Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 5, 1993 TAG: 9312060388
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Even though tree seedlings from VDOF are sold in quantities of at least 25, this program is great for urban folks as well as the rural and suburban landowners.
City landowners may want to select from the 50-plus species to begin reforestation of vacant lots beside the house or to create a border or buffer for a wind break. This new catalog is quite useful since under each seedling name is information on the ultimate size and characteristics of that tree.
For people who want to encourage faster growth of their tree seedlings as well as prevent them from being mowed off, the VDOF catalog also offers "tree shelters," which are 4-foot-high plastic tubes placed over seedlings at planting.
Also available through this new catalog are special seed mixtures for use in attracting wildlife, stabilizing erodible areas and establishing wildflower plots. Also offered are specialty packs in which more than one kind of tree seedling is sold, such as the "screen or windbreak seedling pack," "gypsy moth seedling pack," "wildlife seedling pack" or "fall color seedling pack."
To take advantage of this seedling service or receive a catalog, contact the Virginia Department of Forestry Regional Office in Salem at 210 Riverland Drive, (703) 387-5461. Readers outside of the immediate area can write to them at: Virginia Department of Forestry, P.O. Box 100, Salem, Va. 24153-0100.
Q: My azaleas are getting too large and spreading over the lawn. When is a good time to prune these back? T.P., Roanoke
A: The week or two right after the flowers fade in the spring is the best time to prune azaleas. At that time, the pruning of healthy azaleas can be either a light shaping or the cutting back of an overgrown azalea by half.
Since your letter was dated June 28 (when the mail to Dear John was heavy), I hope that you did not give your azaleas a hair cut in midsummer or later. Like other spring flowering plants, azaleas need some vigorous summer growth parts on which they can form flower buds in late summer for the coming spring. Pruning those plants during the summer removes the spring and summer growth on which flower buds could have developed on schedule. Late season azalea pruning will remove those buds themselves.
Q: After buying a new house a few years ago, we opted to plant ivy for ground cover rather than grass. The ground is now covered with ivy and we love it. However, it is starting to climb our trees. We like the looks of the ivy on the tree trunks but we are concerned that it may eventually strangle the trees. Is this a valid concern, and if so, how soon must the ivy be removed from the tree? F.J.K., Union Hall
A: It is my understanding that ivy that has covered tree trunks and limbs is not good for the trees, but it will not strangle the trees the way Kudzu can. Ivy holds a lot of dampness against tree bark, which makes a good environment for insects and decay. Also, ivy can grow under pieces of bark that are already loose in part, thereby hastening loss of some bark.
Once that ivy has grown on tree trunks and has anchored its tendrils securely, removal of the ivy by pulling is difficult and can actually cause stripping of big pieces of bark. So, if your ivy has just begun to climb up on your trees, cut the ivy stems now or sometime before next growing season at the ground where they start up the trunk.
Gently tug at the ivy that has run on the trunks, but if you meet resistance, stop and snip off the ivy pieces that you can reach as you have the time. Then, each year as the ivy makes new growth and shoots aim up those tree trunks, prune the ivy pieces or redirect them so that the growth will continue on the ground, not the trunks.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P. O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. We need your mail, but this column can't reply to all letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered each week. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples or pictures.
Gardeners' checklist (Jobs to be done in early December)
Keep house plants with large, glossy leaves clean and healthy by removing dust from their leaves with a damp cloth.
Be sure to remove or punch holes in decorative foil around the pots of holiday plants or it will collect water and cause roots to die.
John Arbogast is the agricultural extension agent for Roanoke.
by CNB