Q: I've already seen my first butterfly. How can I identify it? Jane Going, Decatur
A: Butterflies are exciting to see in a garden. They help pollinate plants, but they are beautiful in their own right. I have a list of butterfly plants plus a guide for the insects' identification at bit.ly/GAbutterfly.
Q: My Italian cypress has rust spots and I assume that is some sort of fungus. What do you recommend? Debby Braun, email
A: In my experience Italian cypress is relatively short-lived in the South. It grows wonderfully fast for a few years, looks majestic for a few more, then falls victim to spider mites, root rot or branch cankers. The cankers can be pruned out if that's the problem. Check all of your trees to be sure no mulch is touching the trunk base. If the sickly trees continue to decline and if you decide to replace them, make sure the planting area is amended with pea gravel for quick drainage.
Q: How does the new Grassology grass grow here? It's sold on TV and at Bed Bath and Beyond. 55jwr, Acworth
A: Despite the glossy ads, I have no confidence in this grass blend. After spending thirty minutes trying to find the kinds of grass seeds in the mixture, I gave up and called Bed Bath and Beyond, where a helpful associate read to me the ingredients. They are creeping red fescue, hard fescue, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, Chewings fescue, sheep fescue and perennial ryegrass.
Some of these grasses grow fine in cooler climes, mostly above the Mason-Dixon line. But given the weeks of high temperatures and dry weather we have each summer, my prediction is that all would disappear rapidly in Georgia.
There are NO miracle grasses. Tall fescue, bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass all grow well in the Atlanta area. All of them are lush and green for significant parts of the year. The key to success for any lawn is to choose the right grass for the site and to prepare the soil properly before planting. More details at bit.ly/bestgrass
Q: In late September I noticed there were lots of large black bees hanging on my lantana. I thought they were dead. Nope! They are alive, but when I nudge them they barely move. Curious Connie, email
A: They're sleeping! Bees of all kinds are well-known to rest on flowers, particularly near dusk or when it's chilly. Some entomologists theorize that most of the resting bees are males who have no hive to return to.
Q: A few weekends ago I hiked five miles to the Len Foote Hike Inn at Amicalola Falls. Along the trail I noticed lots of American holly trees were losing their leaves. Lanelle LaRue, Lake City
A: Despite being thought of as evergreen, American holly is semi-evergreen. It drops its older leaves occasionally to make room for new foliage. Usually new green leaves are seen at branch tips. You'll see the same thing on magnolia and gardenia plants each spring.
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