Q: May we prune our two huge loropetalum bushes severely? They are enormous and I'm ready to have them be short and low to ground. Shelley Medders, Calhoun
A: Different loropetalum varieties vary widely in size, from 18 inches tall to 15 feet high. If you mistakenly plant one without knowing how big it gets, you might soon regret your choice. In my experience, loropetalum is very tolerant of pruning. Even so, it will put out new leaves much quicker if you wait until spring to do major cutting. There's no reason you can't do some thinning or topping now but my preference would be for you to wait until late February if you need to prune severely at one time.
Q: Our established daylilies were hit with a string trimmer. They are now little 2-to-3-inch stumps. What can we do to help keep them alive? Clarke Weeks, DeKalb County
A: If the daylilies were healthy before they were damaged, I would expect them to come back just fine next year. They may not produce much new growth this fall but the roots in the ground should have plenty of energy to make new leaves next spring. Fertilize twice each year, in March and May.
Q: Are you supposed to cut mondo grass? How frequently do you fertilize and with what? Marc Cochran, email
A: Mondo grass makes a very nice evergreen, shade tolerant, grass-like ground cover. The only time I might mow it is when it's had freeze damage. I would set my mower just high enough to take off the brown, tattered tips. It does not need fertilizing much unless you want it to spread rapidly. In that case I would use Holly-tone or Milorganite in spring
Q: I have a bermuda lawn. I did not put out a pre-emergent in spring, hence I've got lots of weeds. I've put out a double dose of pre-emergent in September. Joseph Schlachter, Tucker
A: This is a situation where reading the label is very important. Some of the pre-emergent products cannot be used on a lawn twice in one year because they inhibit root growth. Putting a double dose of chemical on at one time could be self-defeating. Consider applying a lawn fertilizer now at half-strength to give the grass a chance to store some energy in the roots before it goes dormant.
Q: Is there a weeping crape myrtle? Missy Garrett, Decatur
A: I don't believe there is a crape myrtle that could be truly called "weeping" but "arching" could describe the form of several cultivars. McKinney, Texas, "America's Crape Myrtle City" (crapemyrtletrails.org) has a collection of more than100 varieties, ranging in size from 18 inches to 40 feet, some more "weeping" than others. How the crape myrtle is pruned is also a shaping factor. Plants that are cut severely in winter produce thin branches that arch more than branches on unpruned plants. Visit the website mentioned above to learn more about crape myrtle selection and care.
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