In the garden
QI don’t know if this question is in your forte but perhaps you can help. I have more chipmunks in my yard than
Carter had little liver pills. How do I rid my yard of them? At first, we thought they were cute. Now as I walk through my yard, I feel the ground giving from all the caves they have dug.
AI still think they are cute and love to observe them running around the yard. Squirrels, I am not as enamored of. I have heard from many gardeners who complain about chipmunks doing damage, but other than holes in the yard (knock wood) mine are just added entertainment. Holes in the yard of 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter with no scattered dirt at the opening could indicate chipmunks. They eat seeds and nuts, so typically plant damage isn’t a problem. (Occasionally they are reported to consume bulbs.) Their extensive tunneling can be of concern near foundations and decks. Chipmunks are active and visible during daylight. Under state law (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Code 17.01), chipmunks that are causing personal property damage can be shot and killed during daylight hours — but only where city codes allow the discharge of firearms, and most do not; or the animals can be trapped and released outside a city, or trapped and killed, without a depredation permit. I would not try to kill them. If they are eating bulbs, you can use deterrents or repellents. You can
try using Havaheart traps and moving them, which would take awhile. If you know where they are burrowing, you can try plugging their holes, which will encourage them to move. Use hardware cloth with 1/4-inch
(0.6 cm) mesh, caulking or other appropriate materials to close openings. Hardware cloth may also be used to exclude chipmunks from flower beds. Seeds and bulbs can be covered by 1/4-inch
(0.6 cm) hardware cloth, and the cloth itself should be covered with soil. The cloth should extend at least 1 foot (30 cm) past each margin of the planting. Exclusion is less expensive in the long run than trapping where high populations of chipmunks exist. I have also been told to get a good cat or dog that likes to hunt.
QWe had a small circle of rocks around our “October Glory” maple. Roots were showing beyond the rocks. We enlarged it quite a bit because I wanted plants around the tree. Now we’ve been told if we fill it in with dirt, we will kill the tree.
Could we mulch where the first rocks were and put dirt beyond the mulch without damaging it?
AThis is one of the most common gardening questions without a definitive answer. There are so many variables when it comes to adding soil around existing plants. Knowing the area that you are covering (both depth and width), the type of tree or shrubs you are growing, and the type of fill you are bringing in all make a difference. Maples are quite prone to surface roots, so enlarging the area is fine, but consider just filling in with mulch that has a larger pore space to allow water and oxygen in. If you actually want to plant something in this bed, consider bringing in smaller pockets of soil to plant in and use mulch as the fill around them. It will look like the whole garden is planted.
QI have some lantana that I overwintered inside last year. One is a pretty bush, the other is quite leggy. Can I trim them back, and when? And what about my irises? Am I to trim them back, and when?
AI have to admit I was surprised at the number of lantana plants that overwintered in our colder than normal winter, but many did. If your plants are leggy, by all means give them a haircut. This should help them thicken up and grow fuller. It will delay blooms by a week or two, but fertilize when you do it, water the fertilizer in and the plants should bounce back. For irises, trimming depends on how they look, how many you grow and your preference. Gardeners with
hundreds of irises cut the foliage back to limit the spread of diseases. I have just a couple of iris plants in the yard, and I think the foliage is more attractive whole. I don’t cut them back. If your plants’ leaves are discolored or damaged by disease, cut them back. Otherwise, leave them alone.
QMy mother said you might be able to identify this flower [reader submitted a photo]. It has a big bloom at the end and smaller ones on the shaft. Any help would be appreciated.
AThe plant in your photograph is a perennial called clustered bellflower (Campanula glomerata “Superba”). In our climate they would prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. The color of these blooms is intense and beautiful, but they are not huge fans of heat and humidity.