NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
February 12, 1998
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
Q. I read your horticultural advice quite often and enjoy the useful information in your responses.
I would like some advice on plant selection for an area in my yard. I need to cover or camouflage a 4-foot fence. The fence is located in a shady part of the yard, north side of a garage with large trees nearby. The sunlight reaching this area, for only a brief time, would be midmorning and late afternoon/early evening.
I need something hardy for this region and something that grows relatively fast. I have thought about shrubs, tall annuals and vines, but don't know what to select. Please advise me as to what plant would meet my needs. Thank you for your help. (Devils Lake, N.D.)
A. The Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) would be my first suggestion, without seeing the site. It grows fast and will easily cover the fence you describe.
Other non-vining woody plants could be viburnum, dogwood, alpine currant and juneberry. Herbaceous perennials could be astilbe, echinacea and hosta, while annual flowers would be Dahlberg daisy, forget-me-nots and nigella.
These should help. Thanks for writing.
Q. Your question and answer section is very informative and I found out that I have a Thanksgiving cactus instead of a Christmas cactus. It always bloomed around Thanksgiving time. Your article explained there are three cacti: Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. Last year I lived in a house and my cactus only had four blooms. This year I live in a trailer house and the cactus is in the back room, but gets no sun—just gets light from a window that has lace curtains and venetian blinds that are not open. This year it had 50 blooms. Every sprig had a bloom, a few didn't open, but the surprise now is the cactus is blooming again after only two months of blooming and one sprig even had two buds. One is open already. Isn't it very unusual for a cactus to bloom twice in two months and to have two buds on one sprig?
Thanks for the good information you give. (Jamestown, N.D.)
A. It is unusual, but then the conditions it is growing in are unusual as well. You have unintentionally provided just the right conditions for the plant to bloom like never before. Enjoy.
Thanks for the kind comments about the column.
Q. Like so many of your readers, I have a question.
I have a tree which my book refers to as horse chestnut or buckeye. It is a very well formed tree, and for years I have been hoping to try and grow one like it. It has to be watched at fruit time, as the squirrels do beat me to the nuts. I have gotten a few this year. A sample is enclosed.
I have tried other years to plant some seeds that would grow. Any idea you might give me would be appreciated.
We also lost a small grove of chokecherries to that so-called "black leg." For over 50 years there had been no damage. Is there some background on that?
Thanks for any help and keep the information flowing. There is always something new it seems. (Litchville, N.D.)
A. Thanks for writing. I am glad the column has helped you.
The sample you sent was of an Ohio buckeye nut still in the outer husk. If you had planted that nut about 4 inches deep where you would want about a 30-foot tree to grow, it would have germinated this spring, assuming, of course, the squirrels didn't find it!
The disease that destroyed your chokecherries was blackknot. That fungus has become so widespread throughout our region that it is difficult to justify recommending this species to anyone any longer. Our current wet, humid summers are believed to be the culprit in making this disease so prolific.
###
Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161
Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866