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by Rett Davis | |
Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in
Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Burlington Times-News,
every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is
posted to this
website, beginning with January 1998. Scroll to the bottom of
this page to navigate to other Gardening Q&As. Please contact
Rett via e-mail with questions
or
comments in regard to this column.
Answer:
I wish you had given me an easier question than
this one. But here I go. All of the spring flowering bulbs that
you mentioned are in the genus Narcissus. They are all classified
and separated into 12 divisions. The division that each one is
placed in is determined on the length of the corolla. The
corolla is the flower tube. The corolla can be white, yellow,
peach, and bi-colors. The name daffodil and narcissus can be
used interchangeably. Jonquils on the other hand have yellow
flowers, a strong scent, and the leaves are hollow. Daffodils
and narcissus have flat leaves. The term jonquil should be
applied to daffodils that are in Division 7 and 10. Buttercups
are just another common name for daffodils. There are literally
thousands of daffodil cultivars and they are our most dependable
long lasting spring flowering bulb. Voles won't eat them because
the bulbs are poisonous.
Question:
I saw where you planted Shumard oaks at the
new Audrey Garrett Elementary School last week. No one seems to
know anything about this oak. Why did you plant this type of
oak?
Answer:
Oaks are one of the most dependable long
lasting trees that can be planted in the landscape. Although
somewhat slower in growth than maples and others, they have
stronger wood and can withstand the perils of nature better. The
Shurmard oak is a type of red oak. They are reported to grow
taller than any other American oak. The Shumard Oak is a native
of North America and ranges throughout the southeast. Its range
does include the piedmont of North Carolina to Northern Florida
and west to Texas. The wood of this tree is heavy, hard, and
strong. This a drought tolerant oak and transplants easily.
Another plus is that it has an attractive red fall color. This
oak has all the properties befitting a memorial tree. These
trees were donated by Duke Power and purchased at local nursery.
Question:
I have been reading about zoysia grass. Will
it grow in our area and does it really choke out all weeds?
Answer:
Zoysia grass is found on many home lawns and on
golf courses in our area. Golf courses frequently use it around
the lips of their sand traps. There are several varieties of
zoysia. One of the newer varieties that are used here is El
Toro. Emerald and Meyer (Z-52) have been around for years. Zoysia
grass has historically been planted by sprigs, plugs, or sod.
Seed for zoysia is just now making its appearance in the market
place. One seeded variety now available is Zenith. Zoysia grass
forms a very dense, low growing, and wear resistant turf. It is
green from May until November. Frost will turn the grass from
green to tan. It remains dormant throughout the winter. It will
look like bermuda grass (wiregrass) in the winter. Zoysia
performs at its best in full sun. It can tolerate light shade.
Zoysia needs to be dethatched every 3-4 years. Because of its
density, a reel mower is preferred but a rotary mower will
suffice if the blades are kept sharpe. Zoysia plugs and sod are
available at turf farms in North Carolina. It is not sold at
garden centers here. Seed may be available though. Zoysia
should be planted by seed or plugs in June. If you have a lot of
weeds and other grasses in your lawn, they should be sprayed out
with Roundup prior to planting zoysia. Zoysia will not choke out
bermuda and other weeds can become a problem. In essence, don't
believe all that you read in those advertisements for zoysia. It
is very good grass and I have a grass plot you can view at the
Agricultural Building. Just wait until early summer to see it at
its best.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis