Good choices for spring-blooming cherry
Listen to Walter Reeves 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 bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.
Q: I want to plant a flowering cherry tree on Feb. 24 in honor of a friend who died. Do you think I can get away with planting a tree at that time of year? Jennifer Davenport, Marietta
A: You have good choices in cherry trees: 'Hally Jolivette' cherry has pink buds and light pink flowers, which usually open in February. It was named for Dr. Hally Jolivette. She was a botanist and was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from Stanford University in the field of botany. 'Yoshino' cherry blooms in March/April with a great white cloud of flowers. 'Kwansan' blooms a couple of weeks later, full of double pink blooms. If you are careful to soak the root ball weekly during the first year, I feel sure you'll have a long-lasting memorial to your friend.
Q: A big pecan tree is very close to my house. There is a large open area near the base that has been increasing in size. If this continues it could very well fall on my house! Karen Duncan, email
A: It sounds serious! You definitely need to have a certified International Society of Arborculture specialist examine the tree. Fortunately, there are several individuals in the metro area who make house calls for a small fee. You can find these tree health consultants at bit.ly/treehealth.
Q: I've had a dahoon holly for four years, and it has been doing fine. Three weeks ago it started dropping its leaves. I was out of town for two weeks, and when I came home it was naked. My husband said that while I was gone we didn't have any rain, but the tree gets watered by drip irrigation three times a week for twelve minutes. Laura Caswell, West Palm Beach
A: I can only theorize that the holly became too dry or that some sort of damage was done to the base of the trunk. Dahoon holly does best on moist soils: Swamps are its native environment. It can tolerate drier locations with regular watering, but often has a thin crown in this environment. While it's not best for Florida, the bright red berries it sports in the northern half of Georgia make it an excellent plant for winter interest.
Q: My wife and I are going to add raised garden beds to our garden. Pine framing lumber deteriorates quickly and I don't like treated wood. I work for a company that has hundreds of discarded tracks from loaders. Could I bury them on edge to make sides for a garden plot? Dan Wintemute, email
A: I don't have any information that says the rubber tracks are dangerous, and I would imagine that after lots of use there would be little chance of harmful chemicals being on the surface. That said, I can't guarantee that using the tracks would be safe. However, I love the idea because you'd be recycling something that is of no use. Your idea seems worth a try, and you could make fun curved edges for the beds!
Q: I'm trying to find a resource that lists what plants I can plant in each month in a vegetable garden. Dennis Glover, email
A: The University of Georgia Extension has several excellent publications for beginning as well as experienced gardeners. You'll learn how to plan a garden and how to time your planting so there's always something to harvest. I've collected them all at bit.ly/UGAgardening.
