Focus 580; The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging

Good morning. This is focused 580. Our telephone talk program My name's David Inge. Glad to have you with us. We're also glad to have back on the program. Sandy Mason she's a horticulture educator with the University of Illinois extension in Champaign County. And for several years now we've been doing a series of programs with her starting this spring and continuing until the fall every month to give you a chance to call and ask questions about things that grow in the home landscape trees shrubs flowers vegetables. You can also ask house plant questions if you have them. We try to help you out and all you need to do. If you'd like to talk with Sandy is dial a number here in Champaign Urbana 3 3 3 9 4 5 5. Also we have a toll free line that's good anywhere you can hear us. Eight hundred to 2 2 9 4 5 5. Welcome back. Good morning. It seems that when you wake up in the morning you just don't know what season it is. Well it's going to be spring it's going to be winter is it going to be. And you know spring is officially about a week away I think. Well

whether that means anything. I just don't know. But we can hope it's just hope we can hope tomorrow maybe the 50s the next day maybe the 30s. Yeah there was snow on the snow drops this morning. That's right. Oh and I have them coming up in my yard man they're beautiful. Isn't it nice to have something everybody should find a little spot where they can put snow drops or some of these really early flowering bulbs because it really does make you feel so much better. It gives you hope because you see those things come up you know winter will end there will be spring. And I think that's just about the first thing I don't know if it's any earlier. Yeah that's pretty much it there's there's some hellebores actually come up fairly early too and also look another lowballed called The Winter Aconite which is a nice kind of buttercup yellow and so there's some there's a few early ones that people could tuck in here and there. And. I want to meet some of them here in Iraq and I was very pretty last time you were here we were talking a little bit about with Barbara Damrosch in advance of the big garden day that you were doing and I had a chance to look at this book that she wrote about themed gardens and

one of them was something that was specifically for winter so that things that remained. So there would be some color in interest or a garden and then she also include these things or that of the first things to get going in the spring and I had not been for value with that. And it looks really pretty and I think in with my snowdrops I think I should have to be pretty Aconite. Yeah they actually naturalized themselves actually receding you get this kind of naturalizing effect with this sort of come up and that's just fine because you know these are one of those that that by the time it warms up then the foliage pretty much dies off and it's gone and if you ever make it out to Allerton park actually when you first drive in you'll actually find an area there not too far from the food garden that's actually where the winter Aconite have a naturalize there's also some Siberian squirrel and some other things in there too. So it's kind of nice to kind of see how it actually is for natural eyes is even in somewhat of a woody area. We have calls already the lines are full. So let's get to it starting with Lafayette line for Hello.

Hello. When can I when can I plant grass seed. I am eager because my lawn is heavily shaded and I'd like to give it the most possible before the shade before the new leaves block it off. Usually we will wait at least till probably April the first of April because you do want the soil temperatures to warm up enough so you can get some rapid seed germination so usually is there on the first of April and I assume you're probably looking at some grasses that are shade loving and that kind of thing. It's Chris who writes I'm creeping fescue is there are some somewhat shade tolerant blue grasses and some of those but you know you do always have to keep in mind that even those shade loving grasses need at least four hours of sun during the summer so we won't get it. So it's you may find it's either a regular problem for you or you may decide you really want in certain areas maybe you want to go with something else besides grass and maybe look at some ground covers even some of these spring bulbs or you know something else in there. If you know of a ground cover of it it's. Physically possible to extract two

leaves from in fall they will come they won't blow. Yeah you're absolutely right because a lot of times the stuff will get tucked in there and it and it is somewhat of a natural mulch is not that you have to get it off of there. It doesn't hurt the ground covers unless it's like really really thick is not really going to hurt them at all and actually is a lot of lead is kind of good for them. Pardon. There's a lot of leaves and yeah probably you know any of them are going to be a little bit more difficult. I guess I think of some of them and that might lay a little flat or even something like the Inca or some like that might be a little bit easier to get to get off because actually with those you can kind of rake over the Bayani parts and then it doesn't really disturb them too much. So yeah that ends up being a little bit tougher. OK thank you. Oren thank you. The next caller is in Champagne line one below right. I actually do have ground covers and since it was harder on the sweater that I had and asked you I was wondering I'm looking out and I. He leaves on

some of them I see a crown on like you know but I don't believe. How long should I give them before I decide to. Replant. This is mainly a JUCO your time. Yeah it looks like. There's there's a serious serious way to leave here. Yeah but realize a lot of times you know a lot of time to juggle will act semi evergreen and so get him for a long period of time. But other times it is particularly cold you pretty well lose their leaves or lose their leaves or die back but the Crown still alive and so I was just really in it certainly hasn't been warm enough to find that out yet. If you really want to just test a few you can actually dust humans usually plenty of there so you know you could even just sort of take your thumbnail and kind of poke at the Crown a little bit and you can tell whether it feels nice and firm and solid like it's going to go ahead and produce some leaves or whether it's you know completely flat or dried out or that kind of thing you probably tell just by feeling it but I would certainly give

it plenty of time and certainly in April before I consider the fact that it's not that it's not going to do well and you know the stuff you spread so much that even if you die out it's not a big deal. Well yeah we would just basically move from one where it's a little more plentiful in the other. I have some of it coming up on my lawn. I mean a pantry my neighbor to say something because I know it but it directed over to there it's interesting guy makes an interesting plant I guess. OK well thank you good thank you. Let's go to a better one to follow. Just about the time I finally decided to try some roses the Japanese beetles make it from my home in New Jersey all the way out here. I followed you your it's you been here 30 years. Oh yeah. I'm wondering whether it's even worth planting roses and I'm also wondering whether you have read that these pheromone traps aren't worth doing because they just

attract critters to you yard but. Is it possible that in neighborhoods to have them someplace where they would go from here and you can sort of collect them for the whole neighborhood and where I was when I suggested it we might be able to reduce the population. Or is it just a lot. Yeah and you're absolutely right as far as the traps they actually have found they don't research studies and actually have found that they actually will attract more than they ever catch and I know people feel like they're doing some good by the fact that they may look at them trap and there's a whole bunch of Japanese beetles but. But you may have you know caught 30 in the trap but you probably attracted maybe 150. That never made it inside the trap so I know it looks like it's working but it really doesn't in the long run if people do want to try and actually put him using a sail well aware foot away from anything that you're trying to keep keep nice. You certainly could try that if you want to go that route but I don't know where in the city you'd find that spot where you feel like you could you know put these Japanese beetle traps so I'm not sure most areas that's going to be much of an option. To be honest with you I think

there are some things certainly out there that you can try and there's a product I don't know at this point how effective it is supposed to be were we tried it to some extent. The idea garden didn't find really good success but we didn't take it really through the whole season but there are some it's called bio name is actually want to botanicals thats out there it doesnt kill the Japanese beetles with it but its supposed to repel them. There's also a couple of other products out there now that you might also try if you're looking for something that has a lower toxicity and some of the other things that we might recommend. There's actually a product called Paola that is canola oil and pirate them I think is the other is actually the botanical insecticide that's part of that combination that supposed to actually kill the Japanese beetles so you may want to try a few of these other products that have some low toxicity to them compared to what we might normally recommend which would be seven seven. It can be quite effective on Japanese beetles but unfortunately it pretty much kills everything as far as any of the beneficial insects honeybees and all those things that we certainly have to be very

concerned on how we use it and use it according the label directions and. And but it will work for Japanese beetles. They have found that those first ones that come in there are sort of like the scouts of the group and so those first ones that come in the first time you start seeing the Japanese beetles and in lower numbers they're in the begin beginning that that is absolutely crucial that you do something about those guys and get them out of there either even if it's just hand-picking you can actually star knock them off into a soapy pail of water or you know however and that usually works pretty well early in the morning before they warm up too much. You can do that and also get rid of the damage foliage that even that damage foliage will actually attract other ones so if you can really control those first ones and maybe use your pesticide sprays on those first ones they will have found the damage later on will be much less. I really only noticed them as a pest this year when I got here when I planted my first rose bush. Oh I thought it my one little rose bloom when it was moving. Yeah it's kind of creepy.

It was totally covered with Jeff and yeah they kind of movement undulating like the whole planet kind of does it so I would I would certainly try that you can even on young plants you can actually use some of these float what are called floating row covers. I know it's not very attractive in the landscape but realize it's only for a couple month period. Generally we're going to have Japanese beetles and so if you can actually cover those a plan I'll certainly live under those. It would certainly protect a young plant until I can get established what time period are the Japanese beetles active usually in the real heat of summer when we really start getting And usually we're talking you know July August actually is really probably the big months when we'll see Japanese beetles. Certainly toward the end of June that's when they'll start showing up. So when it starts to warm up then you know Japanese beetles are on their way. I guess if I chose a rose bush that ever blooming well I might be able to enjoy some of the uncovered right and win an s on established plans on establish what he plans most of time is not life threatening for them so you know for larger trees and stuff it doesn't look good but generally it's not going to be life threatening for them but so it is one of those things you kind of have to keep

in mind but on young plants we'd certainly be concerned about getting established. Thanks good luck. It's a tough problem. Well see here's the thing. You got this figured out you know you could. Last time I think it was was one less times that may Baron bombs here somebody called in and talked about the fact that in the past there was a time when people actually used the wing covers needles to decorate clothing and on jewelry because they have that iridescent their big radio Japanese bits. Well yeah and it may in fact said that she had she had some things she had said they were Victorian earrings that were made out of that and so what we need to do is promote arc and industry. It's marketing is that all of them are and we can make jewelry will will decorate clothes with them and so will pay money. There are people who go out and round them up and will hit your rosebushes and so sure sure you keep working on that OK. Sandy makes it easier. She's a horticulture educator with you by extension in Champaign County every month she's here as always on Tuesday.

We start in the spring and go into the fall and invite your questions on lawn and garden care and all you have to do is call us 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 for Champaign Urbana toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5. And next is champagne wine 3. Hello I have a question about moving some peonies and I don't I'm not sure when I can do that or if it's even possible to move them and have them survive OK. Are these ones that have been in there for a long time. Well we bought our house about three years ago and there they're very odd. Located there's Radek and you know maybe a couple of like four and then a clump of three and they're not in any sort of pattern and I kind of we kind of like to rearrange them so there was some sort of order. Even you know not you know right in a row but anyhow. So I don't know how old they are but they they seem very established. Normally we would say to wait till September. It's one of the few perennials that we generally say because most of them will say Spring or Fall is no problem but using paintings are really recommend that you wait until September they seem to do

much better get established much better. I have had people tell me that they've actually moved whole clumps and not divided them and have done it in the spring and invent some somewhat successful so I guess it kind of depends on how badly you want to move these whether you want to go ahead and wait until September or maybe you want to go and try a few of them maybe not divide them as and cut them up but maybe just move the whole plant and move that somewhere if they've been in there for a while I think you'll be amazed at how big the roots are. I mean they look like giant sweet potatoes or something but they're When you start digging when they've been there for a long time what have you half are out around the pool. If you go to start digging then do you. Do you have to go considerably far out. Well I would start at least a foot away from the clump of where you think the clump is at least a foot and then you're probably going to dig down at least two feet. I mean it's almost like digging up a shrub. I get it. Yeah yeah if they've been there for a while it isn't like digging up a shrub to be honest with you you wouldn't think that. But they really have pretty extensive roots. Well let me ask you that also because I don't have to do it in a hurry I just thought wish I could do it this spring I do it in the spring

when I do dig them out. If I get them out can I. How do you how do you divide them then do you just take like a knife or shovel or something and go kind of divide them in half or quarters. Yeah you can use a knife. Probably works as well as anything. But what you find when you dig them up they have these little what are called eyes but they really look like little pink noses. OK. And those are going to be the chutes for the next year. Going to come up. And so that's what you really want to pay attention to are those little pink noses and so you want to make sure you have at least three of those per division. Five would be better but three works out just fine and so every time you divide it just realize OK those are those little buds are for next year and I need to make sure I have plenty of those on each division. So you kind of have to want to dig it up you'll see how much you can divide it. And then when you replant them it's really important that you don't put that too deep as in those little pink noses need to be within the top two inches of soil. OK so don't bury those you can have a whole bunch of other stuff much deeper but those little pink noses need to be within two

inches. OK that's good. Otherwise I would have probably killed them. And so when I divide them divide them up now how how much room should I give them between or how far apart should they be then when I when I put them back in the ground and I want to give them some room to grow. I give them at least two feet. To be honest with you because they're pretty sure they can actually you know they although they clumps don't get huge. Real quick but I would least get him to feed him between you and get him within a flowerbed I know a lot of times people put him out in a lawn and it just doesn't work very well you know really need to get him within of some sort of flower bed or mulched area and that's where I'm going to put them I wondered though. The area moving them to is a little bit sunnier than where they are now is that a problem. That's good actually. They're really full sun plants for the most part so they really need I would say at least six hours a day so it's good that you're moving in a more sunny area. Let me ask you one last question is there any way to bring the peony inside without being on the inside or is that just a perennial problem for the people.

Yeah actually a couple things you can do is that actually if you shake them you'll find that you get a lot of that and talk that way or if you actually just put them in a little pail of water just sort of don't come in a pail of water and you find most of the answers come off. OK well thank you. All right thanks for the call. Let's go to line number four and that would be downs I think. Hello hello. Yes David I think while you're doing interviews you should sit and pace a little beetle show. Well now that you know I deal with your hair Mrs. engine has sometimes said that you know maybe she should learn to knit or crochet and if she was doing her interview she could be making sweaters and we could have a little cottage industry going to be free you know and other comit I think that would. It needs a better name. Yeah you think. Yeah because you say to people oh there's this wonderful glam thing comes up early spring and yellow and it's like butter comes and it's gone winter aconite and they go ha yeah

early buttercups because it actually is kind of a buttercup look in flower. Let's call it just right now let's we're going to change the name shall we. We can do that. OK I have questions. One is I have I planted the new dog with a couple of years ago and it's it's about you know 10 feet high and it had these nice three branches coming out of it and it was going to be this beautiful little tree and a deer came along and ate off two of the nice branches. What do I do with this. I mean I just either it's going to be I'm just afraid it's going to grow into an ugly tree. And I prune it. Now how tall is it right now. The dog about 10 feet maybe not even made you to be perfectly honest with you. A lot of trees look kind of Ganguly in they look like they're not really going to have any side branches and they just don't look like much in the beginning sometimes but I think you're fine as they age they'll start to get some side branches and even the fact do they take the branches off

altogether they just are nipped him back. Well I mean they nipped him back to maybe six inches. Well but they'll go ahead and they'll go ahead and send out buds from there. You wouldn't prune this other one down the one that's low. If it's completely off center and looks kind of funny shape wise I think yes I probably would trim it back at least some. Just a sort of hopefully regain the shape a little bit but I would have to cut quite as much back as the deer decided to do on the other ones. It really took me back to the center you know. But the go ahead and there are some buds left on those branches they'll go ahead and branch out and you'll you'll you'll find that over the over the years it'll start to get a little better shape and all that kind of stuff and then just every year sort of re-evaluate the shape a little bit. You can find a dual trimming here and there now should I do it. Should I wait. Normally on dogwoods we probably wait and we would have to till after they flower but this guy is so young he may not even have any flower buds on it last year did it.

Well it may not depending on as you can see I'm there on the very ends of the branches they look like little biscuits or something on the very ends of the branches so you can tell a flower buds right now. So if there's no flower buds on I think I'd probably go in print now. And then the other quit. And I have as I also heard him Honea Oregon grape and this year it has gone completely broke. Now is it going to come out with new green branches. It went to a meeting where I write it should normally the Mahoney is is a broadleaf evergreen and normally it would make maintain its foliage through the winter although generally changes colors for the winter in general maintain its foliage. But if it's if we get a really I don't know is this in a windy spot at all or are going to be right next to the really protected. Yeah yeah sometimes her owner is another they actually can get the foliage in the brownish and stuff but they'll send out new new leaves and look just fine. Ok eventually. Thanks. All right thank you to champagne for another color here line one night over.

The question I've been guessing for years from the climate maps about what the actual first or last freeze date is for champagne. And also what the the first freeze date is for champagne an actual date for this location rather than you know trying to guess from the arrangements. Yeah usually usually as far as the last frost it actually can frost up until May 18th. I mean it actually is still possible. Usually we say May 15th as you say consider the the date of where we're at. Finally at that point where is frost for you at that point. So when you see planning guidelines you know four weeks before the last Fri. Right. Go with May 15. Yeah that's that's really the safe date now for a lot of us gardeners they can't wait that long will stretch it into May 10th and most years will be safe. That's what I've been doing. Yeah. Most years they'll be safe but May 10th is still that point where we still get some frost and certainly still possible but you know you can certainly cover things usually at that point it doesn't Frost long enough for it or really it cold enough that

you couldn't go ahead and cover things. OK what's the first fall freeze. Yeah usually the mid-October is the time we think of the floor will start to get chances of the average point where we can get frost. OK but it has frosted as early as into September. Sure I mean I have seen. So it's certainly possible before them that usually the average day is considered mid-October. OK that's great I can see. You know I don't. Thank you thank you. And is it I remember the average day to the last frost. The average date now to be here is known around the third week of April or am I that rightly too early. I mean not the last one right by the way but I think you're right when you're asked one is you know use it you say midday mid-April to really April 20th that you say considered sort of the average date of last frost. So for those thing and you say that there's a pretty good date to sort of keep in mind for things that actually will tolerate some frost. So things like you know if you have some flowers and certainly things like pansies and some of those things that

will certainly tolerate some frost even certainly things like broccoli and cauliflower and a lot of those things often will talk about that average date when you can actually go ahead and set those that you're pretty safe at that point. We're about midway through here we have some other folks and we encourage you to call if you have questions about gardening. Our guest is Sandy Mason from you by extension in Champaign County this is a program we do every month. It's always a Tuesday and we say if you have questions you give us a call 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 toll free 800 2 2 2 9 4 5 5. You want take a minute to talk about some events. Yeah. Of course this is that time of year we talk about pruning on a lot of different things and certainly one of the things I get lots of questions at the extension office is how do I prune grapes. What do I do with grapes we always get. It's one of those things that is difficult to look in a book and for have to figure it out by looking at books or pamphlets or whatever so we are having a fruit printing workshop this Saturday March 17th at the idea garden which is located on South

Lincoln just south of the corner of Florida and Lincoln here in Urbana. It's part of the University of Illinois arboretum system so it's in that area. You can come in here and see actual demonstration on how to prune grapes also how to prune things like raspberries and blackberries currents all those different kind of small fruits that we have out there the idea garden so it's going to be this Saturday March 17th 10 o'clock there is no registration or fee to show up at the idea garden this Saturday at 10:00 and find out how to prune these things and really see what's done. I think it makes all the difference in the world and people find that very very helpful. I also have a couple things going on as far as if people have some interest maybe in the more natural areas in in central Illinois. Allerton park is doing a nature series of nature presentations on the first one is actually this Saturday March 17th so I guess you have to decide whether to go to the one on fruit pruning or you can go to the one at Allerton park on a den of pine trees. It's certainly something that might be of interest to

gardeners but they also have a bunch of other sessions ones on the turkeys in the prairie state is going to be a great one on Saturday March 24th at 10 o'clock at Allerton park called the biodiversity blitz at Allerton park talking about to actually a planned biodiversity information references kind of thing that we're going to do on June 29 30 at the xx are you doing. Determination of what's out there. Allerton but give us more information about all the different things that are out at Allerton Park is also a session on coyotes and foxes and do you hear something on the flooding and Flora forest flood plains. So there's lots of great programs going on out at Allerton park and if people want more information about that series of nature programs they can call out at. Robert Allerton conference center and the number for that is 2 1 7 2 4 4 1 0 3 5 so lots of great programs going on at Allerton park to people of interest and more of the natural areas that may be gardening. Very good questions here are welcome too. We have time for many others. If you'd

like to talk with Sandy 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 and toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5. Back here to phones and I think next person in line is going to Belgium hello. Every time you folks talk about something you get more questions and. You want to go back to your Japanese beetle. You're not in some ologist but I have a little anecdote. Thanks I grow a type of peach called Crawford it's it's not very popular because small they attract Japanese beetles like you cannot believe really after everybody else is done with Japanese beetles. The Crawford tree is just like a balloon. It's just amazing. You have your own trap out of the picture which is a real problem. But the real question long insects is my wife is just driving me nuts to get rid of these little. He has found one good way to

do a crutch is a vacuum cleaner. Yeah this if I know any other way to cure this or some kind of plant the traces of office or some kind of insecticide to chase anything. I assume you're talking about the Asian multi-colored lady beetle that makes its way into our homes usually late season and you get lots of water coming out of hiding. Right right right you know. Yeah I mean you've discovered the perfect tools actually vacuum cleaner the other thing that we do recommend is that if if you can really look over your house again in see if you can figure out places where you can cause the cracks and crevices around the soffits those kind of areas often will help actually not only for the lady beetles but also for other insects and stuff that might make their way in your in your home in the wintertime so really spend time doing that might also help to Box Elder bugs too. Somewhere. Same thing. They love to overwinter on those warm spots and your house is the perfect place they do. There isn't a whole lot of other things that you can do as far as the lady beetles Go

To be honest with you. They do have they do sell such a thing is called a light trap that will actually trap them. It's probably used more in say store areas or storage facilities where you can actually turn the lights off at night in this trap actually track Sloman you can get rid of it. I don't know how useful to be honest with you is it isn't a home situation where you going to mother lights on and things are sort of put that in that I'm not sure that how useful it's going to be in a home situation and such a thing. I have the information in my office and I'd be glad to share that with you. It's actually that the interesting thing is actually was developed by the guy that actually brought help to bring in these Asian multicolor lady beetles into the United States so I don't know if I met him. Yeah I don't know so you may want I may have some special words for him too as if you're buying the light trip I don't know. Kind of interesting little anecdote there but I do have it. He's outta Georgia and I'd have to get that number for you to be honest with you to find out more information about extensional. Yeah I'd be glad to share that with you but other than that there really isn't too much in the way of pesticides or

anything that like that that's going to be very effective. Certainly when they're in your home because they're not feeding So pesticides that really aren't going to do much good for you. They will read the book. You're absolutely right they will bite when they're when they're certainly when you're outside. I think you'll see a biting but usually what I found in the springtime they generally die pretty fast even in the springtime I think they dry out over and over. Certainly over the winter time in there as they come out and can't make their way outdoors I think they have a tendency to die fairly quickly so you find sort of did in the windowsills So that's when you get out the vacuum cleaner and go with it. Yeah sorry. Thank you. Let's go to St. Joe. Line number three for the next call hello hello. Yes I have a question about not I. Good Lord Howie I have two holly bushes in my backyard. They have been very healthy up until this winter. And one of the one of the. How are you. For whatever reason I would say the top third of the plant. All the leaves turn brown. How do I cut it back.

Do I just cut all that brown off. Yeah I would. Holly plants do. It can get some canker diseases and I think that's what I would look for in the STEM they can get some stem cankers that often can can get you get to the point where you have these dead branches of that kind of thing so I would really look down and see if you're using with canker just see sort of a definite color difference or to be it will be the stem will become strong thin and you can tell that there's something going on there. It might also certainly in the winter time we can get with if we have severe winters or depending on where it is if it's getting a lot of wind and stuff you can certainly get it to the point where the leaves might actually die back but the stems are still alive so I think that's what I would be just do a little investigation see if you can figure out if the stems are still alive to scrape them with their thumbnail and if they and if they're green then they're still alive and at that point I think I just sort of leave it alone leave it alone. Yeah I would just leave it alone at the stands are still alive. OK what about. If I find the Cantar on it do I do when I trip then I absolutely trim it off and get it out of there. Years there with those who would want to even go into some of the Goodwood So when you trim it back down just

trim off all the dead stuff it's obviously dead. You might actually go back even a couple inches and trim that well it will match the problem of the tank or it won't spread again. Hopefully a lot of times it will take care of that it depending on why it started a bit. But that would certainly be the control measure that we would go with to try to keep it from happening. I would make sure if you do any other trimming I'd make sure that I put a little either a bleach solution or alcohol or something on my pruners because you can actually spread diseases through the pruners. OK so it looks like it's dead it looks like it might be a disease that I definitely cut it out get it out of there and then do some sterilization on the pruners. OK thank you very much. I don't think you will just keep on going here next caller would be line number 4 and 3 are in Terre Haute. Hello ritual is always ok but think holding on my mind my house was it had a 5 or 6 beautiful dog treat and that was about 8 years ago.

Now the last few years they don't seem to do much. What's going on. They're getting old. Do they seem to be healthy Other than that. Yeah thanks a lot. I can't you know you haven't noticed in the summertime many spots on the leaves or branch dieback or anything like that that might indicate that they're suffering from something else or some going to somebody's work that every other year you were true. I'm not sure I necessarily have seen that dogwoods. Certainly you know because they are one of those that that has its flower buds on you know through the winter there's always that chance that they're going to get those flower buds might get nipped for one reason or another you know because the cold or cold just drying out if they have we have a lot of drying winds those kind of things can certainly dry them out where the bugs might actually die. What you might want to do is even this time of year before they flower and as I

was mentioning with the other callers that you can tell right now what the flower buds are like right now because they're on the tips of the branches. They're obviously different swollen at the very end. And so you can tell whether it's got flower buds on it that would least tell you whether that OK does it did it actually form buds and then they just didn't develop because they got frozen or whatever. Or are they not even forming any buds at this point. So I would check that and certainly there are some disease problems that some of flowering dogwoods can get into especially if they're in a more wooded areas. Then a kind of a wooded area. So I would I would really be very conscious about what's going on with them during the summer time because there are a really sick couple severe diseases that they can get so I would really check and if you do see some spots and leave something like that you might want to take it to your local extension office and see if they can identify what's going on with it. OK. I have one other question about birch tree. OK I have in my front yard a very beautiful swamp birch

but I would like to have regular birch trees. I'm a retired Russian professor request birch trees are so common in Russia that I'd like to have them. Somebody that birches don't do well or this over anything like a real truth. When you say REAL are you talking about the white barked birches right. There certainly is a problem with the white barked birches because they're not native through this area and they can suffer specially if we have if we have hot dry summers they really suffer from that. They're native to more northern areas who are wouldn't wear the high humidity and not nearly so warm a summer so they even in your area suspect it's a little bit too warm for them. There are a couple. So what the problem is they get under stress and then they'll actually attract a Beetle called the bronze Birch borer and then that will come in and attack and unfortunately over the over a couple years of them getting the bronze Birch borer the tree is pretty well

gone at that point so we generally have to be very concerned about that there are couple of varieties that actually are pretty good and seem to be fairly resistant to the bronze Birch borer So I would look for those if you really decided you really want the white barked birches white spire is one of the cult of ours that it seems to be white Spier. It seems to be fairly resistant to the bronze Birch borer again. You anytime you can keep these guys healthy it's going to be better now there was water during drought periods those kind of things are important. There's also one called Heritage Birch. It's actually a river birch but it has a white bark to it but it has reverberate in its parentage which which I think you're probably calling the swamp Birch But Birch is Colonel Brown right. But this heritage is one that has a white bark to a very pretty and I have one I have a couple of those that have been very good in my garden. So you might try those if you really decide you want to go with the white ones. OK.

Thank you. Well OK thank you. Back to Herb and on line 1. Hello. Hi Sandy there. I have a question about shrubs or wanting your particulars. I want you to recommend something. We have a stack that goes around part of the north and east side of our house and it's raised off the ground and it's about maybe three feet wide and on the east side which actually is quite shady because. Of the presence of other trees and said I would like to have some small shrubs that would sort of hide that gap you know that open places where you can look under the deck. And so I was calling to ask whether you would have any suggestions for a small shrub or two that would do well in a sort of shady location and that would mature you know no higher than say three feet.

Yeah I'm not that height to really limits you quite a bit. Well it is yeah. As you found years ago we we planted a dwarf fabric killer in a knot right there but and also kind. How much ice and how that would actually that those are not bad and they will take some shade but they are like like a lot of those that they really like a high organic matter in the soil they actually like a somewhat acidic soil so you might do a little extra soil preparation for those and they'll do much better for you. Also there's something called the summer sweet cloth throw or throw and that's another one that's oh it's only going to be a little bit taller but you could easily keep it at three feet has a lovely fragrant flowers and blooms in the summer time which we normally don't get that with shrubs and very nice but it will take shade actually likes kind of a moist shady environment like moisture doesn't it. Right and it actually will appreciate some shade just fine and so that's a nice one at be nice have a fragrance. We are

there on your deck so you might think about that as well. OK in some of the now to some of the other areas get a bit more sun or they all pretty much shade you said. Kind of goes off to the north. It's just a short distance you know maybe 12 feet or so. OK so you're not going to have too much room for too many more shrubs than that so I could maybe I should try a variety of a couple different things and see what would you know and actually even some of the azaleas and stuff actually appreciate some shade. I say Oh yeah yeah yeah they probably Bloom better. They bloom better if you have a little bit more sun but I tried a couple of orders a pgm once and it was just totally unsuccessful. Oh really. Those are usually pretty tough as far as getting them going but they did not like it there. OK then you probably don't want to go try those I want to try try these easier to dry. I don't know you know use it with any of the as they use the rhododendrons we have to think of a number of things in there like I mentioned with it with some of the other plants they like a higher Gannet matter. They like

moist soils but they don't like soils that are too wet so if it's a really wet spot they really have a hard time making it through the winter. They like an acidic soil. So definitely even with the other ones that we mentioned the Father Gill and there are some sweet cloth there I would definitely do some additions of organic matter and add some salt for to lower the PH those kinds of things will make a much better success with those add add. The sulphur also right sulfur is what we used to lower the PH at will and you can get that at most garden centers. So you just sort of work that and yeah it's a kind of a hard power every kind of stuff and you just get it in a bag and you actually work it into the soil. Ideally would be nice if you got if you could get a saw test to find out what the PH is and then then you know how much sulfur to add to that particular area so ideally that would be the thing to do would be good to get a civil test first. If not and then a lot of times you can check and most know what area you in are you around here.

We live in a van. OK here's our soils around here are neutral just slightly below 6.5 six point eight. So at that point you can use a on the bag it'll tell you how much sulphur you need to add to lower the pH to get it down to more to 4.5 to 5. Where do I take it. So I also sample take it somewhere my right as far as doing small sampling or soil testing I would check on the yellow plate pages for anybody just checking the yellow pages under US soil testing in most most places that do farm testing will also do garden testing you just tell them that that is for a garden situation and then they can do that for you but there are certainly several in the area. OK I'll do that. OK good luck. Thank you thank you. We have about six or seven minutes left in this part of focus. Our guest is Sandy Mason. We she is with us by extension in Champaign County and she's here every month and when things are growing to talk about lawn and garden care if you have questions we'll take them. We have two people here we'll certainly get them three three three W I L L toll free

eight hundred two to two. W. while in Champaign that's the next person here. Number two. Hello. Hello good morning Sandy thank you morning. My question is regarding pussy willows. I have two in my yard. I live here locally element alone. So there's a good water table like some growing very well yeah one two three years old the other four. And one of my had grown from just an actual cut cutting off the Missouri that one is about five between five and six feet tall and the other ones well over 70 foot tall I have never done anything as far as pruning and I've never even had the captain's offer to pour ornamental arrangements or anything. When can I do that I didn't know if I had to wait three to five years or you know to something that I could supposed to be pruning pussy willows or not. The only problem I have thus far is the last two summers I've had those

iridescent proper colors being treated like Swiss cheese wearing anything they don't seem to be hard to come out of it every year. Right now they only have tap cans on them. Yeah you're fine with willows you can hardly kill things. I mean it's pretty amazing they're really pretty tough plants although they do get some some insect and disease problems that never seem to really completely kill them off but so I disappoint you know these are pretty young plants I would just do any kind of shaping Usually we probably wait until after you get the you know the flower effect from M and print printed at that time you could print just about any time to be honest with you and they do just fine so I'd really look at them usually with most of those were probably especially since we want the sort of pussy willow. You know look to them a lot of times as they age. You're going to try and encourage any of the new growth because you get better flowering on that so you just taken out the older stuff and letting that new stuff develop and actually keep some more in line and actually have less insect and disease problems. OK so you think they keep those. It's from eating the leaves

and off from the plant. Yeah you say we don't recommend insecticide treatments but you could do that when you first see them you could use an insecticide. But as you as you found out they do it doesn't seem to bother the health of the plant so you have to kind of wonder you know if it's worth it or not. That's so true. Now you know two or three for a piece of pussy will be actual catkins decoration. What happens to that part of the branch that after you've cut that cutting. Do you have to feel it somehow. Oh no really bifurcate at that point. Yeah it'll send out new but at that point when you cut it back it will just send out new buds and it'll take off and you won't even hardly notice even took anything off they grow that fast as you probably found out ok I guess I've been holding up you know you've been much too nice to them. Maybe she's a wonderful plant. Yeah just just cut him back and bring him inside and join. Hi sure will and thank you Dan my question OK. Thank you try and get one more at least Bloomington line 3 below.

Hi I have an arbor Fidei screen that's been in about five or six years and these are the very narrow ones that don't spread out. What happened was when that doggone snow first payment December it came initially flush and really weighted down branches of trees. My question is I still have some of the side branches that are out. Francis is at about a 45 degree angle. Anything I can do to encourage them to straighten up or will that be a natural process. Yeah if I would just investigate and find out because if they have cracked which they may have it they've actually cracked then they're not going to really come back up again and your best bet is probably just to go ahead and at least shorten that or maybe remove it depending on how badly it's cracked already come up about 3 feet from ground level the little branches that appear to be still well intact. Oh ok lesser cracks that I just haven't detected right. So if you wiggle the branches find out real quick whether it's cracked or how well it's attached just type

with twine around them or something. Natural I really wouldn't be honest with you. The concern of course is that is that in case you happen to forget usually what I found is that most the time those those retain their natural shape over a period time regain their natural shape over a period of time if they're not cracked or if they're cracked then they have a tendency to sort of just continue to hang there so I would just give it a chance. What you could do is actually shorten a little bit so maybe it doesn't look so obvious and that might make at least look a little bit more statically pleasing and I would just give it a chance. Other problem here. I've got two hard maple six inches in diameter and want to give up in there about 9 are provided. Now what would you recommend there that I just keep the maple in. Trimmed off at the low point. I don't get close to the trees right. Shading is a problem. Yeah being impossibly Meister robbing. Yeah it's certainly would be an issue when you get it when you get large shade trees around some of

these evergreens his lawn will not tolerate shade very well and so I would just limit it up as best you can and then perhaps you can even thin out a few branches to make sure you get plenty of light through there but that's probably your best bet at this point and we're going to have to stop I'm sorry to say because we're at the end of the time. Sandy will be back again next month will do it again in the meantime if you need advice. Tune in for a program called Illinois gardener on WRAL TV Thursday nights at 7 There's also a possibility of call in with questions and they have people from the US and from landscaping and gardening businesses around the area Sandy's on the show occasionally and it's a good source of information. And thanks very much. Thank you Sandy Mason. She is horticulture educator with you by extension in Champagne County.