In the garden

palm tree art by ron wolfe
palm tree art by ron wolfe

Q I had a palm tree planted in our backyard when we moved in two years ago. It is about 5 to 6 feet tall and is supposed to be safe to 10 degrees below zero. It is in full sun about six hours a day. There are about 4 inches of new soil in the garden, but underneath that, it's kind of rocky. After last winter, all of the fronds were brown, so I had to cut them all off and start over. Three or four new fronds came back, and after this past winter, the same thing happened and they all turned brown, too. However my friend across the street has three palms by her pool, and all of them are dark green and lush looking and are growing pods. They are all in pots. I know of three other palms that are also nice and green, and they are in the ground. Can you help me figure out what is going on?

A Winter-hardy palm trees is a relatively new concept for Arkansas, but there are many varieties that will take our winter undamaged. I suspect you have a different variety than your neighbors. Some varieties are hardier than others. I pass by a yard whose gardener covered two of their palms all winter with a wooden structure and plastic sheeting. They are uncovered now, and one has a few brown leaves while the other looks totally green. Palmetto palms and windmill palms are the two toughest species, but there are others that will survive with minimal protection.

Q We have wondered why the dogwood trees are putting on leaves and not blooming. Could it be because of the late ice and snow in Arkansas this year?

A Dogwood buds are pretty winter-hardy, so I don't think winter damaged them. Many dogwoods are blooming, but if yours are not, and normally do, investigate. Are they young? Young trees can grow for several years before they slow down and bloom. They are understory trees, but dogwoods do need some sunlight while they're setting buds to make flowers. Dogwoods set their buds at the end of the summer into early fall. If the shade is becoming more intense each season, this can reduce the number of blooms. Full morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal, but filtered light throughout the day should work.

Q I have two persimmon trees in my backyard, and I have heard that it takes two trees for them to make persimmons. Is this true? I would like to cut down one of the trees if this is true, because they make such a mess when the persimmons fall off in the fall.

A There are male and female persimmon trees. If both of your trees have fruit, then they are both female. They can cross-pollinate with a male tree that's somewhere in your neighborhood. If you can't remember if both trees bear fruit, you will need to wait and see what happens this fall. If you have a male and a female, and there are no other persimmons around, you won't get much production if you take out the male. But if your top priority is less mess, remove the female tree.

Q Can you help me understand what is happening to my tree? I noticed last fall that wasps and other bugs were drawn to the black wet-looking spots on the trunk. The tree looks and appears fine, even this spring, but I worried I should be treating it somehow to make sure it doesn't die on me.

A Your tree has a problem called wetwood or slime flux. It means the tree has been weakened or stressed, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is dying. The condition causes a buildup of gases inside the tree, which ferment. Usually after a hard rain or change in growing conditions, a dark sap or a white, foamy sap will come out of holes in the trunk. It usually has a fermented smell, attracting wasps and other insects. Keep the sap washed off the trunk, because it can damage the outer wood. Try to keep the tree healthy by watering when it's dry. Often a tree will outgrow the problem once it recovers from whatever caused the stress.

Q I have three gardenia bushes that are about 17 years old. This year the leaves have a black powder dust (for lack of a better word). Is there anything I can do to remove this from the bushes?

A Your gardenias have a great case of sooty mold. This substance is a byproduct of where honeydew is left on the leaves from a sucking insect. On gardenias, this residue is often left by whiteflies during the past year's growing season; but it also can occur if the plant is under shade trees that had an aphid problem the year before. All of this damage has been on them all winter. Look on the undersurface of the leaves. If you see small white specks, those could be whitefly eggs. In a few weeks, the adult whiteflies will be visible. If you do find whiteflies, a systemic insecticide is your best control. The old leaves should eventually fall off and new, clean leaves come on.

Janet B. 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 email her at

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HomeStyle on 04/25/2015

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