For trees and shrubs, prime planting time

QUESTION: I have a hydrangea that I bought at a nursery last spring, and it’s still in the pot it came in. Is it too late to plant it?

Fall is a good time to plant hydrangeas and other woody ornamentals.

I’m sure every gardener has, at some point, bought sturdy plants in the spring, but somehow never got around to putting them in the ground (I know I have!). You can be sure that your hydrangea will be happier in the ground than it will be if it has to struggle through the winter in a plastic pot.

In fact, fall and winter are good times to plant woody ornamentals, when they are dormant and have fewer energy requirements. They still need water, but require less than they would in spring going into the hot summer. In fall, new trees and shrubs can begin to establish a strong root system and be ready to begin new growth next spring.

Here are general guidelines from UT/TSU Extension for planting container-grown trees and shrubs:

-Choose your location and begin by digging a wide hole, two or three times the width, but no deeper than the height of the root ball in the container.

-Water the plant before you take it out of the pot. After you remove the plant, cut any roots that circle the ball of soil (if the roots and soil don’t come out easily, cut the plastic away from the root ball. Don’t pull the plant out by its trunk). Use a sharp knife to make two or three vertical cuts, and gently loosen the ball to expose more roots to the soil.

-Place the plant in the hole to that the top of the root ball is even with the soil line or an inch or two above it, and backfill the hole with soil and water again. Rake over the soil to even it out with the ground, and cover the area with 2 or 3 inches of mulch (keeping the mulch away from the shrub’s trunk.

-Don’t forget to provide water to newly planted shrubs and trees if the weather is dry.
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Evergreens turning ever-brown

QUESTION: We are seeing many evergreen trees — Leyland cypress and others — with big sections of brown limbs. Is that due to the drought? Or is there some other problem affecting the trees?

The drought this summer plays a big part in the browning of Leyland cypress, but it’s not the whole story. Alan Windham, at UT Extension’s Soil, Pest and Plant Center says the branch dieback is the result of a one-two punch: drought and seirdium canker, a fungus that appears on branches or stems and in branch axils and causes the branch to die. “I’ve seen more damage this month than I can remember in several years,” Windham says.

I found a good description of seirdium canker at the Web site of North Carolina State University’s Plant Pathology Extension: The cankers are brown or purple sunken patches on the bark, and may be accompanied by a flow of resin. Affected branches may be scattered randomly throughout the tree; they turn a reddish-brown color, in striking contrast to the green, healthy foliage. The fungus can be spread by splashes of rainwater or water from sprinklers, or it can travel from branch to branch on unclean pruning tools.

There are no chemicals recommended to control the canker. Brown branches should be pruned and destroyed as soon as possible. Prune at least an inch below the canker, and sterilize the pruning tools between cuts by dipping them in rubbing alcohol or a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts water. Plants that are severely affected should be removed and destroyed. Watering by drip irrigation during drought can help prevent problems, Windham says.

Upright arborvitae are also having trouble due to the drought. Windham explains: Plants have different strategies to survive: some plants sacrifice older leaves to protect new shoots; some have waxy leaves, some plants roll their leaves or close up to prevent water vapor from escaping.

“Then you have plants like arborvitae, where it’s all or nothing. It’s as if the plant is saying, ‘We’re going for broke. Everything survives or nothing survives.’ Well, this strategy didn’t work out too well for many arborvitae I have seen.”

In this case, the only solution is to remove the dead trees and start again.

Garden events in Middle Tennessee

Aug. 21: Two meetings at Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall:

- The Perennial Plant Society meets at 6:30, beginning with refreshments and plant swap. Program begins at 7 p.m., and the speaker is Audubon naturalist Sherra Owens, presenting “Gardenening On The Wild Side With Nature’s Most Important Plant.”

- The Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee meets at 7 p.m. Michael Wenzel of the AtlanticBotanical Garden will speak on Phalaenopsis species.

Both meetings are open to the public.

Aug. 23: The Middle Tennessee Hosta Society meets at Cheekwood, 6:30 p.m., in the Potter Room. Guest speaker is landscape designer, photographer and writer Troy Marden; his topic: In a Southern Garden: Lessons from 20 Years of Gardening in the South.” To learn more about MTHS, visit www.mths-hosta.com.

Next month in Middle Tennessee

Sept. 5:WarnerParkNatureCenter hosts Hummingbird Happy Hour, 4 – 6 p.m. at the WarnerParkNatureCenter. Bird banding demonstrations and other kid-friendly activities are on the agenda. Free admission, but registration is required; call 352-6299. While you’re there, visit the NatureCenter’s vegetable, herb and flower garden. Info: http://www.nashville.gov/parks/nature/wpnc.

Sept. 15: Urban Chicken Appreciation Day at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 10 – 11 a.m., celebrates feathered backyard friends. Learn how to get started in backyard chicken keeping in a session led by Bonnie Bowles. Call (862-8539) or email (shelbybottomsnature@nashville.gov) to register.

Sept. 22 & 23: Many rare and unusual houseplants will be available at the Tennessee Gesneriad Society’s annual Flower Show and plant sale, which will be held at Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall. The event is open to the public 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sunday. To learn more contact Julie Mavity-Hudson at Julie.mavity@gmail.com.

Sept. 29: Herb Society of Nashville’s Herb Day at Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall: “Cooking & Gardening with Native Plants.” 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; admission is $40 plus Cheekwood gate fee. To register: www.herbsocietynashville.org.

Mulching trees; and a stack of new books

QUESTION: How should mulch be put around trees — piled high or spread even with the ground and good edging to keep water within?

Unfortunately, this is not the best way to mulch trees.

There are many good reasons to use mulch around trees in a landscape. It keeps the soil warmer in winter and cooler in summer; it helps the soil retain moisture; it helps control weeds, and improves soil fertility by adding organic matter. It keeps mowers and string trimmers at a safe distance from the tree trunk, plus, it looks nice.

There are a few “rules” for proper mulching, but none of them include piling mulch up high around the trunks of trees. In fact, it’s a bad idea. Here’s why:

Plants need oxygen in the soil, and mulch that is too thick – more than 4 inches – restricts the soil oxygen exchange, according to the UT Extension’s publication on mulching trees and shrubs. Roots will grow up to find more oxygen, instead of down and outward through the soil. Too much mulch also causes too much moisture in the root zone, making roots susceptible to rot, insects and diseases. Cracking in the bark creates an entry point for insects and fungal growth, and invites rodents to chew the bark and damage the trunk or even girdle the tree – destroying the bark all the way around, which is a quick cause of a tree’s demise.

Unfortunately, this so-called “volcano” mulching, with the mulch placed in a cone around and next to the trunk, is a common practice. Here’s the proper way to place mulch, according to UT Extension (and other good sources):

Apply mulch in a ring no more than 2 to 4 inches deep, at least 4 to 6 feet in diameter around the base of the tree. Place it so that it tapers out to the ground level at the edge of the ring. Do not pile the mulch around the trunk; pull it several inches away so that the base of the trunk is exposed and air moves freely.

Spring reading

There are several new gardening books out this spring. Here’s a roundup:

* I’m slowly making my way through Women and Their Gardens: A History from the Elizabethan Era to Today, by Catherine Horwood (published by Ball Publishing, an imprint of Chicago Review Press). Focusing on the fact of history that women have often been excluded from the serious study of plants, Horwood brings these women into their rightful place in the horticultural spotlight. At more than 400 pages, there is much to be discovered about these pioneering women. I have just learned, for instance, that in 1897, Beatrix Potter was snubbed in her attempt to present research on spore germination of a rare form of fungi. She went back to private research and to her other specialty, detailed watercolor illustrations. A hundred years later, the artist famous for her beautiful childrens’ book illustrations was honored by the Linnean Society with a distinguished lecture entitled “Beatrix Potter as Mycologist.” So there.

* You may remember Graham Kerr as a cookbook author, TV personality and chef who called himself The Galloping Gourmet. His new book is Growing At the Speed of Life: A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden (published by Perigee Trade Paperbacks). He acknowledges from the first page – from the cover, really – “As the Galloping Gourmet, I cooked just about everything that grows – but I’d never grown a thing I’d cooked.” He set out to change that, and the book outlines much of what he learned in that year, and what he expects to learn about growing food in the years ahead. It’s a charmingly personal account, and with a shout-out to “First Lady Michelle Obama putting spade to turf on the White House lawn.” His focus is on the basics, the favorite vegetables and most-used herbs, and with recipes, of course.

* Local gardener and garden blogger Barbara Wise, author of Container Gardening For All Seasons (published by Cool Springs Press) makes assembling gorgeous containers easy by providing, cookbook-style, “recipes” and shopping lists and assembly instructions for about 100 container combinations. (My thanks to Barbara, because I heard about the book just as I was compiling information on container planting for the “Grow a Green Thumb” class I’m leading right now for Lipscomb University’s Lifelong Learning series. What a great resource!)

* For the more ambitious gardeners who include fruit-growing in their garden and landscape plans, there is Grow Fruit Naturally: A Hands-On Guide to Luscious, Homegrown Fruit, by Lee Reich. In my semi-sunny garden, strawberries (apparently, to feed the rabbits) and blueberries (for the birds) are about as far as I’m willing to venture into fruit-growing territory, but if you’re serious about getting fruit from tree to table, this book is for you. It helps you plan, choose and maintain plants in the garden or in containers, and learn ways to control (or avoid) common pests and diseases without toxic sprays. I did just buy a ‘Meyer’ lemon shrub to add to our container collection of things that need to be pampered, so maybe this will help us keep it alive. The eye-candy photos make leafing through the book a pleasant distraction. It’s published by Taunton Press.

* Speaking of nice photos, Rodale Books has published The Photographic Garden: Mastering the Art of Digital Garden Photography, by Matthew Benson, a professional photographer and contributing editor to Organic Gardening magazine. Since part of the joy of gardening is taking pictures of what you grow and sharing them with other gardeners, it would be lovely to know how to do it beautifully. Read the book before the next time you take your camera out, and maybe your garden photos will jump to the next level right away.

* Finally, in the stack of new books: Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way: 18^th Century Methods for Today’s Organic Gardeners by Wesley Green (also published by Rodale). Do you grow salsify? Have you ever heard of skirret? These may not be at the top of everyone’s list of favorite vegetables, but in the 18^th Century they were likely growing alongside the onions, garlic, melons, chives, sweet potatoes, beets, parsley and many other things that are familiar in our gardens, and they grow now at Colonial Williamsburg, one of the nation’s best historical preservation sites. The focus in this book is the traditional cultivation methods that are still good for today’s organic gardens. Green, the author, founded the Colonial Garden and Plant Nursery in the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg and he and another gardener, Don McKelvey, study and interpret 18^th-Century plants, tools and techniques. This book is the beautiful record of that impressive work.

Events coming up

Garden author Barbara Wise (see above, with her new book Container Gardening For All Seasons) will be at Freeman Flowers in the Westhaven Town Center on April 26, 4 – 6 p.m. Barbara will show how to plant several container “recipes,” and will answer container-scaping questions. Light refreshments will be served.

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The Herb Society of Nashville’s annual plant sale is April 21 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. It’s 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., but get there early to browse through 15,000 herbs (including some of those hard-to-find varieties) and talk to the Answer Ladies and all the other herb fanciers who turn out for this annual event. Look for more info at the Society’s website, www.herbsocietynashville.org and Facebook page.

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Cheekwood is celebrating its gardens all through April with a series of Cheekwood in Bloom events.

The grand opening of the Howe Garden at Cheekwood (after a million-dollar renovation) will be April 21, with activities, live music, guided tours and refreshments,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

In honor of national Arbor Day, April 28, there will be several drop-in activities and demonstrations. By the way, Cheekwood is now a certified Level IV arboretum, with more than 120 identified species of trees.

Every Sunday in April there will be guided greenhouse tours atnoon; guided museum tours at1 p.m.; and a drawing room concert series featuring Blair School of Music at 2 p.m.

Complete details on Cheekwood in Bloom are at Cheekwood’s web site.

* Coming in May: The Robertson County Master Gardeners annual plant sale is planned for May 12, 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. It will be held at the UT Extension office pavilion on the square in Springfield.

Banish the Bradford pear

QUESTION: When should Bradford pear trees be pruned? Is now a good time? How far back should you prune them?

 

Bradford pear trees are the first to flower in spring, but they are not a good choice for landscape trees.

I’ll answer the last question first, and echo the thoughts of many landscape and forestry experts who believe that these trees should get just one pruning cut – about an inch above the ground.

Seriously, Bradford pears (Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’) are not good landscape trees, no matter how lovely they are this time of year. They live fast and die young – a 25-year-old Bradford pear is probably near the end of its life. Because their heavy limbs grow at narrow angles, they tend to split apart. And because they shoot up so quickly and easily, this import from China has been placed on alert as a possible threat by the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council. So, is it time to reconsider?

But back to the question: It’s good to prune trees in late winter, while they’re still dormant. As you are no doubt aware if you’re in Middle Tennessee, “late winter” now seems to mean the same as “spring,” and most things are no longer dormant. So if you need to prune, do it now, before the tree leafs out fully and you can still see the branch structure easily.

Really, though, wouldn’t you rather have something else? Landscape professionals suggest a couple of good native alternatives to the Bradford pear: downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arboria), which has white flowers in spring, dark green foliage in summer and red berries in the fall; and Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), white flowers, green leaves, small blue-black fruit enjoyed by birds in the fall.

Either would be better than a Bradford pear, guaranteed.

Latin lessons

If your high school Latin has gotten rusty, maybe it’s time for a refresher course. The Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee will meet Tuesday (March 20), and the guest speaker is Bonnie Tinsley, a classicist / Latin teacher whose curriculum includes botanical Latin – the naming of plants — as a major component. She will present an explanation of the binomial system that was developed and standardized by Carl von Linne (Linnaeus) in the 17^th century. And because this is the Orchid Society, the focus will be on both species and hybrid orchids to show how the enduring power of Latin helps us name and identify plants.

The meeting is at Cheekwood’s Botanical Garden in the Potter Room. Refreshments an fellowship begin at6:30, the meeting and program begin at 7. For more information about the Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee, visit their web site here.

Celebrating friendships – and cherry blossoms

The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival is planned for March 24, and this year calls for special celebration.

2012 marks the 100^th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the people ofJapan to the people of theUnited States – the trees that famously grace the Tidal Basin in the Nation’s Capital. The trees have been a symbol of friendship between Japan and the U.S. for the past century, and several cities in the Southeast – including Nashville — have been chosen to receive 20 seedlings that are direct descendents of the D.C. trees.

“We are taking this occasion of the Centennial to expand our friendship in Nashville as well,” says Megumi Osugi Stepien, Consul in charge of Culture, Information and Educational Affairs at the Consulate General of Japan inNashville. During this year’s festival at the Metro Courthouse Public Square, the cherry trees will be planted by Mayor Karl Dean and Hon. Hiroshi Sato, the First Consul General of Japan in Nashville.

The Centennial tree-planting initiative is also a chance for the citizens of Japan to show their gratitude to the American people for their support during the earthquake and tsunami a year ago, planners say.   The Cherry Blossom Festival project is a joint undertaking of the nonprofit Japan-America Society of Tennessee, the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville and the office of Mayor Dean. Check here to learn more about Festival activities.

 

O, Christmas pine

QUESTION: I’m using a Norfolk Island pine as a small Christmas tree. What do I need to do to keep it looking nice, and how do I care for it when the holidays are over?

Norfolk Island pine provides a nice alternative to the big tree at Christmas, especially if your space is small or your decorating is simple. It’s best not to load it down with large, heavy ornaments that could break the feathery limbs. Use lights sparingly, if at all, and remove them as soon as you can after Christmas is over.

When it’s time to change it from a Christmas tree to a houseplant, place it in a spot (preferably in a cool room) that gets bright, indirect light – a south- or west-facing window is good – and give it a quarter-turn once a week to encourage it to grow straight up.

The biggest threats to Araucaria heterophylla (that’s the tree’s botanical name) are dry soil and dry air. Keep the soil consistently moist, but don’t let the pot sit in water. Increase humidity in its environment as much as possible. A daily misting could go a long way toward keeping the plant healthy. If the air remains too dry, the Norfolk Island pine responds by dropping its needles, and once they’re gone, they don’t grow back.

Houseplant specialists suggest using a balanced fertilizer once a month in summer, and be on the lookout for pests. Spider mites and mealybugs are drawn to this plant. A cautionary note about placing it outdoors: it’s a very tender plant, and will be damaged if the temperature falls below 40 degrees.

With care, a Norfolk Island pine can last for many years. They grow very large in their native South Pacific environment, but in a home, the tree usually grows, over time, to about 6 feet.

 

Water in winter

Landscapers know this, but we casual gardeners may not remember that even though it’s winter, the garden still needs water. Pay special attention to newly planted trees and shrubs, broadleaf evergreens (which continue to “breathe” even during winter), pansy beds and perennials that you planted in the fall.

Mulch keeps soil from drying out too quickly, but if the weather is cold but very dry, the soil will eventually dry out.

 

Events

A couple of garden-related events coming up:

- The Tennessee Gesneriad Society will meet Jan. 8 at 2 p.m.at Cheekwood in Botanic Hall. The program will be a slide show on Gesneriads. For more info contact Julie at Julie.mavity@gmail.com or 615-364-8459.

- The Perennial Plant Society is planning its January meeting and welcomes visitors. The guest on Jan. 17 will be Alan S. Windham, Ph.D, Professor of Plant Pathology with UT Extension in the UT Institute of Agriculture at Ellington Agriculture inNashville. He’ll speak on “Hot Topics On Diseases of Perennials.” Refreshments served at6:30 p.m., and the meeting begins at7 p.m.

Leafy lawn = free mulch

Our yard is about to be covered with maple and oak leaves. Can leaves be used as mulch in flower and vegetable beds?

After the leaves fall, they can be used as mulch in the garden.

All those trees that are turning brilliant colors are about to flame out and drop their leaves to the ground. Yes, most of them can be used as mulch, and they can benefit your beds. Here are some guidelines for using leaves as mulch from the UT/TSU Extension office:

*Use a 3- to 4-inch layer of shredded leaves around trees and shrubs in annual and perennial flower beds. Notice they suggest “shredded.” Leaves that have been chopped up will decompose faster. They also will, no doubt, stay in place better than whole leaves if a gusty wind comes along.

*Oak leaves may change the pH of the soil over time, making it more acidic, so you may have to apply lime to maintain a favorable number. If your beds are mulched primarily with oak leaves, you should have the soil tested about every three years. Oak leaves are also tougher and decompose more slowly, so it’s especially important to chop them before you use them to cover your perennial beds. Otherwise, when spring comes, a thick layer of oak leaves could smother emerging plants.

*Leaves can be mixed into kitchen garden beds and in beds where you plant annual flowers. Most of the leaves will decompose before planting time next spring. A bonus: if you have heavy clay soil, a thick layer of leaves tilled into the soil will improve the soil structure. Free mulch, plus better soil: win-win.

Events coming up

*Nashville Tree Foundation’s Tenth Annual ReLeafing Day is planned for Nov. 19. Volunteers will plant more than 100 powerline-approved  trees and 100 shade and fruit trees in parks, at schools and on selected streets and flood buy-out properties in westNashville. Volunteers can check in for planting assignments at 8 a.m. at the outdoor basketball courts near the Olympic statue on the TSU campus,3500 John A. Merritt Blvd.To learn more about the event, visit the Nashville Tree Foundation’s Web site.

*Master Gardeners ofRutherfordCountyis accepting registrations now for their annual Garden Basics classes. The five-week course begins Jan. 23 and is held Monday evenings, 6 – 9 p.m. at the Lane Agri-Park building, 315 John R. Rice Blvd. in Murfreesboro. The series is designed for those new to gardening, new to Middle Tennessee gardening conditions, and for experienced gardeners looking to improve gardening skills. Registration fee is $45, and the courses are taught by Certified Master Gardeners. Sign up now; the class is limited to 45 gardeners. To learn more call the UT/TSU Extension at 615-898-7710 or get an application the Rutherford County Master Gardeners Web site.

http://www.mastergeners-rc.org

Hug your hackberry

Question: I have a hackberry tree which came up by seed and I let it grow. It’s now about 5 or 6 yrs old and very tall. This year it has not put out any leaves yet. The other hackberries in the neighborhood are putting out leaves. Could it have died? I thought they were hardy because they’re native and I’d always thought of them as “weed trees”. Do you think it’s just late or should I test it some way to see if it’s alive? It didn’t seem to have any problems last year and it’s not crowded or anything. Thank you so much. — Elaine McKee

Hackberries can have graceful branch structure.

Hackberries are hardy. Some might say, too hardy. A lot of people think of them as weed trees. They get really big and sometimes drop branches in a strong wind. Almost every tree I’ve seen on the ground or lying across a house or car after a big storm this spring has been a hackberry.

That said, I happen to like hackberries. They can have graceful branch structure, and big, bold lines against a clear blue winter sky. Even better, they are a home and food source for the hackberry butterfly, a sweet little flutterer with gold and black wings. The caterpillars feed on the leaves and tender new growth, and the adults flit about in the foliage and around nearby plants. What’s not to like?

Apparently, sometimes hackberries are slow to leaf out, so don’t give up hope. If it was healthy last year it’s probably still okay. You can check by scratching a little of the bark off a twig; if it’s fresh-looking and a little green underneath, the tree is still alive.

Here are a couple of things I learned while I was researching an answer to your question:

-Hackberries are related to elms, and similar in many details.

-The wood of hackberries is very hard and tough and resists breaking.

-Birds and other wildlife like the berries, which have a raisin/plum flavor. The branches are good for building birds’ nests, and owls and squirrels find holes in their trunks inviting.

-They sometimes grow clusters of dwarfed twigs that are called witches’-broom.

-The leaves are susceptible to nipple gall, small growths caused by a tiny insect that lays eggs in the leaves. It’s a cosmetic problem. They don’t hurt the hackberry.

Common hackberry – Celtis occidentalis. They are native from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic, from Alabama to Quebec.

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The problem with laurels: Some are dying branch by branch. Plant pathologist Alan Windham explains why in today’s Garden Club column in The Tennessean. You can find it at tennessean.com.

Garden No. 3: It’s a tiny space that I hope to fill with summer flowers. Click over to Turning Toward the Sun: A Garden Journal.

Flowers are a no-show

Our dogwood tree has not flowered the past 2 years.  Do we need to feed it or treat the soil?  Otherwise, it is alive and well.  

Flowering dogwood. Photo by Jeff McMillian @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

This question came to The Garden Bench early last week, and I have a couple of follow-up questions: How old is the tree? Has it bloomed before? Is it planted in sun or shade?

IMHO, flowering dogwoods are one of the best things about spring. But you plant a young one hoping for a big display of blooms, then you wait, and wait until – nothing. What a disappointment.  

Here are some things you should know about dogwoods that may help answer the question. The North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension offers a list of Top Five Reasons That Dogwoods Don’t Bloom:

• It’s not old enough. It may take a dogwood up to six years to bloom. This could be a source of disappointment in a tree that started out as a seedling in another part of the yard, for instance.
• It’s not getting enough sun. Dogwoods grow well in the partial shade at the edges of forests and woodlands, but they need some sunlight to produce flowers. In heavy shade, they don’t flower as well, or maybe not at all.
• It’s affected by drought.  Dogwood trees need water, about an inch a week from rain or other irrigation sources. If it was too dry last year, no flowers this year.
• It’s been pruned. Dogwoods set their buds on the previous year’s growth, so if you prune heavily in fall or winter, you have probably cut off a lot of the flowers for this year.
• It’s been extremely cold. That’s usually not a problem in this area. All else being okay, dogwoods here seem to bloom no matter how cold it got in the winter.

There are more things to consider: If the tree is growing in a lawn, and you’ve fertilized the lawn with a high-nitrogen fertilizer, that could be part of the problem. Nitrogen encourages growth of foliage at the expense of flowers.

In general, here’s what a dogwood needs to grow and thrive, and eventually bloom: Light shade or full sun, and moist, acid, well-drained soil with a lot of organic matter. Remember how well they grow in a forest? Use mulch under the tree to help keep moisture in the soil – but don’t pile the mulch up around the trunk. The roots are shallow, so they are susceptible to drought in summer. Water deeply during summer dry spells.

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Flowering dogwood – Cornus florida

Have a garden question? Send me an e-mail.