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Question & Answer
I have recently received a couple of calls and thought I would share the questions and answers with everyone as many of you may have a similar question. Hope this is helpful and I will try to keep the answers brief.
Question: I just noticed that one of my boxwoods has turned brown on one side. What can I do? Is it dying.
Answer: Although most plants including evergreens such as boxwoods are susceptible to diseases which can often be attributed to an over abundance of water the browning of a specific area on the plant brings a couple of other possibilities to mind. My first thought would be " do you have a male dog? Or, does your neighbor's dog come to visit regularly? Dog urine can produce this discoloration on plants and for some reason dogs have a tendency to go for the boxwoods, especially if they are small. And they usually will go to the same one or same couple of ones and then the boxwood will turn brown in that area. If it is a very large dog and a very small boxwood this could cause the entire plant to become brown. You probably do not want to get rid of your pet so the best thing to do is to either prune out the ugly area or let it go and replace that particular shrub if it becomes too ugly. Realize of course that when you replace it your dog will probably continue to visit that same plant as they are creatures of habit. So, if you are keeping your beloved pet as I am sure you will, then just be prepared to spend a few dollars every few years to replace a boxwood, or any other plant where this may be happening.
A second possibility would be "winter desiccation". You will notice this in early spring when the weather starts to warm up. This will usually show up on the side of the plant that is exposed to harsh winter winds which is normally the southwest side. The winds overly dry out that more exposed side of the plant. However, if the plant is somewhat protected except for an exposed side then it could show up there also. If this is a possibility then just prune out the ugly or dead part of the plant and wait for it to grow back. Sometimes there is not much one can do about mother nature.
Question: Can I prune my Knockout roses now and how much should I prune them?
Answer: Yes, you can and "should" prune them NOW! Prune them before they start to leaf out and don't be afraid to prune them hard especially if they have gotten huge. Not only should you prune them hard to keep them from getting overly large but you should also cut out any dead branches and/or those damaged from winter. Now is also the time to do the majority of your pruning among other things. If you would like to find out what else to prune or not to prune and what other things you NEED to be doing to your landscape NOW in March, you can find this information in our past newsletter from March 2011in the article titled "6 Spring Must Do's" or by clicking here.
Question: Does anyone know where Ava put all the seeds she purchased last fall to start this spring. She has looked everywhere and just can't find them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.... Believe me!!
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