Q: I don't have a green thumb! I don't have a finger. I do not know what to do! Here's how my big azalea looks after these two winters. [A reader posted a photo.] Will they be fined? I applaud you.
A: The jury is still out on how much damage our azaleas have done. Different varieties should suffer to different degrees. I see some green in your photo so I don't think the plant is dead. Will they improve? Maybe, but not the whole show. We are starting to see plants coming out of dormancy - the forsythia and some spirea have bloomed, along with an early tulip magnolia that will probably die in the late cold weather. Enjoy the brown scene for another month and then we can start decorating and pruning. It looks like your tree needs trimming because it's above the window line, so that's your bright spot.
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Q: I know this is an inappropriate question, but I am asking to prepare now. I used to have a wonderful lawn of Zoysia. About three years ago I had some brown rings that had recently appeared on the grass. My service tells me I have a fairy ring and I have to dig up the whole garden and replace it. Well, I certainly didn't want that, so I paid a lot of money for treatments that didn't help much. Every year more and more weeds disappear. Whatever the fairy ring is, it doesn't seem to harm the weeds because they are everywhere. Help! Do I really have to dig out the pages and start over? Plaster sounds pretty good now.
A: I'm not sure what your problem is with the fairy ring. Magic ring is a difficult disease to eradicate (like most lawn blights), but it usually produces a halo of green grass. White mold may also appear on the site. What you describe sounds like brown spot, a common fungal problem. Here's a link to the datasheet for the patch: arkansasonline.com/218patch. Read on and see if that sounds like what you're talking about. To determine if you have a problem or disease in your yard or garden, you can take plant samples to your local county office. You can send it to a diagnostic lab in Fayetteville. Fresh samples are important. For your grass sample, you need grass that is actively growing in a transition zone - between good and bad, soil and roots connected. Accurately diagnosing a problem is always the first step to finding a solution.
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Q: We just finished a new house and want to plant some trees. We found some we love and want to plant them now Sure, we're avoiding power lines, but how far should we put them from the foundation so they don't cause problems later?
Answer: Thank you for planning. I hope everyone does. Know the mature size of the tree you are planting. You need to know not only the final height of the tree, but also the full spread of its crown. You don't want twigs rubbing against your house or roof or power lines. We typically plant trees 50 to 100 feet from the home's foundation, again based on mature tree size, not planting time.
Janet Carson, who retired after 38 years with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Services, is one of Arkansas' leading horticulturists. Her blog is at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet . Email him at PO Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203 or email him at jcarson@arkansasonline.com
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