Q: We purchased five Carolina allspice bushes and they have thrived, loaded with blooms. But none of them has the aroma I bought them for. Is there anything I can do to get them to smell like they do in the wild? -- Theresa Ford, east Cobb
A: I tell folks to buy Carolina allspice, Calycanthus floridus, when the shrubs are flowering because the quality and intensity of the fragrance varies so much. There's nothing you can do to increase the smell if they are planted in the partial sun they prefer. The varieties 'Athens' and 'Michael Lindsey' are reputed to reliably smell good.
Q: I am tired of raking! Is there any reason I can't shred lawn leaves with my mower and not rake them into piles for removal? -- Jerome Berman, Atlanta
A: There are two good reasons to let your mower do the work. One experiment in Michigan found that mulched leaves suppressed dandelions in a lawn by 84 percent. A study in Pennsylvania found that mulched leaves had no effect on ryegrass turf's visual quality, no effect on turf growth and no effect on thatch depth. As long as you don't allow mats of wet leaves to accumulate on the grass, you can kiss your rake goodbye.
Q: My husband gave me a stalk of something called seed cane from South Georgia. Can I plant it in my garden? -- Rosemarie Szostak, email
A: Seed cane is a mature stalk of sugar cane that has buds from which more plants can grow. Sugar cane has been grown in the lower part of Georgia for hundreds of years, mostly for home consumption of the syrup. This grassy plant needs sandy soil, regular feeding, a long growing season and adequate summer watering. You can plant it in a protected spot, but I can't guarantee it will survive winter. If it does, you can harvest stalks in November and chew them for sweetness.
Q: The pansies I bought the last week of September for a pot on the deck have extra-long stems. Are these a new variety? -- Sally Davis, email
A: Average temperatures since September have been in the mid-70s, which caused the pansies to stretch longer than they should have. You can prune off the longest stems and fertilize to get new growth now that temperatures have gone down. Next year, try to resist the pansy planting urge until the first week of October.
Q: I have two apple, two peach and three cherry trees. I have never pruned any of them, and I recently read the pruning instructions on your website. I didn't realize I had to cut them down so much. Now that they've grown some, what should I do? -- Dennis Jias, Cumming
A: While you can maximize production by proper pruning when fruit trees are young, there are so many other factors at play that starting over now doesn't make sense. Follow these pruning tips: in winter, remove all deadwood, then any limbs that cross through the middle of the tree. Follow by removing slender upright twigs that grow vertically from horizontal branches. Judiciously prune so limbs are spaced symmetrically around the tree and up and down the trunk. Pay attention to regular watering and feeding during the growing season and your trees will produce just fine.
Listen to Walter Reeves on Saturday mornings on AM 750 and 95.5 FM News-Talk WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook fan page at xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.
