Garden letters

JULY 2003

Editor's Notebook

It's sunny and hot. You want shade. Wouldn't it be great if there were a MIRACLE TREE that would grow UP TO 10 FEET THE FIRSTYEAR? Well, thanks to the marvels of modern science and journalistic hyperbole, there is! It's called the empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa). Featured regularly on the back page of your favorite Sunday tabloid, this AMAZING TREE shoots skyward literally BEFORE YOUR EYES with leaves as big as parasols! But wait! There's more!!! Its wood is SO VALUABLE in Japan that chain saw-wielding thieves will cut it down WHILE YOU SLEEP and leave you with just a stump!! Don't be misled by some Southern Living curmudgeon who claims this tree is a weedy, messy, weak-wooded nuisance that's impossible to grow grass beneath and will crack your sidewalk with its roots. After all, who wants reality when we can have SOMETHING BETTER? So call today! Operators with chain saws are standing by!!

There are black spots on the leaves of some of my impatiens. Is this a fungus? If so, what fungicide should I use?

The black spots are caused by a fungus that is spread from leaf to leaf by splashing water. If the problem is minor, just pick off and dispose of infected leaves. Avoid wetting foliage when you water. If the problem is serious, though, spray your plants according to label directions with a fungicide such as Daconil or Immunox.

I need information about plants that like lots of heat and also grow in wet soil.

Many plants thrive in poorly drained soil and also take the heat. Trees to try include red maple (Acer rubrum), river birch (Betula nigra), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), and sweet bay (Magnolia virginiana). For shrubs, consider wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor), andbuttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Perennials that like wet feet include Louisiana iris, cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), canna, and elephant's ear. You'll find extensive lists of plants for wet soil in The Southern Living Garden Book.

Can you tell me an easy way to root an azalea cutting?

Sure. Take a 4-inch cutting from the tip of a branch, dust the cut end with rooting powder, and then stick it in a pot filled with moist soil. Next, cut the bottom out of a clear plastic soda bottle, and place this over the pot to serve as a mini-greenhouse. Keep the soil moist but not soggy, and make sure the pot receives bright light but not direct sun. The cutting should root in one to two months.

What can I do to get rid of wild Bermuda grass in my St. Augustine lawn?

It's tough to remove Bermuda grass from a lawn without also killing good grass. Try spot treating the Bermuda grass with a herbicide containing atrazine. Follow label directions carefully. Then feed your St. Augustine with a high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer, such as 29-3-4. Fertilize again in mid-August. Keep the lawn well watered, and mow at 3 inches. The idea is to get the St. Augustine growing vigorously so it will crowd out the Bermuda.

Page 72: Empress tree can be purchased from Carroll Gardens, 1-800-638-6334 or www.carrollgardens.com (O, R).

Tip of the Month

A plastic hanging plant basket with a hook and suspension wires makes a great container for harvesting vegetables and fruits that you pick while standing up, such as pole beans, cucumbers, and blackberries. Place the hook in your collar, and let the basket hang at the waist, so both of your hands are free to harvest. HENRY PITTMAN

SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA

Tips of the Month are ideas readers say work for them. We do not test them. Submit tips on a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to Garden Tips, Southern Living, P.O. Box 523, Birmingham, AL 35201 or by e-mail to southernliving@customersvc.com. For each tip published you will receive $25.

LUCI MONK[middot]NEWNAN, GEORGIA

CHERYL CLEGHORN FITZGERALD, GEORGIA

DONNIE POUNCY GEORGIANA, ALABAMA

LYNNE E. SNYDER JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

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