April 13, 2010 by Current Publishing

Brace yourself for beetle-mania; they’ll have you screaming

Time to get your yard back into shape

COMMENTARY By Randy Sorrell What are those florescent pink flowering trees buried deep in the woods that are equally comfortable guarding the corners of suburban homes? Or the cheerful yellow wild flowering shrubs dominating woods’ edge? Ever wonder about the dainty pink or white flowering trees keeping those florescent guys company? This fantastic ornamental loves the protected northern and eastern sites of homes and has a marvelous biblical connection. E-mail me if you care to hear the story of the blood-stained petals and crown of thorns. (Answers: redbuds, forsthia, dogwoods). Pears, crabapples and serviceberry, my determined favorite, all explode this time of year and may have challenged your above responses.

BUZZ KILL

I hate to be a downer, especially fresh off our bronzed Spring Break perspectives, but someone has to bring reality into perspective. You probably already have this on your “to do” list, but it’s time to cut last years spent perennials and ornamental grasses to the ground. Yep, all the way to the ground. Fear not. They will return clean and perky, just like you after last week’s respite. Here are the next few sweat producers to manage, in this order: Start at the top and clean

18 | April 13, 2010

COMMENTARY By Holly Funk Many gardeners know the serenity of gardening in May and June. Rain is sufficient, the air is just right and our gardens are full and lush. I am truly grateful for every minute because by the end of June, I’ll be in the throes of the inevitable Beetle Battle. I only have a couple of plants that Japanese beetles munch on. Being ever concerned for plants and their growth, I’ve learned that the beetles simply prefer some plants more than others, so keeping that in mind, I try not to plant those plants. I notice some plants every year, without fail, completely devoured by the beetles. Garden centers are packed with Purpleleafed Sandcherry this time of year. With light pink blooms and attractive foliage it seems like the perfect landscape plant and it is … until July, when it becomes an open smorgasbord for the Japanese beetles. What remains is a skeleton of a shrub … and beetle loathing ensues. Most types of plum are favored by beetles as well as cherry, apricot and peach, all of the same genus, prunus. We all know the roses suffer from beetle damage. The foliage and the flowers seem

to be devoured equally, making it especially dreadful. The Knockout rose seems to defy that standard. American linden (Tilia americana) is susceptible to heavy infestations as well as Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), pin oak (Quercus palustris) and many species of apple (Malus sp.). When considering plants for your landscape, you may want to avoid these if you are a beetle basher. The good news? There are as many plants resistant to beetle feeding as there are plants susceptible to it. For example, burning bushes (Euonymous alatus) rarely succumb to beetle damage. Dogwood (Cornus sp.), redbud (Cercis canadensis) and red maple (Acer rubrum) are tough cookies too. Several evergreens such as holly (Ilex sp.), boxwood (Buxus sp.), yew (Taxus sp.) and juniper (Juniperus sp.) are usually safe from the gluttons. I could write a whole piece on battle tactics should you be ambushed. More on that later, but for now, enjoy your days free of the iridescent intruders…as they are definitely numbered. Holly Funk is an Indiana accredited horticulturist and advanced master gardener residing in Noblesville. Email your gardening woes (or wisdom) to hollyfunk75@yahoo. com.

the gutters, pick up the spent perennials and grasses you just cut back, prune shrub roses back to green stem growth, and then finish cleaning the beds of debris and leaves. To reduce maintenance, carefully spread a granular preemergent weed control and all-purpose fertilizer in the beds. Azaleas, roses, hydrangeas and rhododendrons appreciate plant-specific love, but it’s not critical. Phase two is tuff stuff if you have bloated bed lines. Nothing says perfection like a skillfully dug bed edge – think 4-6” deep at a 45-degree angle with smooth edges. Clumpy/jagged is tacky. Now for the icing on the cake, mulch. A total of 3-4” is plenty, including previous years accumulation. Much more invites problems, pests and some other “P” word that escapes me now. Don’t you love the smell of good mulch, especially if someone else has installed it? Spring into life! Spring into family and the out of doors, where healing begins and the magic of life really does come true. Randy Sorrell is president of SURROUNDINGS by NatureWorks+, a Carmel home improvement firm. He may be reached at 317-679-2565, randy@choosesurroundings.com or www.choosesurroundings.com.

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