Q: My husband made me a beautiful brick iris bed. We filled it with good soil and added bone meal and fertilizer. The bulbs came up last year but this year they came up wilted and not healthy. Usually the leaves last all summer but they went brown and dried up. Can I save anything and what happened? (E-mail reference)

A: At this point, your guess is as good as mine. Your problem could be leaf spot disease, rust, downy mildew, iris borer, powdery mildew, crown rot or bacterial soft rot. If they all succumbed as you suggest they did, it isn't likely that anything can be saved. I would dig them up and examine the bulbs, throwing away any that do not appear healthy. Save the rest to replant somewhere else next spring.

Q: I was told when I purchased Trimec that it would not kill the grass, but it did. Will the creeping Jenny be back in the spring? How close can one spray to a hedge area and not kill it? How late in the fall can a person spray with Trimec? (E-mail reference)

A: I suppose TRIMEC could kill grass, but the label should have addressed that possibility. Perhaps the formulation was too strong? Whether or not the creeping Jenny will be back next spring depends on whether or not you got it before it dropped some seed. Fall is the best time for application, as the material is translocated better throughout the entire growing system of the plant. Since TRIMEC has soil activity, you had better stay away from the hedge to the point where you are not going to impact the root system, depending on the size and age of the hedge.

Q: A few months ago I bought a 12- inch breaded ficus tree. I located it in front of my south- facing patio window so it should get enough sunlight. It lost a few leaves but I figured it was in an adjustment period. After a while it started to get some new growth but a few days ago I noticed that a lot of leaves are dropping. Some are yellow but even the new ones are falling. I have been keeping the soil moist and nothing changed in the caring routine (other than the weather outside). Can you please help me try to figure out why the leaves are dropping? (Edmonton, AB, Canada)

A: You live even further north than I do! Less sunlight during the day will cause the leaves to drop. Remember, this is a tropical plant where there is pretty much an even amount of direct sunlight on a year-'round basis. I would suggest getting it inside ASAP and letting it have the comfort and warmth of a cozy Edmonton, Alberta home. Also, the temperature fluctuations that occur between day and night can cause the leaves to drop. Again, being tropical plants, anything below 60 degrees F (15 degrees C) will be too cold for the plant. Once you get it inside, it should stabilize in about 6 weeks.

Q: Help! I have two lilac bushes that appear to be very healthy. Each spring I get lots of blooms but lose the tiny individual flowerettes very quickly. If I cut some for a bouquet, I end up with a mess under the vase and a very sad looking bunch of cut flowers. Am I doing something wrong with them? (E-mail reference)

A: No, that just happens to be the characteristic of that particular species of lilac.

Q: I was wondering the correct treatment for a 10-year-old tree that had about 10 inches of bark stripped off all the way around the trunk by some children. The tree is a nice straight tree, and don't want to lose it. Should it be wrapped with something, or what, if anything, should be done. (Napoleon, N.D.)

A: The tree should be wrapped at least to get it through the winter. Then next spring, if it leafs out, take some cuttings from the top and do what is known as bridge grafting. Refer to the publication Home Propagation Techniques for details.

Q: I picked up some lamium (Red Nancy) at an end of season clearance and was wondering if it's too late to put it in the ground or should I over winter it in the house and plant it in the spring? (West Fargo, N.D.)

A: Not at all. Go ahead and plant it now (when the weather finally allows you to do so!). The plant's root system will continue to develop until some hard frosts put a stop to it. Just be sure to water and mulch the plants generously before freeze-up.

Q: We have a 4-year-old shelter belt with a row of green ash trees. Instead of the leaves on the ash trees turning colors after the first frost, ours turned brown and dried up. Why are the leaves on our trees drying up instead of turning yellow like the older ash trees in the area? (Aberdeen, S.D.)

A: Simply genetic variation amongst the species which is nothing to worry about.

Q: We have two mugo pine plantings on the south side of our home along the foundation. We originally planted them on either side of the air conditioner to screen it from view. Twenty two years later they are overgrown and leggy, especially after the 2000-01 winter when so many evergreens had disease problems. By now it really encroaches on the A/C and leans over the sidewalk about half of its width. They are about 7-feet high and 8-feet wide. The bed they are in is only about 5- feet deep. Is it too late in their lives to drastically prune them? Should we remove them and try again with a pruning schedule? Is this an appropriate setting for this type of evergreen? (Litchville, N.D.)

A: In the long run, you would be better off removing them, replant and then follow a regular pruning schedule. They are a good choice for this location due to their slow growth.

Q: We are looking for information on rust in lawns. Our lawn specialists are seeing some of it and customers are concerned about it. We know a little bit about it but would like to know more so we can give our customers good information on what to do. (Fargo, N.D.)

A: Rust on some cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass is common at this time of year, as well as on some recently, within the last year, seed lawns. The rust fungus on just about any other ornamental crop is cause for concern, but not on the bluegrass lawns we have in our area. It is simply an aesthetic unsightliness that is temporary. Spraying isn’t economical or practical. The best way to control rust is to fertilize and water to encourage new growth, mow a little shorter than normal and collect the clippings. Shade grass should be mowed at normal heights and frequencies with the clippings collected. If people want to overseed with a resistant cultivar of bluegrass, tell them that park Kentucky blue is a very good one to use where the lawn is not irrigated with an automatic system.

Q: I’ve had a goldfish plant for about 3 years. It’s in a south window year round and it does well. It has grown very straggly and falls over the pot. Should I prune this plant? I don't get as many flowers as I would like and certainly not constantly as with some of your other goldfish plant owners. (E-mail reference)

A: Your plant could have one of the mosaic viruses. If you or someone in your family is a smoker, that could be the source of the infection. With viruses, there is no cure, and the plant must be dumped to keep the disease from spreading to other plants which it can easily do. Or, it could simply mean that you are not pampering it enough. These plants are a challenge for even devoted horticulturists to grow, as it has a must do list to keep them thriving: frequent misting to keep the air around the plant moist, keep the soil on the dry side during the winter, keep the night temperature between 55-65 degrees F., and finally, make sure the potting soil is well drained. It should be repotted every two years in the late spring. This is a plant that needs as much indirect light as you can provide, but not direct sunlight.

Q: I thought you might have an answer to this question. The potatoes on the vine are approximately two inches long and one inch wide. There are approximately 15 potatoes on the plant. (E-mail reference)

A: Wrong cultivar for the region or the weather was such that it did not encourage turberization until late.

Q: I have a question about leaf mulch in my perennial flower garden. I used a 3-inch layer of uncut leaves to mulch my flower garden this summer. It worked great, no big weed problem, helped keep the soil moist and no loose dirt flying around. May I keep it on over the winter and then add more leaves in the spring? (Leola, S.D.)

A: It will not hurt to allow the leaves to remain on over the winter and for you to add more next spring. Just be cautioned however, that depending on the degree of decomposition of the leaves, the C/N (Carbon/Nitrogen) ratio could be a little high in some cases and tie up the available nitrogen. This is not a problem unless some chlorosis is observed, and if so, simply add some more nitrogenous fertilizer to off-set the temporary problem. As with any mulch, you want to check to see that slugs are not moving in and taking up residence. If you can turn some of the leaves into the soil surrounding the plants, that would be good for both the soil and the plants (be careful to not damage the roots.) and bad for any slugs that may have begun settling down for a long winter's nap!

Q: This spring I planted 100 feet of 6-foot arborvitae trees to hedge my yard. It has been a dry hot summer but I have watered them weekly. I have also applied fertilizer for acid-loving evergreens. From August through now, a large amount of foliage has turned brown. There’s lots of new growth. I cannot see any evidence of insects (i.e. brown spots). What is the problem? (E-mail reference)

A: The dead foliage you are witnessing is from the interior part of the plant and is simply the oldest foliage going through normal senescence. This takes place in the autumn months and is sometimes more noticeable than at other times. You have nothing to worry about, just don't let the planting go into the winter dry. Keep up your watering regime!

Q: I live in central South Dakota and let most of my lawn go dormant during our intense drought this summer. As we got a few rains, part of it greened back up but some portions are still brown. Do I want to water that grass now before winter or leave it alone? It is probably a combination of bluegrass, some brome, and possibly some type of rye grass. It is so brown it looks dead. (E-mail reference)

A: It probably is. I would suggest a dormant seeding toward the end of this month. Scalp mow and collect the clippings, then power rake to loosen up the soil and thatch. Sow a good mix of Kentucky blue, creeping red fescue, and perennial rye. It will not germinate this fall but will take off nicely next spring. While Kentucky blue and it's other northern kin can take some periods without moisture by going dormant, in some cases, it can kill the grass if it is extensive or the grass was under some kind of stress going into the drought.