Question: I have an area that stays damp to wet all year. It is also in the shade. Are there any plants that will grow in that area? Will any plant help soak up some of the water?

Question: We regrettably had to cut down a 15 foot high holly tree this past weekend. We have taken cuttings from the top of the tree and placed in buckets of water to try and root them to replant. Will this work, or do you have any other suggestions?

Answer: Hollies are moderately difficult to root and they won't root at all in water. Make cuttings from the branch tips. Choose cuttings that are stiff - not real soft growth, but not last year's hard growth either. Make the cuttings about six inches long. Strip the leaves from the bottom two inches. Moisten the bottom two inches and stick the cutting into rooting hormone. Fill a large shallow pot with light peat moss-based professional growing mix. Press the mix down firmly. Make some holes in the mix with a pencil. Insert the cuttings about 3 inches apart and press the soil around the stems. Water well. Cover the pot with a clear plastic bag into which you have punched some holes with a pencil. Use a stake to keep the plastic bag from collapsing onto the cuttings. Tie the bottom of the plastic bag around the pot. Place the pot in a shady (but bright) place, where the sun never shines. Move it indoors at the end of November into a North or East-facing window. Keep the soil lightly moist. (Because of the plastic bag, it will not require much water). If any of the hollies root, once they are well-rooted plant them outside in May. Incidentally, cut-off hollies often re-sprout from the basal stumps.

Question: Some of the leaves on my heritage birch are turning yellow and dropping off. Is this anything to be concerned about?

Answer: In a cool, moist spring it is not unusual for birches to make more leaves than the tree can sustain during the hot dry summer. Mother Nature helps the tree protect itself from drought stress by dropping some leaves. The leaves turn yellow before they drop off. The whole process is a natural occurrence and is nothing to worry about. Additional watering and expanding the mulch bed around the tree is the best way to minimize leaf drop.

Question: Our crape myrtles have just about finished blooming and they formed seed pods. Should I remove them? If I do will I get more blooms this year?

Answer: If you remove the seed pods, you will not get a second bloom this far north. However if you remove them now, you will encourage new growth in the late fall which can be damaged in a tough winter. In the north, crape myrtles have a great deal of difficulty achieving proper dormancy, especially in a warm autumn. Setting seed pods is part of the normal going-into-dormancy process. For maximum survival, I encourage you to leave the seed pods in place until the end of November. To improve appearance, they can be removed at that time without impacting dormancy.