Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
In the garden
QWe have a small walk through the woods to our shop. The ground cover is solid poison oak. After two concentrated doses of Roundup, the poison oak is dying. I would like to replace the groundcover with something that would choke out the poison oak. Also want to add some liriope, rocks and existing irises along the pathway. Can I do this in the fall or do I need to hit any returning poison oak in spring and then plant?
AI would be very surprised if you killed your poison oak/ ivy completely, especially if you had a dense covering. From your photo, you have a large area to cover. You want to start small and work on a section of a time. It is a shady spot, so consider smothering out some of the areas by laying black plastic now to keep weeds from growing back this winter and early spring. I would try to lay a nice pathway with an underlayment of landscape cloth, then add some rocks and mulch. I would proceed slowly, not adding a bunch of plants until you know the poison oak/ivy is truly gone, since it is difficult to
kill when it grows among broadleaf plants. Once you are ready to plant, stick with more woodland type plants — crested irises, cranesbill geraniums, toad lilies, trillium, mayapples, etc.
QMy husband is very cautious about planting trees and large shrubs too close to the house because of roots. I planted a crape myrtle bush right in front of our large picture window on my own years ago. Now that it is getting bigger, my husband is talking about pulling it up because he’s concerned about it being too close to the house. I do not want it moved. I see crape myrtles planted right in front of people’s houses everywhere in our surrounding area. Is this indeed going to be a problem?
AI am not concerned with the roots interfering with the house, but I don’t think it is in a good location. The crape myrtle will continue to grow larger, and it is covering up your window. I think it would have so much more potential if you moved it to a location where it had room to grow and bloom.
QMy fall-blooming camellia bush has a bunch of fruit-like growths. I have never seen these before. What are they?
ACamellia sasanqua flowers can set seeds if they get the right conditions, and our mild winter, coupled with a mild growing season, has allowed them to set more fruit than normal. These small, apple-looking fruits do contain seeds. While it is possible to grow a camellia from seed, it would take years before the plant matured enough to flower.
QI saw these trees blooming in a park on Camp Robinson Road in North Little Rock. They were magnificent. At the time, they were in full bloom. The leaves are very large and the bark is beautiful. A friend and I had no luck identifying them. Someone suggested a mulberry by the leaf I brought home, which measures more than 12 inches across, but that is not its identity. Having no luck with any books I have, and friends don’t know, I knew I could get my answer from you.
AThe tree is commonly called a Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex). They are an interesting tree with large leaves, and the bark stays smooth and green even as it ages.
QOne of my friends has two huge KQ ferns that he overwintered last year. He said he put them in an outdoor house, and it had no light and they hardly shed. They came out again this spring and are big and thick. Do you have any information or more details on how to overwinter ferns, or is it worth it?
AAs long as you can prevent the ferns from freezing, they should overwinter fine in a garage or crawl space under your house. I am surprised that they did not shed any leaves, since normally they don’t look too spry when you move them back outside. A little haircut, some water and fertilizer should help them bounce back.