The Washington Post - 20.02.2020

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Gardening columnist Adrian
Higgins answered questions
r ecently in an online chat. Here
is an edited excerpt.

Q: I want nothing more than to
have my backyard be a sanctuary
for birds and critters. How,
though, do you keep them from
chewing through your siding and
moving into your attic? Right
now there is someone who has
taken up residence, and on
holidays and weekends, he seems
to invite the relatives in to party.
Help?
A: Animals want to be in your
home, and who could blame
them? Shelter from the elements
and all that. The best practical
steps are to physically exclude
them with caulking, wire netting
and repairs to any holes, paying
attention to areas under decks.
My general advice is for people to
adopt a more relaxed attitude
about this problem. I’m not
discounting the harmful effects
of some wildlife, but we can’t,
and shouldn’t, get rid of them all
or think that we can. Certain
animals require a stronger
response, namely rats.

Q: My backyard is full of trees,
mostly shaded. Two large trees
shade much of the front yard,
though part gets afternoon sun,
and one side yard gets afternoon
sun. Can I create pollinator
gardens in these conditions and
still maintain curb appeal?
A: Wooded lots, front or back,
present fabulous opportunities
for beautiful shade gardens,
which rely on layering of plants
and replacing acres of mulch
with ground covers. Flowering
does drop off in shade, but there
are still many jewels that bloom
in such a setting, including
phlox, wood asters, foam flowers
and even hostas.

Q: What are some good shrubs
for a shady, somewhat dry area?
For context, I want to transform
my backyard into a natural-
looking bird-, butterfly- and bee-
friendly area.
A: Many shrubs will take dry
shade, though they need to be
watered in periods of drought for
a couple of years to get their
roots established. I can think of
yews, plum yews, hemlocks, box,
sweetbox, callicarpa, Cornus mas
and Cornus officinalis,
viburnums and even hawthorns.

Q: How can people treat their
yards as wildlife sanctuaries
unless the big-box stores stock
the necessary plants for the
average person? My yard is filled
with native plants that I have

ordered, but most people can’t or

won’t do that. How can we

change the big-box mentality?

A: Mass retailers and, to a lesser

degree, independent garden

centers will only alter what they

offer if they are confident there’s

a demand for it. For more

unusual native plants, you have

to do some more work to find

sources, but they are out there on

the Internet. Check with local

public botanical gardens and

native plant societies; they host

plant sales, especially in the

spring, where you can find plants

and also leads for other sources.

Q: I live in Washington and

signed up for a plot in a

community garden in New

Hampshire, where I will be living

part-time. I have a lot of cut

bamboo that I have been using as

horizontal supports for pole

beans in my D.C. vegetable

garden. Is there any problem

with moving this to another

state, along the lines of not

taking firewood from home to a

camping site?

A: Dead, cut bamboo in itself is

not a problem, but the bamboo

might be harboring some awful

pest that you might then

introduce, so I wouldn’t. I’m not

sure bamboo is hardy in New

Hampshire, but if not, there will

be other material for trellising.

Q: We would like to make our

backyard garden into a natural

habitat for local plants and

animals. The neighbors and

homeowners’ association are

resistant to the idea. They seem

to prefer stereotypical lawns and

gardens (heaven forbid a

weedlike plant be allowed to

grow freely). What talking points

could we use to sway our critics?

A: Some of the homeowners’

association’s apprehension is

warranted because a lot of

“meadows” or “prairies” are done

inadequately. A convincing

wildflower garden does not

mean neglected areas; they

require care and skill to create

and, most of all, to maintain. I

would start with a smallish area,

define the boundaries neatly and

put in native plants that are

obviously appealing, such as

echinaceas, baptisias,

rudbeckias, asters and liatris.

Q: Any suggestions for a deer-

resistant ground cover (or small

bushes or easy perennials) for

shade?

A: Leucothoe comes to mind.

Karen Chapman has a book

called “Deer-Resistant Design.”

Q: I’m trying to beat back the

invasive plants in my yard

(porcelain berry and some

others), but what about the more

chilled-out nonnatives? Should I

chop down the saucer magnolia?

What about the useless

ornamental roses? (I don’t really

like roses and don’t want to take

care of them, so please tell me it’s

okay to get rid of them.)

A: I don’t subscribe to the native-

plant-only perspective. It’s

important we not plant known

invasive plants. Saucer magnolia

is a lovely tree; I would never

chop that down. Roses can get

old and sick, and there are better

varieties to try. I have no

compunction ripping out a rose

that no longer works for me.

Q: I have a beautiful six-year-old

daphne shrub that flowers each

year and surrounds our home

with its wonderful fragrance. I

know it is very sensitive, so I

don’t prune it, touch it or disturb

it. It has well-drained soil and

lives in a corner with morning

sun and afternoon shade. I am

dismayed because about a third

of it has begun to turn yellow

and thin even though the

branches are flowering. What

has happened to my little

introverted daphne?

A: They typically just decide to

exit stage left. You could remove

the damaged branches to

prevent the spread of this. Be

patient. If it does croak, the

conventional wisdom is not to

plant another daphne in the

same soil.

Q: I tested the soil in my flower

garden, and it’s basically zero N,

P, K. No wonder my plants were

leggy and almost look like they

are trying to escape. What do you

suggest I should do to amend the

soil this spring? I was thinking

Leafgro and manure. Is this a

good idea, and at what ratio?

A: The old approach would be to

load up the soil with chemical

fertilizers, but, thankfully, we

now know that adding organic

matter to the soil will over time

create the soil biology that makes

plants healthier and better fed in

a relationship with beneficial

fungi and bacteria. So, yes, add

leaf mold and homemade

compost, recognizing that the

latter may introduce weed seeds

to the mix. You can generally tell

when you have added enough,

but mix it up with the native soil.

Once you have attracted

organisms to the soil, it will

break down quickly, so adding

material is a continual step.

Q: Why are native varieties

harder to find?

A: Because they were considered

not garden-worthy in

comparison with exotic plants

developed for garden use. When

East Asian azaleas came here a

century ago, people were

clamoring to plant them.

Ironically, there are beautiful but

less over-the-top native azaleas

that deserve greater use.

Q: I am interested in increasing

the trees in my yard, and thanks

to nearby oaks, many acorns fall

there. Should I just cultivate

some of the volunteers? A friend

who is knowledgeable about

plants suggested that I may not

be getting the best cultivars that

way.

A: If you have an acorn that has

germinated, you could dig it up

(carefully) and move it to where

a tree should go. There’s no

reason to think a cultivar or

clone would be any better than a

seedling. You don’t grow oaks for

their flower display, for example.

 also at washingtonpost.com

Read the rest of this transcript at

live.washingtonpost.com.

gardening Q&a

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