Customer’s Questions in August

Our customers asked questions on last week’s Happy Hour, and are coming into the store on West Main Street seeking advice. Here are the questions that C.L. didn’t get to on the virtual event, and a couple posed to her on Friday in the store.

Q. Can a pink Kousa dogwood be planted now?

A. Absolutely. Any tree can be planted in August on Cape Cod, or into the fall. Just be sure that you water that newly placed tree well once a week, preferably using a sprinkler that moistens the rootball and the surrounding soil.

Q. Does Plantskydd work to repel groundhogs too?

A. Unfortunately not. Groundhogs, aka woodchucks, are one of the hardest animals to deal with in that no repellant keeps them away, and they have huge appetites. Often they live under sheds and porches, so be sure that your outbuildings are fortified so that animals can’t get underneath. If you know where the groundhog is living you might get it to move elsewhere by putting used kitty litter or dog poop in their hole. They are fastidious animals and won’t live in squalor.

Q. What do you think of “tree diapers.”

A. I’m assuming that you are referring to the plastic bags that hold water around a newly planted tree. They are fine but don’t hold nearly enough water to saturate the tree’s rootball and the soil around it, especially in a drought. You’d need to fill them several times in order to provide enough water. It seems to me that if you can reach a hose to fill the watering bag several times, why not just set a sprinkler there and water the area for a couple of hours once a week? No matter how you’re watering new or established plants, a deep soaking less often is better than a little every day.

Q. What’s wrong with my boxwood?

A. The box tree moth continues to surprise Cape Cod homeowners in how quickly it kills boxwood. The eggs for this pest are laid on the interior of boxwood plants and when the larvae hatch out they eat from the inside out. So by the time people notice something is wrong, there is substantial damage done or the plant is already dead. Hyannis Country Garden made the decision not to sell boxwood this year since it was just setting people up for failure. We have a page on our Informational Handouts section that gives suggestions for what you can plant instead of boxwood.

Those who have boxwoods that are still untouched by box tree moth should begin spraying them with spinosad monthly beginning in May. The Captain Jack’s in a hose-end spray bottle is good because you can drench the interior of the plant as well as the outside. There are two or three generations of box tree moth on Cape Cod so spray through August or early September.

Q. Some of my annuals in containers don’t look as lovely as they were earlier in the summer. What can I do?

A. Many annuals can be rejuvenated or improved by some grooming as the summer goes on. Most can be brought back to a fuller, more flower-filled look by cutting them back by half. Follow this haircut with a good soaking followed by an application of a liquid synthetic fertilizer. Usually the plants respond with new growth and flowers in two to three weeks.

Some annuals may only need deadheading to look better, so if you’re reluctant to shear them in half start by removing old flowers and trimming just a few stems. If that isn’t enough, then trim them and fertilize after watering well. (Never fertilize a thirsty plant.)

Q. What plant is this and what is eating it?

A. Your photo shows jewelweed, our native Impatiens capensis. Soon it should start to flower with small, yellow-orange blossoms. It looks to me that it’s not being eaten but has had fungal leaf spot that has killed the tissue on the leaves, making holes when that dead tissue falls away. There are several insects that feed on jewelweed, but they don’t make round holes. In this photo I can see some brown spots where the leaf tissue has died but has yet to fall away and leave a hole.

Jewelweed is a nice native weed and worth leaving in partly shaded areas where it does well.