Q: Is Virginia creeper poisonous like poison ivy? Does it have an oil that causes a rash? — Connie Robertson, email
A: To my knowledge, Virginia creeper does not commonly cause a skin reaction. I've pulled it by the bushel basket and never had a reaction. That said, some sensitive folks might have an atypical dermatitis from exposure to the sap.
Q: We have 15 carpet roses, which have bloomed dark red for six years. This year three of them have pink blooms. All were pruned the same in the fall and fertilized the same in the spring. Why did the color change? — Larry Ayers, Lilburn
A: On grafted roses, the new colors might come from sprouts below the graft union. However, carpet roses typically are not grafted; they are propagated via cuttings. My guess is that the three are reverting to the color of the pink-blooming parent rose from which yours were bred. It seems unusual that three plants would revert at the same time, but this is my best speculation. If red blooms appear on the newly pink plants, prune out the pink flower stems and let the red-blooming stems take over once again.
Q: We laid fescue sod in our backyard this spring. Due to recent rain, the grass hasn't been mowed yet. We had a party last weekend and many people commented about our beautiful grass. It does look good and I am wondering if it is necessary to mow at all? I'm from the Bronx. No grass to mow there! — Jeffrey Korn, San Diego
A: You'll have to mow the lawn. Eventually the fescue will grow to 1 or 2 feet tall. It will develop an unattractive clumping habit and no one will think it's very pretty. Unlike Bermuda or zoysia, fescue does best when mowed 3 or 4 inches high. This allows it to smother weeds and keep the soil cool. When it's young, you might have to mow twice a week, but when the weather gets hot you can mow only once per week. Keep in mind your California drought: Fescue will not look good when it's forced to dry out for a week or more.
Q: I have centipede grass in my front yard. It gets full sun almost all day long. Now, two-thirds of my yard appears dead except for an invasion of clover. Is there something special I should have done? — Bruce Nelson, Lawrenceville
A: The problem I most often see with centipede lawns is a mowing height that's too low. The stolons that creep across the ground are harmed by hot sunshine and cold winters. They need the protection of grass blades above them. Mowing too low also means the grass isn't thick enough to combat weeds. Measure your mowing height to be sure it's in the range of 2 to 2½ inches. If there is not much centipede among the clover, you could choose to kill the clover with glyphosate (KleenUp, Roundup, etc.), wait a week, and then plant centipede seed after raking the soil vigorously. If you water appropriately, never letting the top half-inch of soil get dry, you'll have a nice stand of centipede by fall.
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