IN THE GARDEN: It's not too early to buy bulbs of elephant ears, but wait to plant until all chance of frost is gone

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Ron Wolfe
Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Ron Wolfe

Q Last year I wanted to plant elephant ears in my yard but I waited late and choice was limited. Today I found a good supply, but I'm concerned about storage till warm weather. Could you advise me how to store them until then?

A Go ahead and buy them while the selection is good and then store them in your garage or house until time for planting. You just want to protect them from freezing temperatures. It would be best to store them in a cool, dry location, but if you don't have a garage, a cool spot inside is fine. If they get too warm, they begin to sprout. Some people like to get ahead of the game and pot them up in containers indoors to get them growing and then plant the growing plants outside in the garden. I would just wait until all frost is gone and then plant in the ground — mid-April is the time to get started.

Q Your [Feb. 9] column certainly hit the nail on the head. We live in north Arkansas and have a mature river birch growing about 10 feet from our front porch. It does all the bad things that were mentioned in the article, dropping branches year-round, leaves in dry spells and small seeds (samaras?) in the spring. The tree is on the south side of the house and gets full sun. We are interested in replacing the tree with a smallish, deciduous tree, hopefully one that has ornamental value. Would a sourwood tree grow well in that spot, and do you have any other suggestions for a replacement tree?

A I have had a lot of response to the river birch question. Unfortunately it is used as a common ornamental in landscapes. To add insult to injury, they are often planted way too close to the house — in your example 10 feet from the foundation. Mature river birch trees grow 70 feet tall or more with a canopy spread of 40-60 feet. They are often sold as a multi-trunked specimen. I think replacing it with a smaller tree or planting another tree a bit farther out from the house would be a good idea. I love sourwood trees. They have gorgeous fall color and interesting white blooms. They are related to azaleas and are not drought tolerant, nor will they survive in wet soils. They can grow up to 30 feet tall, but they are slow growing. Some other possibilities include redbud, fringe tree (Chionanthus), Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) and ginkgo.

Camellias blooms brighten dreary February in a reader's yard.
Camellias blooms brighten dreary February in a reader's yard.

Q Enjoy reading your column In the Garden, and I learn so much. Would like to know the name of the bushes in front of our shop. It's wonderful that they bloom end of January and first weeks in February! One has white flowers and the other red. They bring a lot of joy.

A They are one of my favorite evergreen shrubs — camellias. There are a lot of good choices, with flowers ranging in color from pinks and reds to whites. With good selection, you can have blooms from November through March. Unfortunately, some open blooms were zapped by the recent cold weather, but hopefully more buds will open for later enjoyment.

Q We planted some blueberry bushes in 1983. They are "TifBlue" and "Woodard." In recent years they have grown from top growth rather than low. Pruning over the years has been spotty but sufficient to promote fruiting. Past three years, the top growth has not produced fruit, only growth. No real fruit on top growth and not much underneath. They may be tired? They are planted in an enclosure that is 13 feet by 7.5 feet, almost 6 feet tall, surrounded by 1-inch chicken wire. The rounded top rungs allow for bird netting to be placed over the entire mess. This has worked perfectly all the years and the bushes have produced beyond expectation with large delicious fruit for family and friends. My question is, if I cut the bushes back to my shoulder height (5 feet) will the plants survive? Will they begin to produce fruit next year? Are they a lost cause? They are 35 years old — are they ready to be replaced? Am I dreaming that I won't lose them?

A I think you have been pruning your blueberry bushes incorrectly, and that is why they are not producing. Blueberry bushes are cane-producing shrubs, which means they have many canes or branches that come from the ground. They don't have a dominant trunk like we would see on an apple or peach tree. They should only be pruned at the top to maintain a manageable height. The real pruning is removing the older and woodier canes at the soil line. If you are only top-pruning, they will not produce new canes from the soil line, but your original canes will get older and woodier and less productive. Blueberry canes are most productive when they are 3-4 years old. The goal is to prune out canes that are 5 years old each year and try to leave an even number of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-year-old canes to keep the plants vigorous. My guess is that you have all canes older than 5 (and possibly 20 years old). What little new top growth they put on may set some fruit, but not much. As I see it, you have two or three options. One is start over with new plants. Or you can do major pruning this year, removing half of the old canes at the ground line and then wait for new canes to come up, which will begin to bear some next year. Or you could do a combination approach. If it were me, I would opt for new plants, as they will be more vigorous and should have you in production sooner. Good luck.

Retired after 38 years with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Janet Carson ranks among Arkansas' best known horticulture experts. Write to her at P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72201 or email

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