Q: Is it too late to prune my lorapetalums? Lena Goodberlet, email
A: The rule of thumb is to prune spring-flowering shrubs right after they bloom. If you prune loropetalums now, you'll be cutting off all the buds that explode in pink profusion in March. But if yours is huge and you just have to make it smaller, January is the best time. When spring comes, new growth will cover all of the stubs your pruner left.
Q: I would like to add some compost from the Athens/Clarke County landfill to my vegetable gardens this winter. Should I turn the soil before or after adding the compost? Doug Evans, email
A: I think it would be better to till it in right after you spread it. Although microbial action will be minimal in cold weather, a bit of desired decomposition will occur. The compost particles will be a bit smaller and will more easily become homogeneous with your native soil when you till everything before planting this spring.
Q: My wife and I love the golden leaves of American beech. We want to plant one in our yard. We have had no success finding the tree at any local nurseries. Glenn Bosio, Marietta
A: Jim Rodgers at Nearly Native Nursery in Brooks (www.nearlynativenursery.com) says they have American beech plus 800 other native plants for the Southeast. Trees Atlanta (www.treesatlanta.org) hosts an annual tree sale in October that features more than 200 native trees, shrubs and vines
Q: Our six-year-old Leyland cypress, 15 feet tall, blew over in a drenching rain and subsequent wind. Can it be uprighted and staked? Or is it a goner? Stan Taylor, Acworth
A: It can be pulled back into place but it will need a stout nearby stake for at least two years. Here's what I'd do: while the tree is down, use a post hole digger to dig a hole twelve inches away from where the trunk will be when vertical. Make the hole twenty four inches deep. Install an eight-foot-long pressure-treated 4-by-4 timber in the hole and pack dirt tightly around its base. Shovel dirt out of the spot where the Leyland cypress' roots once grew and save it in a bucket. Using a wide strap around the tree trunk, slowly bring it upright and tie it loosely to the post. Use dirt from the bucket to cover the roots where they rest. The post will hold the plant upright for the next few years as it re-establishes a strong root system. Be sure to water it regularly in summer.
Q: I have noticed a huge explosion in the population of stinkbugs. I was assuming the cold weather would drive them away. How are they expanding so fast and are they going to be a nuisance? Brian Phillips, Johns Creek
A: Like other invasive species, stinkbug populations expand rapidly when conditions are good. The weather for this new pest has been great in Georgia for three years running. The brown marmorated stinkbug is a terrible pest in the Northeast. They will definitely be a nuisance in Georgia. They feed on all fruits, making pockmarks in the skin. These creatures, along with their kudzu bug kin, have made us a “stinky state”! I have details on brown marmorated stinkbug at bit.ly/GAstinkbug
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