Q&A – Ask Neil: November 20, 2025
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QUESTION 1
WHAT IS EATING OUR HYDRANGEAS?
Question: We have had hydrangeas for a long time. They don’t bloom a lot, but they are pretty. Suddenly they are being eaten by something, and I’d like to know how I can stop the massacre. What eats hydrangeas? David D., Burleson.
Answer: It’s hard to tell the specific pest that did this deed to your hydrangeas. It could have been a hungry caterpillar back in the summer, an ambitious nest-building leaf cutter bee sometime in early summer (the damage is on older leaves pretty far down on the stems), or a traveling snail or slug some dark night last spring. The damage is old and done. Next year keep an eye open for fresh damage on the new growth. When you see some starting to show up, look for the culprit(s) right away. Sevin dust or Bacillus thuringiensis biological worm killer will kill most types of pests. Your plants also look very hungry. I would recommend application of a complete-and-balanced, water-soluble food immediately after time of bloom next spring.
QUESTION 2
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD FULL SUN, FLOWERING TROPICAL PLANTS?
Question: You often feature beautiful tropical plants. I have a large backyard with no shade (other than two new crape myrtles). Can I grow flowering tropicals in a full sun yard? Leslie S., Princeton, Collin County.
Answer: There are plenty of flowering tropicals that thrive in full sun. Before I list them, however, a reminder that a tropical look comes also from a nice assortment of textures and growth forms, not just from flowers.
You’ll want plants with large leaves, bright foliar color, odd growth habits, etc. As examples, nothing is more tropical looking than a banana tree or palm. (Sabal palmettos are the most winter hardy for North Central Texas.) Crotons are spectacular with their brightly variegated foliage, although late afternoon sun will burn them, so aim to give them 3-4 hours of protection if at all possible. Variegated cane and zebragrass are also excellent.
Some of my favorite tropical plants for warm-season color include (small to large):
• Purpleheart
• Angelonia
• Purslane
• Trailing lantanas
• Pentas
• Lemon lollipop
• Tropical hibiscus
• Hardy hibiscus (remember the mallows),
• Bougainvilleas
• Allamanda
• Firebush (Hamelia patens)
• Copper plant (several uncommon varieties are very lovely)
• Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida)
• Gold Star Esperanza
• Variegated cannas (several showy cultivars in the market)
• Brugmansia (angel’s trumpet)
• Mexican bird of paradise
Hang onto that list. I don’t think I’ve ever assembled it before. Let us know when you’re ready for an open-garden tour!
QUESTION 3
HOW SOON CAN I DO MAJOR RESHAPING OF MY SHRUBS?
Question: My waxleaf ligustrums and hollies are overgrown. They are blocking light through my windows. I’ve brought plants indoors for the winter and I’d like to prune the shrubs so my indoor plants can get more light. When is the soonest I can do that? Holly B., Fort Worth.
Answer: The optimum time is mid- to late winter, just before any new growth begins. Heavy pruning stimulates new growth. You really don’t want new growth now because it could be frozen were we to get a severe cold snap early in the winter. However, I do understand your concerns, so the compromise would be to wait until the plants have been exposed to their first hard freeze (down into the high 20s or colder). That will shut them down for a good while. At that point you should be safe for the reshaping.
QUESTION 4
HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE BE WATERING?
Question: With the drought continuing, should we continue to run the sprinkler system once a week, or should we cut it back? Cindy P., San Antonio.
Answer: I would run it manually the balance of the winter. Weekly should certainly be adequate. In fact, you should be able to go considerably longer once temperatures fall more. Watch the surface of the soil to see if its color lightens because of drying. Feel it with your fingers. They’re the best moisture meters you can find. Let it dry an inch or so deep, then when you do water, soak it thoroughly. Hopefully rains will intervene. We all need to do our part to conserve water, although we also want to keep our cities looking as good as possible.
QUESTION 5
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON TRANSPLANTING THESE EVERGREENS?
Question: Someone planted these evergreen trees too close together. (Might have been me.) I’ve read that they are hard to transplant, but that winter is the best time to do so if I want to try. Do you have any tips? Kevin O., McKinney.
Answer: Love your honesty. I’ll be honest back. First the facts. Winter is the only time you would have a prayer in moving these two conifers. They must be dormant, so this would be a job for the time period of late December through early February. And the soil would have to be more moist than it appears to be right now.
So those are the facts. Now for the opinions. It’s not worth the great expense it would take to do this. You would have to have either a tree spade or a crew of men to dig the Leyland cypress (larger of the two) and either of those would set you back hundreds of dollars. And Leyland cypresses are dying all over McKinney from Seiridium canker, a particularly deadly fungus that has eliminated probably two-thirds of this species in Texas in the past 15 years. There is no prevention of cure. And your juniper would just be tough to dig, plus it looks like it has a bad dose of spider mites drying its needles from the ground up. That particular spider mite species gets its start in cool weather. The juniper is having a struggle already. Trying to transplant it would just set it back even more. So, my editorial opinion would be thumbs down on transplanting either of these two trees.
QUESTION 6
WHAT ORNAMENTAL GRASS WOULD GROW ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MY HOUSE?
Question: I want an ornamental grass against the north side of my house, but the signs in the nurseries all suggest “full sun.” Any ideas? Jack K., Brazos County.
Answer: The problem is that they will all lean out away from your house as they send up their flowers and seed stalks. I think you’d be happier if you used them out in the landscape in a bed where they would have uniform lighting all through the day. In the setting you’re describing you’ll have better results if you used arching or crawling plants. Consider Harbour Dwarf nandina. It has a bit of a bamboo look to it in a very dwarf form. It makes a very attractive 16-20-inch groundcover that is reddish green all growing season, then maroon in the winter. It does not bear a lot of fruit, but the great winter color makes up for it.
QUESTION 7
CAN I USE NEMATODE-INFESTED SOIL ELSEWHERE IN MY LANDSCAPE?
Question: About one month ago you answered my question about nematodes in my vegetable garden’s raised beds. The prognosis was not good. If I decide to remove all the affected soil, can I safely use it in other areas of my landscape (non-vegetable plants)? Lisa B., Mansfield.
Answer: You can but remember that many ornamental plants are susceptible to attacks by nematodes, too. It would be best to solarize the soil for a couple of years before using it, or to use it only to fill voids in turf areas. Proceed cautiously to make sure you’re not just spreading the problem all around. Is the soil worth the gamble?