Q: I have boxwoods that are swarming with these tiny, orange, mosquito-looking insects. What could they be? PW Chapman, email
A: “Orange” is the key descriptive word. No other small insect is orange at this time of year except boxwood leaf miner adults. They flutter around your boxwood and lay eggs on the underside of new leaves. The eggs hatch in a few weeks, and the grubs bore into the leaf and tunnel between the upper and lower leaf surfaces. The damage looks like pimples or blisters on the leaf. If the insect is not controlled, the shrub may die in a few years. There is no need to kill the adults you see now; they hatch constantly and you’d have to spray every few days. The best strategy is to apply a systemic insecticide in mid-June when the grubs are feeding inside the leaf. One treatment can last a full year.
Q: I have a wax leaf Ligustrum that looks awful! It’s almost completely defoliated and is developing canker-like growths on every stem. Last summer, I sprayed Roundup on the vines and weeds underneath. Could that cause my problem? Ross Norwood, Cartersville
A: The weed killer might well have caused the canker-like problem. On a hot summer day, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, can volatilize and float upward into the foliage of the shrub above, even though you didn’t spray it onto the leaves. At this point, all you can do is wait and see if the Ligustrum survives.
Q: I have a sun/shade yard with light usage. What is your recommendation for grass? Molly Darden, Tucker
A: The combination of sun and shade would be tolerated by zoysia, St. Augustine or fescue grass. Zoysia sod could look nice but it’s expensive. St. Augustine sod is rarely available. Fescue seed, planted in spring, would give you a nice-looking yard and would be less expensive than the other two. Look for a turf-type blend of different fescue varieties. Do not plant Kentucky 31 fescue for your lawn. This seed is inexpensive but the grass will look rough and clumpy.
Q: Last year, I cut my daffodil leaves back before they died. I had no blooms this year. Now I need to change the look of that area. I dug the plants out, careful to keep bulbs and leaves intact, and replanted them in a large pot. What should I do once the leaves are gone? Johnny Lawler, email
A: If you keep the leaves happy until they naturally turn yellow in June, you can plant the bulbs whenever you like. There is no need to wait until fall.
Email Walter at georgiagardener@yahoo.com. Listen to his occasional garden comments on “Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener, for his latest tips.
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