Answer:  You have annual blue grass (Poa annua). There is not much you can do to kill it now, but it is an annual and when the weather turns hot and dry it will die. It is most problematic in compacted soils where the grass is cut short. In the autumn, the seeds that are now dropping to the soil will germinate in the fall and grow all winter and early spring. Annual Blue Grass turns light chartreuse in color as it sets seeds, just before it dies. The best control is to apply Dimension Crab Grass Preventer in late August; this will kill the seeds as they germinate. A word of caution; you cannot apply Dimension in late summer and overseed your lawn in the autumn of the same year.

Question:  One of my rose vines has black spots on the leaves and some of these leaves are turning yellow. Am I correct in assuming it is the rose disease known as Black Spot? If so, what can I do about this? Thank you.

Answer:  You are correct your roses have Black Spot. This year Black Spot is occurring much earlier then usual. Your best bet is to alternate two different rose sprays on 7-10 day intervals. I have had good luck with Orthonex alternated with Immunox.

Question:  In planting, most articles say "in well drained soil". What makes well drained soil? What would you mix with the dirt to make it well drained? I love your questions and answers part of your newsletter. I find it quite informative. Thank you.

Answer:  When a soil is well-drained, water will not remain in the soil but instead will percolate through it. Poorly drained soils are usually clay soils. You can loosen poorly drained soil by mixing in compost, perlite and coarse sand, but this is only a partial solution because the surrounding soil remains poorly drained and you can rarely amend the soil to a depth where the water will drain through. This is one of the reasons that I like natural products like SuperBio Soil Life which have beneficial microorganisms that bind several tiny soil particles into one larger one. SuperBio works to a greater depth than you can till, thereby increasing porosity as the water can drain through the larger spaces between the combined soil particles. Finally natural fertilizers like Cottonseed Meal, Plant-Tone, FertileGRO and Kelp Meal encourage earth worms which greatly improve drainage as they move through the soil creating tiny water draining tunnels.

Carefree Beauty Roses on Kent Island, Maryland

Question:  Dear Alan-- just wanted to share the roses with you. You may have seen them on your way by, but just in case you didn’t. Everyone comments on how beautiful they are.

Answer:  I am glad you are enjoying your Carefree Beauty Roses. They certainly are an improvement over that difficult-to-mow slope by your street — and so much more handsome than a typical low growing ground cover. It really is satisfying for me to see low-maintenance roses beautifying our country side. Thank you for sending the pictures. I really appreciate seeing how our garden designs mature. Hopefully you can find a spot for a Knock Out Rose. It is truly a stellar performer and I believe you will get as much satisfaction from Knock Out as you are getting from Carefree Beauty.

Incidentally, I am looking for just the right site with acid soil where Carefree Beauty Roses can be combined with the Hydrangea 'Endless Summer'. I think the blue hydrangea will make a fabulous combination with the pink Carefree Beauty Rose. I have also started to use the Red Knock Out with the ‘Endless Summer’ Hydrangea for a red and blue combination. I am waiting for the right location to include either some white phlox David, a white butterfly bush or a white crape myrtle for an all American red, white and blue garden.