GARDENING Q&A by Rett Davis

Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Times-News, every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is posted to this website, beginning with January of this year. 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.

Question:
I have planted 25 Leyland cypress in a row. Most of the trees have multiple trunks. Is it okay to leave them like that?

Answer:
My hats off to you for paying close of attention to the structure of your trees. Multiple trunks are okay for crapemyrtle and river birch, but not for Leyland cypress and the large trees we use for shade. Multiple trunks or co-dominate leaders will cause trees to split and separate from ice, snow, and strong summer storms. As these multiple leaders develop and grow in size and weight, their branches cause the tree to separate. The danger of splitting increases dramatically with the weight of snow and ice. It is better to grow our large trees, whether they are evergreen or deciduous as a single leader or single trunk tree. Picture a Christmas tree in your mind. All Christmas trees have one central trunk or leader. Take a few minutes with each new tree and select the one best stem or leader with the greatest potential of forming a strong trunk. Remove all others as close to the ground as possible. Although the tree now looks thinner, it will fill in within one year and its chances of a long life have been greatly enhanced. Older trees can also be improved if the competing leaders are less than 4 inches in diameter.

Question:
My back yard is extremely shady and I have tried numerous times to grow grass. Right now it is a mud hole. Which of the shade tolerant grasses has the best chance of survival?

Answer:
To be honest, it is a lost cause for grass. Despite the heavy promotion of 'shade tolerant' fescue grass varieties, they all still require at least a half day of sunshine or lightly filtered shade. Even fescue sod will decline after one year. You are also fighting root competition with the trees and compacted soil. To convert to grass will require a major investment in tree removal and soil cultivation. All of which is not well suited for weekend warriors and rental equipment. Continuation of soil plugging or spiking and the annual sowing of seed is just a waste of money. If growing grass is too expensive, consider alternatives. Spray what grass remains with Roundup and then mulch the entire area with your favorite mulching material. This new natural area can then be enhanced with either shade loving perennials, garden statuary, water features or forms of yard art. Pink flamingos 'are in' from what I hear.

Question:
I grew up eating sweet cherries from a tree in my grandmothers yard. She also made the best cherry pies from them. Would you recommend some sweet cherry varieties I could plant here?

Answer:
Cherry trees are not long lived in our clay soils. Therefore we rarely see them in production. Cherries are also not grown as a commercial fruit crop in our state because of our soils and climate. But that would not deter me from planting the variety called 'Stella'. Stella is a sweet variety that is self pollinating. Cherries will require the best drained soils as possible. If not, they will last no more than 3-4 years and then they will die out. The same goes for our ornamental varieties such as Kwansan and Yoshino. Good luck.

JILL TROUTMAN TREE EXHIBITION
The public is invited to view Jill Troutman's newest art exhibition featuring trees. Together, both Jill and I will be stressing the importance of trees to our community. Through her art work and education on tree care, we can further protect this most valuable member of our community. Come visit us at Harrison's Restaurant, 2773 S. Church St. in Burlington on Sunday April 10th from 2 until 4 pm.

ORGANIC GARDENING CLASS
If you want to go organic this year in the garden, then you are invited to attend a workshop on how to get started. It will be held in the Agricultural Building on Wednesday April 6th from 6:30 until 8:30 pm. Call 570-6740 to register. Cost is $5 per person.

If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis