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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:
There is the strangest thing growing in my mulch bed. It seems to have appeared overnight. What is it?
Answer:
It is actually a plant that is commonly called beechdrops. Beechdrops (Epifagus virginana) appear in late fall for a brief period of time and then disappear. This dark purple to brown plant looks more like a skeleton of a plant with scale-like leaves pressed tightly to the stem. Beechdrops are parasitic plants that attach themselves to the roots of our native American beech tree. This plant derives all of it's nutrients from the beech tree. This plant was once used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and cold sores. Fortunately, beechdrops are annual in nature. Therefore, your beech tree will continue to grow and prosper over the years. You can remove this growth by breaking it off at ground level with your hands. Many plants come and go quickly in the forest. The botanical term is ephemeral. Another reason to spend more time in the woods!
Question:
My neighbor brought me this large green grapefruit-like fruit that was growing from a shrub at the edge of her yard. What is it?
Answer:
This is another interesting plant that once ranged in the rich bottomlands of Arkansas and the Red River valleys in a region inhabited by the Osage Indians. Therefore it is called the Osage-Orange. It is a hardy drought resistant plant that was well adapted to for hedges and windbreaks. It is actually a tree, not a shrub, that can reach a height of 50 feet. The yellowish green fruit ranges from 3-5 inches in diameter. If you open it up, the fruit is sticky and bitter. Neither man or animal have found much value in it.
But the Indians used the inner bark for a yellow dye and bows. In our horse and buggy days, the wood was used for the hubs and rims of wheels. The wood is stronger than white oak and resists decay. A proud past for plant that been long forgotten by an urban population.
Question:
Now that we have had several hard freezes I have been told that it is too late to plant trees and shrubs. Is this correct?
Answer:
Despite the frozen appearance of the ground on a frosty morning, the soil is far from that. Our soils generally do not freeze in our area until after Christmas. The earth is slow to give up its warmth as winter arrives. Air temperatures are always much colder in the fall than soil temperatures. The reverse can be true in the spring as the air begins to warm up much faster than the soil. Therefore, you still have ample time to plant woody plants such as trees and shrubs. As long as the soil is not frozen, the roots will grow this fall and extend themselves into their new home. This will give those plants a head start on spring planted ones. So do not let cold temperatures lead you to believe that planting time is over. It actuality, it has just begun for many plants.
Question:
I have been amazed at how spectacular fall leaf color has been this year. However, can you tell me why the leaves on some of my red maples are bright yellow and others are red?
Answer:
People have spent a lifetime studying the mystery of fall leaf color. Each year the opinions of botanists, naturalists, foresters, tourism directors, and even old county Extension agents, are sought out for their take on what fall color be like this year. You hedge your bets by saying, "well it all depends on rainfall, temperatures, and sunshine". That is what they taught us in college. But what a lot of folks don't know, is that we have what is thought to be a sup-species of sugar maple called Southern Sugar maple growing here. Since I do not keep up with the latest changes in botanical names, I will refer to it as I learned it, Acer barbatum. Regardless, our woods are filled with millions of Southern Sugar maple trees that turn solid yellow in the fall. Another maple that covers this county, the Boxelder, turns yellow too. But don't discount our native red maple either. They can cover the waterfront in colors. Some will exhibit red, orange, and yellow fall foliage. Just enjoy them, trying to figure it all out will just give you a headache.
LANDSCAPE CLASSES
If you want to learn more about how to landscape your home then you are invited to a 2 part landscape workshop on November 13 and 14 at 7 pm at Beth Smidth Park on Cook Rd. in Elon. Cost is $15 per person or couple. You will learn how to properly landscape your property using plants best suited for our soils and the practices used to maintain them. Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 to register for this Carolina Yards and Neighborhoods program.
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commitment themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&;T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.