Hortiscope

Ronald C. Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service

Q: The Arnold Red honeysuckle is listed by the Slope-Hettinger Soil Conservation District. If they are a vine similar to the Dropmore honeysuckle I will order some, but if they are a shrub type I don't want them. Can you help me? (E-mail reference)

A: The Arnold Red honeysuckle is not a vine, but a shrub that has dark red flowers and is resistant to the Russian aphid. The proper nomenclature for this plant is Lonicera taterica 'Arnold Red'. There are many cultivars of the trumpet honeysuckle (L. sempervirens) that you can choose from, if the local SCD has them available.

Q: The writer who inquired about the banana apple picked a good one. They are large, pale yellow, with a waxy finish, and blushed with a rosy pink. It has crisp, tangy, juicy flesh that is firm and slightly coarse in texture. The aroma is distinctly banana, hence the name. It is good for eating and making cider, generally poor for cooking. Under the right conditions, the apples can store until March. The tree is an excellent pollinator, and the fruit ripens in October or early November. It originated at the Flory farm in Cass county, Indiana, in 1876 and was introduced to the public in 1890. It should be available at the following nurseries:

Miller Nursery, 5060 West Lake Road, Canandaigua, NY 14424; Ph716-396-2647
South Meadow Fruit Gardens, Box SM, Lakeside, MI 49116; Ph616-469-2865
Tower Hill Botanic Garden, French Drive, Boylston, MA 01505
M. Worley Nursery, 98 Braggtown Road, York Springs, PA 17372; Ph717-528-4519

Bluebird Nursery from Nebraska used it as an interstem to dwarf their pear trees.

I hope this will help. (E-mail reference, Bemidji, M.N.)

A: Thanks for the very good information about an apple I knew nothing about. It sounds like something that would be good to sink your teeth into just about now!

Q: Thanks for the prompt reply on the American hazelnut. My question was prompted by a request to me to review a manuscript on Native American Ethnobotany in the Great Plains based on the archaeological record. The author was puzzled as to why there were not more nut remains from archaeological sites in the Northern Plains. I could respond as to the reason for the absence of butternut and black walnut, but could not readily answer to American hazelnut. I can now clarify that matter. In addition, I have long wondered why we do not find charred hazelnut hull or nut fragments at archaeological sites in North Dakota. We do find lots of other charred seeds but to my knowledge no hazelnut fragments to date. Most of our excavation data, including use of techniques to recover charred seeds, comes from our work on the James River and in the Missouri River valley. I assume the American hazelnut naturally occurs in those regions. Could it be that the American hazelnut does not naturally grow in "stands" where the nuts would be concentrated enough to warrant intensive harvest? It might also be that the hull fragments being somewhat thin may not preserve well in archaeological contexts. I'm always interested in those things which are "missing" from the archaeological record but which are known or suspected to have been present on the landscape. (E-mail reference, Grand Forks, N.D.)

A: Glad to help out. Very interesting stuff you told me -- I guess tend to think only of the present and not the archaeological past. My guess is that dearth of any evidence of this nut or the shells is due to the high desirability of the nutmeat by wildlife and the frailty of the shells.

Q: Last spring I received this plant from a friend. He called it an egg tree. It had tiny white eggs like bird eggs. They started out all white, but after a few weeks they turned pale yellow and then bright yellow. Can you tell me anything about this plant? We had it outside in a large pot all summer and brought it back in this fall. Now it has lost all of its foliage and died. I would like to get another plant, but I have no idea what kind it is. (Moorhead, Minn.)

A: As luck would have it, I asked my colleague, Barb Laschkewitsch, if she heard of your plant, because I certainly hadn’t. After giving it a little thought and some catalog searching, she came up with it! I’m lucky to be working with such a smart person! It is on page 45 of the current Park Seed Catalog, and is known as the "Easter Egg Plant." It is in the same family as tomato, potato, and of course, egg plant. Since it is an annual, its dying is normal. Order some seed and plant some more. Park Seed Co. can be reached at: 800-845-3369, or via email at

Q: I have a problem with moss or mold on a 2-foot strip on the north side of my garage. It is a green color and it is starting to choke out the lawn grass. I was told to use copper sulfate, but it did not work. Can you tell me what I should do? (Napoleon, N.D.)

A: Moss or algae grow in response to the following factors: too much moisture, poor surface drainage, poor light and air circulation. Copper sulfate can be used to correct, but, will not cure. the problem. To do this, core aerate and do some remedial pruning to improve air and light penetration.

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Do you have a gardening or houseplant question? Write to Hortiscope, Box 5051, NDSU Extension Service, Fargo, ND 58105 or e-mail to Ron Smith at ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu.

Source: Ron Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Gary Moran, (701) 231-7865, gmoran@ndsuext.nodak.edu