Neil Sperry's Mailbag

DEAR NEIL: Three years ago my hy-drangea plant was covered with flowers, but the past two years, few or none. What can I do this year to get blooms?

That's a common problem with hy-drangeas, especially if their growing conditions aren't perfect. They can be fairly high-maintenance plants. They need acidic soils, early morning sun (and protection from hot afternoon sun), and constantly moist soil. They must be pruned only after their blooming season. Pruning during the dormant winter season will result in strong vegetative spring growth and no blooms. Do the best you can to equal all of that and you should see more flowers.

DEAR NEIL: Enclosed are samples of a shrub that has been beautiful in our landscape for 19 years. I don't know its name, but what is wrong with it?

You have sent samples of elaeagnus. It's a really durable shrub that holds up well to a variety of Texas soils and climates. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with the two leaves you sent. If you're concerned about all the small, rust-colored spots on the leaves, those are the plant's natural coloring. Some people confuse them with spider mites, but they're essentially the same as freckles to humans.

DEAR NEIL: I have a swarm of bees in the wall of my tractor shed. I'm afraid of starting the tractor. I know they're beneficial, and I don't want to kill them. What can I do?

Contact your local county Extension office (now identified as Texas Agrilife Extension. They can put you in contact with beekeepers in your area.

DEAR NEIL: The neighbors planted a vine near their pool. It came over the fence and through our wooden fence. How can we get rid of it on our side?

It sounds really invasive. The best way would be to cut a 15-inch-deep trench along the property line and install a root barrier material.

Nurseries and water garden suppliers have roll goods that could work well.

You can spot-treat the plant with a broadleafed weedkiller, but that won't help in the long run until you stop the source of the invasion.

DEAR NEIL: I have attached photos of my irises. They have not bloomed for the past couple of years. Why?

From your photos it is pretty evident that they're in heavy shade. Move some of them to a full-sun location and see if they don't do better.

DEAR NEIL: I bought two red oaks. Four years later, one is twice the size of the other. The smaller one is not growing, and its trunk is splitting. Any suggestions?

New red oaks must be protected against sunscald and borer invasion for their first year or two in their new homes. The only reliable way to do so is to wrap their trunks with special paper tree wrap from the nursery or hardware store. Without the wrapping, the results will be exactly as you described.

You may end up losing the one tree. It sounds like the other one will be fine.

DEAR NEIL: Why did my 1- and 2-year-old yaupon hollies start turning so yellow (interior leaves only) recently?

Those were last year's leaves. Any evergreen plant, hollies included, has to shed its old growth at some point. Most do so as the new growth emerges in the spring. Your plants will be fine.

DEAR NEIL: What is this tree (photo attached)? I thought it was an oak until I saw these large fruit.

I normally don't do plant identifications here since they are of interest only to the one person, but yours is a common question. Indeed, this is a Shumard red oak, and what you're seeing is insect galls. They're the result of the adult insect stinging the twigs and laying her eggs. Larva develop within the galls. They do no major damage, and there is no control for them.

DEAR NEIL: What type of shrubs would make a good sound barrier and grow to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, full to their bottoms?

Dwarf burford hollies would eventually get there, and they would be great choices. Willowleaf hollies would grow to that size more quickly, although you might have to trim them a couple of times each season to keep them that short and that narrow. They normally grow to 7 or 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide.

DEAR NEIL: We have a large infestation of pillbugs this year. I have used Sevin dust, but it doesn't seem to control them. What works best?

Pillbugs normally don't do a lot of harm to our landscapes and gardens except for new seedlings and transplants. I've always had excellent luck with Sevin dust. I apply it to the soil surface alongside and around the plants. Actually, I'm doing so for snails and slugs, but it has also worked on pillbugs. I don't know that I have ever had to treat specifically for the pillbugs themselves.

Neil Sperry
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