Garden Serenity

Cook's Landscape Rejuvenation Consulting & Designs

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Questions on this page
When is the best time to move hollyhocks?
Any suggestions to make a Black Walnut tree bear fruit?
We have little green worms devouring the leaves on our silver maple trees?
My Japanese Maple was hit by frost. Will it survive?
Will these black walnut trees kill the Colorado blue spruce trees?
Is there any value in the Walnut trees I have?
I found this little tree growing. Can you identify it?
How long will black walnut trees live in a 10 gallon pot?
Can a calla lily be divided like other lilies?
Potted calla lily (white blossoms) for Mother's Day?
How do I treat a white-powder fungus that is on some of my bushes?

QUESTION. When is the best time to move hollyhocks?

ANSWER.

Hollyhocks should be moved, (transplanted) as soon as the soil can be worked, in early spring. If that is not possible, and they must be moved later, a transplanter solution should be used when transplanting them.

QUESTION. Any suggestions to make a Black Walnut tree bear fruit? It bears no flowers or fruit. - U.K.

ANSWER.

Several possibilities why there is no fruit or flowers.
Flowers on Black Walnut trees are very inconspicuous and appear just as leaf buds are beginning to open. If the tree is being pruned in spring,the flower buds are being pruned off, leaving the tree with no means of reproducing. Even pruning in late winter would remove all developing flower buds.
Another possibility is that the tree is not yet mature. A tree begins to produce when approx. 20 yrs. of age.
Black Walnut also grows best in a soil that is slightly alkaline or neutral. Check the type of soil it is growing in.

QUESTION. We have little green worms devouring the leaves on our silver maple trees? What are they and how do we get rid of them? - Don, Kansas / April 27, 2004

ANSWER.

It is difficult to identify the type of worm which may be infesting your trees, without seeing them. I would suggest that you take an infested branch to the nearest nursery or contact a qualified arborist and ask for possible solutions to your problem. These could be loopers, but it may also be another type of worm. You may want to consider spraying your trees with dormant oil spray (a safe product on the shelf) before leaf break, in the future. This may be an ounce of prevention. It may be that an arborist in your area would be licensed to spray for these worms, at this time of year. Because both the US and Canada are in the transition period between change in use of pesticide products and until the transition is complete and clear, it is difficult for the average homeowner (unlicensed applicator) to know what is safe to use.

QUESTION. My Japanese Maple was hit by frost. The leaves look bad. Will it survive? and what should I do to help it? Will the damaged leaves fall off and new ones grow? - Bsbbins,PA / April 30, 2004

ANSWER.

Your tree will survive although it will not be the most beautiful specimen for awhile. Yes, the leaves will fall, and new ones emerge OR it may be that the leaves will cling until new ones begin to emerge and push the damaged leaves off. If the tree is not too large to move, you might want to consider moving it to a location where there is more protection - such as near the house. However, if it is a red leaved specimen it does best in a location with some shade for part of the day..

QUESTION. I have two black walnut trees that are growing five feet away from four Colorado blue spruce trees? Will these black walnut trees kill the Colorado blue spruce trees? They have been growing there now for about five years next to each other.

ANSWER.

From personal experience and all indications we have, the Blue Spruce and Walnut trees will not be good companions. According to the distance you indicate the Blue Spruce are from the Walnuts, the roots will soon encroach on and might mingle with each other. The toxicity from the Black Walnuts will probably eventually be the demise of the Spruce. Our suggestion would be that if the Spruce are not yet too large, they should be moved. Taking into consideration the eventual fully mature size the tree will acquire (which is approx. 128' spread) and the fact that the roots will spread about one foot beyond the drip line of those branches, you can estimate that there should be a considerably greater distance than five feet between the Walnut and other plantings that are intolerant of the Juglone toxicity. Another consideration is that husks and leaves, if not cleared from underneath and around the trees will also add toxicity into the soil. These plant materials should not be added into the compost.

QUESTION. Is there any value in the Walnut trees I have? Will the Walnut trees hurt Maple trees, because there is Hard maple trees near the Walnut trees? I know they will kill red pine because we have a Walnut tree in our back yard with a 12' red pine near the Walnut tree and the red pine just went brown last year. Now I'm worried about the hard Maples.

ANSWER.

In response to your question as to Walnut Trees harming Hard Maples. The terms used to describe various species differs from area to area, so before I can answer that I need to know if your reference to Hard Maple is the Sugar Maple. According to the information I have, Sugar Maples are the only Maples that will tolerate a Black Walnut neighbour. From personal experience, the Silver Maples growing on the edge of our Black Walnut stand are dying one by one and info we have is that Silver Maples and other soft Maples cannot tolerate the toxicity.
As to the value of Black Walnut - these trees are grown for their value in lumber. A logging company looks for a large tree with a straight trunk and if the girth of the tree is under a particular size they will not use it. Lumber from these trees is used mainly for veneer, but also for furniture, cabinets, interior finishing and boats.

Question: I found this little tree growing in my daughters garden and it was growing from what looked like a black walnut seed. It is now about two feet tall. I don't know what it is, but it sure doesn't look like a black walnut tree. Can you identify it? Bloomer, WI, USA / Sept. 10. 2004 Here are a few pictures of the tree and a nut my daughter and I found in her garden this weekend. The nut is like the one I dug up with the little tree growing inside. Sure hope this will help you. I should know what this nut and tree is, but I am stumped.... Bloomer, WI, USA / Sept. 14. 2004

Answer:

Butternuts are related to Walnuts but do not contain the toxic juglone which the Black Walnut contains. So it's presence will not affect other plants growing nearby. Butternuts usually prefer to grow along with other deciduous trees, and are rarely found growing in pure stands of Butternuts only. Butternuts are quite hardy and will grow in almost any soil.

Question: How long will black walnut trees live in a 10 gallon pot in it's natural soil and will it harm any plants setting next to them? - Rhonda, Texas / June 11, 2004

Answer:

In your question regarding life span of Black Walnut Trees in ten gallon pots, you did not state if these pots are the concrete style used on patios or whether they are clay pots or the large plastic in which nursery stock is purchased at the garden center. If the trees are being kept temporarily in plastic or clay pots, they will survive a season or two. You will then find that the roots are protruding from the bottom of the pot at which time if they are not planted, will not likely survive to the next season. If they are in concrete pots with the intention of keeping them in a particular location as decor, root pruning will become necessary in order to keep the tree's size in proportion to the container. The branches should also be pruned by 1/3 before the foliage appears in spring. The tree would probably take on the appearance of an oversized Bonsai. These trees, while in pots, will require a lot of water and a feeding with a 15-25-15 formula of fertilizer spring and again late summer.

The second part of your question - no, Black Walnut Trees in pots will not harm plants next to them, with one exception. The foliage of the Black Walnut should not be allowed to remain on the soil of plants in the vicinity of the Black Walnut. As the foliage decomposes, it also releases a toxin.

Since walnut trees are not normally grown in pots and in it's natural habitat becomes an enormous tree, I do not think it will have a very long life span in a pot. However, if you try it, I wish you success.

Question: I have a calla lily in my garden that is enormous. Can they be divided like other lilies? - Pittsburg / June 15, 2004

Answer:

Unfortunately, calla lilies cannot be divided like other plants. The lily has a corm and some smaller ones do develop around the main corm but usually takes an entire season for this to occur. While you are seeing multiple stems, it should be left as is for the season. When taking the corm(s) in for the winter, treat like gladiola corms. The smaller ones around the mature corm can be gently removed but if you break them off be sure to dust that area with garden sulfur to ensure that no rot occurs in the exposed area, over the storage period.

Question: I received a potted calla lily (white blossoms) for Mother's Day. When the weather warmed up I put it outdoors (still in the pot) and it seemed happy for a week or so. But then the flowers closed up. Wondering if that's due to an insect, or perhaps it needs more sun. (It gets morning sun). After the leaves dry up, can I put it into my basement over the winter in the pot? Wonder if it will bloom again next Spring. - Long Island, NY / June 3, 2004

Answer:

What a beautiful Mother's Day gift! Yes, you should be able to have it bloom again. The location in which you currently have the plant should be fine provided it does not receive full sun between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in which time the location would be too hot for the plant. I am wondering though if perhaps night time temperatures at some time, may have dropped significantly. Because this plant was grown in a climate controlled greenhouse, it may do well outdoors in the daytime but night time temperatures this early in the season may be too low for a plant that has not been acclimatized. I suggest that until night time temps. do not drop below 60F it may be best to bring the plant indoors at night.

Continue to water the plant well for another month then gradually reduce the watering. When the foliage has dried, remove the bulb from the pot. Place the bulb in moist (not wet) peat moss in a fine mesh bag or paper bag and place it in the crisper of your refrigerator. In November, repot in fresh potting soil that drains well. Grow the lily in your brightest window and feed monthly.

QUESTION. How do I treat a white-powder fungus that is on some of my bushes? - Sunday, May 15, 2005 - Dallas, Texas

Answer:

In answer to your question, there are two things to be done. First, - the reason this fungus disease has been attracted to your shrubs likely is the result of poor air circulation through the shrub. It will be necessary to remove some of the branches in order to open up the shrub. Remove any branches that cross over each other. This is crucial each year. You didn't identify the shrubs that are affected. If these are shrubs which bloom in early spring and have finished their bloom, then it is the correct time to do a fairly heavy pruning. If these are shrubs which will be coming into bloom, it will be necessary to sacrifice some bloom in order to control the fungus disease.

Second, once you have opened the shrub to improve air circulation through it, the shrub should be sprayed with a fungicide such as Garden Sulfur or Dinocap, or Captan. You will need to repeat this spraying at 10 day intervals. Avoid late afternoon sprinkling. Foliage should go into the evening and night time as dry as possible.

The crucial treatment is to open the shrub and allow circulation of air throughout the shrub.

QUESTION. Why is my black walnut tree losing it's leaves like it was fall? -Monday, June 27, 2005 - Linnea, New York.

Answer:

There could be several causes. My first inclination would be that you are experiencing drought conditions in your area. If this is the cause, the tree should re-leaf when substantial rains occur within the next few weeks. If drought is not occurring in your area, check the leaves. If they display a central brown spot which then radiates outward, this is an airborne virus which attacks walnut and butternut trees. The tree should be sprayed with a fungicide called Bordeaux. Follow the directions given, explicitly.

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