Q: Our landscaper planted four Bombshell hydrangeas in our courtyard in May of last year. The area gets good sun, but not total sun. The tag that came with them states that they bloom in sun or shade. They did not bloom last year. We didn't cut them back in the fall since they had no blossoms. This year, they appear healthy and have lots of greenery, but no blossoms and no buds. — Sandy Tieken, Roswell
A: 'Bombshell' is a panicle hydrangea, meaning it blooms in mid- to late summer. This type of hydrangea can take lots of sun, unlike its mophead hydrangea cousin. I think the shade may have slightly limited its establishment, but all is not lost. Avoid pruning between now and next summer, to maximize leaf surface area, and let's see what happens.
Q: I want to keep my 9-foot-tall Bradford pears no larger than 15 feet tall. Is this possible with regular pruning each spring after flowering? — Chris Jones, email
A: Bonsai artists prune and maintain trees that are normally 100 feet tall down to just a foot or 2 feet tall. I'm sure with regular and judicious pruning, you could modify the size of your Bradford pear.
Q: How did the farmers in the mid-1800s manage to grow their crops successfully with no fungicides, no pesticides and no herbicides? — James Edmonson, Dunwoody
A: I'm not sure "successfully" is the right term to use. Much of their weed and insect control came from human or animal labor: hand-picking bugs and hoeing or plowing weeds. A few insecticides were used, mostly pyrethrum, arsenic, nicotine, etc. A couple of fungicides were known, many based on copper, sulfur or lime. Salt was utilized to kill weeds in some situations but obviously couldn't be used in any quantity. Yields were poor and a huge proportion of the American population farmed so that others could live in cities. As the son of a farmer, I hand-picked hundreds of potato bugs and hoed acres of vegetables. The Cooperative Extension Service was formalized in the early 1900s to educate farmers on better methods of farming and pest control. In 1945, it took 14 labor-hours to produce 100 bushels of corn on 2 acres of land. In 2002, that same 100 bushels of corn were produced on less than 1 acre. I call that amazing progress!
Q: A Bradford pear tree, located just over the property line on our neighbors' property, has grown quite large, dropping fruit and seasonal debris on our cars and driveway. It overhangs our entire driveway where our cars are parked and is growing toward our garage roof. The tree has almost doubled in size in the past two years. Arborists say it can be pruned yearly but that it is in danger of falling over. What are our legal rights if it does fall and damage our cars and property? — Name withheld
A: A lawyer friend tells me he can't give specific advice without seeing the situation, but in general terms, you may trim or prune the overhanging branches back to the property line so long as doing so does not kill the tree. Second, it would be good practice to formally notify your neighbor by certified mail, return receipt requested, that you are putting them on notice that you will hold them responsible for any damage to your car(s) or other property from falling limbs and fruit. Unfortunately, this is probably not the answer you were looking for, but there's not much you can do when neighbors are unreasonable. I suggest that you take pictures at the time you send the letter and before pruning the tree.
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 xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.
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