Q: We had to cut down trees in our property. This exposed our hostas to full sun and high temperatures. Can they be moved in summer? Catalina Scarso, email
A: Soak the soil around each hosta until it’s soggy, then use a spading fork to lift it out of the ground without damaging too many roots. Use old towels and T-shirts to wrap the roots. Keep them damp and shaded until you can plant the hostas in a shady spot.
Q: In 1995, after the Auburn game, UGA fans were able to take some of the original hedges from Sanford Stadium since they were going to be removed for the 1996 Olympics. My father and I took one. It has grown at my parents’ lake house since then. I retrieved it last summer after my father passed. I cut it back and planted it in a 14-inch pot. Greenery has really come out. Will it survive the Atlanta winter outside until I move into a house? I cherish this hedge immensely! Robin Kelley, UGA ’82, Atlanta
A: DGD! Privet is tougher than Nakobe Dean, the 225-pound, award-winning linebacker for the 2021 national champion University of Georgia Bulldogs. Privet can take a licking and keep on ticking. The thicket of privet behind my boyhood home survived 50 years of annually pulling out the trunks and endured several severe icy winters. It is yet undaunted. Your privet should do fine out of the ground, but I think it needs a larger pot, perhaps 20 inches in diameter. Privet can grow quite large and it needs adequate root space. If you want to propagate more plants, privet is very cooperative. I have seen privet grow roots and sprout after simply being stuck into moist soil, but that won’t always be successful. I have an easy method of propagating shrubs from cuttings at bit.ly/GAshrubprop.
Q: In the last week, three rat snakes got caught in bird netting over a raised bed. We tried to untangle them but they were deceased. What should we do to prevent this? Gail and Scott, Dalton
A: You can’t simply raise the netting because birds will be able to bypass your garden defense. I think the easiest thing to do is spread a wide layer of mini-size pine chip mulch around your garden. Snakes don’t like to be exposed as they would be crawling in the open over the mulch. I specify mini chips because crickets, lizards and toads are unlikely to live there and attract hungry snakes. If a snake gets into the netting again, use blunt-tipped bandage scissors (surgical scissors) to slide between the snake’s skin and the netting while a helper holds the snake still.
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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