In the garden

Buttonbush
Buttonbush

— Q I have a lot behind my home that is being taken over by English ivy. It is taking over my fence and trees just beyond my backyard. Is there anything that will kill this stuff? I keep pulling it and cutting it off my fence - which is a never-ending battle. I tried glyphosate twice, once normal strength and once triple strength, to no effect. Is there anything that I can use that will kill it? I do not want it to kill the trees behind my home, and I am tired of the constant fight to keep it out of my yard. Any advice would be appreciated.

A This is why I warn people, make sure you want it before you plant it. English ivy has a very waxy coating on the leaves, which helps to repel herbicide. I would cut it back as severely as possible and then use a weed trimmer or lawn mower to damage the remaining leaves before you spray with an herbicide like Roundup.

Breaking up the outer waxy layer will allow the herbicide to penetrate. Late summer to early fall would be the best time to do this as it will store more of the chemical in the root system. I seriously doubt one application will kill it, but over time, you can get rid of it.

Q Is it possible to take cuttings from a hydrangea and start new in another location? I want to bring some memories of a loved one to my home.

A Hydrangeas root quite easily. Make sure there are no flowers on the cuttings you are trying to root, but take tip cuttings no more than 3 to 4 inches in length and put them in moist, sterile potting soil. I like to root cuttings inside a large plastic bag, so the humidity stays high, but if you do this, make sure they are not getting any direct sunlight.

If you know the person who has the original plant, another easy method is to layer a low branch of the plant in the soil. To layer a branch, press it down so the middle of it touches the ground, heap a little soil over the place where it touches and weight it with a rock. This method allows the new plant to root while it is still attached. Once roots have formed, you can cut the branch and replant.

Q I live in Bella Vista, and I have a question about my hydrangeas. They were absolutely huge and loaded with blue flowers this year - I use coffee grounds on all my acid-loving plants and they thrive. This year I had about 60 to 75 flowers and we got a big rain. All the flower heads were bowed over. Now I have a lot of bent branches. I know they set their flower buds on last year’s growth, so if I prune all the bent branches, I probably won’t have any flowers next year. I would have to cut about 2 feet off of each branch to get to straight limbs. Any suggestions on what to do?

A Actually, the time to prune hydrangeas is immediately after they bloom. Instead of just cutting 2 feet off, try thinning the plants and remove up to one-third of the limbs at the soil line. Cutting hydrangeas at the tops of the stems will encourage branching. Each branch on the stalk can produce the large flower heads, which can make them top-heavy and not able to support the blooms. Pruning now will allow the plant to recover, and you should still have flower buds set this fall for a bloom for next summer.

Hard, cold winters often take a toll in the northwest part of our state, but our lack of winter this year has given us quite the hydrangea show.

Q Can you tell me what this bush is called? We saw it near the lake at Heber Springs. Reminds me of gum balls.

A The plant in question is commonly called buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis is the Latin name. It is a wonderful wetland plant and does attract butterflies as well.

The white, ball-shaped flowers have tiny spikes sticking out all over, which makes them quite interesting.

Q These plants seem to be volunteers; they come up every year and the clusters of berries start out green and end up orangy red. The foliage, which withers pretty quickly, has some of the same feel as peace lilies.

We have no idea what it is; do you?

A The plant in question is an Italian arum - actually a shade perennial. Related to our native jack-in-the-pulpit, which can also produce these seed pods, the Italian arum is not native but has been around for a long time. The plants grow foliage in late fall to early winter, then the leaves die back with the onset of hot weather. If the plant bloomed with a spathe-like flower, the resulting seed stalk is left behind and the green berries turn a bright orange when ripe.

It is striking to see these clusters of seeds with absolutely no foliage. It has become a pass-along plant, since they do multiply.

Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or e-mail her at

[email protected]

HomeStyle, Pages 29 on 06/23/2012

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