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Hi I'm Daphne Richards and this is Oggie
our question this week comes from Drew who has a suffering cedar elm
the tree was native to the lot when his house was built a few years ago
and was one of the reasons that he chose to buy the house but after the drought
set in the tree seemed to struggle
putting on fewer leaves each year Drew wants to know if the tree is a hazard and
should be cut down
well aside from its increased decline the tree actually looks quite stable
and since there are no structures nearby in the limbs are so small
if one breaks it's not likely to hurt anyone or cause any damage
the wounds on the side of the tree occurred a very long time ago
and the tree has healed as best it can you'll notice some holes
likely caused by Bowers int the heartwood but these are also old wounds
trees growing in nature normally grow much more closely to their neighbors
than they do in a landscape
where we plant them all alone so in nature trees tend to be thinner
and taller than they do when we plant them in wide open areas with lots of space
and no nearby competition for sunlight
when trees are cut down to build homes but a few are left to enhance the
appeal at the lot
the trees left behind may struggle with the removal of their neighbors
and if the root zone is not protected, heavy equipment can compact the soil and
cause the tree to decline with Drew's tree there
is another complicating factor- mistletoe- which is a parricidic plant that will
eventually kill the tree
the infestation of mistletoe here is quite thick
so i'm sorry to tell you Drew, your cedar elm is not long for this world
but the good news is it's pretty small so it shouldn't be too hard to cut down
small conciliation I know. Our plant this week is
is Rock rose, Pavonia lasiopetala this tough little native beauty
usually gets about two feet tall but can get much taller and it spreads nicely
filling out to around three feet wide. Pavonia's covered with pink blooms
all summer long
even through the brutal hundred-degree stretches that we see so often these
days
the flowers are very simple with five large petals and a distinct central
column
formed by the fuse pistol and yellow stamens the rock rose flower might
remind you of the larger flowers of the hibiscus
and for good reason they're both in the same plant family
the malvaceae better known as the mallow family
rock rose is native to rocky disturbed soils hence
it's name so be sure that it gets plenty of drainage in your garden
it's a prolific re-seeder, a strategy that ensures it's continued existence through
tough times
but if planted in flower beds that you prefer to remain nice and tidy
you'll be spending a fair amount of time pulling rock rose seedlings
so you may want to put this plant in a more natural free-form area of the garden
Pavonia thrives in sun but can be perfectly happy in part shade
and maybe with just a little bit of supplemental irrigation, maybe once a week or so
during the driest times he keeps right on growing through our awful heat
it does tend to wilt during the day but that doesn't mean that it needs water
you'll notice that is right back to its cheery self the next morning
without any irrigation at all. Rock rose is also prone to powdery mildew but just
ignore it
the plant certainly does you remember last spring
Hella Wagner sent pictures of her century plant that bloomed then
sadly died
she replaced it with a stop leaf yucca that already had gorgeous flower
in June
and like all Yucca's, this plant will be around to bloom again next year
and for many years to come I know that it doesn't feel like it but summer
the end of summer is right around the corner so it's time for garden
maintenance
we'd love to hear from you so please visit us at KLRU.org/ctg with
your questions
and plants of the week from your garden