QUESTION: “I have a concrete wall that is 4 foot tall, and the only place to plant is on top of the wall. We’d like to have ivy or creeping fig, but everything I read indicates that it “climbs”. I need something that will grow down and yet cling to the wall. Is there such a thing or do I have to provide wire outlines and try to train it downward? I cannot find any solution to this question on the internet.” – Tom Wigley

ANSWER: That’s a great question, Tom! With some plants, yes, you do have to provide wire or string for them to get the “hang” of where to grow. A few creepers that I am familiar with that will naturally grow down are sedum (angelina variety), wooly thyme, lemon thyme, creeping rosemary (which will branch down when its growth falls over a wall) and creeping phlox.

QUESTION: “We have what is probably a 38 year old hawthorn tree which sustained quite a bit of damage from heavy snow and wind over the winter. I cut off some of the broken branches and left the fine tuning to my husband. There were originally four sturdy limbs attached to the main trunk. I thought perhaps that we would have to totally remove one limb but that the rest would be ok with some careful trimming.

“Well, my husband really got carried away cutting away everything but four bare limbs which are 4 to 5 feet long. It looks kind of like four fingers sticking up, one longer than the others. In other words… awful!

“My question is whether the tree will send out new branches and if it could ever look attractive again. Or would it be better to have the tree removed and start anew with another small attractive tree. I like the looks of the Red Bud Forest Pansy, but would it be suited to the weather in Eastern Washington. I would appreciate any advice you can give me.” – Teresa Hathaway

ANSWER: When an older tree is severely damaged, it is difficult to say whether or not it will come out of the shock and begin to grow again. Given the age and what sounds to be the severity of the damage, you might want to consider taking the tree down.

Should you decide to give it some time to see how it performs, it’s worth bearing in mind that it will take years for the younger branches to grow out. It sounds like the kind of cutting that we often see along the sides of the road where the electric companies harshly prune old maple and oak trees. They never really look good after that.

Red buds should grow well in your area as well as poplars, dawn redwood and magnolias. Good luck with your tree.

QUESTION: “Our neighbors installed a chain link to keep their dogs in their yard. The problem is, they do not weed whack the grass along the fence. The clumps of tall grass are an eyesore. I would like to plant shrubs and flowers to hide the mess. Some ideas of what to plant that would require minimal maintenance would be very helpful. The span is about 100 feet.” – Lana

ANSWER: Tall growing ornamental grasses would blend in very nicely such as many of the miscanthus varieties and also the panicums. The panicum northwind is a tall straight growing thick grass that is quite pretty. Ornamental grasses only need to be weed whacked down in early spring. Otherwise they look good the other 3 seasons.

As for some shrubs, you might look at the euonymus manhattan (an evergreen) or althea (also known as rose of Sharon and hibiscus). These would be my best suggestions on dealing with your situation, replacing an eyesore with your own “fence” of grasses and shrubs.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org

As many regular readers know, my wife Cheryl often answers many of the questions we receive regarding gardens, landscaping and plants of every variety. Cheryl recently started a blog in which she addresses topics that affect garden lovers of every level of experience from beginner to professional and everything in between.

Because of the recent spate of damaging weather that has affected so much of our country, I thought this would be a good time to include in this column an excerpt from Cheryl’s latest blog entry, titled “Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Flooding and Storms:
What to do next!” You can read the entire article, and others, at Cheryl’s blog: cherylsnotebook.blogspot.com At that blogspot you can click on numerous helpful links with a great deal of information for people whose landscape has suffered weather-related damage.

Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Flooding and Storms: What to do next!

After these natural disasters, I always receive emails from our members who are concerned about how to go about saving their trees or what to do about their lawn.
In addition to preparing your dwelling for a hurricane or tropical storm, be sure to store lawn ornaments and all lawn furniture. Stake all young trees. Mow the lawn. Short grass doesn’t accumulate as much debris as tall grass lawns. In areas where there are regular storms, check out a series of online articles posted by Louisiana State University that will help you prepare your trees to limit weather damage. (Direct links can be found at Cheryl’s blog.)

Young trees, shrubs, perennials, gardens and lawns are most affected by the saline dropped by rainfall from hurricanes and tropical storms.

Let’s address lawns first. The dried sediment accumulation on your lawn and around your landscape should not be tilled into the soil until you are certain that it does not contain high levels of saline. For large accumulations (more than a couple of inches) of sediment, scrape or otherwise remove it. High levels of salt in the soil will kill plants. Initially, the plants will appear as though they have been burned, but when replanting in the same spot, future plants will react the same way. If you are near the coast, you may want to have your soil tested for salinity.

Remove all trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses that appear to be dead. If the sediment doesn’t have saline, you can now till the sediment into the soil. At this time, it would be a good idea to also add in aged compost or other organic matter and if your soil compacts easily, add in coarse sand. Till well, level and reseed.

Fruits and vegetables aren’t always at the top of the list to be concerned about. However, if your area experienced a hurricane, tropical storm or heavy flooding, be cautious in eating from your garden as well as any locally grown produce as it could be contaminated with bacteria. Fruits and vegetables that were mature at the time of the disaster, should be disinfected, peeled and thoroughly cooked before eating. Leafy vegetables and fruits, such as berries, tomatoes, squash, are highly susceptible to bacteria contamination, while root crops such as beets, onions, and potatoes, are less susceptible but still should be disinfected, peeled and cooked.

Immerse produce for 15 to 20 minutes in a chlorine solution, rise thoroughly with safe drinking water, peel and cook before eating.

Household bleach contains 2 to 6% chlorine. One chart that I came across breaks it down as this:

• If your bleach contains 2% chlorine bleach, add ¾ tablespoon to one quart/water
• If your bleach contains 4% chlorine bleach, add 1 teaspoon to one quart/water
• If your bleach contains 6% chlorine bleach, add ½ teaspoon to one quart/water

Again, rinse thoroughly with safe drinking water, peel and cook before eating.

To read the entire article, including links to some very helpful Web sites, go to http://cherylsnotebook.blogspot.com

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org

QUESTION: “I am asking for your advice to rid my shrubs of what my agricultural county agent has told me is a ‘fungus’. The shrubs are large, about 8 ft tall, and I let them grow at will with not much trimming as a divider in my huge backyard. The leaves look similar to Red Tip, but are not red.

“Last year, about this time, a white, chalky, grainy residue affected one plant. It lost a few leaves and then regained itself with no help from me. This year however, I have a different situation. It has attacked three of these shrubs which do touch each other and whole, large limbs have lost all their leaves and stems have turned crispy as if they are dead.

“My ag agent suggested a spray with a fungicide which I did about 2 weeks ago. I really don’t think the fungus is spreading, but I wonder if I don’t need to cut out the affected areas and maybe need to treat another time or two.

“I’ve heard of home remedies for some things and would like your ‘recipe’ for a homemade concoction to use as the commercial spray was quite expensive.” – Nancy Grimes

ANSWER: I don’t know of a specific “home remedy” to use as a fungicide. Perhaps one of our resourceful readers has one! If so, please let me know.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with a great listing of organic ways for disease control that they should find quite helpful. http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/sustainable/handbooks/naturaldisease/leasttoxic.html As that’s quite a long URL, you might prefer to find this column at my Web site www.landsteward.org where you can click on a direct link.

However, one of the best methods is to control the watering situation as many fungi begin with over watering in areas where there is not enough light to provide adequate evaporation. As listed in the Brooklyn Botanical link link, copper and sulfur have been used for a hundred years or more can control most rusts, but great care must be taken as they can be toxic to humans and animals.

QUESTION: “I have a statuary fountain that stand about 7 feet tall. Around the fountain is a full-surround planter, 18 inches wide. Half of the planter gets adequate water from splash and the other half gets so much water that it is more like a pond or riverside.

“Can you point me in the right direction to find wet soil plants? I believe you’ve written about them before. I live in the southwest USA and the summers are hot and dry. The wet side of the fountain is probably the result of wind and is unique on my property.” – Patrick Abernathy

ANSWER: The first thing to do is double check to make sure that the far side planter is draining properly. During hot, dry summer days, the splashing from the fountain could be burning (scorching) the plants, causing them to die from the top down. Also, if you are adding any chemicals to the fountain water to prevent mold, it will affect the plants.

You might consider a few plant varieties that will grow in damper soils such as:

• Daylilies
• Irises
• Sedges
• Buddleias
• Low growing bamboo
• Low growing cypress
• Creeping cotoneaster

You could also consider hostas and ferns that will do well if the area is shaded.

QUESTION: “I have a problem with mushrooms coming up in my yard where a tree was taken down last year. They are coming up mostly at any area that had root runners from the trunk that was ground. Is there anything you can spray on them as they come up in large groups and continue to come back even if you dig them up.

“Also, when is the best time to trim Crape Myrtles?” – Tommy Neal

ANSWER: Wet soil is frequently the reason for mushrooms. We have similar problems in our garden. I don’t know of a spray you could use, but just let the area dry out and get a lot of sun.

Crapes should be trimmed after leaf drop in winter or in spring before they begin to leaf out.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org