products around my vegetables. Is there anything else I can do? D.F., Lampasas.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 5
LIRIOPE BORDER DYING
Dear Neil: My liriope border is dying. All I could find on the Internet said “crown rot,” but this doesn’t look like what I saw. Can you please help me? R., Waco.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 6
MONDOGRASS NOT COVERING
Dear Neil: I’m having trouble getting mondograss to cover in a bed. What might be wrong? S.C., Brenham.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 7
WHEN TO PRUNE POST OAKS
Dear Neil: I have post oaks I need to have pruned. I know spring is not the time. How soon can it be done? L.G., Somerville.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 8
RETRAIN CRAPE MYRTLE TO BE TREE
Dear Neil: How to I retrain crape myrtles into trees? They froze a couple of years ago. T., Miles.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 9
CONVERTING MULCHED BEDS
Dear Neil: We have a large property and many mulched beds. As we get older, they are more challenging to maintain. If we were to convert them to something else, what would you suggest instead of all that mulch that has to be spread? M.R., Colleyville.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 10
WISTERIA DOESN’T BLOOM
Dear Neil: Why would a wisteria never bloom? It was in our landscape when we bought our house 15 years ago and we’ve seen no flowers. D.C., Plano. (Same question posted by two others this week.)
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 11
ST. AUGUSTINE NOT GREENING UP
Dear Neil: Already my St. Augustine is turning yellow. Last year I applied Disease-EX several times. What am I doing wrong? S.A., Stephenville.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 12
RECOMMEND FESCUE?
Dear Neil: Why do you not recommend fescue for shaded areas? We have it, and we have islands of green in the winter and have been pretty happy with it. L.F., Weatherford.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 13
WHAT FERTILIZER FOR POTTED PLANTS?
Dear Neil: You suggest an “all-nitrogen” fertilizer for plants in the clay soils (“high-nitrogen” for sandy soils). What should I use for potted plants? J.N.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 14
CAN JAPANESE MAPLE BE SAVED?
Dear Neil: The majority of my Japanese maple is dead. Is there any way to save the rest of the tree? Could I root it as a cutting? M.P., Plano.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 15
YAUPON HOLLY SUCKERS
Dear Neil: I have a 20-year-old yaupon holly tree that puts out quantities of root sprout suckers each year. I have to dig them out by hand. Is there any other way to eliminate them? R., Lubbock.
Click to see Neil’s answer.
Question 16
PLEASE EXPLAIN “ALL-NITROGEN”
Dear Neil: When you say “all-nitrogen” or “high-nitrogen” fertilizer for our lawns and garden plants, are you talking about the entire contents of the bag? I find 46-0-0, so that it only has nitrogen, but it doesn’t seem as “high” nitrogen, since less than half of the bag is nitrogen. I’m confused. B.S., Argyle.
Click to see Neil’s answer.