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Question: Dear Anne: I live in Michigan, and planted some Zinnas a bit late (June 25) and they were doing quite well. Just lately I have noticed that something is eating them. Do you have any idea what I can put on them to save them. Thank you. Jeannie

Anne Clapp: It could be rabbits or insects. A short fence gives some protection from rabbits. Insects don't eat that much but if you can find out what is doing the damage you can select a pesticide that will take care of the problem. With no more information than I have I really can't diagnose the problem.

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Question: Hello Anne, I have a Rhododendron that is about 5 foot tall. The top three feet seems to be dieing, all the leaves are rolled and hanging down. It is three feet from other plants and the only Rhody I have planted. Could this be due to the dought in the Raleigh area? But then why is the bottom two feet doing OK? Could it be any kind of underground pest causing this symptom? Thanks, Bill S.

Anne Clapp: The symptoms indicate water is not getting to the top of the plant. It can be from lack of water in the soil, a vole or chipmunk eating on the roots or a break in the stem caused by insects or animals. Check the trunk below the area where the wilting occurs to see if there is a problem then check for soft spots in the ground where voles etc. could be burrowing and make sure the plant is well mulched and getting enough water.

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Question: Dear Anne, I enjoy my hanging baskets in which are planted ice plants. As the summer continues, however, they seem to be getting rather "lanky" although still having their blooms. The long pale white stems do not have much of the deep green foliage and look unsightly compared to what they looked like when originally planted. My question is this: "Should I cut them back now to ensure new growth next season and if so how do I protect them during the winter months?" Thank you in advance for your assistance!! Smiles, Jean A.

Anne Clapp: About the only way to keep Ice Plants looking healthy in a hanging basket is to keep them pinched back during the season. When planted in the ground they run along the bed and root in along the stems; they can't do that in a basket although some people have a bit of luck adding more potting soil to the basket and forcing new roots to form.

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Question: Thank you for your time and we enjoy your presentations so much! Ms. Clapp, could your recommend someone that could trim my almost 60 year old crape myrtles. Progress Energy does such a "horrible job" and this year I would not allow them in my yard to do their "crape murder" as Almanac Gardener says. I think most of the people that work with Asplundh are some of my ex-students that dropped out of school and they too agressive with their "tree trimming" tactics. Dudley Matthews with Carolina Tree Company has taken care of my tree removal for years but he doesn't do this type of limbing. I would respect your opinion. - Sandie R.

Anne Clapp: Bartlett Tree has done a good job of caring for some Crepe Myrtles I have seen. Hunter Tree and Landscape has pruned mine in the past and I liked the job they did.

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Question: Hello Anne, I had 4 12" tall azaleas planted in a shady area of the backyard. These were transplanted last year and were doing fine, lots of green leaves. On July 3 we left town for two weeks and when we came back all 4 has gone completely brown. Could the heat and lack of rain killed them that quickly? Any ideas you have will be appreciated. Thanks, Bill

Anne Clapp: Yes. Azaleas planted less than a year need to be watered weekly if we do not have adequate rain. With the heat and drought in early July your azaleas suffered because they were not large enough to survive more that 3 days without water.

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Question: Dear Anne: Forgive me if you've already answered this question, but I can't seem to find it on your website. I've scrolled through it several times. Since the recent freeze, the new growth on a lot of our shrubery (ligustrum, sweet tea olive, wax myrtle and crepe myrtles, as well as our azaleas and hydrangea) suffered cold damage. I know we should prune the azaleas since they've already bloomed, but what about the others? Thank you. Jane from Raleigh

Anne Clapp: If only the leaves have been damaged the plant will take care of the problem on its own. New leaves will push the old ones off or winds and rain will take care of the job. If the stems of the plants have been damaged the dead wood needs to be pruned off as insect and disease problems will cause problems in those areas. The plants will need to be watered on a weekly basis in warm weather if we do not have rain this spring.

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Question: What do you suggest for the freeze damage done to the new leafing/flowering plants, trees shrubs (hydrangea, crepe myrtle, azaleas, etc.). The new sprouts of leaves on the crepe myrtles are completely black, and the hyrdrangea shows sign of leaf wilt.

Anne Clapp: When the damage is only frozen leaves you can expect new leaves to push the brown ones out or winds and rain to remove them. If plant stems have been frozen we will have to do light pruning to remove dead wood. Some crapemyrtles have major stem damage because they had put on so much new growth. The dead wood provides a place for insect and disease problems to start. Some hydrangeas have been killed to the ground while others have had foliage and blooms frozen. In all cases it is a matter of waiting to see what happens. If we have a dry spring the plants will need water to produce new foliage.

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Question: Our crepemyrtles which were planted one year ago started to bloom until the freeze hit. Now all of the blooms are dead. Will they come back? Thank you. Caron H.

Anne Clapp: They probably will come back. In some areas of the southeast the plants have been killed – the bark on the main trunks has been split. If the limbs are split the plant needs to be pruned below the damage; new growth should appear in a few weeks and the plant may bloom this year. If the wood of the tree is still healthy Mother Nature will get rid of the frozen blooms and leaves. The plant will leaf out again and the plant will probably bloom later in the summer.

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Question: Hi Anne, I live in South Carolina and I see from time to time a large bush that has big waxy looking leaves and produces huge dark red flowers that look similar to roses. Do you have any idea what this bush might be. I would love to buy one for myself because they are so beautiful. Thanks, Beth

Anne Clapp: The large bushes with red, pink or white blooms and waxy looking leaves is a camellia japonica. It is a favorite plant in southern gardens because it blooms in the winter and early spring. There is a beautiful Camellia Garden called Magnolia Plantation near Charleston. There are plants there that are over 200 years old. The plant is also popular because it loves to be under the shade of tall pines and oak trees.

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Question: I have a large number of trees that suffered frostbite April 1st. Will they die or will they sprout new growth? Some of the trees are 40 feet tall, and have frostbitten leaves all the way to the top.

Anne Clapp: In almost all cases the plants will produce new leaves. Oaks, beech, red maples and the like often get an early crop of leaves damaged by frost. There are a few more tropical trees that had leafed out that may have suffered more serious damage. In most cases you will notice the bark on the limbs of the branches of permanently damaged trees is split. Those few plants will have to be pruned back to undamaged wood.

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Question: Anne, I live in the Raleigh area and two years ago had extension landscaping done around my house. Within the past few weeks - my shrubs are being defoliated by an insect I cannot identify. They've stripped 3 of 5 variegated privets, now they're working on nandinas and when I shake the Nelly Stevens and needle point holly they're in there also. They look like a mosquito on steroids - a little over an inch long, semi-transparent wings(2), very narrow, stick-like body with a slight bulb at the "tail". Can you tell me what these are? - there seem to be hundreds of them --- what would cause this attack? and how best to be rid of the "buggers". Best regards, Cathy G.

Anne Clapp: There is an Ichneuman wasp that looks somewhat like the insect you describe. It is a beneficial insect that feeds on the larva of other insects and bagworms. Most of the destruction of foliage on plants is caused by larva of insects that eat the foliage or by beetles that work during the dark of night. One method of controlling insects is to spray with a horticultural oil such as SunSpray or Volck to smother insect eggs and those insects coved with a protective scale. Oil sprays are considered an "organic" or safe control by many gardeners. Another method would be to use an insecticide that is labeled as a "systemic" that enters the leaf of the plant and kills the insect that eats the leaf. The insecticide market by Bayer is a systemic.

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Question: I understand that Leyland Cypress can grow 40 ft. tall. I planted 18 of them 6 years ago on three sides of my home for noise abatement and some privacy. Several 40 foot trees between my home and my neighbors may be a bit too much for good neighbor relations. This is of real importance since the shallow root system of a Leyland Cypress makes it prone to being blown down by high wind especially when soil is moist. The question: Can Leyland Cypress be topped to prevent them from getting too tall? Will topping cause them harm. Don G.

Anne Clapp: Actually they grow to about 60 feet in England. They may be trimmed into a hedge form but once you top them you do have to prune and cut back on a regular basis. I always recommend that people plant a combination of plant materials as screening and privacy plants. That way a disease or insect infestation will not wipe out all your plants at one time.

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Question: Hi. I have a 5 foot crepe myrtle that my husband transplanted from our old home to our new one. He's afraid that the neighbor that was trying to help might have severed a major root. The tree did great for a day. We fertilized and put fresh soil down. The next day we found the tree toppled over because of high winds and the tree was looking distressed. We staked the tree. Now three days after the transplant, all of the blooms and leaves are dead. I think the entire tree is gone, but my husband insists that it will be fine. He says to give it a year, but I think that is too long to leave a dead tree in the ground in our new neighborhood. Any hints to look for to verify that the tree is dead or alive? Many thanks, Heather in Manassas, Virginia

Anne Clapp: The tree needed lots of water when it was transplanted and no fertilizer. I am not sure that a Crepe Myrtle will bloom as far north and in from the coast as Manassas. The best thing to do is keep the plant watered. Crepe Myrtles are not delicate plants so it may leaf out again next spring – but it will be late spring before you see signs of leaves.

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Question: About 8 years ago, my wife had purchased an outdoor hanging plant. This plant produced little fuzzy caterpiller shaped flowers in beautiful blue and red colors. I am looking for the name of this plant. Can you help me? I have not been able to find it since it was originally bought. So easy to take care of and kept producing more and more of the little 2 inch caterpillers. All I had to do was water. Please tell me what they are called? I call it a caterpiller plant.

Anne Clapp: The common name for it is Chenille Plant. The botanical name is Acalypha hispida.It is a member of the euphorbia family and is sometimes listed as Red-hot Cat's Tail.

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Question: Hi: I have several inkberry bushes in front of my house. The leaves are just on top with bare wood stems on the bottom.....the green leaves desperately need pruning. If I cut the leaves down to the bare stems, will the green leaves grow again? Thanks very much.

Anne Clapp: At this time of year they will not put out new growth if pruned. They may try and it will get killed by the first fall frost. You can prune back inkberry hollies into dead wood just above a growth node in early March with a reasonable expectation they will put on new growth.